Horse Illustrated Magazine

Afraid of heights? That’s totally natural. And for the acrophobic among us, the Glacier Skywalk at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, is probably not the best place to be. And it’s certainly not the place to ride a horse. But if you’re in the mood for adventure, and you and your horse have a very, very trusting relationship, why not give it a go?

Alberta-based trainer David Cowley of Two-Way Trust Horsemanship decided to put that trust to the test with the stunt in the video above. In it, he rides his Quarter Horse, Tucker, across the Glacier Skywalk. The glass-bottomed walkway gives visitors the experience of being suspended off a cliff’s edge over a 918-foot drop to the valleys and rushing water below. The Skywalk undoubtedly provides breathtaking views, but the sheer height is likely to cause a bit of hesitation and some sweaty palms for human visitors. Never mind equines.

Cowley says his ride is the first (and possibly last and only) of any horse-and-rider team over a glass skywalk. He’s probably right–this isn’t exactly the most horse-friendly venue. He’s outfitted Tucker with some hoof boots for traction and has some assistants on the ground for safety. Tucker looks curious about this strange surface in the video, but he seems game to go where the unusual path leads.

The Skywalk isn’t the only unorthodox place Cowley has asked Tucker to travel. The palomino has visited the observation deck the top of the the Calgary Tower during the Calgary Stampede – a stunt that might sound like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but it’s one that Cowley has previously performed as part of the Stampede celebration with other horses he’s trained. No fear of heights will keep this pair from getting out there and trying new things.

Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com