From
Coffee to Horses
The rolling
lush hills of a former coffee plantation are now home to 600 of
the finest Lusitano horses in the world. The Interagro stud farm is situated just outside the small town of Itapira, an hour and a
half away from the bustle of Brazil's city of São
Paulo.
Four hundred
eighty four hectares of picturesque countryside are divided up
into paddocks surrounding the center of the stud farm where indoor and
outdoor arenas; dressage ring in official dimensions, a breeding
facility and the stallion barns are located.
A tour around
the farm will show the mares and young horses grouped in different
pasture divisions. In one of them, weanlings are prepared to be
sent to the secondary farm only 15 minutes away, where they remain
until the age of 3, returning then for breeding and
training.
The mares are
kept in groups of some 20 per field. The colts are turned out
together in another pasture and the stallions are often grazing in
individual paddocks close to the stallion barn. Certain stallions
are allowed to run with the mares during the breeding season,
reflecting Interagro's intent to respect nature's role in the
procreation of these magnificent horses.
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Stallions
With a Kind Temperament
A horse with a
kind temperament is on the wish list of many an aspiring rider. At
Interagro this is something the staff enjoy on a daily basis. One
of the things that struck the publisher of Sidelines - a national
US equestrian newspaper - Samantha Charles, on her visit to the
Brazilian stud farm was exactly that.
Employees
Use Quiet Approach
The importance
placed on nurturing this gentleness in the horses at Interagro is
reflected in the work methods of the stud's employees.
The kindness
and calmness of the staff's approach is impressive. There is never
a harsh word or a heavy hand involved in the management of their
450 charges. Several of the stable hands are second generation
employees and have learned the philosophy and practices at an
early age from their fathers and uncles.
Antonio, one
of Interagro's longstanding employees is one of the principal work
riders, spending his day training horses both on the ground and in
the saddle. He explained his way with horses: "If you are not hard
on the horse, but kind and gentle and talk to the horse it will
respect you and you will get results," he said. "If you get
nervous and try to force a horse to do something it doesn't want
to do, you will not get results - not with horses, cattle or any
other animal."
Photo: Bob Langrish
Vets in
Practice
Dr Alexander
Bloem is the veterinarian of our horses, works full-time at
the stud farm overseeing the breeding program and day-to-day
health of the horses. The stud has a newly developed laboratory
and collection facility - a government-approved operation.
Alex, like all
the Interagro employees, goes about his work with a keen interest
and understanding of the breed - and the knowledge that managing
horses, and particularly caring for them, is not something that
can always be learned from a text book.
One of the
longstanding employees, Jair, is the manager of the new-born
foals. Alex, who specialized in stud operations soon after leaving
vet school, realizes there is no substitute for on-hand care
during the foaling process and that his workers are exceptionally
devoted to their cause. "When the foals are born, they are in
Jair's care," Alex said. "And when they are with Jair - it is as
if they are in God's care."
Talking to
the Lusitanos with Stud Farm Manager, Cecilia
Interagro's Managing Director, Cecilia, has a love for Lusitanos that is hard to
match - not bad for someone who does not like to ride horses and
up until 15 years ago had just a passing interest in them. All
that changed when she met the legendary Lusitano stallion
Xique-Xique.
"Xique-Xique
had all this folklore around him," Cecilia reflected on the grey
stallion that has become one of the most important influences of
recent Lusitano history. "I never thought I could have a
relationship with a horse like I had with him." When Cecilia
walked to and from her new office doing what she first perceived
to be a 'desk job', Xique-Xique would watch her from his nearby
paddock. ("He followed me with his eyes," she explained. ) Soon
Xique-Xique had captured her attention and her interest. It was
the start of a long-term rapport with the stallion that carried
over into a passion for Lusitanos.
"I'm scared of
riding horses," she admitted. "But on the ground I brush them and
hug them and I love to see them move. What I love to do is observe
them in the pasture - not in the arena or in their
stall.
"At the end of
the day I love to just sit and watch them. You can see their
character. It's a lovely way to understand and recognize a horse.
Every horse here [at Interagro in Brazil] has a story and its own
peculiarities. I know who prefers to eat in the morning, who
prefers to eat in the afternoon and who prefers to wait. I know
the way they like to be brushed. They may all be horses, and all
the same breed but they are individuals and they show you their
personality."
Cecilia had
planned to be a vet before being offered the job at Interagro - a
decision that changed her life and her interests.
"It's not just
a job," she said. "It's a pleasure - a way of life. It's
fascinating to watch them - just look at their eyes.
Photo: Bob Langrish
Click here for a
more technical background to the Interagro breeding program
