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Horse of the Americas Newsletter |
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ON THE TRACKS OF ADELANTADO
By Stephanie Lockhart Our
four-legged's in attendance were Baca geldings Morado, Ringo, and Frio
who trailered over with his new owner to participate in our demo. Also
the two year old Choctaw filly Tallulah,
and of course the movie star, Oscar, was there. The 7,500 horse
enthusiasts that come to this event continue to enjoy seeing "Hidalgo"
displayed at our booth with the other horses. The biggest attraction was
allowing kids to "paint their own Indian Pony" with tempura on our
horses bodies. By the end of the weekend we have three horses colorfully
plastered with hand prints. Vermont governor Jim Douglas paid us a visit
and remarked on the great article that he read in Vermont Life magazine
about the horses at Red Road farm.
With out the help of many friends and supporters, I could not have managed doing this event alone. I had a crew of 10 people one day to help with everything. I am so appreciative of their time and commitment. The news has spread around our little state of the historic Indian ponies in Morrisville. This last month has brought 4-H’ ers, a nursing home, a fourth grade field trip and other individuals to the farm to see these horses. It helps to have four new Choctaw Program foals romping in the field next to the road. They are a colorful herd consisting of tobianos, duns and solids.
After our spring event, the weather started to clear so the girls and I could start riding more seriously. Over the winter Eliza must have grown a foot because she doesn't look so tiny on Adelantado any more. He has developed significantly in the past months. Mr. Baca said these horses grow the most in their 5th year. I believe him. Adelantado has been showing his athletic side more frequently now that Eliza is a bigger and better rider. They are beginning to ride over a small cross country jump course, and working on their relationship a lot on the ground. I was secretly watching them one day in the big ring and watched as she had Adelantado circling her at the trot...at liberty! He was so focused on her and right with her every move. I was impressed by their respect for each other. The biggest
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While
most of you have shed the coats of your horses winter hair, we still
have a few here up north that refuse to completely let go. I was a
little skeptical about how well polished our horses would look when we
headed out April 29-30 for the 4th annual Everything Equine, a
multi-state horse expo. This was our third year in attendance with the
horses, and our extra large booth full of information about the Colonial
Spanish horses of Red Road farm was again a popular attraction. There
were some pretty fancy horses there for demos and presentations, but
really it was our horses that shined, maybe not their fluffy coats, but
their presence.
