James Buchanan has soared from stable to star, proof that a hobby can open the door to the world. Thanks to his passion for horses, intense preparation and unexpected opportunities, the 24-year-old Alexandria native is one of the Cavalia headliners.
At the age of 2, he adored visiting his grandfather’s farm in Maryland and riding the horses. By 8, he was so enthusiastic about horses that he began serious lessons with Tim Majewski at Giles Run Stables on Old Colchester Road in Lorton. While attending Hayfield High School, he thought about being a veterinarian, but the prospect of studying for 10 years did not compare with the joy of riding a favorite mount.
When the family moved to Myrtle Beach his junior year, he discovered that Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede was holding auditions for a permanent dinner theater show. He had scant hope they would hire someone only 16, but he was pleasantly surprised to be chosen. His sister, Amanda, hired at the same time, still works with the company. Upon graduating from high school two years later, Buchanan was recruited to open the company’s newest show in Orlando. Soon afterward, a friend alerted him to a job opening for a stable groom with Cavalia.
Cavalia
Where: The White Big Top, South Fern Street and Army Navy Drive, Pentagon City, Arlington
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Info: $45.50 to $98.50, special pricing for children and seniors; special packages include visit to the Cavalia stables; 866-999-8111; cavalia.net
“I was super-excited to get my foot in the door,” he says. “Growing up with horses, I was used to that kind of work and enjoyed traveling with them. After a year, I decided to take time off and improve my skills in trick riding and dressage.”
When a more confident Buchanan returned to Cavalia, he was hired to perform under the tent. He mastered assignments so challenging that today he is featured on quarter horses, the courageous Lusitano from Iberia — often used as a mount for Portuguese bullfighters — and the pure Spanish breed for Roman riding on two horses. He regards his most difficult act as the one performed with another rider and two aerialists.
“The acrobats are suspended from cables,” he says. “My job is to control myself and the horse while working with him and a third person. Each of my horses has something special, and I like them all. Nacarado is young, full of energy and personality, and whenever I go into the stall he never leaves me alone. He bites me when I’m not looking to show his affection.”
The entire show is a group effort. To pace himself from one scene to another, Buchanan may hand off his horse to a groom or another performer and run to the dressing room to change. If he has no time to warm up his horse, others will help. The horses understand when their act is next because they become used to the schedule and know the music.
Buchanan has been with Cavalia in his current role for nearly three years, two of them spent in Europe with winters in the south and summers in more northern cities. During this first visit to his hometown in his new position, he looks forward to seeing friends and family and greeting local teenagers like those who congregate backstage in every city eager to learn how to join Cavalia.
“I tell them to keep riding,” he says. “This is a great show in every way with horses, acrobats and multimedia all put together very well. Everyone cares about the horses and it’s always fun to work with live animals. Because they have minds of their own, the show can change each night. The more I do it, the more I enjoy performing in front of people. It’s nice to wake up knowing I have to go to work, the kind of work I love doing.”
