Press Room

LUSITANO BREEDERS BRING BRAZILIAN HORSES TO MARTIN DOWNS

MIAMI, (January 31, 2009) – This past month, groups of magnificent stallions and several mares arrived to fill a new 26-stall barn at Martin Downs Equestrian Center in Palm City that was constructed exclusively for The 2009 Lusitano Collection^® Auction. George Cosman, owner of Martins Downs Equestrian Center, Inc, built the barn at the Center, which also includes a 44-stall barn, a six-stall barn, two round pens, paddocks and three lit arenas on the 24-acre property. Cosman, who purchased the facility about a year ago, has made major improvements on the farm which is about two miles equidistance between the Florida Turnpike and I 95. The large barns have state-of-the-art feeding systems, fire preventive measures, a misting system for insects and ceiling fans above each stall. The eight Martin Downs Equestrian Center employees, including barn manager Tara Jacobs who graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in small business management, keep the barns immaculate and provide boarders and customers with friendly, responsive service.

Cecilia Gonzaga, head of Interagro Farm stud barn and daughter of Paulo Pompéia Gavião Gonzaga who masterminded The Lusitano Collection^®, offered, “Our four- and five-year old Lusitanos had to have the right atmosphere to live and work before the Auction. Our horses traveled by plane from São Paulo, Brazil, were quarantined for seven days at the Miami Animal Import Center and then transported here to Martin County. This is the perfect place to prepare them for the Collection Auction.” Heather Bender, who is the Interagro Farm consultant and Martin Downs trainer as well as a Palm City resident, continued, “Martin County has a quiet atmosphere. We have experienced horse people who have offered us incredible hospitality and support.” Both women commented favorably on the Center’s fenced-in circle of trails which provided a needed “recess” for the Interagro horses who are accustomed to weekly Saturday trail rides in Brazil.

The young horses trained in classical dressage are ridden daily by Interagro Farm riders in the covered lit 100 foot by 200 foot arena. Many of the horses watch their companions being exercised in basic dressage from their open Dutch doors. Two shower stalls at each end of the new barn plus several grooming stalls keep the aisles clear. Stairs lead to a loft where a bucket of food and a marked clipboard are placed above each of the stalls. Grain is dropped down a chute to the horse’s bucket, and hay is dropped from above.

“Our horses are fed from heaven,” Cecilia Gonzaga joked. Whether or not the 20 stallions and three mares understood, they appeared to be quite content in their stalls. Concluding the tour of the new barn, Heather singled out the convenience of the shower in the bathroom and a roomy office as well as a tack room for the Brazilian’s temporary stay.

“I am interested in maintaining a world class equestrian center,” stated George Cosman, “where anyone from any place in the world can come and feel comfortable.” Boarders in the large barn are given their own roomy 4’x 12’x 2’ closet, complete with door and latch where tack and grooming supplies may be kept. George proudly pointed out the six rescue horses that he had brought back to good health and to introduce a teen with special needs who worked in the barn under supervision twice a week as part of a vocational program.

Currently the Center’s barns are full, but the Lusitanos move to the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach on February 11 where those with tickets to The Lusitano Collection^® Auction may preview, examine and test ride the horses by appointment. The festivities during the two-day Auction will include a cocktail party followed by the Showcase Parade of Horses into a hacienda-like atmosphere complete with hanging chandeliers, water fountains and lush tropical trees. Making a special appearance is the 17-year-old daughter of Collection partner Manuel Tavares de Almeida, Luiza Almeida, who rode a Lusitano in the 2008 Olympics. Luiza Almeida, the youngest equestrian to ever ride in the Olympics (16-years-old at the time) is competing in Florida for the first time; she earned first place in FEI Grand Prix freestyle at Wellington Dressage CDI3* on Samba, the horse she rode in the Olympics. During the Auction, guests will also be treated to musical entertainment and a sit-down dinner. The event is open to the public for a fee, and a portion of the proceeds from the Auction will benefit the American Cancer Society and the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center.

Cecilia Gonzaga noted, “These noble horses have been specially selected; they have an eager-to-please temperament, and best of all, they are not pre-owned. Buyers benefit by buying directly from the breeder. Plus, the buyers will by-pass the normal bureaucracy that accompanies importing our Lusitanos.”

For more information about the Martin Downs Equestrian Center, call (772) 220-8337. For more information about The 2009 Lusitano Collection^®, visit www.lusitanocollection.com or call (866) 540-8809.