Who would have thought that a French Canadian cowboy on a Canadian Horse would be a conquistador in 16th century Peru?  If you’ve seen the National Geographic Ancient Megastructures film about Machu Picchu, you’ve seen Gilbert ride Canadian mare “Gigi” into battle as a Spanish soldier.

One day Gilbert got a call from his friend, Dean Kucey, who told him to hurry over right away and bring his black mare.  They spent an hour or two getting costumed in tights and Spanish armor and made up with fake beards so they’d resemble the conquistadors who invaded Peru around the middle of the 16th century.  Then there were a couple of hours of riding their black horses in front of the cameras (along with fellow black horse owner and friend, Darrel Gatter) brandishing their spears and swords.

The end result was a few short seconds near the end of the film.   Here’s a clip:

Here’s a photo of the three of them:

Left to right: Darrel Gatter on his QH mare, Dean Kucey on a Canadian filly belonging to Kevin Washtock, Gilbert Roy on "Gigi" (Cherry Creek Danzon Gina)