It all started with pony rides in very
early childhood; I spent the first
twenty years of my riding life taking lessons, learning and exploring
every
riding discipline-western, dressage, hunt seat, saddleseat,galloping
racehorses,and even driving. I've always had an interest with the different
ways horses could move, how and why, and the influence of both nature,
environmental factors, and the rider. By the time I was in my late
teens, I
was already working part-time professionally, but working around horses
regularly and voluntarily, just to gain more experience and riding
time
between lessons was something I'd grown up with, not having a horse
of my
own. This continued throughout college and graduate school, as I'd
have to
call myself a perpetual student, even today!
I was having a hard time deciding which
breed I'd eventually like to own
myself, because while its certainly nice to be paid to ride someone
else's
horses, it can be painful to become attached to someone else's. To
me, that
bond is one of the most rewarding aspects of the human-horse relationship.
I
was favoring the gaited breeds, but preferred the natural horses, which,
in
the northeast at the time, were few and far between. It wasnt until
I was on
vacation in Florida in 1975, after completing my Masters thesis,"Equine
Locomotion: Visual Perception vs. Reality," that I discovered the Paso
Fino
- one trailride is all it took to make a decision. Certainly, in light
of my
interest in gait, I felt driven to explore the possibilities of this
unique
gaited breed, so new in the US at the time. I found myself coming home
from
vacation with a 3 year old colt! And that was only the beginning of
the
adventure...
I consider these next 26 years one long
research project in breeding and
training, trying to preserve the natural aspects of gait thru educated
breeding, as well as developing ways of riding and training just as
naturally. While I initially intended to raise and train my own horses
for
pleasure, the opportunity to train others added to my understanding
of
bloodlines, conformation and gait,and by 1979 I quit my teaching job
to work
with Paso Finos full-time. Over the years, my intense interest in refining
my understanding of natural gait has included working periodically
with
other breeds of gaited horses, including Walkers, Racking Horses,
Saddlebreds, Missouri Foxtrotters, and Spotted Saddle Horses...kind
of,
"comparative work," to gain better perspective on similarities and
differences.
I have had the proud pleasure to own a 4
time Top Ten Sire, Favorito que
tal,producer of numerous National and Grand National Champions; receive
numerous Championships, High Point awards, and Nationals placements
with my
stock,including 4 this past year, although the focus has always been
to
produce a top all-around horse with versatile gait capabilities, not
necessarily a "show horse." Regardless of what recreational activity
we
choose to do with our horses, we all share the goals of developing
our
understanding and communication skills with these wonderful equines
to work
together in as perfect harmony as possible...which to me, brings the
greatest rewards of all.
I look forward to helping others achieve
the same such joys with their
horses as I've attained over the many years by participating in this
forum! |
