Eric Gibson is the man with the horse.
Every Saturday home football game, Gibson and his horse, Blazer, pull into the Carl Smith Center on Alderman Road as the Cavalier and the Cavalier horse, costumed and ready to gallop onto the field before thousands of cheering fans.
Virginia's Cavalier mascot first became popular after the 1990 Citrus Bowl, but Gibson is the first permanent Cavalier mascot at the University, and has been the opening attraction at football games for three years now.
"Before Eric, we had the Charlottesville mounted police doing it. There were different horses and riders for each game," Virginia Sports Marketing Director Andrew Rader said of the search for a mascot.
Rader said after the Charlottesville mounted police unit disbanded three years ago, he was put in contact with a local businessman - Eric Gibson.
Taking the field
Gibson's large silver truck, bearing the license plate "SaddleUp," pulls a metal-shafted trailer into a small enclave by Gooch/Dillard's air conditioning unit. Several grooms wearing shiny black boots and white jodhpurs gather around the trailer, helping Blazer, the Cavalier's horse, out of the back.
Blazer is a 16.3 hand Thoroughbred-Clydesdale cross. "He's what we call a warm-blood," Gibson says as he strides around the horse while one of the grooms, Phil Martin, rubs Blazer's haunches with a rubber curry comb. Blazer, who is 16 years old, has a large white blaze between his eyes, while the rest of his body is a deep mahogany color.
Gibson attributes most of Blazer's calm, even temperament to his breeding. "You don't want a shy, fidgety animal for this job. Warm-blood drafts are known for being pretty stable and unflappable," he said.
While Gibson steps into the trailer to get suited up for the game, Martin continues brushing Blazer in hard, even strokes. Martin, who is a police officer in Charlottesville, has worked with the mounted police before, but believes there is something special about Eric and Blazer.
"These guys are the game, the whole team. And Blazer, he's just a rock," Martin says. His deep smile folds into his chin as he continues working around the horse, applying hoof varnish and swinging the leather saddle onto Blazer's back.
"It's kind of like putting on stage makeup," Martin explained. The horse seems rather unfluttered by the whole process and quietly noses his water bucket.
Gibson steps out of the trailer. He may have stepped into his dressing room as a regular guy, but as he emerges, Gibson looks as though he's just stepped out of the year 1600.
"When I do something, I want to do it right," Gibson says of his decision to purchase the authentic looking circa 1635 French Cavalier costume. He wears a heavy felt hat adorned with a feather plume. His wig cost him about $150 and is made of real hair, which he tosses behind his shoulders. The blue and orange bodice was crafted by a friend of his who is a costume designer at Virginia Tech. The cape swings as he moves.
"I had this thing made last year," Gibson says, motioning to his costume. In addition, Gibson sports real hand-pegged leather boots and a genuine steel sword made in a foundry in Philadelphia and based on a 17th century rapier. "The whole outfit cost me about $3,000," he said.
After adjusting his hat and the fake moustache on his upper lip, Gibson is ready to mount up. Martin holds Blazer by the bridle and stirrup as Eric pulls himself into the saddle.
"I want to make sure I have enough of a grip," Gibson says as he pulls his boots up above his knees and tightens his girth.
When Gibson feels his seat is secure, he gathers up the reins and clucks to Blazer. There are a few minutes before the opening of the game, and Gibson will use them to greet people at tailgates around the stadium. Blazer sets off at a springy walk, his hooves clip-clopping over the asphalt.
Charlynn Settladge, a slender woman with a walkie-talkie tucked into her belt, is in charge of keeping an eye out for the pair's safety from the ground. She has to walk fast to keep up with the speedy horse. As Blazer and Gibson weave their way through crowds and picnic lunches, children and adults wave enthusiastically.
"The people really enjoy this. They really genuinely want to see Blazer," Settladge says.
Every few seconds, a child shouts, "I want to see the horse!" or families flag Gibson down for a photograph. Although Blazer prefers dancing around to waiting for the pictures, he never spooks at any of the crowd. Settladge says most horses would act up in such situations.
"He's really not nearly as spooky and fidgety as most horses," she says.
Gibson and Blazer make their way around nearly the entire circumference of the stadium, with Settladge giving time checks to Gibson every now and then. Around five minutes before game time, Gibson guides Blazer toward the tunnels that lead to the field.
Eric waits for his cue while his grooms gather around him to keep Blazer calm. Outside, a video of the Cavalier shows up on the large stadium screen. The film is a few minutes long and features a computer generated Cavalier destroying the opposing team's mascot. The crowd roars, signaling that it's time for Blazer to go on.
Eric rushes the field with the other football players and loops around. The grooms stake out various positions on the field, ready to assist if anything should happen with Blazer and Gibson.
After about two minutes, Blazer gallops back toward the exit. Settladge and Martin each grab a hold of the horse's reins, steadying him, as Blazer saws at his bit, his mouth foaming a little. Gibson looks exhilarated and a little flushed.
Blazer settles down again once he's out of the tunnels, and Gibson rides back to the trailer for a rest before his next appearance at halftime.
The horseman
Gibson looks remarkably different in street clothes. His pressed khakis and white oxford shirt seem to alter his presence a little. Only his joking brown eyes and prominent, rosy cheeks are the same.
He lounges on a striped sofa at the back of his tack shop in downtown Charlottesville, a store that carries harness gear such as saddles and bridles. It's a posh museum-like store thick with the smell of oiled leather. Gibson explains that horses have been a part of his life for some time.
"My sister always had horses, mostly quarter horses," he says, as he runs his hands through his short brown hair.
Gibson started riding when he was in college by taking an elective equestrian class.
"It seemed like it would be fun. It also seemed like a good way to meet girls," he says.
Gibson said that he learned to ride proficiently and has been involved with horses ever since. He now owns five horses, including Blazer, which he keeps out at pasture on a friend's farm.
Twelve years ago, Gibson began foxhunting. "It's the last great gentleman's sport. It's full of tradition," Gibson says. He explained that foxhunting was what led him to Blazer and later to his role as the Cavalier.
"I bought Blazer as a hunting prospect. Foxhunting is a culmination of all equestrian disciplines and is very demanding of a horse. But Blazer is really good at it. I think that's what makes him such a good prospect, the fact that he has achieved this relaxed disposition," he says.
It was in a foxhunting club that Gibson met Settladge, who first approached him about being the Cavalier.
"She worked at Channel 29 as a news reporter. They had asked her to do it first. But she said she couldn't, her horse wasn't good enough, but that she knew someone who could do it," he says. Settladge was talking about Gibson and Blazer.
"Both Blazer and I were nervous the first time. But it's practice, we keep getting better each time," he says.
Gibson walks through a corner of his store where glass cases display military antiques that he collects. He is proud of the way he and Blazer really impact the University.
"I think it's really great how important the Cavalier has become to the fans," he says. "It's nice to know that people really want to have us out there"
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