At 85 years old, Barbara Gose can still picture the view from the top of the Steel Pier diving tower.
Perched bareback on a horse nearly 50 feet above the water, she would look out over thousands of spectators filling Atlantic City’s legendary amusement pier. Then, with only seconds to think, horse and rider would leap together into history.
For one unforgettable summer in 1966, the Atlantic City native became one of the final women to ride the world-famous diving horses, an attraction that defined Steel Pier for generations and remains one of the Jersey Shore’s most iconic spectacles.
‘The Showplace of the Nation’
When Gose climbed the diving tower in 1966, Steel Pier was still living through the twilight of its golden era.
Known for decades as the “Showplace of the Nation,” the pier attracted millions of visitors with an unmatched lineup of entertainment. Guests could spend an entire day watching the diving horses, high divers, animal acts, comedians and novelty performers before settling into the Music Hall to see some of the biggest names in show business.
That summer, New Jersey legends Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were among the headlining acts entertaining crowds, their chart-topping hits making them one of the hottest groups in America.
For Gose, it wasn’t just another summer job. She was performing at one of the most famous entertainment venues in America.
An unexpected opportunity
Gose never planned on becoming a diving horse rider.
As a mother of three at 27 years old, Gose was already living an unconventional life. Her husband was a surfer in California and she helped him film surfing movies. They traveled back and forth in a hearse, donned with longboards and dried flowers in the trunk.
In the summers, Barbara’s husband, Mickey Gose, was regularly performing at Steel Pier as part of a high-diving comedy act. One day, he came home with an unexpected proposition.
A regular rider needed time off for a wedding, and Steel Pier needed someone to finish the remainder of the summer season.
“He said, ‘I’ll give you an hour to think about it,'” Gose recalled. Her answer came quickly.
Within days, she was backstage meeting the horses, learning how to ride bareback and climbing the towering platform for the very first time.
Then came another surprise. “They said, ‘Okay, you’re doing the 2 o’clock show.'”
Trusting the horse
The horses were brought to the top of the tower on a hand-cranked elevator before calmly walking onto the diving platform some 45 to 50 feet above the water.
Most people assume fear would have been overwhelming. Gose says otherwise.
“The reason I wasn’t afraid—I love animals, and I knew he would take care of me. I just had that feeling.”
Her first horse, a dark brown horse named Gamal, gave her confidence from the very beginning.
Once the horse placed its front legs onto the padded diving board, she knew it was ready.
As horse and rider entered the water, Gose tucked tightly against its neck, holding the reins until they resurfaced and climbed the underwater ramp.
Then came the applause.
Stepping off the horse onto the platform, she took a bow before returning backstage to her dressing room. “It was an exciting feeling,” she said.
Becoming part of the show
Gose’s workday revolved around multiple performances beginning around 10 a.m. and continuing until the final nighttime show.
The evening dives were the hardest. “The people looked like ants, and it was so dark outside,” she recalled. “And the tower would weave back and forth because it was windy.”
Between performances, she explored Steel Pier with her three young children, who often spent the day in her dressing room. They rode the diving bell and watched her husband perform.
The pier itself was a world unto its own, filled with caricature artists, glassblowers, novelty attractions and performers from around the globe.
“It was like its own little community with fellow performers speaking French or Romanian,” she said.
Her very first day also made her something of a celebrity. Walking along the Boardwalk after her debut dive, a family rushed over asking for her autograph.
She offered her husband’s autograph, too. His response still makes her laugh. “I’ve been diving for 10 years. I do 100-foot dives into the open ocean,” he joked. “Nobody’s ever asked me for my autograph. My wife goes on her first day…”
Later that summer, comedian Soupy Sales mentioned her on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson after seeing her perform at Steel Pier, another unforgettable brush with fame.
More than a thrill
Despite the attraction’s daring reputation, Gose says she and the horses were remarkably safe.
Only once did a horse briefly roll onto its side after entering the water. Unlike humans, horses can struggle to flip upside, and their powerful legs could cause a traumatic brain injury.
Following her training, Gose stayed clear until the animal regained its footing.
“When you’ve had an accident, you’ve got to get back in that car to drive,” she said. “That’s the way I felt.”
She completed the season without injury.
Although she only rode for one summer, she says the experience changed her forever. “I wanted to show myself if I had the guts to do it,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do it.”
Gose shared that she was invited to join a traveling circus after the season ended, but she needed to focus on her motherhood responsibilities and her husband’s surfing career. Above all, she would soon become pregnant with her fourth child.
Remembering a different Atlantic City
As an Atlantic City High School graduate (Class of 1957), Gose also remembers an Atlantic City that has largely disappeared.
She recalls boarding houses lining States Avenue, small cottages instead of towering condominiums, bustling sidewalks and families filling the Boardwalk every summer.
She later worked at Planters Peanuts, with a glassblower on Steel Pier and eventually spent more than 40 years as a hairdresser in Margate before moving to Florida in the 1990s.
“I would make seventy-five cents per hour, and end the week with $150 in my pocket,” she said. “That was a big deal!”
After she divorced her husband, Gose cared for her children while living in Smithville, running a hair salon in Margate. She also crafted hobby horses which she sold to children.
A living piece of Shore history
The diving horse act remains one of Atlantic City’s most recognizable traditions.
Created by William “Doc” Carver in the late 19th century and later popularized at Steel Pier by his daughter, Lorena Carver, the attraction drew millions of visitors over several decades. Gose knew Lorena personally and believes her role in creating one of America’s most famous entertainment acts deserves greater recognition.
Today, Gose returns to South Jersey each summer to visit family in Cape May. She currently resides in northwest Florida.
Nearly six decades after her final dive, she can still hear the cheers echoing across Steel Pier.
Today, she is one of the few people left who can say she experienced the legendary diving horses not from the grandstands, but from atop of the horse as it dove through the air.
