Majestic rare breed of horse arrives in County Durham meet Kynren's newest cast member

26th March 2024

A rare breed of horse that is listed as at-risk with less than 200 left in the world has become the newest cast member in an award-winning outdoor live theatre event.

Knutsford Cosmopolitan – a majestic grey shire horse whose nickname is Cosmo – has been welcomed by the volunteer cast and crew at Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, in County Durham, as he joins the equine team.

Shire horses have played an integral part in the history of England and a grey shire horse, Aurora, was chosen to lead the Queen's state funeral procession to Windsor Castle.

Standing at over 18.3 hands – the equivalent to 1.86m measured from floor to shoulders – Cosmo is being looked after by Kynren’s dedicated cavalry team. Once settled and feeling at home, he will begin his training to become one of the main carriage driving horses in the outdoor theatre spectacular when it welcomes audiences once again this summer. Cosmo may also be included in the epic Viking Invasion scene, where a Fisherwoman is stolen from the village by marauding Vikings.

Horses take centre stage throughout the 90-minute action-packed show, whether riding into battle, jousting, flying flags or pulling carts during pastoral scenes, as audiences are transported through 2,000 years of English history. Cosmo joins an animal cast of over 100, including 39 performance horses, sheep, geese, goats, Durham Shorthorn cows, and even a mother-daughter donkey duo.

Kynren’s highly-skilled specialists ensure the equine stars are well-fed, exercised, groomed, dressed to the nines, ridden beautifully and driven to perfection.

Laurie Robinson, director of cavalry and estates at Kynren, said: “Shire horses are known as gentle giants due to their calm and friendly temperament and keenness to work and Cosmo absolutely exemplifies this.

“The whole team has fallen in love with him already and we’re so pleased to welcome him to the Kynren family.”

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.

Kynren is performed by a 1,000-strong volunteer cast and crew on a seven-and-a-half-acre outdoor stage in Bishop Auckland, featuring scenes including the poignant moments of the Tudors and the fate of Charles I. For 2024, there will be a pre-show entertainment experience where audience goers will have the opportunity to wander through the authentic recreation of a traditional 9^th century Viking village. 

The 90-minute performances start at sunset and end in starlight and will be taking place every Saturday night from 27^th July to 14^th 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.

SHOW DATES AND TIMINGS FOR 2024:

• July 27 (Gates open 6:15 PM, performance starts 9:15 PM)
• August 3 (Gates open 6:00 PM, performance starts 9:00 PM)
• August 10 (Gates open 5:45 PM, performance starts 8:45 PM)
• August 17 (Gates open 5:30 PM, performance starts 8:30 PM)
• August 24 (Gates open 5:30 PM, performance starts 8:30 PM)
• August 31 (Gates open 5:00 PM, performance starts 8:00 PM)
• September 7 (Gates open 4:30 PM, performance starts 7:30 PM)
• September 14 (Gates open 4:30 PM, performance starts 7:30 PM)