SW Update — John Kelley resigns as USMMA President

Below is the letter John sent to the USMMA Board with his resignation.  Susann Gabriel is now the new USMMA President.

Susann,
I wanted to give you a heads up on the announcement  that I plan to send to Aline for the next newsletter.  I suggest you or someone from the Board provide additional information on this policy change so the membership will get a perspective on the change.
There has been a change in the USMMA Organization.   I have resigned as President of the USMMA, effective May 5, 2012.  Susann Gabriel, an eight year USMMA Board Member, current Vice President, and passionate owner of Marchadors will become President until the next USMMA election in 2013.
The USMMA is a strong organization, with a solid balance sheet and outstanding reputation in the United States, Brazil, and Europe. The USMMA  Registry includes nearly all the owners, breeders, and Marchadors in North America. We have a strong working relationship with Brazil, evidenced by the very successful 2012 Sela de  Ouro and Clinic recently held in Ocala Florida. 
The USMMA Board has recently approved a policy change that I cannot support and over my strong opposition.  It was clear to me that I should step down.  The direction approved is to move toward a requirement that US inspections for Mangalarga Marchadors be performed before a horse can be registered with the USMMA, based on the USMMA breed standard that is similar to the ABCCMM standards.   Here are a few of the reasons behind my strong opposition:
– I do not believe, at this time, that we should be excluding Marchadors from the USMMA based on inspections. We had already enacted safety and quality measures with parental DNA and a verification of no genetic defects at birth.  I believe the number one goal for the USMMA should be growth and diversity.  I fear that this change will discourage some USMMA members from registering horses perhaps simply because of the cost of inspections or fear that their horses won’t be accepted and we will lose Marchadors and perhaps those members from our base.
– The Marchador is a BRAZILIAN breed.   I believe our current process of encouraging American breeders to join the ABCCMM and voluntarily seek ABCCMM inspections keeps that connection strong.  I believe, for breeders especially, that inspections provided valuable information but should not be mandatory or a requirement to register Marchadors with the USMMA.
– In my mind, the quality of the MM breed in the U.S.  is a three legged stool.  One of those aspects is genetics.  However, limiting the gene pool also creates an adverse affect – poorer quality in the breed.  The other two legs of the stool are presentation and training.   If a very well-bred quality Marchador is not presented well or trained correctly, then it will look like bad breeding.   We all imported or bought the highest quality Marchadors to begin breeding programs.  It is the other two legs of the stool that I personally feel need the most attention.    The USMMA  could do more with education, more with show kits, more with clinics and bringing up gait trainers than will ever be accomplished with an inspection program. 
Lynn and I have enjoyed our time actively involved in the USMMA Board of Directors but it is time for new leadership. We are confidant that the USMMA will continue to be a successful organization. We will continue to support the Mangalarga Marchador as members of the USMMA and as members of the Brazilian Association, the ABCCMM.  We will also maintain dual registration of our Marchadors including inspections performed by ABCCMM authorized inspectors.  We will now focus our time on our personal goals of improving the quality and diversity of the Marchador breed via imported frozen semen and frozen embryos from top Brazilian breeders and developing the M Foundation.  
We will try to be available to other members to help in any way we can since we share a common passion, the Mangalarga Marchador.  
John J. Kelley

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Many people will still have questions after reading this letter, so here is some more from the SW Future Foal perspective and our thinking.

Inspection & Registration

We believe strongly in the Brazilian inspection process and the quality of the MM breed.  There is a process to become members of the ABCCMM and to obtain ABCCMM inspections.  Every SW Future Foal is from ABCCMM inspected parents and is provisionally registered with the ABCCMM.    They are also registered with the USMMA, so if the new owner does not want to inspect, the USMMA paper becomes primary.

We do not believe the USMMA should link registration with inspections nor change its registration policy to require mandatory US inspections.  Today about 10% of the current Marchador horse population whose owners are “unknown” to the USMMA.  We would like all Marchador horses to be registered and not become lost.   We think mandatory inspections could make more animals (and their offspring) unregistered (for a variety of reasons, could be cost, could be quality, could be indifference – the owner doesn’t care about inspecting)  and there is a real downside to that, in our opinion.

When we originally founded the USMMA, the registration process was designed similarly to the Andalusian design where all Andalusians (and half-Andalusians, for that matter) are registered with the IALHA.  Then if the owner or breeder desires, they can complete the paperwork and process to get their Andalusian registered and approved in the Spanish association – Pure Raca Espanol or PRE.    Fresians and Icelandics both have inspections where quality is assessed, but it is not tied to registration of the horses.

We also do not believe that any U.S. vet has the experience and knowledge of the MM breed to become an inspector for conformation, gait and temperament or for judging a Marchador.  We put our trust in ABCCMM inspectors.  It is the ABCCMM Horseshoe M brand that is the international mark of the Marchador horse and of its quality.  Substituting a USMMA brand is not the same in our mind.

As mentioned in the letter, John was the only dissenting vote on this issue.  As such, it was clear that he could no longer continue as President.   If John had remained as President, both he and I would have had to work on communication and implementation.   Clearly, because we are so against this policy, we did not want to work to make it a reality.

ABCCMM, Brazil and the USMMA

The Marchador is a Brazilian breed.  The ABCCMM (the Marchador association in Brasil) will always have more knowledge, more horses, more money and resources than the USMMA.   We have encouraged Marchador owners and breeders to become members of the ABCCMM and to inspect and register their Marchadors with them, as we do.   We would love to see that continue.   (The ABCCMM is creating a new registration book to solve some of the paperwork problems of the past.)  We would like to see everyone that owns a Marchador travel to Brasil to feel the passion, ride their horses and relive the history at the birthplace of the breed.

Partnering with the ABCCMM also helps us with the other aspects of marketing and promoting the breed:

  • the rich history and passionate stories of the Marchador breed,
  • the breed’s value in Brasil,
  • their marketing and international press about the Marchador,
  • training for the marching gait that is the hallmark of the breed &
  • visits back and forth, for clinics, shows and other.

A New Beginning

This is just our opinion and obviously others, just as passionate about the MM breed felt differently.  In the end, it does not matter what we think.   It only matters that the USMMA continue to grow and prosper and that the Mangalarga Marchador get more recognition and attention here.

It is a good thing to refresh the association; to get new members involved and working.   John and I have been around,  since the beginning of the association in 2004 when we formed it with other founding members and great friends, Cristiana Guerra, MM Horse Farms and Tresa Smith, Montana Marchadors.  Now eight years later, with a strong membership and bank account, it is a good time for us to step aside.

Remember that our work was voluntary.  We did it because of our passion for the breed.  Now it is time for others who are just as passionate (and hopefully younger) to take on the work we need for the next decade.

 

Marcha Gaits, Part 1

(For anyone who was there at the clinic, I encourage you to try to hear our instructor’s voices while you read this! Please feel free to add anything you picked up in individual lessons.  I have written about the gaits before, so I will not repeat those comments, but I’ll link to them in case you want MORE!)

Tiago showing the diagram of the Marcha

The Mangalarga Marchador has 2 marching gaits.  The Marcha is the same footfalls in both marcha picada and marcha batida.

The footfall sequence is

3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2
RH RF LH RF LH RF LH LF LH LF LH LF RH LF RH LF RH RF RH RF

When the length of time spent in lateral supports is higher, then the gait is marcha picada.  When the length of time is higher spent in diagonal supports is higher, then the gait is marcha batida.  In both,  there are moments of triple hoof support, which is what makes the gait smooth and easy to ride.

When the length of time spent in diagonal and lateral pairs are equal, it is sometimes described as marcha de centro.

To the human ear, in marcha picada,  there is a much longer time (in lateral) between the footfalls making the 4 beats very distinctive and easily heard.   In marcha batida, the marcha is still 4 beat, but the footfalls of the diagonal pairs land closer together making it harder to hear 4 distinct beats.

Training can help improve a Marchador’s natural gait, but genetics determine the innate quality and movement of the horse.  Breeding for the center of the spectrum is the goal for a smooth and well-balanced movement.

Below is the gait spectrum:

 

Pace                           Marcha Picada             /\            Marcha Batida                                         Trot

(True lateral)                                            CENTER                                                         (true diagonal)

 

 

Here is are some videos comparing the 2 gaits and you can HEAR the difference, although all Marchador gaits are smooth.  These may not be the best examples of the MM breed, but I chose them because the horses were ridden on hard ground so you can hear as well as see.

Marcha Picada

Marcha de Centro (Marcha Batida)

Marcha Batida

“To help you feel and analyze the marcha, you need to use 5 things:   2 eyes, 2 ears and 1 seat.” says Tiago during the classroom lecture.   Sometimes the marcha is not visible to a untrained human eye.  The feet move too fast for us.   The ears are very good to listen for the gait.   And the seat, it should signal when the gait is smooth.   As the rider, you try to put the horse in that place, and make that feeling and sound last for longer and longer periods of time.

“It is like a dance”.  The horse must stay relaxed in the neck, but driving from behind.  “So, the rider, he sets the boundary in front to make a door that is closed.”  So, the horse moves into collection, but it is a give and take between the horse and rider, especially in the beginning, for the horse to stay relaxed and giving to the bit.

Okay, now we understood the diagram of the marcha.

The quality of the movement in Brasil is judged on many levels:  the showiness of the gait (the C with the front legs), the diagram of the marcha (how close it comes to perfection in footfalls and timing), the length of the stride (they want it to be ground covering, extension is valued) and finally, the smoothness of the gait.

So, now how do you bring it out in your Marchador?    For this, we relied on Kate’s individual riding instruction on the Marchadors brought to the clinic.  Next post!

 

 

 

 

SW Update – Colorado, here we are!

It’s an annual migration to Colorado in late April or early May!  And it’s a good thing too, as the temperatures in Scottsdale are almost in triple digits.   We love being able to enjoy riding and the outdoors every day!   And the horses….. well, the horses are just different here.  They look better, more alive, taller, shinier!   There is no way to fully describe it.

By now, it’s our 6th year here, they know where they are.  They know the routine.  Koyote comes off the trailer and gaits right down the barn aisle to his stall.   He’s so smart!  We need to get them adjusted to the grass, but that is about it.

I guess by now, we know the routine too.  We were unpacked that night and we started riding the very next day!  Even by our standards, that was fast.   The only change for us is that we are getting older – but what’s wrong with more wine on the porch watching the elk or deer graze across the street?   Perhaps this is the year without the laundry list of projects.  Bring on the trail rides in the mountains, new journeys to Taos, maybe visiting the LONE RANGER movie set and just enjoying each wonderfully clear, crisp Colorado morning.

We’d love to share Colorado with you!  Come and meet the Marchador and share our passion.

As always, thanks to Ned Leigh for taking such good care of our horses during the ride here.  www.nedleighequinefocus.com

Take a look into our life!  If you click on a photo, you can get the large image.

SW Update – The Ocala MM Clinic April 20-22nd

The Ocala MM Clinic was a resounding success.  Hosted by Connie Claire, Ocala FL, everything went off without a hitch for the first ever Sela de Ouro (the Golden Saddle, the way of the Marchador) in the U.S.!  The Sela de Ouro consists of 3 phases:  a long ride similar to an endurance ride with vetting and judging, classroom and arena instruction and judging of conformation and gait,  and also a functional test, similar to an obstacle class.

Some photos from the clinic, just click to enlarge!

The instructors were flown in from Brasil to evaluate the 18 people and 12 Marchadors that participated.  Most were from the East Coast, but some of us came from AZ and OK too.   The breeders and owners there represent 40% of the Marchadors in U.S.  (Next year, the clinic moves west.)  The instructors were ABCCMM (Brazilian MM association) professionals Tiago de Resende Garcia and Kate Moura da Costa Barcelos, both licensed veterinarians and judges in Brazil.

Tiago is the ABCCMM Director of the ENA – the National School of Judges.  The ENA’s objective is to train MM judges on how to evaluate conformation, gait and functionality of the MM breed.  Tiago and his team judge every sanctioned ABCCMM show in Brazil.  Tiago has hosted symposiums and lectures to enlighten and inform MM breeders.

Kate is an ABCCMM inspector (the 1st woman) and education program director.  Kate was the instructor of our 2011 MM clinic.  An accomplished rider, competitor and instructor, Kate was the #2 dressage rider in South America and now uses classical dressage in preparing and training Marchador horses for many farms in Brazil.

We had a fabulous time meeting new people, Marchadors, and of course, learning more about our fabulous MM breed!  Our heartfelt thanks to Connie, Tiago and Kate!!!!

The Champions:

  • Sela de Ouro ride on Friday – Aline Greene, Saint Horse, SC and her mare Erva-Doce de Tesouro
  • Combined Gait and Conformation on Saturday:  for Stallion – Bill Kambic, Haras Lucero, TN and his imported MM stallion, Ritmo A.J.; for Mare – Sandy Kambic, Haras Lucero, TN and her imported mare, Amora or Aliane Fazenda Zouga (bred by Rick Schatz, Flying Oaks Ranch, OK when he was breeding MMs in Brasil), for Gelding – Connie Claire, FL with her gelding Leo or DaVinci do Summerwind (bred by SW Future Foal, AZ)
  • Functional test on Sunday – Jeff Bosley, SW Future Foal @ Lumber Bridge on his mare Bacara do Summerwind (bred by SW Future Foal, AZ)

Almost every person excelled and placed in each competition so the results were exciting and close!   We even had a tie for the winner of the Functional test so there was another run made by Jeff and Bacara against Sue Current on Folego do Lucero!  Brooke Little from Marchadors InMotion, came with her young stallion Cheveyo do MManor (Erva-Doce’s son) who impressed the crowd with his gait,  disposition and performance.  Except for his youth (he had just been started under saddle at age 3), he could have won it all, in my opinion.

And a good time was had by all!  Be sure to come to our next one if you can!

SW Update – What is a MM Sela de Ouro???

On the trail, Lynn Kelley on Esthique do Premier, Aline Greene's MM mare

The Sela de Ouro is Portuguese for “Saddle of Gold”, the WAY OF THE MARCHADOR.  It is a multi-day event that the Brasilians use to test the Marchador horses and the Marchador riders.

In Brasil, throughout the year are qualifying rides for the final Sela de Ouro held at the time of the Mangalarga Marchador National Show in July.   The European association has hosted a Sela de Ouro in Germany since 2009.  Now in 2012,  the USMMA and ABCCMM are helped Connie Claire host the first ever in the U.S. at the MM Clinic in Ocala, FL.

Riders from the US and Europe that finish the Sela de Ouro in their country can qualify to ride in the final Sela de Ouro in Brasil!

During the ride, the horses and riders are evaluated on the trail, on a track and in an obstacle course over several days.

Marchadors are evaluated on their marcha in these aspects:

  • Gesture
  • Comfort
  • Style
  • Length of stride
  • Regularity

In addition, a vet check tests them for endurance fitness and integrity.

The riders are evaluated on riding skills and also on the functional test.

  • Seat and leg contact
  • Center posture and balance
  • Use of the aids
  • Control and security
  • Naturalness
  • Functional test (like an obstacle course – see the video below)


Each competitor has to demonstrate minimal skills of a good rider and good knowledge of his horse on the trail.  The tests and judging are conducted in environments and situations that simulate the roads, sports and travels of ancient knights in speed and distance variables.   The trail has natural hazards in varied terrains of forests, rivers, valleys and mountains.

It was so much fun!  Brasil, anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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