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It is the kind of scene you imagine for the Spice Girls or any squeaky clean boy-band. A simmering sea of pre-pubescent girls singing in unison, waving their arms in the air and telling anyone who will listen which one is their favourite.
Except this time the pining masses are as young as three, and most crave kissing a horse after the concert. The Saddle Club Arena Show, a live, all-horses, all horse-mad spectacular with cast members of the television series, is based around a simple Famous Five-style tale and is staged in a cavernous venue.
Miked-up with voices colossally at odds with their size, Lisa, Stevie and Carole and their beloved horses face off that snobby rich kid Veronica and some "bad men" while riding the orange-coloured sand of the SuperDome.
Because of the size of the venue, they and some other characters all end up looking like tiny jodhpured-dolls striding about on Mars. But any dramatic or technical problems will not bother the faithful. Like any large-scale concert to a devoted following, it is the sense of sharing the same oxygen that matters, no matter how mammoth the venue.
The cast are excellent riders and the horses are highly trained. A climactic race (in which snooty Veronica is beaten by a hair's breadth. Hooray!) showed their extensive experience. Nearly all dealt with horses spooked by camera flashes from the audience, despite warnings before the show.
For the finale our horsey heroines waved to the crowd like radiant royalty as they whizzed past in a white horse-drawn carriage with roses attached to the sides. And the little girls with mouths agog and eyes like dinner plates waved and wished even harder for a pony.
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