Eduardo training Sucesor de Nirvana,  a 3 year old gelding in bit.  Sucesor is proudly owned  by Ms. Neta Fowler of Canyon, Texas

History: Eduardo Venegas was born in Lima, Peru. He is married to Maria Elena, his wife of 28 years and has three sons ages, 27, 22 and 11.  The older sons remain in Peru where the oldest, Jaime, is studying Automotive Technology and the younger, Pablo, is in his final year of study in Veterinary Science at Pedro Ruiz Gallo University.  Eduardo, Jr., is in Wetumpka, Alabama with his parents and attends the Wetumpka Middle School where he is in the sixth grade.  At this time he appears to be heading in his father's footsteps, as he has a deep admiration for the horses and has already won numerous award riding in shows. Maria Elena and Eduardo Jr Eduardo's wife, Maria Elena, does volunteer work at the school where Eduardo Jr.  is enrolled. She assists Spanish speaking students in developing their English skills. In Peru, her profession was in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Eduardo has been training Peruvian Horses for 30 Years.

Eduardo had spent about four years learning from his father how to work and breed these beautiful horses when the Agricultural Reform began in Peru.  This resulted in the government taking control of his father's land and livestock, including the horses.  Eduardo subsequently moved to Venezuela where he was introduced to the Paso Fino horses and spent a couple of years working with them.

When finally the government changed in Peru, Eduardo was able to return to his country.  His father purchased another ranch in Santa Rosa which is at the north end of Lima and near the Hacienda Santa Rosita, owned by Juan Miguel Rosell, son of the highly regarded breeder of the Peruvian Paso Horse in Cajamarca of the same name.  The elder Rosell was exporting many horses to the United States, and it was to Santa Rosita where all of the horses awaiting exportation were sent.  Naturally, his interest in the horses led him to Santa Rosia where Eduardo became friends with the younger Rosell and where Eduardo was allowed the opportunity to expand his knowledge and appreciation of the Peruvian Horses. 

One day, Eduardo was admiring a group of twenty fillies when Don Juan Miguel Rosell (the elder) arrived.  He was interested in meeting his son's new friend and found Eduardo in the paddock with his fillies.  He seemed a bit curious about Eduardo, asking his opinion on several matters and they exchanged many ideas.  After lengthy conversation, Don Juan Miguel Rosell asked Eduardo which horse in the paddock did he like the best and his reasons for his choice.  A chestnut, named Plebeya was the one Eduardo chose and he told the Don why he had chosen her.  Don Juan Miguel Rosell responded that Eduardo had an excellent eye for horses and that as a reward for his obvious affection and the help that Eduardo had given his son, Eduardo could have the horse.  After thanking him profusely for his generosity, Eduardo left with his filly and walked the six miles to his father's Hacienda where he worked.  By the time Eduardo had arrived there, he knew that he would dedicate the rest of his life to the breeding of the Peruvian Paso Horse.

The following year, Eduardo’s work took him to Chiclayo where he moved with his wife and his horses.  Over the next twenty-two years Eduardo developed his own breeding operation which Eduardo still has.  In addition to his own breeding program, Eduardo became very involved with the Association of Breeders of Peruvian Paso Horses of the Department of Chiclayo for whom he served three terms as President, two as Vice President and two terms as Vocal (committeeman). Several years ago, while attending the Peruvian National Show in Lima, Peru, Eduardo made the acquaintance of Ms. Benny Barto.  She was a breeder in California.  They became good friends and she later made an effort to bring Eduardo to her ranch. Sadly, she passed away before anything could be formalized, however his interest in what was happening in the United States continued.

Eduardo riding Ensuena de Nirvana 6 year old mare Champion Breeding Mare South West Peruvian Paso Horse Club Glen Rose, Texas  May 2001 Honorable Julio Peschiera

Upon talking with Dr. Patrick personally, Eduardo became excited about what he thought could be accomplished at Hacienda Nirvana and came to the United States in March of 2000 full of enthusiasm and the desire to use his knowledge of breeding and training what he considers the best saddle horse in the world.  In the year and a half that Eduardo has been at Hacienda Nirvana, they have made great progress in the training arena and have had considerable success in the show ring.  Dr. Patrick is a very knowledgeable breeder who is also open minded and she and Edwardo work together very well.  Eduardo believes they will accomplish his dreams and hers in the years to come.
 

Advice and recommendations to breeders: Carefully analyze the blood lines of your horses.  Go back as many generations as possible, but at least five.  On the basis of your analysis, pick a stallion that are not too close in geneology or lineage to cross directly to your mares.  Look for attributes in that stallion that are missing from your stock.  A champion stallion may be a poor choice for your particular needs, so don't rely simply on a horse's show accomplishments.  Don't be afraid of your own intuition.  If you have done your research and you have an intuitive feel about a potential breeding, take a chance with it.  We have a saying in Peru that is “if you never chance the river you cannot get to the other side.”  Whenever possible, study the offspring of a horse that you are contemplating using.  Try to determine what attributes the horse transmits.  Using young stallions can be risky since sometimes horses decline in stature as they mature therefore, you cannot learn much about a young stallions offspring.

Eduardo riding Anceoso, 19 year old Breeding Stallion, (*Palomo X Nefertiti LTM [by *Piloto])

Orient your breeding to what every person wants and likes in a horse, but do not forget that the Peruvian Paso Horse has always been and must continue to be a strong and noble horse with a pleasing disposition who is also long lived.  Breed horses that are able to work as well as compete in the show ring.  A horse that does well in the shows but breaks down after three hours on the trail isn't much to brag about.  Bad attitudes must be culled.  Bad manners can often be corrected but horses with poor dispositions should not be bred. 

Expectations an owner should have from a trainer: 
The trainer should be responsible, open minded and loyal.  An owner should not have to set hours for the trainer, as a good trainer will do whatever is necessary,  whenever necessary, to ensure that the horses are always in good health and fit .  An owner should expect that the training is continuing at an acceptable rate.  An owner should never have to worry that a horse will be abused or handled in a rough or inconsistent manner.

Expectations a trainer should have from an owner:
A trainer should be able to expect that the owner has the same passionate feel for the horses as he does. Just as the trainer must be open minded, he should be able to expect that same attribute in the owner. There should always be open lines of communication.

Advice on training:
Experience is helpful and important, but patience is THE MOST OUTSTANDING ATTRIBUTE in a trainer.  Horses, like people are different from one another and they therefore require unique approaches.  Some horses mature later than others
psychologically and if you rush your training on this type of horse you are likely to have a horse with bad manners.  No one on the trail or in the show arena wants to be near this type of horse.  Be sure that each horse will accommodate all levels of riders from the Chalan (Maestro Trainer) to the novice.  Too often the only person who can look good on a horse is his trainer and that should generally not be considered a properly or completely trained horse.  The well trained horse should be soft in the mouth and not fight with the reins. 

Eduardo feels the most important aspect of training a horse is the mutual development of trust and confidence between horse and trainer. The horse needs to be receptive to the demands of training. An absolute requirement for a successful trainer is a  passion for horses. In most cases, a horse with bad manners is merely reflecting the deficiencies in his trainer. 

We always wait until the growth plates close completely to start a horse to saddle and that is usually by 3 years old. Eduardo is very patient and deliberate with all aspects of training.  Hurrying any part of the training process will nearly always result in problems.  Proper training requires that the trainer be as responsive to the horse as the horse is to the trainer.

It is important that the trainer familiarize an inexperienced rider to the soft touch of the Peruvian horse in order for that rider to maximize his or her enjoyment of the ride.  At Hacienda Nirvana we encourage all of our clients to spend a day or two at the ranch and learn their horse.  Eduardo personally works with the client and their horses on an as needed basis in order to assure that every client knows what to expect when they take their horse home.

Advice to potential trainers:
If one does not have a passion for this field, it is impossible to be a good trainer.  The ability to understand the different needs that each horse possesses is paramount to success.  To properly train a Peruvian Paso Horse, it is essential that one be knowledgeable of Classic Peruvian Equitation. Methods used in the training of other breeds will not produce the elegance and smoothness found in a classically trained Peruvian Paso.

ADVICE ON ADVICE

Advice is fairly easy to come by when it comes to your breeding and training programs.  There are many people who are knowledgeable about horses.  However, even judges,  professional riders or trainers of the Peruvian Horse are not necessarily good breeders. 

Often times people offering advice are well intended but do not have the knowledge or objectivity you need to improve their stock.  If all a person cares about is winning championships and they have sufficient funds, it is feasible to buy your way into the
winners circle.  The best advice comes from breeders who have not only bred their own quality horses but have also provided offspring to others who have also done well and for whom that breeder has provided the lineage to develop a truly good breeding program.  These are typically unselfish people who derive as much enjoyment from their clients’ accomplishments as they do their own. 

Eduardo wants to emphasize that the bloodlines that you breed to are more important than the show accomplishments of any particular horse.  Some of the most highly regarded horses in the breed have virtually no show experience.  What these horses
possess is the DISTINCT ability to genetically transmit their excellent physical attributes.  This is very different from the horse who may be physically worthy but does not have the lineage behind it to endure generation after generation. 

The  last element to contend with is subjectivity.  Every breeder and every judge has their own idea of what the ideal Peruvian Paso Horse should be.  Do not be discouraged if you show a horse that you really like and he does not do well.  The next show that you go to could be the one where you earn the blue ribbon!   Ultimately, you want to breed horses that YOU LIKE and if they happen to be champions than that is a bonus.  Eduardo does not want  to discount the importance of the show environment, for it is there that you can gauge your accomplishments.  Eduardo only wants to say that all is not won or lost at any particular show.  Buy intelligently and breed to good stock and your show accomplishments are sure to follow.

Words of Wisdom From Eduardo:: 
1) There are no bad horses, but bad training can make a horse appear to be bad. 
2) Don't expect glory without a good breeding program.