We have just returned from a great trip to Brazil. We visited the farms, rode many many wonderful horses, saw old friends, made new friends, and enjoyed the best of Brazilian hospitality wherever we went. Before I go any further I want to thank our dear friend Davi Carrano from Manege Sant Adelaide for all his hard work and organization. The success of the trip was largely due to Davi’s care and hospitality. I want to congratulate the proud new owners of some fantastic Lusitanos: Scott and Pam will be welcoming home Veneno, a Prix St. Georges stallion, and the lovely Bella, Laura will be ecstatic to meet Zaire, and Nancy will be reunited with Ataualpa, a fabulous young Interagro stallion! All the pictures are in the gallery below.
This year’s auction was surprising. The quality of the horses, as always, was top notch. So one would expect that with the global interest in the Lusitano as the perfect dressage mount the prices would reflect the quality. Sadly, this was not always the case…..but we were very happy to be able to find great bargains for our clients. The event was certainly a success, with beautiful horses, plentiful champagne, the suspense of the bidding….and the movie stars and dignitaries arriving by helicopter adding a little extra excitement to the festivities. Congratulations and gratitude to Victor Oliva and all the team at Coudelaria Ihla Verde for another fantastic event!
I’ll continue the Brazil trip report in just a few days, but there is other news looking ahead:
There are new clinic dates in the calendar including a return to Virginia in July to give a clinic at Linda Bertschinger’s Classicus. Join us for a great clinic in a beautiful spot in the Shenandoah Valley. There are spots available for the clinic here at home in Healdsburg in late August. Reserve your spot now as they won’t last long. This is your best opportunity to ride intensively, on advanced horses, and study with both Dominique and Debra. You’ll be in Healdsburg for the very beginning of the grape harvest and can enjoy all the region has to offer at this special time. Contact us for all the information.
In less than two weeks I will begin another long trip that will find me teaching in New Jersey at Nancy Clark’s Castlegate Farm, in Chicago at Jill MacCrae’s farm, and then to Germany to offer a lecture (in a castle near Hamburg!) prior to a clinic with my friend Gerd Heuschmann, and then a clinic near Munich the following week. I offer my thanks to Isabella Sonntag and to Gerd for their enthusiasm and the organization of these two events.
Enjoy the photos…there are many more to come from the trip. Share the blog with friends, please. There are great topics coming up, including a report on my saddles by Dr. Solange Mikhail, DVM, MS, using thermographic imaging to expose potential problems (or, in our case, the amazing balance and quality of the saddle).
Amities ~ D Barbier