About Us and our Mangalarga Marchadores
My name is Shannon Ford, and myself and Denis Pelletier live in the Beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. While I have been a long time horse enthusiast, Denis had no experience with horses until we met. So, this makes things interesting, can any horse be perfect for someone experienced with horses AND perfect for a beginner... can both be happy with the very same horse?
YES!
Denis and I are eager to share our experiences with you and are happy to help introduce you to the Mangalarga Marchador -the National Horse of Brazil.
We are in that "over 50" age range, live in the country with our horses, do our own horse care and training. We are not professional trainers and do not send our horses out for training, so selecting for smart, kind, eager to please and easy to handle Mangalarga Marchadors is part of our focus.
In addition to 40 years of experience with horses, I have over 20 years of experience with selection and breeding of purebred hunting dogs. Over the course of those years, I have educated myself in genetic theory and developed my ability to read pedigrees and animals. This experience has enabled us to select good horses based not simply on the actual horse, but also by evaluating the relatives of the horse and the patterns present in the pedigree.
How did you find the Marchador?
Maybe on a Google Search like we did? Yes, we found out about the Mangalarga Marchador via Google.
In 2009, we began looking for a horse breed that would be very intelligent and easy to train thus offering something to a more experienced horse person - but at the same time be docile enough for a beginner. I love research, and I am good at it!
A picture can say 1000 words. The first Mangalarga Marchador photo we ever saw was of Tabatinga Jobim. (right)
We interviewed breeders and considered several Mangalarga Marchador bloodlines and breeding groups. We kept being drawn back to the first horses we found at Tresa Smith's Lazy T Ranch.
We visited several different Mangalarga Marchador breeders to see and ride different Marchadores and learn more about the breed.
The Tabatinga line suits our requrements the best, and in 2009 we imported our foundation mares into Canada. They are 1/2 sisters to the magnificent Tabatinga Jobim, offspring of Tresa's exquisite Brazillian Mangalarga Marchadors, Tabatinga Rota and Tabatinga Monitor.
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above Tabatinga Jobim,
photo courtesy of Montana Mangalarga Marchadors
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Even though the Mangalarga Marchador is the third most numerous breed in the world, At this point, in North America the Mangalarga Marchador is very rare. Not many people have heard of the Marchador, let alone having seen a real live Marchador. So researching the breed on the internet is going to come in handy for you, especially while the breed is in the process of being discovered by horse people. I still research Mangalarga Marchador things on the internet, and have collected some of the best information here on this website to share with you, and I keep adding as I find more.
What we have experienced is that in general, the Mangalarga Marchador is an extremely intelligent horse with spirit and forward motion, and also very kind and docile. They are willing, with a no-quit work ethic.
The Mangalarga Marchador is one of the most unique breeds that you will meet. The quality and combination of traits have been selected and bred for over 200 years, making the Mangalarga Marchador a true treasure of the equine world. It is easy to understand why the Mangalarga Marchador is the National Horse of Brazil.
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