El Caballo Blanco facts for kids
| Location | Catherine Field, Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°00′35″S 150°46′31″E / 34.009732°S 150.775357°E |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Closed | 2007 |
| Theme | Horses |
El Caballo Blanco means The White Horse in Spanish. It was the name for special theme parks in Australia. These parks were famous for their beautiful Andalusian horses. Andalusian horses are a special breed from Spain, known for their elegance.
The first El Caballo Blanco park opened in 1972. It was located in Catherine Field, near Sydney, New South Wales. Another park opened in 1974 in Wooroloo, Western Australia.
The idea for El Caballo Blanco came from an Australian businessman named Ray Williams. He brought the first Spanish horses to Australia in 1972. Among them was a famous stallion named Bodeguero. Many of the Andalusian horses in Australia today are related to Bodeguero. The El Caballo Resort in Wooroloo became very popular. People loved to watch the amazing dancing horses there.
El Caballo Blanco Theme Parks
Ray Williams created the El Caballo Blanco theme park in Catherine Field, near Narellan. The main attraction was the beautiful Andalusian dancing stallions. These horses were trained to perform amazing routines.
But the park had more than just horses! It also featured tiny Fallabella horses. There were also fun rides like water slides and train rides. A small wildlife zoo was part of the park too.
Williams even started an El Caballo Blanco park at Disneyland in the United States. After Williams passed away, the El Caballo Blanco parks slowly closed down. The Catherine Field park closed in 2007. For many years, the buildings were used for storage. Later, a fire damaged the main show arena. Even after the park closed, a group of horse lovers continued to care for the Andalusian horses on the site.
The Wooroloo complex in Western Australia later started hosting the famous Spanish dancing horse show again. It was a great way to see these special horses perform.
In June 2007, a new El Caballo Blanco show opened near Sydney. This show honored the Spanish dancing horses. It played regular shows at Horseworld Stadium in Maraylya. A person named Rene Gasser put this new show together. However, in September 2007, a horse illness called equine influenza affected Gasser's show. Some horses got sick, and the shows had to stop for a while.
Today, you can still see these beautiful horses at Wooroloo in Western Australia. In 2015, the old buildings and attractions at the Catherine Field site were taken down. This was to make space for new homes.
