Dream Ride to London Olympics

 

Galloping towards the 2012 London Olympics, Gonçalo Carvalho Conchinhas is currently ranked number one in Portugal, having just scored an outstanding 70% in Grand Prix to take out the CDI competition in Vidauban France.

 

Still new to the international dressage scene, Gonçalo has already proven his success and come a long way to achieving his goal of gaining the highest ever score for a lusitano horse.

 

“This is my greatest challenge, to hold the best ever score for a lusitano, and you can bet we will succeed. The record is 74% and at the Grand Prix Kur in Spain we already scored an amazing 73.24%,” Gonçalo says.

 

Now preparing for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, the 28 year-old rider from Cascais has picked the perfect time to reach the peak of his lifelong horse-riding career.

 

Beginning at just five months of age, Gonçalo grew up with a love of horses but it wasn’t until he was 17 that his ambition to reach the top set in.

 

“To be honest I started doing dressage only because I found a horse that had the necessary skills. I hadn’t thought about taking up this discipline before that, but today I think I made the right choice.” 

 

Gonçalo’s horse Rubi, owned by rider and lusitano enthusiast Christine Jacoberger, was bred by The Portuguese Riding School and hand picked by Gonçalo as a horse with a greater purpose.

 

Gonçalo pulled Rubi from the school, believing that this exquisite Lusitano stallion had the talent to compete at an international level.

 

And he was right, not only did Rubi go on to compete but he is winning and has made Gonçalo the leader of the Portuguese dressage world.

 

But the Portuguese Riding School has done more for Gonçalo than just grant him his dream horse and Gonçalo says that his background at the school definitely makes him a unique rider.

 

“The Portuguese riding school fosters the best riders in Portugal and maintains a reputation as an elite equestrian training school. But it is a shame that the Portuguese riding school hasn’t improved working conditions as this would ensure it prospers into the future.”

 

Less than a month out from The World Equestrian Games Gonçalo is at the stables from dawn until dusk, training the nine horses at his stable near Sintra.

 

While ensuring Rubi is kept in peak athletic condition, Gonçalo devotes the rest of his time to training horses for those savvy clients who want their Lusitanos trained by the very best.

 

When asked how he got to be so successful, Gonçalo says that any success in life is the fruit of hard work and dedication.

 

“I Work hard because I still have the belief that one day I'll reach perfection, even though I know it is impossible. This is what gives me the strength to get up every day for another day of work.”

 

Inspired to become a rider by his hero and grandfather Abel Carvalho, a professional rider himself, Gonçalo says he has one major ambition, outside the dressage arena.

 

“One day I hope to be the hero of my son.” 

 

And with London less than two years away Gonçalo’s son will surely be very proud of his dad, with the likely chance that he will soon be an olympian.

 

For more information on Gonçalo, having a lusitano trained for top level dressage or purchasing frozen semen from Rubi email warnes@live.com.au.

 

The Portuguese Equestrian Federation has announced the team that will represent Portugal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, on 27 September - 1 October 2010.

The Portuguese team includes:

* Mafalda Galiza Mendes - D'Artagnan, a Westfalian gelding by Delphi x Julio Mariner xx
* Gonçalo Carvalho - Rubi, a Lusitano stallion by Batial x Xaquiro
* Maria Moura Caetano - Util, a Lusitano stallion by Maestro x Zaque
* Daniel Pinto - Galopin de la Font, a Lusitano stallion by Espanto x Zorro

The reserve combination is Nuno Palma e Santos on Sal.

Kyra Kyrklund is the team trainer, Carlos Lopes the chef d'equipe, and Dr. Bruno Miranda is the team veterinarian.

Exquis World Dressage Masters Studies Brazilian Leg for 2011

Just days before the start of the first leg of the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters (WDM) in Palm Beach, the WDM organization announced Monday the signing of a letter of intent to consider staging an event in Brazil in 2011.

Camil Smeulders, managing director of WDM, announced the signing of the letter of intent with the company Haras Vale da Raposa operated by world renowned Brazilian architect Bennett Nisencwajg and his son, Heitor.

WDM said it viewed the discussions as a major step in internationalizing dressage as the key for a sustainable future for the Olympic sport.

Brazil is considered one of the leading economies of the future and has been selected by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The city was host of the 2007 Pan American Games, which includes the three Olympic disciplines of dressage, jumping and eventing.
South America would be the third continent to be part of the prestigious WDM circuit, the richest lineup of dressage events in the world.

Bennett Nisencwajg is famous for creating exclusive residences in South America and on the East Coast of the United States, including a resort on Brazil's central coast which includes a Lusitano stud.

WDM 5-star events have been held in Palm Beach, Florida; Munich, Germany; Cannes, France and Hickstead, England, each with prize money of €100,000 (US$138,000) plus a Rider Bonus of €25,000 (US$34,600) sponsored by Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe.

The 2010 WDM circuit kicks off at Palm Beach this week with Steffen Peters, Anky van Grunsven and Isabell Werth competing together for the first time since the 2009 World Cup in Las Vegas was won by the American.

Haras Vale da Raposa and WDM management will conduct a feasibility study in the coming months to determine whether a WDM event could be viable and, if so, select a city to host it.

"It's an honor for us and for our country that WDM considers to stage a leg of its prestigious 5-star circuit in Brazil," Bennett and Heitor Nisencwajg of Haras Vale da Raposa said in a statement. "We are very confident that Brazil is capable of hosting an event like this and expect a positive outcome."

Anthony Kies, Chief Executive Officer of WDM, said: "WDM wants to grow gradually. We have to keep pace with our commercial leverage and will have to convince sport authorities, riders, owners and sponsors that this is a unique opportunity. At the same time, we are confident that Brazil has the potential to become one of the hosting countries of WDM."

About WDM

The Exquis World Dressage Masters (WDM) was launched in 2009 as an initiative of equestrian innovator Exquis, international sports marketing agency, SportBizz, and Equestrian Sport Productions of the United States. WDM's objective is to grow the sport of dressage by staging world class events with substantial prize money and marketing expertise.

WDM is sponsored by Exquis, Moorland Stables and Moorland Investments, and Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe with Jerich International as the official Logistics Provider.

Lusitano Horse Auction in Florida Reports Record Sales

MIAMI, FL (March 11, 2010) -- A four-year-old newly-trained Interagro Lusitano stallion brought a record price of US$145,000.00 recently at The 2010 Lusitano Collection ™ International Horse Auction held at The Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.  With a record attendance of 250 people, the third consecutive U.S. auction attracted a prestigious crowd of notable trainers, breeders, professional riders and amateur practitioners from various regions of the United States and Canada. This select group of horse connoisseurs and aficionados of the equestrian disciplines did not hesitate to make their preferences known for the Brazilian imports at the higher end of the price spectrum with record setting sales prices this year.  Seventy percent of the lots were sold at or above their reserve prices, resulting in an average price of US$41,700.00 per animal sold.

The successful results achieved by The Lusitano Collection ™ go beyond the simple commercial aspect of the sales. More importantly, this auction served to advance the introduction of the Lusitano breed one step further in North America, not only by increasing the number of owners, but also, very specifically, by attracting an ever growing group of demanding and savvy horse persons who know how to distinguish and evaluate the quality and potential of the horses they buy. “There is a tremendous benefit of buying horses from a big breeder who has completed the importation process for you,” reported Helene Asmis, a trainer from New Mexico who was named IALHA Horsewoman of the Year in 2001 and bought two horses at the auction.

It also served to give a valuable reading of the equestrian market's wishes for future events. As a pioneering promoter of the Lusitano breed, The Lusitano Collection™ has striven to bring a diversified group of horses to the U.S. auction in order to accommodate various equestrian disciplines and riding levels; however, with the experience gathered from past events, The Lusitano Collection™ will now focus on a more exact range of options better designed and catered to the selective and educated equestrian buyers who will attend the U.S. annual auction scheduled to take place in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2011.

Brazilian Dressage Riders on their way to World Equestian Games in Kentucy in 2010

2009-09-15 




The Brazilian riders didn’t lose their faith and strength after what happened to their first ever Olympic team in Hong Kong. When Nilo didn’t pass the vet check, the team was over and two individual competitors was the only thing which had left. All Brazilian riders and owners continued kept their dream alive by extending their dream to compete with a Brazilian team in Lexington at the WEG 2010. Now they were rewarded. Last September 11 two more Brazilian dressage riders got their first of two technical qualifying scores for the World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky.

The inspiring winner of the Grand Prix in São Paulo at CDI3* in Sociedade Hípica Paulista, the third of five WEG qualifying competions in Brazil in 2009, was Rogério da Silva Clementino riding the Lusitano stallion Portugal.

Rogério and Portugal scored 68,11% rewarded by Ghislain Fouarge from Holland, and 66,596%, rewarded by Eric Lette from Sweden.

At the first two qualfying Grand Prix´s, Rogério already qualified his Lusitano Nilo VO. Two scores over 64% due to an Olympic judge qualify riders and their horses for the WEG.

Riding the Lusitano Riopelé, Thaissa Tavares de Almeida also registered her first qualifying score of 65,106%, and the third place at Grand Prix.

Her sister and youngest Olympic competitor in equestrian sports Luiza Tavares de Almeida riding her Lusitano Samba, already technically qualified for the WEG, was second at Grand Prix, also with two more scores over 64%.

Besides Luiza Tavares de Almeida/Samba and Rogério Clementino/Nilo VO, Renata Costa Rabello/Ludewig G is the third Brazilian rider already technically qualified for the WEG. Concidently all the three riders took part in the bronze medal team at the Pan Games 2007 in Rio de Janeiro.

Results and Qualification table for WEG 2010:

LUIZA TAVARES DE ALMEIDA riding SAMBA
1º - 64,410%
CDI3* at Winter Equestrian Festival - Florida, USA – January, 28
2º - 64,043% (Stephen Clarke) / 65,532% (Mariette Withages)
CDI3* - CHSA – São Paulo – Brazil, May, 22
3° - 65,319% (Eric Lette)
CDI3* - SHP – São Paulo – Brazil, September, 11

ROGÉRIO SILVA CLEMENTINO riding NILO VO
1º - 65,745% (Stephen Clarke)
CDI3* - CHSA – São Paulo – May, 22
2º - 65,319% (Gotthilf Riexinger)
CDI3* - CHSA – São Paulo – Brazil - June, 19

LEANDRO A. SILVA riding OCEANO DO TOP
1º - 65,106 (Gotthilf Riexinger)
CDI3* - CHSA – São Paulo – Brazil - June, 19

RENATA COSTA RABELLO riding LUDEWIG G
1º - 64,225% (Bernard Maurel)
Grand Prix B 3* - St. Tropez – France – June, 18
2º - 64,25% (Jan Peeters)
CDI3* - Prix Recyma – Strassen – Luxemburg – July, 24

ROGÉRIO SILVA CLEMENTINO riding PORTUGAL
1º - 68,511% (Ghislain Fouarge) and 66,596% (Eric Lette)
CDI3* - SHP – São Paulo – Brazil – September, 11

THAISA TAVARES DE ALMEIDA riding RIOPELE
1º - 65,106% (Eric Lette)
CDI3* - SHP – São Paulo – Brazil – September, 1

New Dressage Mount for Kyra Kyrklund

A new ride for Kyra Kyrklund! The Finnish Olympian currently has a Lusitano in training, PSL Rico. The stallion is owned by Mr. António Borba Monteiro and is bred by a classical dressage master Dr. Guilherme Borba.

BRAZIL - MAY 2009

The Tour of all the stud farms, the Auction and Festival was an excellent experience.  There will be videos and pics going up very soon!  I will be hosting a Lusitano party at my ranch:  www.galasporthorse.com please check  back for the date. 

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Xiloé – The first Brazilian-bred Lusitano mare arrives in Scotland!

São Paulo, March 26: – Last November, ABPSL (the Brazilian Association for Pure-Bred Lusitanos) and a number of their member breeders generously welcomed a group of prospective buyers and horse people from around the world to São Paulo to participate in a stud farm tour and other equestrian activities. (For website links to the stud farms visited please refer to the list below.) A very full schedule provided the opportunity to ride and interact with Lusitanos every day, as well as enjoy phenomenal Brazilian hospitality. According to one Canadian visitor, “It was an unforgettable experience and words cannot express our appreciation for everything that was organized on our behalf.”

As a result of the remarkable quality of Brazilian-bred Lusitanos that impressed so many people during the trip, one horse, the five-year-old Xiloé (by Mel Or, out of Mensagem do Top x Jogral do Top) has now arrived at her new home in Aberdeen – the first Brazilian-bred, approved Lusitano mare in Scotland we believe, who will now continue her dressage training with her delighted new owner, Kay Savory, who exclaimed, “She’s here! What a lovely horse she is – I still can’t quite believe she’s mine.”

Xiloé departed São Paulo on March 8 – an auspicious occasion thoughtfully recorded by the Brazilian shipping company, Global Trans Connection, who e-mailed Kay some photos of the mare boarding the flight in her cargo crate. She arrived in Luxembourg the next day, then bad weather in the English Channel delayed her ferry crossing, and she subsequently missed the trucking connection to Scotland. Fortuitously, she was traveling with two horses being shipped to the yard of Brazilian eventer Guy Fonseca, so Xiloé joined them for a week, before safely arriving at her final destination last Thursday, March 20.

“She’s a star. Walked down the ramp sedately, despite the howling gale. Unlike my ponies who had tried to jump on my head as I moved them to the front of the house for shelter,” Kay explained, wearing a broad grin. It’s also been a mind-blowing experience for Xiloé, seeing snow for the first time in her life. “She likes being tucked up in her stable. We’ve had snow showers and she doesn’t like the snowflakes blowing in on her face, but the full-clip for the Brazilian summer probably doesn’t help!”

There has been no shortage of interested visitors to Kay’s yard since Xiloe’s arrival. “She has a temperament to die for – everyone who has come to see her wants to take her home. She loves attention and has settled in remarkably quickly, despite the 12-day journey to get here. This is my dream horse and I feel so happy to have her here.”

Xiloé was bred by Geraldo Lefosse of Haras das Mangueiras from his prize stallion, Mel. She is especially impressive for her docility and work-willing nature, as well has her beautiful expression and stunning paces. For many years, Lefosse’s breeding philosophy has focused primarily on character, and he explains, “In fact, they have reached such a degree of docility that everybody now wants to have a piece of the cake!” A reference to his family now sharing his passion for Lusitanos – and especially for riding Xiloe’s brothers and sisters. Lefosse continued by saying, “For sure we will miss Xiloé a lot, but it is a gift to have the descendants of Mel around the world. Kay deserves her. I am very glad that she made her long journey safely and is in good shape.”

In conclusion, Kay said, “She’s a wonderful horse and every time I ride I will have memories of the fantastic week we shared in Brazil.”

A second horse, a palomino yearling filly, was also sold and will be traveling to the United States very soon. Further information to follow.

Lusitano tours …

Joining an ABPSL tour truly allows everyone to indulge their passion for horses, especially Lusitanos, and offers a wealth of opportunities to appreciate the unique qualities and abilities of this remarkable breed. Many of the world’s top dressage riders have already achieved success on the international stage with Lusitanos (Pan American Games medals, and World Cup wins), but their competition prospects extend to many other disciplines, including endurance, horse ball and carriage driving. (Four-in-hand World Champion Felix Brasseur has had a long and hugely successful relationship driving a Lusitano team.)

Equally, Brazilian-bred Lusitanos have been a dominant force in Working Equitation, and this trip will provide a perfect opportunity to learn more about this rapidly growing sport, as well as other traditional activities, by watching and participating in lessons on well-trained and titled Lusitano horses.

From the moment you are met at Sao Paulo airport and returned for your flight home, ABPSL will generously provide all internal transportation free of charge, with activities and many meals courtesy of the various stud farms and breeders. (Expect to gain a few pounds!!!)

The next tour begins in Sao Paulo on May 8, returning home on May 19, and will include the XI International Luso-Brasileiro auction at Coudelaria Ilha Verde, as well as the XXVII International Lusitano Festival, which takes place at the beautiful Hípico de Santo Amaro in Sao Paulo