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On the first page of the Argentine Breeders Association magazine there is a warning to their new members "Grow no criollos, it leads to dependence. It is a one way journey”. But few listen to us and a couple of years later we see them coming through the gate of the track with their first filly, to suffer, to enjoy and to experience the thrill of participation”.
Horses and specially horse riding have always been a passion for us. In Germany we enjoyed "riding on horseback," and therefore we took advantage of every opportunity to practice it. When we came to Argentina, our dream came true and we could establish a riding farm, absolutely fascinated by the pure bred criollo horse. Some of our horses belong to this breed. After a while we were surprised to learn that precisely these horses recovered overnight. The day after a grueling ride they were very active and willing to walk as the day before. These animals are famous for their endurance capabilities and ability to live in harsh conditions. They are frugal eaters, thriving on little grass. Moreover, during the winter you can see the pure bred Criollos well nourished with no need for dietary supplements.
The criollo is known for its stamina. It is one of the strongest horses and best adapted to all climatic conditions, it remains strong and healthy despite of sparse food. It is a quick, light horse, and it is ideal for work and for long, exhausting rides. Although it is called the “horse of the gauchos”, here in Argentina, its country of origin, the “criollo” was bred and ridden mainly by landowners.
The first breeders in Argentina wanted to protect the pure criollo from the influence of other breeds such as Arabs, Percherons, English, etc. In 1918, the Argentine breeders decided to create a pure bred criollos registry selecting and registering mares and stallions at the Sociedad Rural Argentina. Since 1939, horses are registered taking into account their pedigree and after a thorough phenotypic selection and inspection. Only those horses that meet the breed standards may be registered.
As a result of the systematic and careful selection of breeding animals conducted over several generations, a morphological selection together with an incredible diversity of different blood lines, Argentina is in an excellent position to claim a genetic diversity.
When we brought together our first herd, consisting mainly of geldings (these are mostly our riding horses), we still had a few acres of land left. We then thought that the time had come. We visited several exhibitions and auctions of criollos, both mares and foals and we could no longer resist the fascination for these animals.
We would like to acknowledge Mr. Mariano Oneto’s help. Mr. Oneto is a veterinarian, breeder, judge and member of the Argentine Breeders’ Association and of the Sociedad Rural Argentina. He shares our enthusiasm and our passion for the criollos. His assistance and patient guidance have been of great value in October 2008 when we made the decision to buy our first pure bred criollo mares, four of them already pregnant by different Argentine blood line stallions.
Our strategy consisted of looking for mares from old Argentine lineages and descendants from animals recorded in the ("Book of Merit."), Breed Registry in which all stallions important - valuable for reproduction and / or sport are listed. These animals were not only successful, but their unique genetic characteristics were transmitted to new generations.
Our goal is to obtain a descendant that meets the current requirements from different blood lines from the major farming regions in Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
Thus, we started with the Argentine blood line, which has been selected for decades with increasing success based on their morphology and later on their functionality. Chilean blood lines have not placed much emphasis on morphology, but rather on sport functionality, the cow sense and hardness for the rodeo. Finally, the Brazilian line, mixed with Argentine and Chilean blood. Brazil is currently breeding horses mainly focused on functionality that reproduce the sportier and lighter criollo type with many morphological characteristics typical of the breed. The Freno de Oro competition is probably the most difficult in South America, its winner is considered as a one of the best stallions on this continent and the world.
Therefore we select our mares according to their Argentine ancestors and we found the best and most suitable stallions in the Brazilian and Argentine crosses, naturally among Argentine pure-bred studs used to improve especially the morphology. In addition, Chilean blood horses have also been purchased to be used in this process of crossbreeding.
Colts have to be athletic, elegant, with long back, and with the breed type characteristics: hardy, strong, long-lived, of good breeding potential and rapid recovery time.
Foals born in 2008 are now ready to compete with other 2 year-old horses.
We hope this has been of interest to you. We are at your disposal for any questions and/or concerns you may have and of course you are invited to learn more about our horses and appreciate their talent in small rodeo games.
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