1,500 Mangalarga Marchadors at one event in July! And they represent the best of the best – in athletic competition, in conformation, in gait and in reproduction! Excitement continues in the evening with Marchador auctions where glitz, glamour and pricing reach spectacular heights!
The ABCCMM is a great host at their annual event. Even the president will meet you personally. The breeders welcome fellow breeders and Marchador lovers with no hesitation.
In the main ring, there is always a class, sometimes 2 classes going on. There are three independent judges who combine their scores to determine the winner. The judges will also ride the top contenders. The purity of the marcha is essential, but the judges also evaluate the quality of the movement, the head and tail carriage, and especially the appearance of each horse. The track is filled with the beauty and elegance of the Iberian carriage and appearance of the Mangalarga Marchador.
There are other arenas for warm-up and for functional sports and exhibitions like mounted archery, dressage, pole bending and team penning. The arena for the Complete Marchador, a timed obstacle and training test called Prova!, is always popular. Everywhere there are open barns to meander through, shopping and horses everywhere.
… And then? You’re amazed, but the Marchador owners are asking you… Try it? You are invited to sample these exotic, expensive Marchadors. What horse? … You choose! … The winner of a special discipline? … Yes, go ahead!… the stallion that will be auctioned later to peak prices? … What are you waiting for?… Only adjust the stirrup straps quickly, then go! … What, another one? Different gait, different size, different colors. Yes, as long as you want! Everyone is in a great mood and are very generous, helping you with their horse! If you are lucky you even get to ride the newly-crowned champion once! Do not hesitate, say YES! It will be a dream come true in every case.
While you are in Brazil, you may want to visit some of the fazendas and haras. The USMMA can help by providing international contacts at the ABCCMM that can help you organize your trip. Often, USMMA members travel back to Brazil and offer to take new travellers with them.
The visits to the horse farms are very informative and interesting. The owners explain their breeding program and vision. This begins with a tour of the facilities. They show their horses, the breeding techniques (including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, freezing semen etc.) and their training programs. Most farms will offer rides on their Mangalarga Marchadors in an arena or on long cross-country rides. The hospitality at the fazendas is first-class with local, farm-fresh regional cuisine and the “farm life” that has been lost in many other parts of the world. It’s an unforgettable event.
There are also tourist riding excursions. You get to select where you want to ride – endless beaches, pristine rain forests or mountain vistas? Or taking up a new sport, like hunting, mounted archery or just more schooling on the fabulous marcha gait.
Dreams do come true! On a Mangalarga Marchador horse in Brazil, you will see.