Jane Hurl
03-11-2008, 05:08 PM
What a trip we had to Puerto Rico! As you know, we took all our kids (plus one more) and went on holiday in time for the Dulce Sueno Fair.
What a trip! Where to start? The horses, of course! (Though winding up with a new fiancee in the family's pretty exciting too!) I didn't make it to the first day of the Dulce Sueno, but was there for the last two. We met up with Cesar Alejandro Romero and his partner, Eric, and the party began!
Alex took us to the VIP area and introduced us to everybody who was anybody in the Paso industry there. It seems he knows EVERYBODY in PR! We watched a mare called Consentida de Amor compete. According to the Puerto Ricans, she is a better horse than Maraquita (sp?). It was awesome to watch her. We watched the mares compete all day Saturday. Then Sunday was stallion day. WOW! The first we saw was two palomino stallions competing in bella forma. One was a golden pally. The other was chocolate. BOTH looked like something out of a dream. As one of our kids said, they looked like "princess horses". Incredible. (I was sitting beside the wife of the owner of the golden one.)
And then I met Geraldine. I meet people easily. I don't make close friendships easily. Geraldine sat beside me and we started talking, and she could EASILY be in my best friend category. I really enjoyed her. And I had decided that before I found out that she's the wife of (apparently) arguably the best Paso Fino trainer in all of Puerto Rico! Holy cow!
Geraldine's husband is Negro Quilan. He is the fourth generation in a legendary Paso Fino family. (In a couple of weeks they will hold a Paso show in Dorado, PR, that is done annually in honour of Negro's grandfather and, now, his father as well.) So, Geraldine educated me as we watched the stallions compete (and translated for me), introduced David and me to Negro when he was between competitions (on horses he trains for other people) and, at the end of the evening, invited us to visit their farm when we got back to San Juan. She said we'd ride together! I was over the moon!
Negro's father owns a stallion called Lord de Soberano. "Lor" (that's how they pronounce it) has never been shown. Negro's father bought him on a whim and bred him on not so much a whim as a belief that this horse could produce great babies. Mr. Quilan Sr. obviously knows his horses because "Lor" is the sire of the above mentioned Consentida de Amor! He is also the sire of the "champion of champions" mare of the island for the last two years running. (That's not two mares ... that's ONE mare that has won it twice in a row.) "Lor" lives with Geraldine and Negro. I'd get to meet him!
Show ended. Off my family and I went to do this and that around the island before returning to San Juan (with Dorado nearby). Amongst the things we did was my son and I finished our open water segment of scuba diving training and got certified. Yay! It was a blast ... except the heavy metal ladder on the back of the boat did not fasten down when it was lowered into the water ... and all three of our dives that day were into open ocean, not a protected bay. On our second dive, everybody was out of the water except me and our instructor. When it was MY turn to get out the waves went from reasonably calm to WILD & HUGE and that ladder was whipping around like crazy. I got beat up pretty good. At one point both David and my son, Rusty, were having heart attacks. They thought I'd been hit on the head, knocked out and driven under the boat. (I hadn't, but I was TRYING to get AWAY from that ladder at that point.)
In any event, I survived. Back to the horses now!
The day before we left Puerto Rico, we went to the Kuilan's farm in Dorado. Geraldine showed us around. (They have a LOT of horses there -- many of them horses Negro is training and showing for others.) We saw the brood mares. We saw "Lor" in his stall. We saw the emu ... the sheep ... the fighting cocks ... the goats ... the dogs. She'd really like to get a llama. Hey! This woman is the same as I am! Her place could be called "the funny farm" too! *grin* Then Negro started bringing out horses to show us.
First he brought out "Lor", the BIG (by island standards) stallion. He has to be 14hh minimum. More likely he's 14.1, possibly 14.2. We were told that the only time that "Lor" comes out is to breed mares or, occasionally, to show off to visitors. Negro saddled him and he was good as gold. Then Negro rode him down the lane, around the ring, back up the lane. WOW!!!!! Wow, wow, wow! Those feet were going a million miles an hour! And to see them up so close was breathtaking! (Yes, I think I have video.)
Then Negro brought out one of Lor's daughters ... the twice island champion of champions. She is beautiful. Small, like most island horses. Dainty. Calm as anything until asked to jazz herself up. And finally, Negro brought out a mare he has high hopes for. She, too, is beautiful. Small. Dainty. Feet that go a million miles an hour. (Video to follow.)
Did I want to see more? Would I like to ride now? I am sad to report that I did NOT ride. They are beautiful horses. I could see that they are horses full of well-under-control brio ... but I am NOT a secure, good rider at the best of times and I was very sore from diving. In fact, I'm still wondering if I've done some permanent damage to my right ceramic hip joint. *shudder* So, I demurred. I had a fantastic time though! After seeing everything at the finca, Geraldine and Negro insisted on taking us out for lunch.
While at lunch, it suddenly occurred to me that Geraldine and Negro could probably put together a dynamic show of pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos that would WOW the audience at Spruce Meadows in Calgary! I talked to them about it. They will send info and video and I'm going to make the pitch for them. Wouldn't it be fabulous if they could bring a dozen horses and riders up here and put on a show?
That's my story, folks. I'm home again ... missing the Puerto Rican sun and the Puerto Rican hospitality. Whoever said they are a happy, outgoing people wasn't exaggerating one little bit. I loved it there. Am considering purchasing a house (condo? tent on the beach?) there!
What a trip! Where to start? The horses, of course! (Though winding up with a new fiancee in the family's pretty exciting too!) I didn't make it to the first day of the Dulce Sueno, but was there for the last two. We met up with Cesar Alejandro Romero and his partner, Eric, and the party began!
Alex took us to the VIP area and introduced us to everybody who was anybody in the Paso industry there. It seems he knows EVERYBODY in PR! We watched a mare called Consentida de Amor compete. According to the Puerto Ricans, she is a better horse than Maraquita (sp?). It was awesome to watch her. We watched the mares compete all day Saturday. Then Sunday was stallion day. WOW! The first we saw was two palomino stallions competing in bella forma. One was a golden pally. The other was chocolate. BOTH looked like something out of a dream. As one of our kids said, they looked like "princess horses". Incredible. (I was sitting beside the wife of the owner of the golden one.)
And then I met Geraldine. I meet people easily. I don't make close friendships easily. Geraldine sat beside me and we started talking, and she could EASILY be in my best friend category. I really enjoyed her. And I had decided that before I found out that she's the wife of (apparently) arguably the best Paso Fino trainer in all of Puerto Rico! Holy cow!
Geraldine's husband is Negro Quilan. He is the fourth generation in a legendary Paso Fino family. (In a couple of weeks they will hold a Paso show in Dorado, PR, that is done annually in honour of Negro's grandfather and, now, his father as well.) So, Geraldine educated me as we watched the stallions compete (and translated for me), introduced David and me to Negro when he was between competitions (on horses he trains for other people) and, at the end of the evening, invited us to visit their farm when we got back to San Juan. She said we'd ride together! I was over the moon!
Negro's father owns a stallion called Lord de Soberano. "Lor" (that's how they pronounce it) has never been shown. Negro's father bought him on a whim and bred him on not so much a whim as a belief that this horse could produce great babies. Mr. Quilan Sr. obviously knows his horses because "Lor" is the sire of the above mentioned Consentida de Amor! He is also the sire of the "champion of champions" mare of the island for the last two years running. (That's not two mares ... that's ONE mare that has won it twice in a row.) "Lor" lives with Geraldine and Negro. I'd get to meet him!
Show ended. Off my family and I went to do this and that around the island before returning to San Juan (with Dorado nearby). Amongst the things we did was my son and I finished our open water segment of scuba diving training and got certified. Yay! It was a blast ... except the heavy metal ladder on the back of the boat did not fasten down when it was lowered into the water ... and all three of our dives that day were into open ocean, not a protected bay. On our second dive, everybody was out of the water except me and our instructor. When it was MY turn to get out the waves went from reasonably calm to WILD & HUGE and that ladder was whipping around like crazy. I got beat up pretty good. At one point both David and my son, Rusty, were having heart attacks. They thought I'd been hit on the head, knocked out and driven under the boat. (I hadn't, but I was TRYING to get AWAY from that ladder at that point.)
In any event, I survived. Back to the horses now!
The day before we left Puerto Rico, we went to the Kuilan's farm in Dorado. Geraldine showed us around. (They have a LOT of horses there -- many of them horses Negro is training and showing for others.) We saw the brood mares. We saw "Lor" in his stall. We saw the emu ... the sheep ... the fighting cocks ... the goats ... the dogs. She'd really like to get a llama. Hey! This woman is the same as I am! Her place could be called "the funny farm" too! *grin* Then Negro started bringing out horses to show us.
First he brought out "Lor", the BIG (by island standards) stallion. He has to be 14hh minimum. More likely he's 14.1, possibly 14.2. We were told that the only time that "Lor" comes out is to breed mares or, occasionally, to show off to visitors. Negro saddled him and he was good as gold. Then Negro rode him down the lane, around the ring, back up the lane. WOW!!!!! Wow, wow, wow! Those feet were going a million miles an hour! And to see them up so close was breathtaking! (Yes, I think I have video.)
Then Negro brought out one of Lor's daughters ... the twice island champion of champions. She is beautiful. Small, like most island horses. Dainty. Calm as anything until asked to jazz herself up. And finally, Negro brought out a mare he has high hopes for. She, too, is beautiful. Small. Dainty. Feet that go a million miles an hour. (Video to follow.)
Did I want to see more? Would I like to ride now? I am sad to report that I did NOT ride. They are beautiful horses. I could see that they are horses full of well-under-control brio ... but I am NOT a secure, good rider at the best of times and I was very sore from diving. In fact, I'm still wondering if I've done some permanent damage to my right ceramic hip joint. *shudder* So, I demurred. I had a fantastic time though! After seeing everything at the finca, Geraldine and Negro insisted on taking us out for lunch.
While at lunch, it suddenly occurred to me that Geraldine and Negro could probably put together a dynamic show of pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos that would WOW the audience at Spruce Meadows in Calgary! I talked to them about it. They will send info and video and I'm going to make the pitch for them. Wouldn't it be fabulous if they could bring a dozen horses and riders up here and put on a show?
That's my story, folks. I'm home again ... missing the Puerto Rican sun and the Puerto Rican hospitality. Whoever said they are a happy, outgoing people wasn't exaggerating one little bit. I loved it there. Am considering purchasing a house (condo? tent on the beach?) there!