President’s Letter! 2014 – the year of the Marchador!

LTR.President.Jan14 2   Click here to download pdf file

January 16 2014

Dear USMMA Members and Marchador Friends

Last year, in accordance with the USMMA by-laws we elected a new Board of Directors for the association. I am impressed with the depth, passion, and geographic spread of our new board.     We live from coast to coast and from Saskatoon to Scottsdale.  It is a tribute to how far we have come.  The new board a short bio and how to contact them follows this letter.

In our first meeting held January 12 2014, the board elected officers.

President. Rick Schatz

Vice President Jeff Bosley

Secretary Laurie  Klassen

Treasurer Lynn Kelley  (Eliza Frazer stays on as acting Treasurer for some part of 2014)

I will, with the new board, be working hard to connect with every Marchador owner to create a shared sense of excitement about our opportunities and goals.  In 2014 we will be focused on:

  • Keeping our existing loyal membership and also adding new owners and breeders.
  • Promoting the Marchador breed. In 2014, this will be most apparent with the planned events sponsored by the Brazilian Marchador association, the ABCCMM and APEX at PBR (Professional Bull Riding)events around the U.S.
  • Continuing our tradition of holding a Marchador clinic every year.   It’s a great way to learn and to meet other Marchador owners!   The success of 2013 Mt clinic showed us that.   I will keep you posted with our plans for the 2014 clinic.
  • Facilitating more Marchador owners and breeders to connect to Brazil.   We have a new Brazilian membership status for non-breeders for a $25 fee and will send plans for a trip to their National Show in July.  Over 1000 Marchadors participate at their show!

If you have renewed your USMMA membership, thank you.  We appreciate your support.  If you haven’t,  Rox Rogers and I may be calling on you to consider signing up again.

Hold on to your hats! It will be a great year –  the year of the Marchador!

Best regards

Rick Schatz

USMMA President

 

Meet the new Board and President

Dana Johnsen, Penticton, BC, Canada    hilltophoofers@gmail.com  (250)-492-8225

Dana is a business owner and lifetime horse person.  She currently has 3 Marchadors and her business is international Nickers Saddlery, makers of the Sensation Ride Treeless saddle.   Her goal with Marchadors is to expand the exposure and knowledge of the Marchador within Canada.

Dana brings to the table for the board artistic ability, international shipping and communication experience and thoughtful decision making.  She is ambitious and passionate about the Marchador breed.   Other passions of hers: sustainable building and energy practices, endurance riding, dog sledding & designing new products.

Jacob Martinez, Riverside CA   tlongojm@aol.com  (951)-808-2183

Jacob is a Marchador breeder operating Rancho de los Cielos.   He has been involved and supportive of the USMMA since its formative years – about 10 years.

Jacob has been around horses and training horses all of his life, since my uncle was the head trainer of the famous White Horses of California, the Camarillo breed.  Rancho de los Cielos follows the ABCCMM tradition of inspection for breeding animals.    Currently, they have 12 Marchadors and have produced over 15 “de los Cielos” foals.   We have sold our foals and also many other Marchadors over the years.  Before Marchadors, they owned and bred Peruvians.

His area of interest area is in advertising and merchandising for the Mangalarga Marchador breed.

Jeffrey S. Bosley  Lumber Bridge, NC   paboz@earthlink.net  (910)-818-4856

Jeff is a retired USAF Major. who spent the last 20 years serving my country while learning leadership skills and obtaining his degree.  Jeff has always loved horses and has been around them his whole life growing up on a farm, but the frequent moves necessary for a career in the USAF made his dream of owning horses a challenge. While researching different breeds 8 years ago, Jeff came across an article about the Mangalarga Marchador in the Guinness book of world records.  He researched this rare breed as well as breeders in the US.  After an opportunity to see the horses first hand, Jeff instantly fell in love with their athleticism and energy wrapped up in a surprising gentle disposition.

Jeff and Michelle currently own 4 Marchadors and are beginning a new adventure in becoming a breeder – SW Future Foal @ LumberBridge.  Jeff brings a love for this breed as well as commitment to its success and his desire to help build the breed here.

Laurie Klassen  Saskatoon, SK, Canada  lauriefklassen@me.com  (306) 382-8219

Laurie owns 1 Marchador gelding (Beethoven) acquired through Summerwind Marchadors and has been very active in her community promoting the MM breed for the last 3 years. She is quite knowledgeable about gaited horses because for the last 10 years, she also bred, raised and trained Tennessee Walking horses.   She still owns 3 TWH, but is no longer breeding.

Laurie is very involved and active in the equine community.  She was President of a women’s horse club for the last 5 years.   2-3 times a year, she hosts clinics and brings in some Master horseman to promote responsible leadership and training for horses.

Laurie and her husband have owned and operated Crestview Auto Service for 30 years.   Hoping to retire soon, but is still actively involved.   From her business and from her equine activities, Laurie’s organizational skills and follow-through are readily apparent to all who work with her.

Lynn Kelley  Scottsdale, AZ  futurefoal@gmail.com   (602) 999-3915

Lynn bought her first Marchador in 2001 and so has over 10 years of history and experience with the Mangalarga Marchador horses, both here and in Brazil.   With her husband, John, they own and operate SW Future Foal @ Summerwind Marchadors.  SW Marchadors has imported Marchadors in the past and now import frozen semen from Brazil.   17 foals carry the name “do Summerwind”.

Lynn is retired, but her skills are varied from her business careers:  information technology, customer service, marketing and innovation and planning.       Lynn was one of the founding members of the US Mangalarga Marchador Association and has served on the Board for many years in various positions.

Her interests are in improving the quality and genetic diversity of the Marchador breed here and in keeping close ties with Brazil and the other Marchador associations around the world.

Rox Rogers   Whitefish, MT   highcountrycowgirl@centurytel.net  

Rox’s love for the breed began when I purchased a gelding from Tresa Smith, Lazy T.  Shortly afterwards, she and her husband traveled to Brasil with the intention of Hugh becoming a certifying Vet for the breed here in the US.   They met a number of Brasilian breeders and learned about the Breed Standards and breed requirements for registry.  During the two weeks of visiting numerous breeding farms, Rox was able to spend a week of riding and studying at Desempenho dressage school with Bjarke Rink.

Since that time Rox has strengthened her interest in showing the Marchador breed to their full potential.  She studies in Centered Riding which is helpful in every discipline.  Rox currently owns 2 Marchadors and have been involved in showing the horses in the riding disciplines of Reining, Jumping, Backcountry trail riding, and recently in Western Dressage.  Rox assisted setting up the Montana Sela de Ouro in September, 2013,  providing a horse for another participant.

Rox is interested in assisting with Breed Standards, Performance Sports and showing the breed to the public through various venues, especially the APEX/ABCCMM/PBR promotions coming up in 2014.

Tia Nelson     Helena MT  drtiadvm@aol.com  (406)  442-0188

Tia and her husband Derek have enjoyed the breed since our introduction to it in 2001.  They breed Marchadors with the ranch suffix Vista de Serra.  Tia has  traveled to Brazil two times, once in 2001 to assist in picking out breeding stock for one of my clients who raises Marchadors and the second time in 2007 to spend 3 weeks with Getulio, Henrique, Jose Eduardo and others to learn to be an inspector for this breed.  Tia has been active as an adviser for the USMMA on the Breeds’ Standards Committee and has also helped with the discussion about the inspection process.  She feels that  the integrity of this breed is more likely to be preserved in the United States and Canada if there is an inspection process similar or identical to the inspection process used in Brazil by the ABCCMM.

As an equine veterinarian who is interested in horses in general and this breed in particular, Tia brings solid knowledge and good information to the table.

Most recently, she and her my husband worked to help make the Sela de Ouro ride a great success here in Montana in Sept 2013.   They provided horses, a fun supper (in spite of the storm!), and extended our hospitality to the Judge of the Show, Tiago, and a couple from Montana who are also breeders

Rick Schatz, Kaw City, Ok.  rick.schatz@yahoo.com  (580) 269-2967

Rick and his wife Liz were both raised on ranches in Northern Oklahoma.  Rick,  a USMC Vietnam Veteran, has now retired from a long career working and living overseas with the oil industry.  He resided with his family in Scotland, Kuwait, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Thailand, and Brazil to just name a few countries, he experienced during his career.

He was introduced to the Mangalarga Marchador horses while living in Brazil.  Liz started riding the horses with other expat women as a social past time.  She was very impressed with the horse’s temperament and smooth ride and was able to convince Rick also to start riding them.  This started an adventure in 2000 that evolved from buying registered horses for him and Liz to ride.  They then acquired a 500 acre Fazenda (farm) in Brasil and increased their herd size, breeding mares, from championship Brazilian stock.

Later in 2005, back in the U.S., Rick was able to import a young stallion and some mares from his breeding on the Fazenda to his Flying Oak’s Ranch in Oklahoma.  Now with his Stallion “Ator Fazenda Zouga” along with the original mares and other purchased mares from US Mangalarga Marchador breeders, Flying Oaks is home to over 20 registered Mangalarga Marchadors at any one time.