As death-defying stunts go , hurling yourself off a 60-foot high platform on the back of the horse into just 12 feet of water must surely be up there with one of the most insane . But back in 1920s Atlantic City , launching a horse off a platform almost twice the height of a 10 metre Olympic diving board was a daily occurrence . What 's more , the ability to do it well could win you fame . Scroll down for video . Unbelievable : The horses plummeted off 40 or 60 foot high platforms into 12 feet of water . Death-defying : The stunt had gained popularity in the state circuses which traveled America . Star attraction : But it was when it arrived in Atlantic City in the late 1920s that the stunt really took off . The amazing act was just one of the shows on offer at Atlantic City 's Steel Pier , which opened in 1898 and was once America 's most famous amusement attraction . Diving horse arrived on the pier in the 1920s , having become a fixture of travelling circuses previously . It would go on to become the star attraction at Steel Pier , with crowds gathering to marvel at the dangerous feat as the horse flew off the end of 40 and 60 foot platforms . Annette French , who dove horses from 1928 until 1935 , throwing herself off the platform two to six times a day , told the New York Times in 2008 : 'We were the stars of the Boardwalk . 'Everybody had to see the diving horse . That was what everybody remembered . 'We were a class act . ' Glamorous : The rider would don a swimming costume before jumping the horse off the platform . Safe : Those who dove horses maintain it was safe - with only a few broken bones a year . Well-kept : Horse diver Annette French said the animals 'lived the life of Riley ' and it was not cruel . Mrs French 's sister Sonora Webster Carver was arguably the best-known of the horse divers , whose story was immortalized in the 1991 Disney film Wild Hearts Ca n't Be Broken . She took her first dive aged just 15 , in 1923 , and became one of the best in the business . But in 1931 , her career could have come to a premature end , when she was blinded after a knock to the head which detached her retinas . Ms Carver was not about to stop , however : she dove horses for another 11 years , while unable to see . Fame : The best-known horse diver was Sonora Webster Carver , who had a Disney film made about her life . History : Amazingly , you could still see horse diving as recently as 1978 . The trick to surviving the falls , according to those in the know , was to tuck your head down one side as the horse plunged towards the water below . It is claimed the riders only suffered a few broken bones each year , while Mrs French told the New York Times the horses were so well looked after they 'lived the life of Riley ' . However , despite animal protection officers were concerned about the act , it continued until 1978 - when the pier had fallen into such a state of disrepair it had to be shut .
Horse diving developed in America in the early part of the 20th century . Stunt saw a woman launching her horse off a 40 or 60 foot platform . The horse and the rider would then land in a pool of water just 12 feet deep . Became one of the most popular attractions in Atlantic City in the 1920s . Amazingly , despite animal welfare concerns , stunt continued until 1978 .