Tag Archives: Lusitanos

Breeds, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Zerbino Interagro Wins GCDA Year-End Championship in AA Prix St George

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Johnny Robb riding Zerbino Interagro, winner of the GCDA Adult Amateur Prix St. George Championship for 2012. (Photo courtesy of Susan J Stickle)

Wellington, FL (January 23, 2013) – Zerbino Interagro, a nine-year-old Lusitano gelding imported from Interagro Lusitanos in Brazil, topped the field in the year end awards at the banquet for the Gold Coast Dressage Association, winning the GCDA Adult Amateur Prix St. George Championship for 2012. He was ridden by Adult Amateur Johnny Robb, who became acquainted with Lusitanos through her work. Robb owns an equestrian PR firm. One of the accounts the firm began working with a few years ago was the Lusitano Collection International Horse Auction.

Robb, an avid warmblood junkie, found the Lusitanos interesting, but never realized she would own not one, but two of them. When one of Robb’s Hanoverians was on stall rest with a stone bruise and she borrowed Zerbino Interagro from Peter van Borst, the US Representative for Interagro Lusitanos.

Peter van Borst and Cherri Reiber were using Zerbino Interagro in a tandem act that they traveled all across the country, including Equine Affair and other events. Zerbino Interagro was ridden by Reiber and while line driving another Interagro stallion, Vistor Interagro, in front.  The horses both performed the entire range of upper level dressage movements with the long reins connecting to the stallion in front.

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Awards, Breeds, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Lusitano Stallion Batistuta V.O. Is Two-for-Two after Winning Interagro Lusitano High Score Award at the Wellington Classic Dressage Holiday Challenge

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Carmen Franco and the Lusitano stallion Batistuta V.O. won the High Point Lusitano Award at the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (January 12, 2012) – Nan Sexton’s handsome Lusitano Batistuta V.O. rode into the winner’s circle at the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge, winning the USEF First/Second Level Test of Choice class with a 70.968%. Ridden by trainer Carmen Franco, the stallion’s score also helped him win the High Score Lusitano Award, sponsored by Interagro Lusitanos, the largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses in the world. The Holiday Challenge was the second show of Batistuta’s career, and the second time for the brilliant buckskin to earn the Lusitano High Score.

The High Score Lusitano Award, which is sponsored by Interagro Lusitanos of Brazil, recognizes the highest scoring Lusitano at select dressage shows on the Florida circuit and highlights the dynamic and competitive Lusitano breed. “I do enjoy the Lusitano breed,” said Franco, who trains for Sexton’s Southgate Farm. “This was Batistuta’s second show and there is no way to describe him except to say he is awesome. He’s a very talented and athletic horse with great gaits. He is only six years old, but he is a fun horse to ride and he has lots of positive energy. I think that the future will take him to the FEI level.”

Continue reading Lusitano Stallion Batistuta V.O. Is Two-for-Two after Winning Interagro Lusitano High Score Award at the Wellington Classic Dressage Holiday Challenge →

Breeds, Dressage, Driving, Events, JRPR

Fans at the Massachusetts Equine Affaire Enjoy Thrilling Performance from Two Talented Interagro Lusitanos

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Cherri Reiber performed a tandem driving demonstration with Zerbino Interagro and Vistor Interagro during the Pfizer Fantasia at Equine Affaire. (Photo courtesy of M&A Photography)

W. Springfield, MA (December 23, 2011) – Fans at the 2011 Massachusetts Equine Affaire were on their feet at the Pfizer Fantasia musical equine celebration thanks to a thrilling performance by two talented and stunning Interagro Lusitanos.  International rider and trainer Cherri Reiber presented a tandem demonstration at the Equine Affaire that showcased the magnificent Lusitano breed and their talent for performing upper level dressage movements.

Interagro Lusitanos also had a booth at the premier equestrian gathering, and thanks to Reiber’s exciting demonstration the booth was the place to be as Equine Affaire attendees swarmed it to learn more about the Interagro Lusitano. “Cherri’s demonstration was a huge crowd pleaser and certainly generated a lot of excitement that spilled over to our booth,” said Cecilia Gonzaga, Manager of Interagro Lusitanos in Brazil.

Reiber is an FEI level dressage trainer and rider who trained both horses, Zerbino Interagro and Vistor Interagro, to do the tandem driving.  Reiber, who is based out of Southwest Ranches, Florida, competes on the Wellington show circuit and in 1999 was named the State Line Tack/USET Grand Prix Champion with her horse G Tudor.  Reiber and G Tudor also attended the 2000 World Cup Dressage Final in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

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Breeds, Dressage, JRPR, Publications/Media, USEF

New Lusitano Owner Wins Lusitano Book by Legendary Breed Founder Dr. Paulo Gonzaga at Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions

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Rebecca O’Connor was the happy recipient of a copy of the book The Lusitano Horse – Basic Lineages by Dr. Paulo Gonzaga, founder of Interagro Lusitanos. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Gladstone, NJ (September 27, 2011) – Rebecca O’Connor has certainly found herself surrounded by Lusitanos lately; she recently became the proud owner of a beautiful Lusitano bred by Interagro Lusitanos, and following her trip to Gladstone she is also the happy recipient of a copy of the book The Lusitano Horse – Basic Lineages by Dr. Paulo Gonzaga, founder of Interagro Lusitanos in Brazil, which is the largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses in the world. O’Connor, who is from Canton, Georgia, won the book in a raffle at the Lusitano booth during the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey.

O’Connor was thrilled to win the book and said she is looking forward to her Lusitano arriving at her home. O’Connor purchased Allure Interagro from Char Ann Ireland at The Dressage Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. “I have now completed my pre-purchase of Allure and am most excited as he is on his way from Pennsylvania to his new home in Atlanta,” she said. “I purchased him because I think Interagro’s Lusitanos make lovely dressage prospects because they have good steady minds that focus on their rider and they have gaits I can actually ride – and not see the chiropractor afterwards!”

O’Connor said her trip to Gladstone was an exciting experience. “To see such quality in both horses and riders is an experience I will not forget. Winning the raffle at the Interagro Lusitano booth was an added bonus!” she said, adding that she is also excited about bonding with her new Lusitano. “My plans with Allure include a long period of getting to know one another, which will work out well since the show season is almost over. I plan to compete him starting next season and attend various clinics to improve our skills. Even though I don’t know him well, there is something special about his attitude. I looked up his grandsire Apolo Do Mirante in The Lusitano Horse — Basic Lineages, and it was interesting to note that his offspring are known to have good temperaments, elevated movements and a lot of personality.”

Continue reading New Lusitano Owner Wins Lusitano Book by Legendary Breed Founder Dr. Paulo Gonzaga at Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions →

Breeds, Community/Charity, JRPR

Interagro Lusitanos Offers Buyers Private Visits to World-Famous Farm in Brazil

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Interagro Lusitanos is now offering private visits to the Brazilian farm for horse enthusiasts wishing to purchase an Interagro Lusitano. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (September 13, 2011) – Peter van Borst, International Sales Director for Interagro Lusitanos of Brazil, has been traveling to the Brazilian farm for the past 20 years and said each time he drives through the former coffee plantation’s rolling lush hills, now home of the world’s finest Lusitano horses, he feels as if he has discovered the “hidden valley of Lusitanos.” The exclusive, world-renown farm, situated on 1,200 acres outside of the small town of Itapira, about an hour and a half from São Paulo, is now offering private visits to the Brazilian farm for horse enthusiasts wishing to purchase an Interagro Lusitano.

“I travel to Interagro often and now interested buyers can accompany me, stay at the farm and experience the magic first-hand,” van Borst said. “The Interagro Lusitano farm is like no other place on earth. It wasn’t built to impress the public, in fact the only way you can visit the farm is through private invitation. I will say it is quite emotional when you come around the bend and view the farm for the first time.”

Mr. van Borst said the trips will give prospective buyers a chance to experience the life and culture of Interagro Lusitanos and take home the horse of their dreams. “They will stay at the farm, enjoy the joyous Brazilian culture and the lifestyle of the farm, as well as have the chance to see the horses, ride and drive them and become part of the Interagro family.  It really is an incredible opportunity, and of course I can’t say enough about the quality of the Interagro horses. The cross-selection of Lusitano bloodlines that Interagro offers, as well as the selection of lineages, is something you won’t be able to find anywhere else in the world.”

The lineages at Interagro include Andrade, Coudelaria Nacional, Veiga and other bloodlines. “Interagro breeds for a competitive style of Lusitano.  The result is a scopier, elegant, and athletic horse that is suitable for amateur and professional riders alike,” Mr. van Borst said. “Interagro’s horses are bred to meet the demand for modern Iberian horses in the competitive world.”

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Auctions, Breeds, JRPR

Interagro Lusitanos Hosts Successful 2011 Interagro National Auction in Brazil

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Giotto Interagro, the high selling foal of the 2011 National Auction, is by the stallion Nirvana Interagro. (Photo courtesy of Tupa)

Itapira, Brazil (September 5, 2011) – The 2011 Interagro National Auction at Interagro Lusitanos in Brazil proved to be a successful event with buyers purchasing 28 top quality Lusitano horses and foals. The auction not only gave buyers an exclusive opportunity to purchase Interagro horses, but it also gave them the opportunity to become part of the family of Interagro Lusitano owners.

“The National Auction focuses mainly on yearlings and a small number of young horses just starting training under saddle.  It exclusively offers Lusitanos bred by Interagro and gives clients a direct contact to the breeder with no secondary sales agent,” said Todd Grace, Client Services and Event Director for Interagro Lusitanos, the largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses. “As in years past, the auction was a great success.”

The auction attracted many breeders and Lusitano aficionados alike; however, most of the young horses were purchased by amateur riders that had come to the farm and tried them prior to the auction.  The average price of a horse purchased at the auction, before taxes and transport fees, was $10,900 with Decurio Interagro bringing in the highest bid at $24,540. The average price for a foal was $4,500 with Giotto Interagro bringing in $7,400. Many buyers attended with the hopes of not only finding their dream horse, but taking home a bloodline they wished to add to their stable.  Many horses at this year’s auction were from very desirable bloodlines.  Giotto, the high selling foal, is by Nirvana Interagro and this was the first time his foals were sold at auction.  Buyers were also presented with foals by Tufão Interagro, Profano Interagro, and Ofensor (MV). “All of the horses were amazingly calm considering the bustling crowd, music, and shouts of the dynamic bid spotters,” remarked Mr. Grace.  “It was quite incredible considering how young the horses are and that it was the first time any of them had been in that kind of public setting.”

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Auctions, Breeds, Events, JRPR

The 2011 Interagro Collection Auction & 12th Annual Interagro Foal Auction Gives Buyers Unique Opportunity to Purchase Lusitano Fillies plus Last Foals from Famous Stallion Ofensor (MV)

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Dorus Interagro is one of the young horses presented for sale at the 2011 Interagro Collection Auction. (Photos courtesy of Tupa)

Itapira, Brazil (August 15, 2011) – Interagro Lusitanos, the largest exporter of Lusitano horses in the world, pioneered private auctions of Lusitano horses in Brazil 20 years ago, a tradition that continues today. The 2011 Interagro Collection Auction, which also features the 12th Annual Interagro Foal Auction, will not only give buyers the chance to purchase Lusitanos already being ridden under saddle, but will also give buyers the unique chance to purchase fillies, a remarkable opportunity as Interagro is not known for selling their mares.

“The auction, which will be held in Brazil at our family’s Interagro Lusitano Farm, will not only feature fillies for sale but will also be the last chance for buyers to purchase foals from Ofensor (MV), the most important Lusitano stallion in recent history. He passed away last April so this is a great opportunity to have one of his offspring,” said Cecilia Gonzaga, the daughter of Interagro founder Dr. Paulo Gonzaga, who manages the farm and its operations today. “The foal auction will also offer the first babies of Nirvana. We exported some young horses by him in private deals last year, but this will be the first time his foals will be available through auction.”

Interagro Lusitanos, the winner of the prestigious “Best Breeder of the Year” Award by ABPSL in 2009/2010, is well known for holding prestigious auctions both in the United States and Brazil. “Our 2011 auction will be held Saturday, August 27 in Brazil and will feature eight horses under saddle as well as three pairs of fillies and 10 pairs of colts,” Gonzaga said. “All of the adult horses in the auction have tested negative for piroplasmosis at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa, and are ready to be exported.  We will also have Global Trans Connection (GTC) available to help our clients with exporting their horses and providing estimates.”  More information on exporting and GTC can be found on Interagro’s website.

Continue reading The 2011 Interagro Collection Auction & 12th Annual Interagro Foal Auction Gives Buyers Unique Opportunity to Purchase Lusitano Fillies plus Last Foals from Famous Stallion Ofensor (MV) →

Awards, Breeds, Community/Charity, JRPR

Interagro Lusitano Founder Dr. Paulo Gonzaga Honored at International Festival of Pureblood Lusitano Horses

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The award presented to Dr. Gonzaga in recognition of his promotion and preservation of the Lusitano breed. (Photo courtesy of Davi Carrano)

Lisbon, Portugal (August 11, 2011) – Dr. Paulo Gavião Gonzaga, the founder of Interagro Lusitanos, the largest exporter of Lusitano horses in the world, was honored at the 23rd International Festival of Pureblood Horses in Lisbon, Portugal. Dr. Gonzaga was recognized for his extensive promotion of the Lusitano breed in the United States and Latin America at the festival, which attracted thousands of people and breeders from all over the world.

Arsênio Raposo Cordeiro, an international judge of morphology who is considered one of the leading authorities on the Lusitano breed and author of The Lusitano Horse – The Son of the Wind, acknowledged that Dr. Gonzaga is thought of as a “trailblazer” for Lusitanos. During the emotional tribute, Cordeiro and the audience applauded Dr. Gonzaga on his many years of excellent service to the breed.

“We owe much to him in the promotion of the breed in the United States and Latin America. We owe Dr. Gonzaga for his preservation of the breed in a difficult time, when there was an equine epidemic.  At that time, Dr. Gonzaga had the foresight to prevent an impending disaster by acquiring groups of mares which he took to his ranch in Brazil, thus creating a Noah’s Ark of salvation for the Lusitanian breed. We can never forget what he did for the Lusitano horse,” Cordeiro said.

Dr. Gonzaga was extremely honored by the tribute and said the victory of preserving and promoting the Lusitano breed was a victory for all. “It was not the megalomania of a crazy Brazilian, but was actually a very well thought out plan,” Dr. Gonzaga said of his importation of Lusitanos to his Brazilian farm. “In the ‘70s many Brazilian horse lovers acknowledged that there was a gap in Brazil. The largest Portuguese speaking country had great horse breeds, but there was not a purebred Lusitano. And considering the strength of the Portuguese traditions, so deeply rooted in Brazilian society, that needed to be corrected. We thought that this wouldn’t get done with single imports, but would require a large number of mares coming to Brazil. And so it we did it. By the end of the 1980s, the horses began to emerge and now dominate the Brazilian equestrian world, which fills us with pride.”

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Breeds, Community/Charity, Dressage, Phelps Media Group

Sons of the Wind Farm Performs Classical Quadrille and Showcases Aires above Ground at PVDA’s “Ride for Life”

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Sons of the Wind performed Aires above the Ground for a captive audience during the PVDA's Ride for Life. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/Ride for Life.

Upper Marlboro, MD – June 28, 2011 – On June 25, 2011, Sons of the Wind School of Equestrian Arts joined the talented performers during the PVDA’s Ride for Life at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. Sons of the Wind showcased the versatility of the Lusitano breed with athletic airs above the ground and a traditional quadrille during the 2011 Dancing Horse Challenge. This annual event is a premier dressage show and breast cancer benefit where all proceeds fund quality of life and breast cancer research at the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center.

Sons of the Wind kicked off the evening with a Haute Ecole/Longline Performance. Vitor Silva led his Lusitano partner through the dressage movements of the piaffe and the passage. They then demonstrated the incredible aires above the ground with the levade and the capriole for the captivated audience.

Later in the night, Sons of the Wind entered the ring with four new Lusitano mounts that arrived from Brazil just one month ago for the Portuguese Riding School Quadrille. The horses and riders wore traditional Portuguese costumes during the quadrille, and easily made their way through the movements after a successful exhibition at the Pride of Portugal Lusitano Festival on June 4, 2011.

“I think both of the performances went very well, especially since the horses we were riding are so young,” commented Silva at the end of the night. “This event is fantastic because it shows the diversity of the sport and the breeds, and it is an excellent opportunity for the spectators to see the different disciplines. There is not one that is easier than the other; they all require a great deal of hard work and dedication.”

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Breeds, Community/Charity, Dressage, Phelps Media Group, Products/Services

Sons of the Wind Offers Top Lusitano Prospects for Sale

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Sons of the Wind School of Equestrian Arts offers top quality Lusitano sport horses for sale. Photo By: Susan Grimwood.

Merrimac, MA – June 20, 2011 – The Sons of the Wind School of Equestrian Arts is pleased to announce that it is now offering top Lusitano prospects for sale at their beautiful facility in Merrimac, Massachusetts. All of the Lusitano horses available at Sons of the Wind have received quality training in the discipline of dressage by founder Vitor Silva of Portugal. Videos of the horses can be viewed by visiting http://www.youtube.com/user/Paragrafodotop.

Algarve do Castanheiro is a six-year-old Lusitano gelding. This lovely sport Lusitano is quiet and easy going, with competitive gaits. He has been started well and handles nicely for the farrier, the vet, and trailering.

Cal HM is a four-year-old Lusitano and Dutch Warmblood cross that would make a great Adult Amateur dressage prospect with a very solid mind and lovely gaits.

Coração De Leão is an amazing young Lusitano dressage prospect. This competitive mount has wonderful, elastic gaits and a very solid temperament. He is strong and willing to work hard, and he is ready to go all the way.

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