Megan Weiss Equestrian

I have begun the search to find my four legged Spanish teammate. The best way I can describe this process is it is like going on blind dates. You might know a little about the person, (or in this case the horse), but until you meet them you have no idea if you will have a connection or if what you "know" about them is even true. Horse sellers can give you very appealing descriptions about a horse as well as produce attractive pictures and/or videos, but it is not smart to trust the sellers descriptions. You need to see, meet, and ride the horse in person. It is very rare that you hear of equestrians finding a high level competition horse easily. High level, well trained horses with excellent health and conformation with the right mind for competitions are hard to come by. When I went to France to find my eventing horse, I rode over 10 prospective horses and was lucky to find my Hipius the last day of the trip.

I am very fortunate to have been connected with an incredible Spanish dressage competitor and trainer Cristina Duran, who is helping me search for my Spanish horse. Cristina is very well connected and respected in the Spanish dressage community, and is able to find horses that are just coming on the market. Last week, Cristina and I ventured out on a 12 hour journey through the Andalusian region of Spain to view the first two prospects. As I rode each horse, she provided me with instruction and feedback so I could test the horse's training and abilities.

Prospect #1

The first horse we visited was located in a stunning facility. He was ridden by a top notch trainer who trained and studied at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. The trainer mounted the horse first to give Cristina and me a demonstration. The horse preformed the majority of the upper level movements, but had not mastered his flying lead changes which are critical for upper level competition. The horse is 12 years old and at this age he should have his tempi changes down. If the horse were younger this would not necessarily be a concern, but at 12 years old he should already know tempi changes in order to be an elite competitor in the dressage arena. The horse had incredible collection at the canter, but when I asked him to do a piaffe he was always looking for a way out and did not want to go straight.

He is a sweet horse and willing to please, but because he started his dressage training later in life he did not develop the flexibility and knowledge of the movements typically acquired during early years of training. Another concern was that he has never competed. I need a horse that has been in competitions and is comfortable being in a show environment. The horse was fun to ride and if I were looking for a mount to train in the lower levels of dressage and for pleasure riding, he would be ideal. But, I am looking for a horse with higher level training, and with the training he has at his age he would not be suited to be a successful high level competitor.

Prospect #2

Cristina and I continued on to see the second prospect which I was very excited about as I saw videos of him and he looked like he had mastered all the upper level movements. After about a three hour drive, we arrived at a small family owned facility. The horse’s owner had a wrist injury and had not been able to ride his horse for three weeks. Cristina got on the horse first to test him out before I rode him. Cristina is an incredible rider and got the horse to preform the majority of the upper level movements, yet she was surprised how heavy he was in the mouth. She gave me the heads up before I mounted that he pulls. The horse was very heavy in the contact and was constantly bracing on my hands. At one point I had to take a break, as my hands were cramping up from him pulling so hard. The horse had amazing collection and a piaffe that would receive high scores in competition. I was hoping maybe the horse pulling so hard on his mount was a result of him just being rusty from not being ridden in three weeks. The deal breaker for me was not necessarily the pulling, but when I dismounted I noticed a lump on his side. It turns out the horse has melanoma, a type of skin tumor associated with the color of the horses coat, a very common problem in grey Spanish horses. Although these tumors are usually benign, the tumors can keep growing and cause the horse discomfort and more tumors can pop up throughout the horse's life. There is treatment for horses that suffer from melanoma, but the treatment is not available in Spain. The last thing I want is to purchase a horse with preexisting health problems. Finding out the horse has melanoma was a deal breaker for me.

Although I was not successful on my first go around, it was good to get an idea of what is on the market and what questions to ask before going to view more horses. I look forward to round two and know that my future horse is out there waiting for me!

I recently traveled to Peru to explore one of the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. On the fourth night of my trek, I stayed at the lodge Sol y Luna, located in the city of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley. The hotel just so happened to have one of the top equestrian facilities in Peru. Instead of continuing on the trek the next day, I decided to go explore the beauty and culture of the Peruvian Paso Horse.

Until then, I did not know much about the Peruvian Paso breed. Like many things in South America, the horse arrived in Peru during the Spanish Conquest, tracing their ancestry back to the famous Spanish Andalusian war horses. Originally the breed was used in Peru as a working horse to transport crops from plantations. The Peruvian Paso has a smooth gait and good endurance, making them ideal for long journeys. Over time, breeders in Peru started selectively breeding the horses for their gait, conformation, and temperament, to produce a strong sturdy horse for comfort. A unique trait of the Peruvian Paso gait is “termino” - an outward swinging leg action, originating from the shoulder, in which the front lower legs roll to the outside during the stride forward. Today the horses are shown in performances, demonstrating the elegance of their lifting and gentle gait to the rhythm of the Marinera, an emblematic Peruvian Dance.

Everyday the Sol y Luna has a 35 minute show on the greens outside of their restaurant, demonstrating the Marinera on four of their top Peruvian Paso stallions. The show is led by their star rider Felix, and three of his brothers. During the show the horses dance in formation to Peruvian music. I arrived at the show early, to get a front row seat to the incredible display of the horse's ability to preform, and showoff their gaits.

**Felix and his brothers preforming the Marinera dance**

After the show, I visited the barn to introduce myself to Felix, and meet his beautiful stallions. Felix's English consisted of saying "hello", and my Spanish consisted of saying "buenos dias". Even with our language barrier, Felix and I hit it off, and he offered me to ride his prized stallion. Right from the start I could feel the difference in the gait of the Paso. They are not tall horses, but have a lot of spring to their stride. The Paso's trot was easy to sit, and their canter felt like I was floating. After about 5 minutes of riding the horse around in the field, Felix galloped up to me on one of the other stallions, halted, and had his horse rear straight up in the air. The rearing position is called a Pesade, a classical dressage movement where the horse stands on the hind legs with the forelegs in the air. Through demonstration, Felix showed me how to balance my horse with no resistance, and ask the horse to levitate off the ground. Within minutes I was preforming a Pesade. Although my Pesade was not quit at the caliber of a classical dressage movement, it was an amazing experience, and such an unexpected surprise to be able to ride the horse and preform a highlevel movement. Felix and I ended the day with a peaceful trail ride around the beautiful Urubana River.

Horse Buying in Spain

A Day with the Peruvian Paso