Barcida Interagro Wins Year End Lusitano High Score Award at Gold Coast Dressage Association Banquet

Lusitano Stallion Also Wins USEF High Score of the Year for All Breeds

Barcida Interagro won the Lusitano High Score of the Year Award during the Gold Coast Dressage Association year-end banquet and also rode away with the USEF High Score of the Year for all breeds. (Photo by Marilyn Fallon)

Wellington, FL (November 10, 2011) – Barcida Interagro, a beautiful five-year-old grey Lusitano stallion owned by Cindy Barrera and ridden by Heather Bender, won the Lusitano High Score of the Year Award during the Gold Coast Dressage Association year-end banquet and also rode away with the USEF High Score of the Year for all breeds. Barcida’s score of 77.200% helped the stallion clinch the prestigious titles.

Barcida was imported from Interagro Lusitanos in Brazil, the world’s largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses, and purchased in the February 2010 Lusitano Collection auction. “Barcida has been in consistent training with me since his arrival in the United States,” said Bender, an FEI rider and trainer. “Barcida is an extremely talented, healthy and valuable stallion that has everything most competitive riders look for. His show record is off to an amazing start and he has received 9’s for his walk and 8’s for the canter! He is an extremely trainable stallion with a super temperament and is currently schooling Third Level and doing a single flying change. Barcida Interagro not only has competitive beautiful gaits against any breed, but he is unbelievably comfortable to ride. His temperament makes him well suited for an amateur in a guided professional program.”

Barcida’s Interagro’s famous sire is Quixote out of Kidnapped (Andrade/Veiga), a rare and successful combination not often found in the United States. “Interagro Farms has a stellar reputation for raising and training their stallions and mares and they take great care in bringing them along. As a youngster, Barcida Interagro was carefully started in dressage and purposely ridden alongside both stallions and mares in the arena and on the trails.”

Bender added that Barcida’s tremendous work ethic and superior athleticism will help him move up the levels quickly and that he will make an amazing FEI partner. “I can’t say enough great things about this horse. He is extremely comfortable to sit, smooth and light in the contact. He is a pleasure to have in the barn, very well socialized and his manners are impeccable; this boy is a true gentleman and will be perfect for an adult amateur, young rider or professional. I am really pleased that he won these awards and I am confident he has a great future ahead of him.”

Interagro Lusitanos sponsored the year-end Lusitano High Score Award at the GCDA, and Cecilia Gonzaga, Managing Director of Interagro Lusitanos of Brazil, was thrilled to hear that one of Interagro’s own horses won the award. “We are always pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of a Lusitano but when I found out that the winner was Barcida, a beautiful stallion that we bred, I was thrilled,” Gonzaga said. “Barcida has extraordinary bloodlines and his attitude and athleticism are a testament to the amazing abilities of the Lusitano breed.”

Interagro Farms was founded in 1975 with the goal of preserving the Lusitano breed. Located on a 1200-acre ranch outside of São Paulo in Brazil, the farm is home to 700 Lusitano horses. “We have imported many Lusitanos into the United States, and as competition and performance horses they are hard to beat. Our Lusitanos are competitive in contemporary equestrian pursuits, including the FEI level dressage, which is where I believe we will see Barcida in the future,” Gonzaga said, adding that Barcida’s first show is posted on YouTube so she was thrilled to see the stallion in action.

To learn more about Interagro Lusitanos, or to arrange a buying trip to the Brazilian farm, visit their website at www.lusitano-interagro.com or contact Sales Director Peter van Borst at capall9336@aol.com. To watch Barcida in the show ring, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKFt7bfkUq0&feature=youtu.be.

About Interagro Lusitanos
Founded in 1975 by Dr. Paulo Gavião Gonzaga to preserve the Lusitano breed, Interagro Lusitanos is now recognized as the world’s largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses. Dr. Gonzaga started with a small band of four mares and one stallion imported to Brazil from the breed’s native Portugal; to date nearly 700 horses populate the 1200-acre ranch outside São Paulo. Today, Cecilia Gonzaga manages the farm and operations. Interagro Lusitanos are handled, prepared, and evaluated from birth, with a handful of the best stock presented at auction each year.

For more information contact:
Johnny Robb – JRPR, Inc.
561-753-4608
jrpr@mac.com

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