Black Friesians from the Gala of Royal Horses
Courtesy of Rene Gasser's Gala of Royal Horses

The Gala of Royal Horses? will feature traditional battlefield maneuvers including The Airs Above Ground.

Courtesy of Rene Gasser's Gala of Royal Horses

Renee Gasser with one of the Arabians featured in the Gala of Royal Horses

Courtesy of Rene Gasser's Gala of Royal Horses

Training horses to dance, prance and leap on cue to music before arena audiences requires the attentiveness of psychologist, says Renee Gasser.

That’s key to getting the best performances from the Friesians, the Lipizzaners and the Arabians he will bring to the Ford Center Sunday with his Gala of Royal Horses show.

“I think as a trainer, you have to start thinking a little bit more like what would a horse do? How does a horse feel? The psychology of that is one of the things I’m working on most of the time — to keep the horse happy,” said Gasser.

“I get them as young ones and I try different things and I see what do they like doing best? I want to understand what do they like doing best. That’s working really, really well.”

Gasser is a seventh-generation Swiss horseman. He has spent each of his 53 years around show horses, “and I’m still learning something new every day,” he said in a phone call from Florida.

“The older you get, the more you know how little you know.”

After growing up in equestrian shows, he started his own 14 years ago. Working from a center near Melbourne, Australia, he has toured most of the world with his horses.

Evansville’s Ford Center show comes on his first American tour, he said.

The show will feature Gasser and nine other riders from the United States, South America, Spain and Germany, handling 15 horses from Holland, Spain and other countries.

They are considered royal for breeding lines still favored by monarchies in Holland and Spain, Gasser said. “From early on, most of these breeds were owned by royal families.”

They were bred for power, precision and looks. “Their necks are quite large and then of course they have these beautiful long manes and tails. My daughter calls them Barbie doll horses. They don’t look real,” he said.

They were also bred for speed and agility. “Some were used for war — they had to be powerful, fast and very flexible so they could leap and dodge the enemy,” he said.

Some of them even dance alongside a flamenco dancer on a stage of resonant boards. “You not only see these movement, but you can hear these hoof beats.”

That’s where Gasser sees evidence that his horses love to perform, he said.

In fact it happens before the horses even get into the arena.

“When we get them ready backstage and the music starts, you can see them grow a little bit — they almost get a little taller when they go in,” he said.

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IF YOU GO

What: Riding master Renee Gasser’s Gala of Royal Horses will feature Friesian, Lipizzaner and Arabian breeds performing under riders and beside dancers

When: 3 p.m., Sunday

Where: The Ford Center

Tickets: $25 to $55 with additional charges, available at the Ford Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.