Category Archives: Events

Education, Events, SW News

Marchador Clinic with Laura Patterson

Day 2 and Day 3 of the SW Clinic focused on riding and learning to feel the different gaits and speeds of the Marchador.   SW offered:

  • Artemis do Summerwind – marcha picada
  • Siglioso do Rav – marcha picada
  • Seamus da Boa Fe – marcha picada and marcha batida
  • Bossa Nova de Miami – marcha de centro
  • Gralha M.U.G. – marcha batida
  • Koyote Libertas – marcha batida
  • Caboclo da Piedade – marcha batida

Learnings from Laura: (see also clinic post from last year)

  1. Use the land to improve the gait.   We left the arena and used a hillside meadow to speed up the footfalls and get more reach when coming down the hill.
  2. We also used the road to listen for the sound of the gait.  Excellent feedback to the rider to hear and adjust the speed, collection or himself to get the perfect sound.
  3. Focus on proper posture – no leaning!  Tuck your seat under you slightly so your hips can move.
  4. The star exercise used poles in a circle on the ground and a pattern to ask the horse for concentration, bending and stretching.
  5. How to work on the gait when not under saddle – free movement or running with the horse.
  6. Lots of obstacles and patterns on many different horses raised everyone’s confidence level.
Education, Events

Ned’s Lead Line Mgmt Clinic – July 2014

Lead Line Management – it sounds so simple, doesn’t it?     We learned from Ned – everyone needs this course!   Basics are the building blocks of horsemanship and what we learned in class also translates into riding exercises as well. Find out more about Ned Leigh on his website:  http://www.nedleighequinefocus.com

Our learnings from Ned during the clinic:

  1. The backup: This is an important command! It primarily establishes our boundary between us and the horse. This boundary must be maintained and consistent if the horse is ever to truly understand.   There should be at least 4 different commands or ways the horse understands as a request for a backup.
  2. The horse should never be disciplined if they come into our space! It is the fault of the person if this happens. It is the responsibility of the person to control the horse’s approach to the boundary.  We want a relationship with our horse and we’d like them to want to be close to us and not punish them for this.
  3. The forward command is a 3 step process.  Always use the least amount of pressure or request when asking the horse and then move to the second and third step if needed.
  4. Allow the horse the time to think and make decisions.
  5. ALWAYS BE A TEACHER!   It is easy to find ourselves in the mindset to make the horse do what we want and the horse will always suffer for that! To be a teacher we must try to see the lesson from the horse’s point of view. 
  6. Timing is everything!

Photos from the class!  All Marchador horses in the photos!  Most photos credit to Brasilian instructor for Day 2 and Day 3

Video from the Clinic!   Courtesy of Adrienne C. Scheck

Education, Events, SW News

SW Clinic July 11,12, 13 Sign Up Today!

Clinic 2014 Signup

Sign up today for 3 days of fun and learning in cool, beautiful Pagosa Springs, Colorado!  Two great instructors will be a SW Ranch for a personal, hands-on experience.

Friday – Ground work training with Ned Leigh

Saturday and Sunday – Marchador Riding, Gaits and Testing with Laura Patterson.   Yes, tests can be fun too!

Bring your Marchador or use one of ours.  Active participants and Auditors welcome!    More information included in the Signup pdf file above.

Instructors:

Ned Leigh, of Ned Leigh Equine Focus Horse Training in Paulden AZ.  Ned has over 30 years experience in starting and training horses.   He can teach you and your horse how to gain respect and confidence,starting on the ground.    Ned trains all breeds  of horses, including Marchador horses now for several clients, including Flying Oaks Ranch and Summerwind.

Laura Patterson, lives in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.  She is a vet student, rider and trainer of various horse breeds starting out in show jumping herself.    She taught and rode in 2013’s MM clinic here at Summerwind.    Lots of rider hand’s on experience during the clinic for participants.  Based on the rider, there may be arena work only, or a mix of arena and trail riding.

Video from last year’s clinic

Events, Frozen Semen, SW News

December 2013 Photos – Marchador FEST Brasil!

Click on the photo to see full-size, then hit the back button to return to the photo album.

Education, Events, SW News

Brazil Trip 2013

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!