Meet Laura Patterson Rosa, PhD
“A horse woman through my whole life, the first time I sat on a saddle I was only two years old – my family tells that I cried for hours after they took me off the horse that day, because I wanted to ride more. As a kid, I would ride horses occasionally, usually when we went to the farm, and my horses were already Marchadors back then: Melado and Anel, both very sweet and picada gaited. In my teen years I found out about show jumping. The opportunity to ride constantly and improve my skills drove me to be a professional show jumper in Brazil. Other Marchadors came along, because after training my sport horses, I would ride them on the beach nearby to relax: Bacana and Arizona were my loyal geldings.
Losing one of them due to colic made me decide to go to vet school. My absolute love for these animals meant that I wanted to know what to do in order to improve their life quality and expectation. During vet school I consulted and selected nine Campolina horses (another Brazilian gaited breed) for the first exportation to Mexico. I graduated vet school and got involved with equine genetics, being invited to do a Ph.D. at University of Florida, supervised by Dr. Samantha Brooks, reference in equine genetics. Currently I live in Alpine TX, establishing an equine studies program at Sul Ross State University. It’s a great place for my horse loving daughter too.
As a Brazilian and horse rider myself, I have a great respect for the Mangalarga Marchadors, the national horse of Brazil. I strongly believe that Lynn and John Kelley’s Future Foal and Summerwind Marchadors program provide the best of Mangalarga Marchador horses, selecting from the best bloodlines while keeping the Brazilian registration and selection in order to achieve the same standards applied in Brazil. My husband and I are proud supporters of this enterprise and now part of the Summerwind family.”
Meet Victor Rosa
“I am a Brazilian lawyer and interpreter. I was born in the state of Minas Gerais, birthplace of the Mangalarga Marchador breed. Growing up, I rode Marchadors frequently with my family and friends, in cavalgadas, and attended horse shows at Gameleira, where the Mangalarga Marchador National Show takes place every year.
After moving to Salvador – Bahia, I lost contact with horses almost completely, so I focused on playing sports, one of my passions. There, I played football for 6 years in Brazilian football leagues as a wide receiver.
In Salvador, I graduated from Law School and worked for a well-established law firm. I also had the chance to work as an interpreter with American groups doing humanitarian work in poor areas of the city, and later with directors of multinational companies and groups visiting schools and universities.
With Laura, I started attending horse shows and auctions again, visited farms, and met some of the best breeders in Brazil. I have traveled to Brazil with Summerwind breeders and investors, where we had a great time visiting farms and learning more about the breed.
My goals as part of Summerwind Marchadors are to promote the Mangalarga Marchador in North America, and contribute to the improvement of the breeding, selection and training of Marchadors by facilitating the exchange of information between North American and Brazilian breeders and trainers.”
