Jen Utley Will Have None of this Horse Diving Business

Yesterday, I was a little perplexed when I heard that the diving horses of yesteryear were supposedly making a return to Atlantic City’s Steel Pier [VIDEO of this woman-equine stunt at the link]. After all, it was just a few months back when the new owners of the historic pier announced they would rely on “modern attractions” to bring back the tourists, and, well, sending a horse off the edge of a 40-foot-high diving board into a pool below sounds about as modern (and pleasant) as torture by Sicilian bull. In fact, it sounded so preposterous that I wondered if someone wasn’t trying to pull the ol’ “$8 billion abortionplex” gag on me. But no, the story is legit. So, naturally, I called Jen Utley.

In case it has somehow failed to show up on your radar, Jen Utley is not only the lovely wife of Phillies star Chase Utley but also an outspoken advocate for the protection of animals. Yesterday, when I reached her on her cell phone, she was unaware of the sinister plot brewing on the Boardwalk, perhaps because being mom to two-month-old Benjamin Cooper Utley is a full-time gig in and of itself.

But once she had a chance to get up to speed, Ma Utley made clear her position on the great diving horses of Atlantic City. “I can’t say I’m any type of expert on this subject,” she noted. “However, as an intelligent human being living in a modern society, I can say that this is definitely not a step in the right direction. If you can show me a horse that chooses to jump off of a 40-foot diving board on its own, maybe I’ll change my thoughts. But until then …”