Sunset Marchadors

Maui Hawaii

2011-08-25T18:05:00.003-06:00

We had a fabulous time in Maui! Absolutely loved it there. We have been home for a couple weeks now and it is nice to be home but I do miss Maui. The weather was fantastic, the people amazing, we had a great time. We tried Scuba Diving while we were there...I think we found our new hobby, we both loved it! We even got matching tattoos to commemorate our first scuba dive. Dave even proposed to me! We are getting married! We haven't decided on a date yet. Something we will decide on over the next few months.

Maui is absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to go back again soon!

Camping Trip

2011-07-17T21:52:00.001-06:00

We went camping with some friends of ours this weekend. It was a wonderful trip. I hated for it to come to an end. We took Dandee and Diego (as it was a horse riding camping trip), and both horses did absolutely wonderful (neither of them have been camping before). We had a great time and I can't wait to go again.

I thought I would share some photos of our camping trip.

This was our camp.Us on the left, friends on the right.

Our camp in the distance.

My parents came out for a visit so mom and I went for a ride, me on Diego and her on Dandee.

Diego and I. He is such a sweetheart.

Dandee after our long ride on Saturday.

Nap time

Dave & Dandee

A photo that focused on Diego's ears while riding.

We couldn't get any cell phone signal at the bottom of the coulee's where we were camped, so Dave and I headed on a ride up the coulee to try. I finally got signal so called my son at home to see how things were at home.

A stop at the river for a drink.

Dave & Dandee

Me & Diego

There were whitetail deer visiting us quite regular all weekend.

A doe

Doe and a young buck

A huge buck

The weather was sunny and hot so we took a break for a swim in the river. Me diving in.

It was a full moon Friday night.

The moon going behind the coulee

Focusing on a branch hanging from a tree rather than on the moon.

And for the final photo. As we were sitting around the fire Friday night, I was taking some photos. When I looked at the photo below on the camera after I took it, I thought it was very creepy.

This is NOT a photoshop or doctored photo. This is exactly how it was from me taking the photo.

Can you see the face?????????

I look forward to our next trip out!

New Diego Photos

2011-07-04T14:10:00.001-06:00

My son Lucas took some new photos of Diego and I this morning before our ride. Some of them turned out quite nice so thought I would post some. Diego is all grown up.

Amazing Deal

2011-07-02T17:25:00.001-06:00

We went to a horse sale a couple nights ago and got an amazing deal on a yearling Red Roan AQHA colt. He is a good size for a yearling. We had seen him out in the pens and looked him over, nice conformation, excellent pedigree. There was no other information on the pen about him other than his papers. I marked his number down as one of the horses to bid on.

When he was brought into the ring, he was chased around. No information other than his pedigree was said in the ring. They didn't know anything about him as the owner didn't leave any info on him. Why the owner was not there to lead him through and tell about him I don't know. Anyway, he came in, was chased around, I bid on him a few times, and we eventually won the bidding. Awesome colt! We did bid on a couple other horses but ended up only purchasing this colt. We loaded him up and headed for home.

When we got home, I backed the trailer right up to the corral so I could just heard him right into the corral not knowing how wild this boy is. I walked up to him in the trailer and he let me pet him, then he walked out. I gave him some food and water and left him to settle in.

Yesterday I gave him a big corral that is full of grass to graze. When I go out to see him he comes up to me and will let me pet him. So he is use to people. Today I decided to try putting a halter on him and see what happens. Turns out he is already halter broke! That makes my day that I don't have to convince an 800 Lb horse that he should wear a halter. lol

I am so happy we bought this colt. We have given him the barn name "Boon".

Click here to see Boon's Pedigree

Meet "Playgirls Robin Bar"

Teebo Likes The Water

2011-06-05T19:47:00.002-06:00

I got a kick out of this!

Diego Is Home!

2011-05-15T19:31:00.000-06:00

And I am extremely happy with his training. He is wonderful to ride, very responsive. It is so good to have him back home. I really missed him. It wasn't the same around here with him gone. I have rode him a couple times at home on the land around us and he was great. Yesterday we went on a 15 mile poker ride. He did really good. He had some little spooks but that was expected as it was all new to him. You know, the scary picnic table that might attack, the huge boulder that might eat him, the road sign that might reach out and grab him. The basic scary looking stuff. lol I am very happy with him. We will be putting on many miles together this summer for fun.

Some photos from the ride. It was a fantastic ride except for the howling wind!

Break at the halfway point.

Dave & Dandee

Gelded!

2011-04-26T08:43:00.000-06:00

Casper is a little lighter now, he had his scheduled visit at the vet yesterday to be gelded. It went very well. He couldn't be gelded standing up though as he was too short for the vet. lol So he was laid down for the procedure. It took him awhile to wake up afterwards, he was having a good nap. When we were loading him back up in the trailer to come home, his foot splashed in the mud and he sprayed me. I had mud droplets in my hair down to my feet. The vet assistant had a good laugh...so did I to be honest. lol It was just a good thing we were coming straight home.

Casper is home and doing great. Him and Teebo were playing, running around and rearing last night so obviously Casper is feeling pretty good.

Check Out The For Sale Page

2011-04-22T12:54:00.001-06:00

We bought a new horse trailer so we are selling our old one.

Horse Trailer For Sale

Photos on the for sale page

Playtime

2011-04-06T21:03:00.000-06:00

I think the horses are loving the warmer temps just like I am.

Melting Snow Makes Mud

2011-04-03T12:55:00.000-06:00

The snow has been melting out there for the last couple days. Melting snow makes mud, mud attracts horses, such as Casper.I thought there was a new horse out in the pasture...lol

We Will Miss You Doc

2011-04-01T21:13:00.000-06:00

We sold Doc today. It was hard to see her go. She has been with us for 5 1/2 years. She has gone to a good home by Saskatoon, Sask to be a mom. Thank you Tom!

I already miss you Doc!

No More Snow!........Please!

2011-03-27T13:12:00.000-06:00

Spent just about 3 hrs this morning clearing the driveway with the tractor. It was so deep that it was hard even for the tractor to clear out.

A long section of fence is completely under the snow along the driveway. There are about 3 posts that you can't even see.

Loki hanging out with the horses while I was clearing snow.

Great Horned Owl

2011-03-20T16:23:00.000-06:00

A Great Horned Owl came to visit us yesterday waiting to catch a gopher for dinner. I hope he/she stays around for awhile as it would help with the gopher population. The gophers are already out full force!

Beautiful Day Today

2011-03-14T22:21:00.000-06:00

Finally hit above zero today. It was beautiful out there. I had the horses up at the barn for a couple hours. After some oats and attention, I let them back out and they had a good roll.

Doc

Teebo

Casper

None of Dandee rolling as she was more concerned with eating than rolling. lol

Diego Went For A Ride

2011-03-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

I hauled Diego to the trainers yesterday. He is gone for two months training! It won't be the same around here with him gone. I will be visiting him but I look forward to when he comes back home. I can't believe how quickly he has grown. It seems it wasn't long ago he was just a little foal running around the pasture. Where has the time gone?

Warm Weather Is Back!

2011-02-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

I hope it stays longer this time. I thought I'd go out and take some photos of the horses since it is so nice out. I only got a few shots in when the batteries in my camera died. It is time for a second set of batteries.

A couple of Teebo, the Arabian colt.

And one of the horses all together.

The snow is really melting with the above "0" temperature so the horses are starting to get wet and dirty. Oh well, I'm not going to worry about them being dirty, I'm just happy it is warm. lol

The Cold is Back

2011-01-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

-40C with the wind chill out there at the moment, -31C before the wind chill. I was really hoping this cold weather was done. Guess January wants to go out with a bang.We have more snow this year than we have had in many years.

I thought this was cute....a few days ago Loki decided to jump on top of the dog house from the deck so he could watch us through the living room window. He is such a character.

It is suppose to warm up again. This is thankfully just a short cold spell. The animals were a little frosty this morning.

I thought this was a pretty shot.

Warm Sunshine

2011-01-23T09:06:00.002-07:00

We finally got some nice warm sunshine yesterday and again so far this morning. We also had an entire day without snow yesterday! I think that is the first day this month were we didn't get any snow. We haven't had this much snow in years. With it so nice out yesterday, I spent some time outside just visiting with the horses and taking some random photos. Nothing special or professional about them, just quick clicks with the camera.

First we have a comical photo of Doc with Dandee beside her, Diego behind her, and Loki under her.

A shiny Dandee and Loki. Loki seems to get into a lot of the photos. lol

Dandee & Doc nuzzling. Loki again in the background.

And just standing together.

Diego waiting at the fence for me with the sunrise behind him.

Diego and Doc.

Casper (just can't keep him white...lol) & Teebo.

Doc.

Teebo & a dirty Casper again.

I hope the cold weather is gone for the rest of winter. We really don't need anymore snow either. Here are a few photos of the snow around our place.

A couple of the barn cats going for a cruise.

I had to dig out the door of the barn. You can see the snow line.

The round pen. It is hard to tell in the photo, but the snow is about three feet deep in there in most spots.

A scenic shot of part of the yard and pasture.

My son having a lay-down with our outside dog Loki (this was taken a couple weeks ago).

I am SO ready for spring!

New Horse

2011-01-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

We added a new horse to the herd just before Christmas. He is a 2010 Arabian colt. We are still deciding on a name for him.

2011

2011-01-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I hope you all have a wonderful 2011.

Re-Training Doc

2010-08-17T11:39:00.000-06:00

I have recently started re-saddle training Doc. She went through a bad situation at a trainers place. I let her injuries heal, then she foaled Casper, and then a week ago I decided it was time to start her re-training. So far it is going better than I expected. There is definitely some things to work through but I don't think it is going to be as hard as I first thought.

Here are a couple photos from yesterdays training session. It was the first time that I had ever taken her into a lope.

Where Has The Time Gone

2010-08-03T21:38:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since I last posted. I can't believe it is August already. We had a bad drought last year, this year we need an ark! Rain rain and more rain. I can't remember ever getting the amount of rain we have had in the last three months.

We are down to four horses. We sold Belmiro, our yearling Marchador colt, a couple weeks ago. He has gone to live with Stefanie in Penticton, BC. She is very happy with him. A photo of him a day before he left to his new home.

We miss you Belmiro!

Casper has really grown. He enjoys following me around and loves having some shoulder scratches. I will say he is a klutz though. lol We plan on keeping Casper to raise as a saddle horse. We will be gelding him next spring. He is my little man.

The gopher holes in our pasture have got quite bad. We definitely have to have someone come in and work our pastures up then reseed them. We can't do them all in one year, so we hope to get one side of the property done next year, then do the other side the following year. Hopefully that will cure the gopher issue for a couple years. The coyotes have really been hanging around the last couple months. I think it is due to all the gophers.

Here is one of the visitors

We also had a Blue Heron stop in for a visit. Such a beautiful bird, and big. He seemed to like our pasture.

I'm on holidays for the next couple weeks and have a huge to do list. Started with our deck today. Put some new lumber down on it and will redo the benches that were on it tomorrow. Plus also stain the deck tomorrow. So many things to do while I'm off work.

More Photos

2010-04-25T16:07:00.000-06:00

Some photos from today.

A Foal Has Arrived!

2010-04-24T22:27:00.000-06:00

Our only foal for this year and the last foal of our breeding career has arrived. A beautiful perlino (and possibly dun) colt. He was born just after midnight April 24, 2010. He was 17 days early. Mom and baby are both doing wonderful. Doc had an easy delivery. This colt is half AQHA and half Marchador. We are very happy with this colt!

Loki giving his seal of approval with a kiss on the muzzle

Took Some Photos Today

2010-04-11T14:01:00.003-06:00

The wind finally gave up so it was a nice day out for taking some photos. I just wish the horses would cooperate and stand nice and square and still on their own. lol

I have been working on Diego with some ground training. I will start him with a saddle this summer but there will not be a rider on him until he is three years old.

Diego

Piper

Belmiro

Libby

Diego & Belmiro

Dandee

Doc

Just can't keep a white horse white. lol

Doc's due date of May 10th is getting closer and closer. I can't wait for this foal to be born. This is the last foal that will be born here.

Bailey Video

2010-03-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

She is doing so well. The indoor part of the video was taken last night. The outdoor was today after I got home from work. She looks so happy now that she can run around like a puppy should.

Bailey Mar 8 2010 from Sunset Marchadors on Vimeo.

Bailey

2010-03-07T12:06:00.001-07:00

Bailey is doing so much better. She is on day 9 of doing great! She is still on the metacam but so far for nine days she is running all over, bouncing to play, chasing toys, chewing on the house cat, eating well, gaining weight, full of excess energy (making up for lost time) just being an all around normal puppy. I so hope she is done with this disease and will be fine from now on. It is so nice seeing her act like a typical 5 1/2 month old puppy instead of a sick pup in pain. I'm trying not to get my hopes up but it is hard not to. She usually would only have a day or two of feeling better (and never feeling as good as she is right now) when she would slide back downhill.

I will be calling her doctor to see if he recommends taking her off the metacam to see how she fares or to continue with it for now.

For Bailey's sake, I hope she is finished suffering from HOD.

HOD - Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy

2010-02-19T22:20:00.005-07:00

Our Great Dane pup Bailey has been diagnosed with this rare bone disease. She is under veterinary care. She is currently on metacam for inflammation and pain. Some days it just doesn't seem to do enough for her. She has some good days and some bad days.

Bailey has days where she just doesn't want to move, her legs give out on her, doesn't want to eat (I have spent many days feeding her with a syringe), and just feels like crap. Bailey's doctor has said that she will eventually grow out of this disease as she matures. It is just a matter of keeping her comfortable until she reaches that point. Some days she is almost back to her normal self, chewing on the house cat and wanting to run and play with the other dogs.

There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet about this disease. Some have older information that has been ruled out. Example: they use to believe that vitamin C played a part in HOD, now they say research has shown that it doesn't. So a person doesn't know what to believe on the net about it. I'm going with what our veterinarian has told us, talking with others that have gone through this with a pup, and I have even been in contact with a researcher that is working on understanding HOD better.

This is a video I took of Bailey today. Not one of her best days, but a better day. There is a couple photos at the end of the video. One of them shows the swelling and such with her growth plates with her front legs (photo just shows her front legs). I hope she recovers through this. She is such a sweet, loving pup, it is heartbreaking seeing her like this. There is hope for her though.

Bailey from Sunset Marchadors on Vimeo.

Some sites with information (as I said earlier, some of them have conflicting information)

HOD 1

HOD 2

HOD 3

HOD 4

New Critters!

2010-01-15T19:39:00.006-07:00

Our new critter is Bailey. She is a four month old Great Dane pup. We just adore her, such a sweetheart.

Levi, the vampire kitty is about to strike

Moooove Ooooooovvveeeerrr!

Need a bigger bed!

Cute one with Loki

Look at those ears! lol

I thought this was a nice photo of Loki.

Warmer Temps

2009-12-17T19:06:00.003-07:00

The cold snap finally moved on. Today was a gorgeous day out. I finally dug the tractor out of a snow drift and used it to dig out our old truck. Then I cleared the yard of all the other snow drifts. Took some photos today of the outdoor cats. They were hanging out on the deck since it was so warm out. Here are just a couple photos of some of the cats.

This one is Tux. He always looks grumpy but he is a very loveable cat.

Tux & his brother Milo
One of Tux's kittens from this summer

Snow and Wind!

2009-12-05T13:36:00.006-07:00

We were finally hit with some winter weather. Snow started yesterday morning and continues today with bad wind gusts. We have quite the drifts forming around our yard.

From earlier this morning. That is our GMC 4x4 in front of the tractor.

A few minutes ago. The front end of the truck is buried in the snow.

Going to have to dig out the fence.

The horses have a huge shelter but seem to prefer to hide out on the south side of our shop.

We have had really beautiful, mellow weather for October and November. Winter was bound to come. It just didn't have to get us all in one day!

A few more photos from an hour ago.

The End To Breeding

2009-10-07T16:34:00.002-06:00

We at Sunset Marchadors have decided to give up breeding horses. We have one mare due in 2010 and that will be our last foal. It is time for us to start being able to spend more time enjoying the horses and doing things with the horses that we were not able to do. It has been a wonderful journey with many excellent foals and experiences along the way. This was a very difficult decision for us but we truly feel in our hearts that it is the right decision. We will continue to be Sunset Marchadors, we just won't be breeding anymore.

Our stallion Jivago was sold back to Summerwind Marchadors and our mare Vedete was sold to Tia Nelson in Montana. They both traveled well and have arrived at their new homes. We will miss them dearly.

We are keeping both our Marchador boys Diego and Belmiro as well as our AQHA mares Dandee and Doc. Our 1/2 Marchador fillies Libby and Piper are for sale.

Our two Marchador boys sharing a drink.

Horse Barn Forum

2009-07-30T18:47:00.003-06:00

We would love to have some new members on the forum. Horse Barn Forum is a community for people to learn and share stories or knowledge on horses with other people. A great place to make some new friends. Stay and visit for awhile, join our discussions, ask some questions, and post some photos of your horses. We have breed profiles, photo contests, a pet section to discuss your other critters, and much more! We would love to see you there!

Horse Barn Forum

Nap Time

2009-07-02T23:35:00.004-06:00

I love this photo...oldest to youngest. Vedete managed to get her fly mask off (the black spot). Guess she doesn't like it.

We have been letting the mares and foals have the run of the yard since the pastures are just not growing this year due to the drought. Here they are all in a row showing off their butts. lol

We FINALLY got some rain a couple nights ago. Wish we would get a lot more though.

Jivago Shining in the Sunlight

2009-06-25T15:06:00.003-06:00

I just love how Jivago's coat shines in the sun. It really gives him a metallic look. Don't mind the bad hair day, the wind is howling out there today. lol

New Photos From Today

2009-06-16T14:20:00.002-06:00

A couple nice ones of Belmiro

Diego modeling his new fly mask

Diego still wet from having a bath (he is standing with his front feet in a hole)

He Has A Name

2009-06-12T00:06:00.004-06:00

We have given Vedete's colt a name, meet..........

Belmiro de Sunset

I like this shot of him and Vedete

A photo of the girls Piper and Libby having a nap

Piper coming in for a sniff

Piper and Belmiro playing

Guess who is boss....

I like this photo of Doc

Diego running full out

Diego trying to get Wrangler to play

A Marchador Foal Is Born!

2009-06-03T21:26:00.004-06:00

Vedete foaled a week early on May 28th. She had a gorgeous dun colt! Definite dorsal, leg barring, face masking, and talk about transverse wither striping. We always thought Jivago was a buckskin with countershading and the smutty gene. Turns out he is acutally a dunskin. This colt is proof enough. We are so happy with this colt. We will eventually have him tested for cream and grey.

Here is the newest Marchador in Canada! Way to go Vedete and Jivago!

With such long legs, he feels this is the easiest way to eat grass. lol

New Videos

2009-05-21T15:00:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to making a couple new videos. Nothing special, just pasture shots.

First Jivago

And Diego

Horses All Magazine/Newspaper

2009-05-04T21:58:00.001-06:00

We made the FRONT PAGE!!! I didn't realize the article was going on the front page. We are so excited! More and more people are learning about the Marchadors everyday.

Web Version

PDF version

New Foal Pics

2009-05-01T21:43:00.003-06:00

I took a few photos of both foals this morning.

First off, some of Piper.

And a few of Doc's foal. We have decided on a name for her....Sunset Libby!
Meet Libby.

I just love those ears.

We Have Another Foal!

2009-04-27T23:39:00.002-06:00

Our Perlino AQHA mare Doc foaled today, 16 days early. Both mom and baby are doing wonderful. She is an adorable buckskin filly with a star, strip, snip, and rear socks. This is Doc's first foal and she did a great job. This is another Jivago foal. He sure stamps his looks on his foals.

Here she is....

Of course Loki has to say his hello's. lol

Sunset Piper

2009-04-26T20:13:00.002-06:00

Is the name we have given Dandee's filly. She is turning out to be a real sweetheart. She will not be up for sale. We are going to keep Piper to use as a saddle horse when she is of age. Some new photos of her from today.

1st 1/2 Marchador Born in Canada!

2009-04-16T12:03:00.003-06:00

Our AQHA mare Dandee foaled at 10:00 this morning! She was bred to our Mangalarga Marchador stallion, Jivago.
She had a beautiful healthy either dun or dunskin filly! She is drying up quite light so she might carry cream from her sire. No doubt about having dun though. Mom and baby are doing great!

Without further ado, here is the first 1/2 Marchador born in Canada!!!

Way to go Dandee!!!

Adding a couple dry photos.

Diego

2009-04-15T16:31:00.002-06:00

He is sure shedding out gray quickly. I can't get over the change in him.
I took these photos of him last weekend except for the last one. That one I took today of him having a good roll after a nap.

Is Spring Here To Stay?

2009-04-01T15:43:00.003-06:00

I certainly hope so! It is beautiful out there today, except for the mud. Now that all the snow is melting everything is turning into a mud bog. It is bad enough that the horses are shedding out like mad with hair flying everywhere, but now they are getting covered in mud as well. I swear they look for the muddiest spot to lay down and roll. Oh well, the life and times of being a horse.

Since I have a few days off work I spent a good portion of today out with the horses. Everyone got a good grooming. Sure made a difference in some.

This was Diego before being groomed.

This was him after, he is still a hairy mess, but you can sure see his grey a lot more.

Diego was on one side of a snow drift and I was on the other. He decided to join me but rather than going around he jumped up onto the drift.

I just adore his ears.

The chow line....the girls at breakfast time this morning.

And a couple photos of my AQHA mare Dandee. She is getting very close to foaling. Her due date is April 19th, 2009.

One shot of Jivago too

I'm really looking forward to foaling season. I love this time of year just for foaling time. I always get so much enjoyment out of working with foals.

Some days I really hate having a perlino. There is just no keeping them clean, especially at this time of year. lol

Thinks He Is A Horse

2009-03-15T20:46:00.004-06:00

Our dog Loki (Great Pyrenees x Husky) basically lives out with the horses. If we are not outside, then he is with them. We don't have near the coyotes coming on the property anymore thanks to Loki. He has been a wonderful addition to our home. We have had him for two years since he was a 6 week old puppy. We couldn't ask for a better outside dog. He is one of a kind. Here are some photos of him.

This one is from today

A couple days ago

Some older ones of him

A video I made of Loki

Loki's Antics

We had some company the other morning, a nice herd of Mule Deer. I love watching them.

Some Videos

2009-01-10T11:53:00.002-07:00

Here are some videos of our horses.

1. This one is a photo strip of our Marchadors Jivago, Vedete, and Diego.
Photo Strip

2. Funny photos of all our horses.
Funny

3. Diego's birth
Birth

4. Me riding Vedete our Marchador mare
Vedete

5. Me riding Jivago our Marchador stallion
Jivago

6. Diego our Marchador colt this summer
Diego

Some Announcements

2009-01-10T11:35:00.003-07:00

Jivago, our Marchador stallion, arrived May 10th, 2008. I was so emotional when he stepped of the trailer. He was finally home. It was another night in history for the Marchador...the first stallion in Canada.

Thank you so much Kevan of H4 Services for bringing Jivago home safe and sound.

It has been an exciting summer. Our mare Vedete had a wonderful colt on May 12, 2008 at 1 :10 am. I was there to witness the birth of the first Marchador to be born in Canada.

Here is Diego from birth to six months old.

We have been so happy with Diego. Vedete and Jivago did fantastic! Vedete was bred back to Jivago for a 2009 foal. I hope that foal turns out to be just as wonderful as Diego.

This fall I put Jivago and Diego together so they would each have company. They are getting along beautifully.

One of my favorite photos of Jivago with Loki (Great Pyrenees/Husky cross).

Welcome to Sunset Marchadors blog

2009-01-10T11:24:00.003-07:00

I would like to welcome you to our blog. I hope you will come back and visit again.

I guess I'll begin by giving a little information on this wonderful breed of horse we have fallen in love with, the Mangalarga Marchador.

It is said that in 1812, Prince Pedro I presented one of his fine stallions as a gift to his friend Gabriel Francisco Junqueira, Baron of Alfenas and the owner of the established breeding farm Hacienda Campo Alegre. With the arrival of the stallion Sublime (an Alter Real stallion), the foundation of the modern Mangalarga horse was laid. Sublime was bred to the native mares of Spanish Jennet and Barb blood, many of which were fast and smooth amblers. The first offspring produced from this cross were called Sublime horses. The name Mangalarga comes from the Hacienda Mangalarga. The horses' smooth, cadenced and rhythmic gait, the marcha, contributed the second part to the name, Mangalarga Marchador. From these early beginnings, the Mangalarga Marchador has been selectively bred for over 180 years and it is said that no other breed has been crossed in.

The Mangalarga Marchador has two special gaits or marchas, the marcha picada and the marcha batida. In Portuguese, picada stands for a light touch and of the two marchas, the marcha picada is a bit smoother. It is a broken pace and therefore creates little vertical movement. This gait is characterized by the movement of the animal's legs in a lateral sequence, with periods of triple hooves support. The principal advantage of this lateral four beat gait is its greater smoothness resulting from the periods of triple hooves support and from the overreach. The gait can be sustained for long periods of time, allowing the rider hours of enjoyable riding with little discomfort.

Batida means to hit and describes the gait considered to be a broken trot. It is characterized by the movements of the legs in a diagonal pattern, also with moments of triple support and a four beat sequence. This gait, unlike a trot, shows very little suspension (all the legs in the air) as the horses are always in contact with the ground. This creates stability and smoothness. The longer and more frequent the moments of triple hooves support are, the more comfortable the gait will be. On flat ground, performing the batida at a normal speed, the hind foot overreaches the track of the forefoot on the same side, adding to the smoothness of the ride.

The Mangalarga Marchador is of good size with an average height of over 15 hands and weighing 900 to 1100 pounds. Horses smaller than 14.2 hands are not being accepted for registration. Most colors are represented in the breed with grays, bays and chestnuts being the most popular. The horses are well known for their keen intelligence, docile nature, undying stamina and regal bearing, but most of all, for their incredibly smooth and fluid ride even at high speeds.

In 1994, two 60-year-old Brazilian men completed a 8,694 miles trail ride to prove the stamina of the Mangalarga Marchador. For one and a half years they rode all day and rested at night, all with the same horses. This was a defiance for the breed and the feat was recorded in The Guiness Book of World Records.

The Marchadors are given a temporary registration at birth with the ABCCMM (the Brazilian registry). At the age of three years, they have to go through a rigorous inspection for conformation, gait, and temperament in order to be approved for full registration as well as for breeding.

I truly feel that they are a remarkable breed and I would love for more people to learn about them.