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American
Paint Horses bring Wild West to life at Six Flags Over Texas
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FORT
WORTH, Texas-American Paint Horses will be a big part of the story
about how the West was won in the action-packed Rangers & Outlaws
Wild West adventure at Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington, Texas,
June 5 through Aug. 15.
Talented actors and actresses, along with beautiful Paint Horses,
help make the Rangers & Outlaws Wild West Show at Six Flags
Over Texas a success each year.
Sponsored
by the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), Rangers & Outlaws
has been the top-rated show in the park.
More
than 2 million people, half under the age of 18, will have the opportunity
to see the performance this year. The 20-minute adventure will run
for 72 straight days this summer, with three performances daily,
Sunday through Friday, and four performances on Saturdays.
The
Rangers & Outlaws adventure brings to life the true story of
how the Texas Rangers fought outlaws and brought justice to the
silver-mining town of Shafter, Texas, in 1892.
Paint Horses are a big part of the top-rated live-action show, Rangers
& Outlaws, at Six Flags Over Texas.
At
the beginning of the performance, American Paint Horses charge out
into an arena and gallop full speed in precision drill-team formation
as riders in Texas Ranger attire carry giant replicas of the six
flags that have flown over Texas. The flags include those of Spain,
France, Mexico, Texas, the Confederacy and the United States of
America.
The
show is filled with non-stop action, including gunfights, stunts,
a daring escape from a blazing hotel, and even a giant water tower
explosion and silver mine calamity at the finale. Twenty actors,
whose specializations also include stunts and horsemanship, are
part of the show, according to Robert Keith of Live Action Productions.
Keith serves as the show's director and stunt coordinator.
Throughout
the show, lawmen and outlaws alike ride Paint Horses, which are
used exclusively for the performances.
Children and adults, alike, enjoy getting to know the actors and
Paint Horses during the "meet and greet" session at the
conclusion of every Rangers & Outlaws performance.
As
a special feature of the Rangers & Outlaws show, members of
the audience are invited to leave their seats after the performance
to talk with the actors and get a close-up view of the horses. This
"meet and greet" event is popular, especially with the
younger members in attendance. The actors, who have developed a
close bond with the horses, field numerous questions, many of which
center on the beautiful American Paint Horses.
This
will be the third consecutive year APHA has sponsored the Rangers
& Outlaws show at Six Flags Over Texas. The association, which
supplies nine Paint Horses for the performances, views its involvement
with the show as an opportunity to educate people about the popular
American Paint Horse breed. For Six Flags Over Texas, the horses
provide the opportunity to mount their actors on talented and flashy
performance horses.
More
about APHA and American Paint Horses
Since its founding 42 years ago, APHA has registered more than 760,000
horses. Currently, American Paint Horses are being registered at
APHA's Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters at a rate of about 55,000
horses each year. The association serves more than 105,000 members,
who are located in every U.S. state, throughout Canada and in 39
other nations around the world. For more information about the American
Paint Horse and APHA, visit http://www.apha.com , or call (817)
834-2742.
More
about Six Flags
Six Flags Inc. is the world's largest regional theme park company.
The company owns and operates 38 parks throughout North America,
Latin America and Europe. Six Flags theme parks serve 40 of the
50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The parks annually
host more than 50 million guests worldwide. For more information,
visit the Six Flags Web site at http://www.sixflags.com.
© 2004 American Paint Horse Association
P.O. Box 961023 Fort Worth, Texas 76161-0023
(817) 834-APHA (2742) Fax (817) 834-3152
www.apha.com.
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