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A herd of performing horses are undergoing their final preparations ready to take to the stage in a multi-award-winning live action outdoor theatre spectacular.

The dedicated cavalry team at Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, which looks after the show’s animals all year round, are on hand to make sure the horses are picture-perfect for their performances.  

Alongside the 38 other horses, Kynren’s latest addition to the cavalry team, grey Shire horse Cosmo, is also enjoying his debut season at the Bishop Auckland show.

Galloping onto the seven-and-a-half-acre stage at an impressive 18.3 hands high (1.86m from floor to shoulders), Cosmo is a rare breed Shire horse and one of only 200 grey shires in the world. Due to his impressive size, Cosmo has enough power to easily pull the carriages in Kynren and will also play a starring role in the Viking invasion scene as a fisherwoman is kidnapped.

The final preparations ahead of each Saturday night include a thorough groom, a relaxing hose down complete with nourishing shampoo. Cosmo and the rest of the horses get so excited about appearing in the show and enjoy receiving lots of care and attention.

Laurie Robinson, director of cavalry and estates at Kynren, said: “Cosmo has fast become a favourite amongst the team here at Kynren after joining earlier this year. He’s well mannered, has a calm temperament and has taken to pulling a carriage like a duck to water. We’re so happy to have him and we think families visiting Kynren this summer will love him as much as we do! 

“He’s joined a wonderful group of horses and we’re so proud of how they have all trained and rehearsed ready for our summer run. Each Saturday they are given the full pamper treatment in readiness for show night and Sundays are snooze day where they all enjoy a real relax and they can often be heard snoring after all the excitement!”

Laurie’s role leads the team of people who care for the 39 performance horses, which make up the menagerie of 150 animals in Kynren including sheep, geese, cows, donkeys and goats. All the animals are cared for to the highest standards and live on site so they can be well looked after all year round.

CEO of Kynren, Anna Warnecke has been competing at the top level in eventing for many years, bringing her wealth of knowledge and experience to the Kynren and believes the expert horsemanship on display in the multi-award-winning live action outdoor theatre spectacular is unlike anything else seen in the UK.

Anna said: “An opportunity to see rare breed Shire horses like Cosmo, alongside other breeds performing at their best due to our expert care and training truly is a sight to behold and gives audiences a sense of the intelligence these animals possess.

“We’re incredibly lucky to work and live alongside them and it’s been wonderful watching their progress over the last few months ready for our summer run.”

Cosmo and his crew appear in a number of scenes during the 2024 production which tracks England’s history and tells the ‘story of us’ – from Boudicca’s battles with the Romans to two world wars, as well as visiting the Vikings, Tudors, Stuarts, Queen Victoria and the Industrial Revolution.

Kynren is a spellbinding, family-friendly experience delivering thrills, shocks, tears, laughs, goosebumps and gasps on a truly cinematic scale. The 8,000-seater tribune provides panoramic views across the outdoor stage.

As well as the expert horsemanship in the world class show, audiences can expect magnificent sets, mass choreography, combat, stunts, stunning pyrotechnics and amazing special effects, including water jets and state of the art video projections.

The 90-minute performances start at sunset and end in starlight, taking place every Saturday evening until the 14th September.

Tickets cost from £26 for adults and from £16 for under 18s. Children aged 3 and under are free when sat on an adult’s knee.