A couple of months ago I got a call to do a gig that sounded interesting- playing Spanish guitar music during a horse show as accompaniment to a performance by Andalusian horses. Little did I realize how interesting this engagement was going to be!

Arriving at the arena in my black suit the evening of the gig, I realized I was woefully underdressed; I was about the only man there who didn't have a large cowboy hat on his head. Undaunted, I found one of the people in charge and asked for guidance. They informed me that plans had changed a little; there was to be only one horse performing; his name was Alborozo (joy, jubilation) and I was told that I should go talk to his rider and trainer, Avi Cohen.

Now, while I admire horses, by no stretch of the imagination could you call me a "horse person". I viewed Alborozo from a safe distance of about 50 yards as he did his warm-ups; that was close enough for me. Eventually the trainer came closer with Alborozo at his side and said in a foreign accent, "Just play what you feel," and that occasionally he and the horse would come close to me, "But don't worry." So another aspect of the evening was revealed to me that I hadn't known about; I was to be in the arena with Alborozo.

Lots of other performances preceded the appearance by me and my pal Alborozo, so I stood off to the side waiting for the sound guy to figure out how he was going to amplify me. What eventually worked was my battery-powered amp paired with my acoustic-electric classical; the sound man simply stuck a remote mic in front of the amp. While I waited I talked to the promoter of the event about this and that, no doubt demonstrating my complete lack of equestrian knowledge. He had never worked with Alborozo's trainer, but was very impressed with him and the horse.

Just as I was feeling reassured, the promoter mentioned that while everyone else was using canned music, Avi had insisted on live guitar music, and that he had told Avi that if "something" happened, they couldn't pay for it. "Hmmm...pay for what?" my sluggish brain was wondering. Finally, now that my hands had gotten good and cold (California evenings can get chilly), it was show time!

One cowboy took my guitar and another my amp and chair and they climbed over the metal fence to carry the items to the center of the arena where they had also laid some heavy-duty plywood panels. I thought the plywood panels were for me, but no, those were for Alborozo's dance routine; my place of honor was a chair in the dirt about eight feet away from the panels. There was no gate in the fence, so I had to vault it also; they don't teach that in conservatories these days...

So there I was, in the middle of the arena, wondering what I was going to "feel" like playing. As Alborozo was introduced to the crowd and began his slow march towards me, I started playing "Cadiz" by Albéniz and immediately forgot how it went- a tune I had been playing for ten years. When you're sitting in the middle of an arena watching 1,500 pounds of Andalusian stallion dancing around you, it's slightly distracting. I imagine the expression on my face resembled that of a deer frozen in the headlights.

My wife Jana, who is a horse person, told me afterwards that she was a little worried; she had heard of a stallion that grabbed his trainer by the chest and just ran off with him. She also said afterwards that she had heard that Alborozo's stud services had recently been hired, and all the mares at the show were getting him a little agitated. I guess it was a good thing I didn't know I was in a potentially dangerous situation because I was having enough trouble concentrating as it was. It dawned on me, however, what the promoter had meant by "If something happens we can't pay for it". He meant- if something happened to me, thank you very much!

I was desperately trying to think of songs that would fit Alborozo's movements, but didn't feel like I was succeeding until he came over to the plywood panels a second time and we hooked up with the popular tango "La Cumparsita". After watching a video of our performance, however, I felt that most of the pieces worked in providing the right atmosphere for Alborozo's "Spanish Ballet". As the horse walked off to "Recuerdos de la Alhambra", I started breathing again.

Seriously though, it was a privilege to see such a beautiful animal up close. His mane was gorgeous and his rippling muscles were very impressive. Alborozo definitely worked out regularly, and I'll bet he didn't use steroids. You should check out the other video which shows him leaping and kicking. The trainer said he didn't want me in the ring for that and I didn't argue the point.

Over the years I've played many strange and unusual gigs; I'd have to put this one in the top five most interesting. But did I tell you about the time I had to drive a hayride truck up into the hills and then sing songs around the campfire to the likes of Kris Kristofferson? I don't think he cared for my rendition of "Ragtime Cowboy Joe".

Hasta la vista,
James Edwards

Video clips and still shots of Alborozo can be seen at:
http://www.kilimanjaroranch.com/Andalusian-Stallions.htm

Once at the site, a video of James and Alborozo can be seen by clicking the picture of Alborozo near the top left of the screen, then click Videos --> Equine Experience Exhibition 2005 1