Leg extensions turn humans into horses
(Credit:
Kim Graham)
The notion of horse legs for humans just seemed strange to me--until I saw longshot Mine That Bird's gorgeously graceful sprint to the finish in Saturday's Run for the Roses. Now I sort of get why a human would want to approximate equine movement. Such strength, such speed, such hooves.
Seattle artist Kim Graham says her Digitigrade Leg Extensions "give a person the uncanny and graceful appearance of an animal." Granted, they don't look all that comfortable, though the artist insists it takes just 10 to 15 minutes of walking to get used to them. They're made of steel, cable, foam, and rigid plastic and add 14 inches of height to the wearer--kind of like stilts with an animal twist.
Graham--a fine-art sculptor who has dabbled in special effects and fantasy-based mold-making--says the leg extensions work well on level surfaces, while sharp inclines are difficult and stairs are downright risky. Walking briskly is the best way to get around in these attachments, she says. Galloping, not so much.
The extensions are custom-fitted and hand-fabricated, and they'll cost you between $750 and $780, or $1,000 with the optional spring-loaded hooves. If you're really set on fitting in at the stable and want a fur costume built around your leg extensions, that could cost you extra. Plus, Graham says it takes an additional three minutes to get into and out of the extensions when they're fur-enhanced.
Currently, you're most likely to see actors and other performers in these odd contraptions, but who's to say they won't ultimately have wider appeal? Maybe we'll see a Kentucky Derby for humans one day.
Crave contributor Matt Hickey (who, by the way, is afraid of horses) plans to step into a pair of these next week, so stay tuned for a live demo of him trotting around the streets of Seattle.
(Via Boing Boing)
Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and most other digital distractions. As a co-host of the CNET News Daily Podcast, she sometimes tries to channel Terry Gross. E-mail Leslie. 
that **** is wrong
I am in touch with hundreds of ponies and trainers worldwide.
We use boots, mostly. Sometimes we use custom made hooves but they are not this type.
@ProfBatsonDBeltry where did you get your information from?
...
someone shoot that woman.
Without people like this lady, we wouldn't HAVE an FX or movie industry that portrayed anything more than blah dramas, sappy teen romances and dissertations on grass growing practices around the world. Life would be pretty frakkin' BORING.
And why do all of these idiots seem to assume that Furry is nothing more than a fetish? Do they even KNOW any real furries? It's an appreciation for art, comics, animation and costuming with anthropomorphic animal characters. For a few, there is a fetish component, and there is nothing at ALL wrong with that, as long as it's between consenting adults.
She's having fun making things that some may consider silly, but why is this such a crime to you morons? Haven't any of you ever played dress-up as a kid? And yes, it CAN be an "adult" game, with sex or not. We're so broken about sexual activity and we've been left with this stupidity that sex can only be Vanilla Missionary and dull, dull, dull and anything outside of that tediously poor model is "aberrant". Mature people can accept that not every practice is for everyone without having to like it themselves or having to sneer or mock it. But, it's a pity the comments suggest that SOME people aren't so mature.
Personally, I cheer this lady on for her imagination, creativity and her skill.
Carl Bernstein, U.S. journalist. Guardian (London, June 3, 1992)
- by Prodnose July 2, 2009 10:21 AM PDT
- Interesting - but don't horses do it better?
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