My First Trip to Brazil - written by Jane Switzer, from The Horse Show

I don't know where to begin so much has been going on - so I'll start with the horse part - so far I have ridden 6 different horses. Three stallions and three mares all Mangalarga Marchadors.  (Thank you Cheryl for preparing me to step up to the plate and ride - I couldn't have ridden even one of these horses if it wasn't for the hours you so willing put in to me and my success.)

Haras El Far

The first night at El Far they were doing a demonstration with one of the stallions - when it was over I said NEXT - and Magdi said SURE - I said I was just kidding but Magdi wouldn't let me weasel out.  So I went over and stepped on - what a ride - you know you can only ever have a first kiss - you remember it forever - well that is how my ride was - there will only ever be one first ride on the MM.

The MM seems to be very willing, saavy and smooth to ride. I am currently at Haras El Far. Magdi the owner of the farm is also the president of ABCCMM. Magdi has about 1500 horses here. Here at Haras El Far Magdi has allowed us to ride his finest horses - I am told this is typical of all the Brazilian breeders of the MM. The line is quite pure. The way that he chooses who breeds who is by looking at the mares side - for several generations. He believes that the mares side is the important side. A side note is that the El Far part of Haras El Far was his mothers name before she married his father.

I still can not believe I am really here. I an not even put into words how generous and friendly the people have been.

Sophia's Story - The Way of St James on Mangalarga Marchadors

A life-long dream to ride the Way of St.James!

Written by Sophia Baptista de Oliveira, Haras Maripa, Brasil

For many years, my husband Marcelo has cherished the dream of riding the Saint James' Way in Spain, on his own Mangalarga Marchador horses. When he accepted the invitation from ABCCMM to join the "Projeto Vitrine do Marchador" in Europe, he promptly realized that the time had come. He would finally have the opportunity of making his old dream come true. At the time Marcelo had just turned 60 and Haras Maripá had "turned" 30 years old! Two good reasons to celebrate "comme il faut". In our case: in the saddle!

Two stallions, Patek and Urano de Maripa arrived in Germany in November 2010. Despite the cold in Europe they easily adapted. Thanks, also, to Astrid, Dieter and their team, all wonderful people to whom they were trusted.  We visited them during Equitana, last March, and  were very happy to see how well and healthy  they were. We returned to Brazil certain that our adventure would have a great chance of being successful.

Taking a cool break 

Marcelo has always been fanatic about horses. He's been raising Mangalarga Marchador for 31 years now and is a great enthusiast and developer of the breed.  Haras Maripá has been developing its own bloodline mixing horses themselves, individuals.

The stallions are the sons of Oma de Maripá. (Laio de Maripá x Martinica HO, both in Brasil’s ELITE book.)

Patek is the result of an extraordinary genetics that comes from Laio and Moderna de Maripá. Laio has been a national champion and his mother, Festa AJ, an unforgettable breeding mare, also a national champion and gait champion, was a stunning chestnut mare!

Moderna de Maripá comes from Emoção de Maripá and Laio. Emoção is a daughter of Furacão Bela Cruz and Cafundó 3 Pontas, descending of two of the most ancient and traditional Mangalarga Marchador's farms: Abaíba and Herdade. The latter represented by Herdade Jupiá, 4-time national champion. Cafundó 3 Pontas was one of the most important of Cafundo's mares, an animal with unique comfort and temperament, and this Marcelo has been able to prove on the occasions he has had the opportunity of riding her.

Urano, is the offspring of a crossing of our genetics with the lineage 53. His mother, Bejota de Maripá, is a daughter of Major Pitanga's, one of the best horses Marcelo has ever ridden in terms of comfort. Urano is a grandson of Bagdá de Maripá's, full sister of Laio's, and great-grandson of Festa AJ's.

Sergio Lima Beck with Marcelo Baptista de Oliveira
on Patek de Maripa

Paulo Junqueira and Aurelio Tagua del Pozo also trusted our horses promptly and took the challenge to organize our trip with all the infrastructure and logistics necessary. Sergio Beck believed in the project since its beginning and supported us all the time, and even rode with Marcelo during the first days, before my arrival to ride the Galician part of the "Camino". We also had the company of Juan Bajo de Isasi, our guide, and his mount Miguelito, a chestnut vaulting horse very adapted to the "Camino". All of them totally indispensable!!!

We rode about 30 km per day, at 9km per hour, on average, depending on the ground. The ground, my major concern from the beginning, was really difficult. A lot of stones, gravels, some parts with very old stone paving. We used "Videas" on the horseshoes to have more adherence. And our brave horses, they stood strong! Without complaints! All they wanted was to ride, get back to the road!

We got in the saddle at about 10 in the morning. We always stopped for lunch at amazing places previously chosen by  Paulo and Aurelio. While we had lunch the horses were fed and groomed. When back to our saddles, our horses were ready and crazy to go back to the trail. We usually arrived at our destination around 5 in the afternoon. The horses would then go to their stables, and we to our hotels, get ready for dinner.

Meeting other pilgrams on the trail - Camino de Santiago

On a trip like this, you end up spending a lot of time with yourself. Marcelo used to say that what he had in mind most of these moments, when we stopped by the churches along the "Camino" for our prayers, was that he would like people to treat animals better, that he wished their behavior towards them would be more focused in quality, less in violence.

The "Camino" is marvelous! It's really a very ancient trail. Celtic.  Mystical. Full of pilgrims who would always look at us with curiosity at first and then astonishment when learning that our horses had come all the way from Brazil! Unprecedented!


For the first time Brazilian horses were doing that sacred trail!

Success!  Sophia and Marcelo arrive in Santiago de Compostela.
9 days and 300 km.

Photo credits Paula da Silva.  All rights reserved.

Enya do Summerwind - dies tonight

Enya was a beautiful foal.  Her mother passed away
unexpectedly in March 2011.

Little Enya passed away tonight - actually we put her down at the end.

We thought she was getting better up here in Pagosa Springs after the loss of her mother --she was gaining weight and playing more.  And all was fine when we went in for our afternoon break at 2:00 p.m.  However, at 5:00 p.m., we came out to water the gardens.  I said to John - look Enya is laying down in the pasture, that is good to see.  Because she never lays down; she is always eating.

So, when I saw her get up, I started running because I knew something was terribly wrong - she looked very sick.  She walked following the mares, but laid down again as soon as she could.   I ran down the aisle and grabbed a halter.  She came toward me when she saw me coming.  Around her eyes were scrape marks - the signs of thrashing.  I tried to get her up the aisle and into the barn, pulling her and making her walk, but about 3/4 up the aisle she collapsed and would not get up.  Lucky for me, John was outside and I had him bring Banamine and run to the house to call Dwight, our vet and very good friend here.   I could hear them talking about what to do, so I yelled "TELL HIM TO COME!"

She was laying on my legs, but I could keep her from rolling and after about 30 minutes, you could tell that the drug had kicked in.  John and I got her up and into the barn.  She looked like maybe she would make it.  She called strongly to the herd that was still out in the field and was happy to see them come in.  But I knew she had rolled and there was no poop still while we waited for Dwight.

He gave her more drugs when he got there and stitched in a catheter for fluids.  We started hitching up the trailer for the hospital.  It was obvious that was the only choice.  She was a trooper on the trailer.  Even looked alert again (even with all the meds).   I rode with her in the back and John and I had our walkie talkies so we could talk.   But, in the trailer, I talked only to Enya.  I told her how much I loved her and I told her stories of what her life would be like as a beautiful mare when she grew up.  I started telling her that I would give her years from my life, strength from me if she would hold on until we got to surgery.   She did so well in the trailer, balancing herself and the adult horse blanket draped over her making a cute picture.

I felt the drool on my hair as I sat there on the bucket near her.   I started changing my bets.  Isn't this when you make the deals with the devil?  I offered her my life for hers - would 10 years be enough?  I would trade them for you Enya.  HANG ON!

But in the center of Pagosa Springs, she wanted to lay down and I could see in her eyes that she was dying.  At that moment the trailer stopped and the door opened and it was Dwight giving me a flashlight - why he stopped or even thought about that I would need a light to give her more pain meds, I will never know.   But here we all were, stopped on the side of the road.   and he said that she wasn't going to make it.  Her gums were pale and cold, her breathing labored.  Her eyes looked dead.  I told him to go get the injection.

Enya and Audrey Everson - 2 princesses

John is torn up, but I am finding it hard to let go.  He wanted to leave her at Dwight's clinic and we drove there, but I couldn't do it.  I had to bring her home to say goodbyes and have her in a place that she knew.  So we will have to or someone will have to come get her tomorrow. But it's better that she is back home tonight to be with her herd.  Perhaps I will sleep better.

I wish so much that she had lived. 

But in the end, it was not to be.   She was never the same after Chanel died.   I thought at the time it was good that she was older when she was orphaned, but I think now that it was harder on her and that perhaps younger foals adapt better.   To have known love and security, milk and contentment and then to be alone and fending for yourself.    She was a gentle soul.  Someone like DaVinci of Fidalgo would have fought harder.   I wish I could have fought for her.

I don't know yet what this means to me.  I am trying not to make decisions tonight, but I think perhaps Chanel and now Enya, set off a chain of events where at least you sit down and reconsider what it is you are doing and what you want to be doing with your life and why life is worth living.  

I was never blessed with children, but I have been a mother.  The pain is unbearable.

Check out CowGirl Magazine!

Cowgirl Magazine has featured the Mangalarga Marchador as its first exotic horse breed.  A small write-up, great photos and a few ads are in this Western art and fashion magazine that also loves horses!

The Marcha gait - more from the Clinic

My notes from the clinic:

Ø  Perfect the 4 beat extended walk.  (How many times are we told to practice a good walk in other disciplines?)  It is ESSENTIAL for a good marcha as it is the take-off point and retreat point always.

Ø  Practice in straight lines before teaching in circles, lateral work or ANY other discipline.  Teach the horse to elongate his back, his stride, relax and stretch without speeding up.

Ø  Always start on the good side for the stretches, but do both sides.  Stretching from the good side will help the bad side to stretch easier.

Ø  To move into gait:  From the walk, apply more leg pressure and ask the horse to speed up without losing the smooth rhythm that was there in his walk.  Collect the reins (have contact) with the horse’s mouth to ask him to collect his body in a good frame.

Ø  Do NOT let your horse continue to gait if it is gaiting badly.  Go back to the walk and start again.  Ask for MORE SPEED from his legs while maintaining the collection.   You are trying to build MUSCLE MEMORY.  (This works really well!  I tried it on my horses after the clinic)

Ø  A marcha picada horse that paces is often still very smooth (I was surprised by this).  You can tell because your hips will go side to side instead of forward and back.  Try to put your leg on for more leg speed, but if that doesn’t work, return to the walk and start over.

Ø  In marcha picada, you can help the horse learn the right rhythm by adding weight to the front feet (could be shoes) or the opposite in marcha batida.

Ø  As you can see from the diagram on May 1's post, some horses will need help because of poorer conformation or breeding, but some horses need correction because someone interfered with their natural gait during training.  The Marchador is a willing partner.  If you ask it to change its natural footfall, it will learn to do what you want.

Ø  You can use dressage to supple the horse and build muscle, but not too soon (remember straight lines).  Once you can do the circles, you can move to a higher-level figure.  The Marchador can do lateral work and the higher moves IN GAIT!  (Another surprise for me!)

Good breeding ensures a great gait naturally.  This
is Fidalgo do Summerwind, marcha de centro.

Dressage will help to supple the horse, stretch and build the
muscles so it also helps get a smoother and better gait.

About the MARCHA gait - more from the clinic

Elba Cruzalta (Bella) gaiting at liberty

The Mangalarga Marchador is named for its comfortable and showy way of moving, the MARCHA.  In all the marchas, there are moments of triple hoof support, which is why it feels so smooth to the rider.

During the Brazilian inspection at age 3, gait is one of the most important dimensions of the test. Horse will be disqualified from permanent breeding registration if they are too lateral (show a pace) or too diagonal (show a trot). Gait counts for 100 points of the 200-point test.

In simple terms, when the greater proportion of time spent with the diagonal legs providing support, the marcha is BATIDA (ba chee da) When the greater proportion of time spent with the lateral legs providing support, the marcha is PICADA (pi ca dah).  A few animals have equivalent time spent between diagonal and lateral supports. They are considered to be in the center, sometimes called marcha de CENTRO.  

To visualize the spectrum, here is a diagram:

Pace--------picada-----centro-----batida --------Trot

(true lateral)                                                     (true diagonal)

Within the gaits, there is a grading system for how comfortable the gait is.  L1 to L4 for picada; D1 to D4 for batida.  On the diagram, it would look like this:

Pace --–L4-L3-L2-L1-—C—D1-D2-D3-D4----Trot

(true lateral)                                                         (true diagonal)

The clinic’s objective was to teach us all how to set the gait correctly (for an untrained horse) and also how to improve the gait.  With training, the horse can move 2 steps like from D4 to D2 or L3 to L1.

Artemis do Summerwind showing triple leg support
and the C shape of the front leg

Many Marchadors can gait as fast as other horses canter.  The front legs have a natural lift, forming a C during the step. The Marchador, being naturally balanced, is very sure-footed, using all 4 legs for propulsion. 

When the horses are bred close to the center, they may have the ability to perform both gaits –  picada and batida. The naturalness of the gait is such that newborn foals will gait rather than walk or run.

SW Newsletter

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April SW News

Artemis do Summerwind and dad, Seamus da Boa Fe