Sonora Webster Carver

ABOUT SONORA WEBSTER CARVER

Known for her 1961 memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses, this early 20th-century entertainer was famous during her lifetime as one of the first women to pursue a career as a circus "horse diver" (the rider of a horse that dives into water).

She became a horse diving sensation after answering a 1923 circus performer job advertisement.

When she was twenty-seven years old, she lost her vision after diving with open eyes on a horse named Red Lips. Though she was blind, she continued her horse diving career for over a decade after her accident.

She married Al Floyd Carter, who was the son of horse diving event creator and sharpshooter William "Doc" Carver. Her sister, Arnette Webster French, also became a well-known horse diver.

She is portrayed by actress Gabrielle Anwar in the 1991 biopic Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.