Last month – intro to the MM Breed
This month – visit to Brasil and their National Show
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Gaia made history at 11:00 p.m.October 27, 2012, becoming the first MM foal born in the US using imported frozen semen from Brasil. A labor of love, our dream was realized when Agro Maripá collected and exported the first frozen MM semen from 3 of his stallions in Brasil. Our continued thanks to Agro Maripa!
Gaia is the product of Oma de Maripa and Brasilia do Summerwind. She was reserved by Dr. Adrienne C. Scheck of Scottsdale AZ and with SW Future Foal retaining breeding rights to her to ensure her genetics are carried forward in the U.S.
All of us are thrilled with her!!!!!
Her name Gaia was selected by Adrienne for a number of reasons. Gaia (“guy-a”) is the goddess or personification of Earth or Mother Earth (the Greek common noun for “land” is ge or ga) in pre-Olympian Greek mythology. The Gaia hypothesis proposes that organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a self-regulating, complex system that contributes to maintaining the conditions for life on the planet.
Related articles:
This is truly a breed without frontiers! Please open the articles to see the fabulous scenery of the ride! 240 km in 7 days from Germany to Italy! Is this a ride you would like to be on?
Click here to read the whole adventure!
Marcelo and Sophia Baptista are the owners and breeders of Agro Maripa. They are great riders, adventurers and more like scientists in their research to produce a great Marchador sport horse. They have been breeding Marchadors for over 30 years in Brasil. These two stallions, Patek and Urano are both sons of Oma de Maripa, whose frozen semen we have here in the U.S.
From the article:
“One more time we set ourselves in another adventure with our horses Patek and Urano de Maripa. This time we crossed the Alps with our friends Astrid oberniedermayr and Dieter Mader, both riding Ourofino El Far, another Marchador stallion. Since the horses are based in Morlenbach, Germany, taking part in the ABCCMM’s Vitrine of the Mangalarga Marchador Project, and due to the exceptional performance of Patek’s and Urano’s on the Santiago Way ride in Spain (May 2011), we have decided to test them again.
We left Lechbruck, Bavaria, South of Germany, on a rainy and cold, (9 C) morning, May 13th, 2012. Seven days and 240km later we arrived in Castel Iuval, Northern Italy, where we ended our trip. We rode through Oberammergau, Lermoos, Imst, Lafairs, Reschen, Laas.
Once more our horses bet themselves proving ail their resilience, courage, docility, providing us with great pleasure during the whole trip. They have not only improved our repertoire but also enriched our genetics knowledge.” – Sophia Baptista, Agro Maripa
There are many reasons to visit Brazil! But the best reason is for their horses! Did you know that Brazil is #4 in numbers of horses? (The U.S. is #1) I go for the Mangalarga Marchador – the National Horse of Brazil.
And to have fun! Brazil’s people have a great sense of humor and warmth. And passion, especially about their soccer and their horses! They are very serious breeders with some families having many generations in horses. Some of the original bloodlines and farms are still working – after two centuries!
Ever been? Take a look. The song is about Minas Gerais (General Mines), the mountainous state in the south of Brazil where the photos were taken.
In July, I traveled alone, and in July there is only one choice for me – the National Mangalarga Marchador Exposition in Belo Horizonte, MG. Why? Because everyone is there!
The ABCCMM (Brazilian Marchador Breeders Association) holds the MM National Show every year in July for 11 days. To participate in these championships 1.500 Marchador horses and their riders from all over Brazil travel to Belo Horizonte. All of the horses have to qualify to come by winning in several regional competitions. At the National Show, you can see the top Mangalarga Marchadors of Brazil in one place, at one time. It is like a candy store for the eyes.
In Brazil, the land of endless spaces and great distances, special emphasis is placed on the Marchadors’ natural gait, for which they were named, called the MARCHA. There are 2 championships given in each age and sex category – Champion of the Marcha and Overall Champion. For the overall Champion, there are three parts and the scores are combined to determine the winner:
All three parts can be going on at the same time for the big ring. The Marcha tests are carried out on the outside – an oval track, very similar to a race track with the horses moving at a good speed. There are separate classes for Marcha Picada and Marcha Batida. The horses move at a constant pace for 40 to 60 minutes. The breed is known for endurance and the gait is tested to ensure it holds up over long distances.
The judging is SO different.
Overall, there are about 30 judges present for the entire eleven days, and they are long days, from early morning until after midnight! There are five judges evaluating the marcha competition . Each judge is accompanied by an independent person, from an auditing company. That person is the one who marks the notes and the scores from the judge he is with. While the class in going on, the judges cannot talk to each other, only to the auditor.
Each judge rides every horse in the class! The Brazilians love to have other people, even strangers test drive their prize horses. However, in this case, the judge is checking the temperament of the Marchador as well as the gait. The gait is judged on many aspects, not just the smoothness. These are:
The functional test part of the class was added four years ago by the ABCCMM to test the temperament, the versatility and the overall training of the horse and rider. The fuctional test is similar to Working Equitation or a Trail Class, with obstacles like a gate, poles, barrels and jumps, performed in a pattern in specific gaits for each obstacle.
This year, I got to stand with the judge during the Functional Test to learn more about the judging and point system. What a thrill! We run this Functional Test in a simplified version here in the U.S. with our Marchador horses.
After every class champion is named, there are final classes to name the CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS. All of the different age champions compete against each other (male and female are in different groups). The Champion of Champions this year was from a breeder I know, so I was as proud as he was when the name was called.
There is the general festive atmosphere and much to do at the National Show. At night, there are bands playing and serious horse auctions. Sometimes the Marchador is for sale (100% or 50%), but also breedings and embryos go for high prices. During the day, in other arenas, there are sporting events like pole bending, team penning and barrels. The big breeders have booths where they display their awards and their horses. The vendors are selling food, drink, saddles and more! If you see a Marchador you like, chances, are you can ask to take it for a test drive!
It was a whirlwind trip, but the ABCCMM makes it a memorable one every time. I would love to share it with you, for real.
Do you need a reason to go – here are my top 5! Mark your calendars!
While the main reason for holding the clinic was our education, the format was fun and exciting. Evaluations by the judges was very informative and helpful. We did learn a LOT! Thank you Kate and Tiago!
The Trail Ride – 1st place went to Aline Greene of Saint Horse Marchadors, SC on Erva-Doce de Tesouro.
Conformation and Marcha – 1st place stallion to Bill and Sandy Kambic of Haras Lucero, TN with Ritmo A.J.
1st place mare to Bill and Sandy Kambic of Haras Lucero, TN with Aliane Fazenda Zouga. Aliane was bred in Brazil by Rick Schatz, then Fazenda Zouga, now in the U.S. breeding as Flying Oaks Ranch, OK who also was at the clinic.
1st place gelding to Connie Claire, our clinic organizer, of Ocala, FL with Leo, aka DaVinci do Summerwind, bred by us.
Functional Test – 1st place won by Jeff Bosley of SW Future Foal @ Lumber Bridge on his mare, Bacara do Summerwind, bred by us.
For many participants, this was the first time they had ever done this! The riders and horses were learning fast, but there was only time for one run.
Grand Champion – Combining all of the scores over all three days, this was awarded to Jeff Bosley of SW Future Foal @ Lumber Bridge with Bacara do Summerwind.
Almost every person and horse earned a ribbon! There were quite a few Marchadors just started under saddle so we were all impressed by how well they behaved. As Tiago would say “You can see, this is a real Mangalarga Marchador!”
Congratulations to everyone! It was a great accomplishment!
