Cheese bread! Cachaca (sp)! Old friends! New friends! Marchador horses! It was a trip to heaven – I mean Brazil! It was the best of all worlds – I got to attend the National Show AND go out to visit farms! Perfect!
Photos below! If you click on the photo, it will show full-size and then you will need to hit the BACK button to return to the gallery and post.
We visited two farms in Brazil, a favorite of mine, Agro Maripa and a new one for me, but by no means new, Morada Nova. Exquisite horses and fantastic Brazilian hospitality. I am always happy to be in Brazil.
At the National Show, the event provided a good mix of entertainment and business. We met old friends, and some new ones there. It feels like home to me. I went down with Rick Schatz, the Marchador breeder from Flying Oaks Ranch. We did some business there on the Brazilian Saddle Horse project. We did some shopping. We admired the horses in the show and at the farm booths. We did some ABCCMM registration work on U.S. Marchadors for several breeders.
Of great interest was the ABCCMM/APEX collaboration on the project Brazilian Saddle Horse. APEX strives to promote Brazilian products around the world and has many offices here in the U.S. They have already worked with the ABCCMM promoting the Marchador breed in Europe and also at the Carnaval in Rio 2013. Their next events may be in the US in an affiliation with the PBR, Professional Bull Riding. We will have to wait and see. Also in the works is the Marchador at other big horse and non-horse events like the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
To read more about Brazil and the national show, you can keep reading!
On the streets behind the arena, horses are warming up, being groomed or being presented to admiring crowds! This may be a favorite mare of mine Zinhaga de Maripa being ridden by Sergio, the trainer.
Young stallion in training at Agro Maripa training and sales facility in Minas Gerais. Had we more time, we would have also gone to the fazenda in Jaguaruina, SP.
One of Ximoio de Maripa’s first sons, a young stallion about to start his saddle training. Perhaps a Hawke do Summerwind will look like this someday.
Brazilian champion stallion Teorema da Morada Nova coming out to entertain and wow the European and American crowd. And he was stunning! After winning the national champion, it’s his first or second breeding season. We can watch for his foals!
The future of Morada Nova, the foals born last winter.
The Marchador sculpture greets you as you enter Morada Nova. We enjoyed the fazenda with its Brazilian style and art collectibles. The grounds were lovely and the horses came in from the fields to be presented to us.
Good friends Kate Barcelos, ABCCMM and Rick Schatz, OK at the 2013 Nationals.
Presentation of horses for conformation class. There are 5 independent judges in each class. Like the Olympics, they throw away the high and the low score and then add the 3 to determine the winner. If it is unanimous, that is one really special horse!
Marcelo loves his horses – “too much”! This is Herdeiro de Maripa I think. Zinhaga x Buri de Maripa.
In front of the Agro Maripa sign with Claudia Godoi, ABCCMM. Claudia showed us all around when we first arrived and took good care of all of the ABCCMM guests.
Agro Maripa – the Marchador mule breeding farm. They use the gaited mules for work on the ranches. This is an old farmhouse he has restored. I have seen the project from start to finish during trips to Brazil. It looks fabulous now, inside and out!
The poster for the 2013 Nationals!
The M Brand Award and a banner for the horse are given to the champions of every class. There are champions in every age bracket by sex and by gait – marcha batida and marcha picada.