When I first saw Azenha, she took my breath away. Her movement and spirit were instantly apparent. Azenha was imported from Fazenda Santarem, a magical place in Brazil. We went there for another mare – a daughter of Festa A.J. Although Dr. Olavo Monteiro had bought her at auction, Azenha was bred by Marcelo Baptista, Agro Maripa. Years later, Marcelo tracked her down wanting her back and he found her with us in the U.S.
Azenha was not offered to us at first as an option to buy – until that first mare did not respond to the treatment required to ship. LUCKY ME! I loved her. She was only three years old and barely started under saddle, with the hot brand mark still showing on her shoulder.
We imported 9 Mangalarga Marchadors that year, with many of the mares pregnant. Azenha was not one of the pregnant ones, but we bred her to imported stallion La Paz Jivago to produce her first foal. Beethoven do Summerwind, a beautiful buckskin.
Azenha always surprised us at how well she would take care of her riders – throughout her life. One time we took my whole family out on a trail ride. It could have been a train wreck. John rode Azenha in front and this forward, go mare, walked calmly and carefully picking her way and making sure her flock was with her. On the dirt road home, when we knew we had made it, John cantered her up to the arena and got off – only to find the saddle slip as it was not cinched tight.
She had so much presence and potential, we sent her off to become an ambassador of the Mangalarga Marchador breed in endurance, as a demo horse and more. Before she left to compete, Azenha was our choice for our first experiment in creating frozen embryos and we made four embryos as a precaution.
Only one of the embryos was successful, creating Hemingway do Summerwind, so Azenha returned home to become a breeding mare in our barn. We wanted more babies from her! And we made sure we kept some these babies in the Summerwind program – some with frozen semen.
Her foals:
Hawke, Hemingway, Leia, North Star and Qiara do Summerwind
Her grandchildren:
Kharisma, Kadencia and Qupid do Summerwind
Que-Pasa de Harvest Meadows
Her great grandson: Roronoa do Summerwind
I see her beauty and spirit in her offspring. Her legacy will live on through them.
In her last years, she was cared for by Silver Stables producing her last 2 foals with their stallion Jedi-Knight do Summerwind and used as a lesson horse in their youth program. Thank you Elizabeth for your loving care.
Azenha and DJ barebackLeia do Summerwind with Azenha de MaripaOur best day! Run free, beautiful girlAzenha de Maripa – photo by LeticiaA fan of Agro Maripa breeding!Azenha de MaripaAzenha de Maripa, importedAzenha de Maripa, a SW mare in enduranceOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAazenhaAzenha and Qiara
The first to arrive came on Valentine’s Day and the night after! Meet Qiara and Qupid do Summerwind!
Born to Azenha de Maripa (x Jedi-Knight do Summerwind) and Azenha’s daughter Leia do Summerwind (x Violeiro do Riomar).
Qiara first row; Qupid second row
Both babies are reserved – one staying in AZ and one headed for CA eventually. Many Summerwind foals stay with us for a period of time after weaning for training and inspection.
We are looking forward to 4 more Q babies in 2022! The next are due to arrive in April!
Summerwind provides the first ABCCMM inspection for the foals where the foals prove parentage, are checked by a Brazilian inspector for genetic defects and microchipped. The foals that pass are eligible for the definitive inspection at age 3 and older which is under saddle.
A very nice day with Tamara Gooch and Jess Lee, two fine people and world-renowned photographers. To see more of their work visit their websites: tamaragoochphotos.com and jessleephotos.com.
Marchador horses in the shoot: Azenha de Maripa, Brasilia do Summerwind, Caboclo da Piedade, Gaia do Summerwind, Hawke do Summerwind, Jedi-Knight do Summerwind, Leia do Summerwind, Seamus da Boa Fe
Born April 1st, 2017, the much awaited and anticipated foal of Arun de Maripa x Azenha de Maripa, arrived. And it’s a GIRL! LEIA! We are overjoyed!
A beautiful and correct filly, she is a pure Maripa, a bloodline is a mix of Abaiba, Bela Cruz and Herdade. In the sire, Arun de Maripa is also added Favacho and Tabatinga blood from his ELITE sire Favacho Diamante. It is a wonderful blend!
Named Leia do Summerwind by the Future Foal breeders, Elizabeth and DJ Sims of Silver Stables Marchadors in Phoenix AZ. They also own Jedi-Knight do Summerwind and now Leia, along with Gralha M.U.G., provide them the foundation for their breeding program and she stays part of the FUTURE FOAL network.
Arun de Maripa (imported frozen semen) has sired one other filly in CA named Gemini do Dreamcatcher.
Azenha de Maripahas produced 4 offspring – in Canada, Beethoven do Summerwind (x La Paz Jivago), in AZ, Hawke do Summewind ( x Ximoio de Maripa), in UT, Hemingway do Summerwind (x La Paz Jivago) and now in AZ, Leia do Summerwind (x Arun de Maripa.
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.” Mark Twain
Adrienne and Gralha
Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt were master horse trainers and communicators. They advocated to “set the horse up for success”, “to let the horse learn it” and “to feel and listen to the horse.” We have found our own master trainer here in Arizona in Ned Leigh of Ned Leigh, Equine Focus. It is with Ned that I learned how important the words we use are in the setting up of this kind of environment.
All of Ned’s work comes with the horse in mind. Knowing that there many be many answers the horse will choose during training. The try is important. The repetition and clarity of the request is what will cause over time for the horse to choose the RIGHT answer, the one you intended. From the horse’s point of view, all the responses are valid. Ned’s words to the trainers are always horse-focused. And what a difference it makes – in your head and in the horse’s head!
Here are 5 examples of the words that help create the mind-set for success.
1. “Help your horse”
What a difference in mindset! This is almost revolutionary – 180 degrees from “you have to win”, “correct your horse”, “make him obey”. If your horse is a partner, a member of the family, you’ll want to help him succeed, not get frustrated because he isn’t getting it as fast as you want.
2. “Your horse is confused”
Related to number 1 above, but what a great way to think of it. Instead of “You (the trainer) are doing it wrong”, again the focus is on the horse. Now you need to learn how to make your request easier or clearer to him. There must be 10 ways to request a backup. Maybe more. Anyone will do as long as both you and your horse understand what is being requested.
3. “Wait. Give the horse a chance to make the decision.”
Let your horse try. Let your horse discover the right answer through the process of elimination. Just keep asking in a consistent and clear manner and reward the right answer. No need to escalate or rush. Take a deep breath and instead, watch him think. You might learn something about how your horse learns.
4. “Watch for the muscle movement to release.”
Timing is everything in the reward for doing the right thing. The earlier the release, the softer the horse. When you ask the horse to move, before the horse actually moves its feet, the muscles respond. If we build our release, the reward on the muscle movement, you are rewarding the correct thought and that speeds up the horse’s understanding.
5. “Use the backup command to establish your boundary”
The horse is a gregarious and social animal. That’s what we want too, someone to love and spend time with. However, establishing a boundary establishes your relationship with the horse with you as the leader. It is the responsibility of the person to control their horse’s approach to the boundary and if they cross into it without permission, it is the person’s fault. The horse should not be punished for the person’s failure to control the boundary.
The backup. Ned, Carmen and Koyote
Often Ned’s teaching is broken down into at least 3 steps. This gives the horse a clear, repeatable pattern. And it helps the trainer become clearer in his/her request and less hurried. The horse is “set up for success”. It will learn the request, the sequence and the right response.
The horse can choose to respond (and that’s the desired response) on the first step. This teaching makes for a soft, willing partner. Isn’t that what we all want?
This is training from the horse’s point of view. This is training for UNDERSTANDING.
Any training with the mindset of MAKING your horse do something is totally NOT what I want for my horses.
If you are using words that don’t describe your thoughts and actions from the horse’s point of view, see if you can change them. See if that makes a difference in yourself and your horse. I’d love to hear back from you.
The partnership. Bossa Nova de Miami and Lynn.
All the photos below in the gallery from the clinics are Mangalarga Marchadors from Summerwind during a Ned Leigh Clinics. All happy horses and happy people! Photo credit to Lynn Kelley, Leticia Ribeiro and Laura Patterson Rosa. Click on any of the gallery photos to make it larger or read the captions!
The partnership. Gaia do Summerwinds and Adrienne.
The partnership. Bossa Nova de Miami and Lynn.
The partnership. Elizabeth and Gralha MUG
The send (1st step, direction) Brisa and DJ.
Ned coaching the forehand pivot. Adrienne and Caboclo.
Sarah coaching Sandy and Wizard.
Lynn and Bossa Nova de Miami, her first Marchador.
The backup. Brisa Libertas and Kristy.
Ned Leigh explaining the concepts and demonstrating to the class.
The partnership. Koyote kisses Laura.
The partnership. Bill and Brasilia do Summerwind
Ned and Izzy. Izzy had the least experience so Ned used her as the demo horse.
The soft kind hands (and eyes) of a horseman.
The test! Backup and put the right hind foot on the cone.
The test. Good girl Azenha!
The backup. Ned, Carmen and Koyote
All the photos are Mangalarga Marchadors from Summerwind during a Ned Leigh Clinics. Photo credit to Lynn Kelley, Leticia Ribeiro and Laura Patterson Rosa. For more information on Ned Leigh Equine Focus or Summerwind Marchadors:
“Contrary to popular belief, horses do not get bored with basic work. If the rider (trainer) request exact responses, paying close attention to detail and quality, neither the horse nor rider will have time to get bored, rather a true sense of accomplishment will be gained.” Erik F. Herbermann.
