Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK
The trick rider
Camilla Naprous on performing for Madonna and the
county show display that nearly ended in disaster
My family company, The Devil’s
Horsemen, has been involved in
Cossack or trick riding on the
county show circuit since the
1970s. The moves, including the
shoulder stand and “death hang”
— when the rider is suspended
by their ankle from the top of the
saddle with their head about five
inches from the floor — haven’t
really changed, although the
routines are regularly reinvented
using new music and costumes.
I started off by riding
conventionally, although usually
bareback. Playing cowboys and
Indians with my brother, Daniel,
was a favourite. It involved
numerous tumbles — but you
can’t be a decent rider without
falling off.
My earliest experience of
Roman riding — standing on top
of two horses — in public occurred
at Horse of the Year Show at
Wembley in 1995. I was eight.
I galloped around the ring on
Charlie and Foxy, my two Welsh
section As. I did my first stunt
aged nine, when I threw myself
‘The audience
reaction at any show
makes you feel like
a rock star’
off two ponies in a circus ring,
and I was 12 when I started
Cossack riding.
The biggest risk to trick riders
are trips and slips on wet
ground. If you are hanging upside
down with your leg in straps,
there is no quick release. If you
are keen to have a go, learn from
the experts. Don’t try it at home.
I particularly enjoy trick
riding at the Festival
of British Eventing at
Gatcombe and at the
New Forest Show,
although the audience
reaction at any show
makes you feel like
a rock star. Our
trick team,
generally
made up of
nine riders, works on the circuit
every weekend between April
and September. We also take
private bookings, and once put
on a gypsy-themed show for
Madonna at her Wiltshire home.
My most impressive “save”
occurred at a county show in
Northamptonshire. Four of us
were Roman riding eight horses
around the arena at a gallop. On
a corner, my inside horse slipped
down to his knees. I fell,
ending up on his neck, but as
he got up he propelled me
back into the saddle. I still
don’t know how I escaped
a really serious fall.
We have 100 horses, all
of whom are trained
from a young age
to ride, drive and
trick ride. All the
staff have their
favourites. For
many years mine
was Raphael,
a 15.3hh dark
bay Welsh
cob/Lusitano. He retired last
year, so on the show circuit I now
ride Moses, who’s an eight-yearold
roan Lusitano stallion. We
don’t feel “married” yet and I feel
slightly unsafer on him than I did
on Raphael.
My father, Gerard, began stunt
riding in Paris in the 1970s,
jousting on stage at The Lido.
Now stunt riding is rarely live,
being restricted mainly to films
and TV. I was a stunt double from
my late teens to my mid-20s,
generally standing in for the pretty
lead actress and galloping across
a moor. Back then, very few
female parts included impressive
stunts — that was a man’s game.
Although I don’t stunt ride
any more, I’m involved in
choreographing the sequences for
the films and TV series we work
on, including Game Of Thrones.
Generally we are informed of the
sequence required six months in
advance, giving plenty of time
for rehearsals. When it’s time to
film, every movement has been
pre-rehearsed and timetabled
almost down to the second.
My life is non-stop. Alongside
the summer trick riding, I run
a yard of 100 horses and a team
of staff. Along with my assistant,
Rebecca Horan, I also work out
the logistics of getting numerous
horses to their film and TV
commitments. I spend 80% of my
time on film sets, but I wouldn’t
have it any other way. H&H
NEXT
WEEK
Legendary tack
shop owner
Shirley Rankin
Words by Julie Harding. Picture by Graham Stone/REX/Shutterstock
16 Horse & Hound 8 February 2018