MANGALARGA MARCHADOR
|
2002 PASADENA ROSE PARADE
Mabi Do Regal (mare)
ridden by Quillon Orta of Asheville, NC.
The Mangalarga Marchador Horse Association of America is the only breed association to insist up the humane treatment of its horses. This dictate is included in the by-laws of the association as a condition of membership. "Marchador horses are know for the calm, gentle nature and are easy to train. Harshness is not needed and less-than-humane treatment, as specified by the Hooved Animal Humane Society, is unacceptable," says Tony Orta, vice president of the MMHAA. "We will not tolerate any cruel treatment in training or showing of the Marchador horses and we sincerely hope other associations will follow our lead."
This is the first time in U. S. history that an association representing horses has included specific requirements for the treatment of its animals. These are the first and only animals in the U.S. to carry a registered trademark.
The Mangalarga Marchador is the National Horse of Brazil. It has gained this distinction due to its noble, generous character, its easy gait and its superb and elegant appearance.
There were no native horses present in South America prior to the arrival of the Europeans. As the armies of Portugal first discovered Brazil, they brought with them the horse. These animals were mostly of Barb and Andaluz origin, and were bred in the Iberian Peninsula and the islands of Madeira and Canaries.
By 1748, in Portugal, King D. Joćo V had founded a breeding farm, the Alter Royal Farm, which began functioning in 1751. This farm was dedicated to improving the national horse breeds of Portugal, crossing Andaluz horses with Barbs and some selected Germanic horses. The Royal Alter breed gained notoriety during the remainder of the eighteenth century.
In 1808, when Napoleonic Armies threatened the Iberian Peninsula, the King of Portugal, D. Joćo VI transferred his family, his court and some selected few of this Royal Alter Stallions to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
These royal stallions, bred with imported Barb mares and genetically improved in the Royal Breeding Farms of Brazil under King Joćo VI and Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II, eventually produced a horse known for its rhythmic and smooth gait, its gentle character, its stamina and its regal bearing. These horses are the original Mangalarga Marchador.
Today, the breed is the result of careful genetic improvement and purity in breeding for more than 150 years. From the first Mangalarga horse, named Sublime, to the first horse registered by the Associacćo Brasileira dos Criadores do Cavalo Mangalarga Marchador, the breed has continued to strengthen and grow.
The foundation of the Mangalarga Marchador Horse Association of America, affiliated with the Brazilian ABCCMM, to be the steward of this noble breed in North America, is the final step in the internationalization of this noble breed in the Americas.
This breed is very intelligent and easy to train, with a versatility that includes dressage, hunter jumper, trail, ranch work and polo. The horse's legendary endurance earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for a phenomenal 8,694 mile trek.
The Marchador's height averages between 15 and 17 hands, with an average weight between 850 and 1,100 pounds. Colors run the range from white, gray, chestnut, black and bay to palomino, grulla and paints. Extremely hardy, the breed has proven its adaptability to virtually any terrain and climate.
The Marchador has two special gaits - the marcha picada and the marcha batilda; four-beat gaits known for exquisite smoothness and stability.
For more information
on the Mangalarga Marchadores,
please contact
Quillon Orta: 828-216-0800 ~ Tony Orta: 770-893-4304
Links:
Marketing the Porsche of horses Atlanta Business Chronicle - Jim Lovel's interview of Tony Orta
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