Gaited Horse Articles
Est. 1965
Gaited Horse Articles
Click on the links below for the following articles in PDF format
Spring
2006, Gaited Horse Magazine: "A Visit with Felipe Thorndike"
Winter 2004, Gaited Horse Magazine: "Form Follows Function"
Winter 2004,
Gaited Horse Magazine: "Walking to Better Gaits"
Additional articles:
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Local Woman Runs Peruvian Ranch
The Mystery Called Gait
Pasos Provide "Cadillac" Ride
Peruvian Horses Impressive
Idaho Ranch and 30 Years of Peruvian Pasos
Minidoka County News
Wednedsay, November 13, 1991
Local Woman Runs Peruvian Ranch
By Lona Raymond
Rancho Buena Ventura, located a few miles northeast of Rupert, could never be considered an ordinary, garden-variety horse ranch. First of all, how many horse ranches do you know that are run entirely by women?
Rancho Buena Ventura is owned and operated by an energetic and independent woman named Mary Donald. Her "ranch hands" are her daughters, Christie and Laurie, and her very active mother, Dorothy Branson. Mary and her daughters are the third and fourth generation living and working on the family farm of W.C. Paul, Dorothy Branson's father.
The horses she raises, trains, sells and judges are also unique. They are Peruvian Pasos - a rare breed descended from those brought to South America by the Spanish Conquistadors. Within their veins still flows the royal blood of Andalusian war horses and gaiting Barbs.
Trotting horses changed in the harsh desert sands of Peru, by developing exceptionally strong hooves, along with a peculiar outwardly rolling action of their front legs. That dashing and eye-catching lifting motion is called "termino." The Peruvian Paso is the only horse in the world specifically bred for termino.
The Peruvian people made pets of the even-tempered, robust horses and plantation owners bred them for their extraordinary ability to travel long distances smoothly.
Paca-paca-paca-paca is the familiar sound of their hoofbeats, a four-beat natural lateral gait that the entire breed possesses. Their slow and elegant gait, of "way of going", is called the "paso llano." A second gait, which is usually faster is called the "sobreandando." Mary points out that it is this extraordinary smoothness and the ability to pass this gait on from generation to generation that makes them unique. It is a completely natural, hereditary way of going. "The Quarterhorse is like the Ford pickup - and the Peruvian Paso is like the Rolls Royce," she says.
But Peruvians are not just fancy hood ornaments - they are truly working horses, used for competetive trail riding, parades, and horse shows. Many owners that felt that their riding days were over due to bad backs are now back in the saddle.
It was during the 1960's while living in Sourthern California, that Mary came across a Peruvian Paso for sale in a local newspaper. Curious, she called the owner and asked if she could take a look. The seller not only let her look, she let her take a ride. She fell in-love, and within several months had ordered her first Peruvian mare from Peru; and within the next two years, had purchased three imported mares from Peru, which is now the foundation stock of the current herd.
A typical day at Rancho Buena Ventura starts with tending to the special needs of seven "babies." While they are with their mothers, the foals are given supplemental food and vitamins, administered their "baby" shots, worming, and have their feet worked on. Through the process of imprinting, by the time they are a year old they are totally accustomed to having humans fussing over them. But, they are not spoiled.
By mid-morning, it's time for "school" to begin. Mary leads a 2-year-old into the round pen. "One of the first things I do is to teach a colt to let me occupy his space," she says, as the horse circles the pen, looking out at everything but Mary. Everytime he makes eye contact he is instantly "rewarded" by being allowed to stop and rest, as she plants a friendly pat on his neck. Before long he begins to follow her around like a puppy. It is very important that the horse gain respect and trust. That makes it much easier to train them when the riding begins in their third year.
Avanti, a 3-year-old bay stallion, purchased by a Rexburg man, is now back to be trained under saddle. He stands like a perfect gentleman while he is brushed and saddled in traditional Peruvian tack. Today, Mary works on neck suppling exercises before fine tuning his gaits and stops. "I try to keep the training sessions on a positive note and quit before the horse gets too tired or bored," she says.
Mary insists Peruvians are real people-pleasers - known for their "brio," or willingness to work. She explains, "Brio is that extra heart, desire to please you, even though the horse may be tired." So important is brio to the breed, Pasos are graded on it in the show ring. "Without proper brio, it is impossible to have a proper true gait," she says.
She judges throughout North America and shows her horses from California to Canada during the spring and summer. Peruvian show rules allow for the judges to actually ride the horses in the show ring. It usually happens in every show, that two or more horses are so close in quality that the judge will elect to ride the top horses. "It's a wonderful way to spot something that a trainer, or rider may be trying to cover-up," she says.
In winter, after an early morning round of stall-cleaning, feeding and watering, she settles down at her desk to catch up on the mountain of bookkeeping and to do a little writing. As an active member of the Idaho Peruvian Horse Club; a Rotating Board member of the Peruvian Paso Horse Registry of North America; and a member of the PPHRNA Judges Accreditation Committee; Mary is very involved with the Peruvian Paso Horse. When the snow flies she finds time to write articles about the breed for national horse magazines and club newsletters.
In her own quiet, unassuming way, Mary seems to exhibit much of the spirit, pride, intelligence - and brio - as the horses she loves.
Conquistador
March 1992 P.P.7-14
The Mystery Called Gait
By Mary Donald
What is a three-gaited horse? What is a five-gaited horse? What is a walking horse? Is a walking horse an ambling horse? Is a walking horse a gaited horse? Are any of these gaits similar? And where does the Peruvian Horse fit in?
Depending on the source of information, the word "gait" is used with several different meanings. It describes the way a horse uses his legs while in motion. The term "natural gait" describes the way a horse moves freely when not carrying a load. When speaking of gaited horses, horsemen usually mean five-gaited instead of three gaited horses. More specifically they mention terms like walk, running walk, singlefoot, rack, pace, stepping pace, trot, fox trot, canter, lope, gallop and run. Discussions may even turn to mixed gaits. For the Peruvian horse the terminology includes pisos, paso llano, sobreandando, pasitrote, huachano, gateado, termino, brio and harmony. We read them in articles and hear them at shows, yet very few people ever explain what it is they are actually talking about.
The Walking Horse
According to many old time trainers and several authors, a walking/ambling horse does a walk followed by either a running walk, a singlefoot, a stepping pace or pace and a canter, but never, never a trot. Because of the rapid growth and popularity of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, most people associate the term "walking horse" to only this breed. But there are many walking/ambling horses, a term that today is almost lost due to lack of knowledge.
On the other hand, a gaited horse always does the trot as one of his gaits. The term gaited horse normally is used only for breeds in which some horses show five gaits. These five-gaited horses always do a trot, walk, slow gait, singlefoot or rack and the canter. The slow gait can be either, a running walk, a fox trot or as usual in today's show ring, a stepping pace. Most of these five gaited horses are Saddlebreds or Islandics. Some horses in these breeds perform only three gaits and therefore are called three gaited. Even though breeds such as Arabians, Andalusians and Quarterhorses have three gaits, the walk, trot and canter, we do not refer to them as three gaited but as trotting breeds.
The main difference is that the walking/ambling horse does not trot but gaited horses do. That makes the Peruvian Horse a walking/ambling horse as he is not being asked nor wanted to tort and therefore is different from a gaited horse. Unlike the five-gaited horse, the Peruvian does not need to be trained to gait.
Each type of gait is defined by the sequence and timing of steps. The tempo within the movement of a specific gait determines the speed at which the horse moves forward. The tempo may be increased or decreased to change the speed, but one of the main objects is to be able to maintain a consistently regular speed in any given gait. Action is a term that is used for the activity of the front or rear pair of legs such as lift, termino and hock action and must not be confused with gait. It denotes the degree and nature of the movements of the horse's legs in the various gaits. Rhythm denotes the regularity of the steps whereas cadence is a well-timed, lofty yet fluid stepping at collection. Cadence is created by the energy of the horses brio with the addition of thrust and impulsion. The horse with dull and stiff steps can walk or trot in rhythm without showing any cadence. But Cadence without rhythm and brio is inconceivable.
In proper collection the horse will arch his back correctly, carry his head higher on a well arched neck and become shortened in his body. Collection is necessary when performing the shortened version of the gaits, making the hindquarters carry a greater portion of the weight and the front action lighter. Collection increases balance, develops the gaits and establishes obedience. To do well in the show ring of today, the Peruvian horse needs to be properly collected and balanced.
The Natural Walk
The first and most basic gait for all horses is a natural, four-beat lateral walk with the power coming from the rear end pushing the horse. With a lack of power, the horse drags himself with the front legs. This natural walk is lateral as it starts with the rear leg on one side followed by the front leg on the same side. Next follows the rear leg on the opposite side and the fourth beat comes from the front leg on the same opposite side. Occasionally a horse will walk on the diagonal. This "walk in the trot" is not natural for a horse and most likely had to be taught.
The Natural Trot
Next follows the trot, a natural movement on the diagonal causing a two-beat rhythm. It should be true, well balanced, light and springy. Within the trot, you have the working trot, the middle trot, the strong trot and the extended trot. Passage is a form of the trot performed at the highest degreee of collection and piaffe is trotting on the spot at maximum collection withouit any forward movement.
The Four-Beat Gait
When the forelegs reach the ground before the diagonal hind leg, the two-beat changes to a fout-beat. This is caused by the horse carrying a greater proportion of its weight and that of its rider on the shoulders and forequarters. The same happens in reverse when the hind leg is put down before the diagonal foreleg. This is caused by either a hasty hind leg or by the horse not bending his points sufficiently and dragging his hind legs. The result is an unequal four-beat sound with legs 1 & 4 hitting the ground separatedly followed by a long pause and then legs 3 & 2 also hitting separately. These deviations from the trot are the fox trot and the pasitrote, variations achieved with changes in collection, extension and speed. The execution of the fox trot is somewhat different from the pasitrote, resulting in a slight bump for the rider every time the horse changes from one set of diagonals to the other.
The term pasitrote is used to describe the undesired, trot-like four-beat gait of some Peruvian Horses and suggests that his gait is a deviation of the trot. But it can also be interpreted as a deviation of the four-beat paso llano or walk with a longer delay between the footfalls of the two laterals. In this case the name pasitrote becomes quite misleading. If viewed as the diagonal type movement of a trot, the deviation to a four-beat is caused by the rear legs following behind, leaving the ground too late and touching down too late. With an uneven four-beat sound and never very smooth, the pasitrote is often man-made by a lack of collection or by the rider riding on the front quarters. This gait lacks harmony of movement and elegance and as a rule will not show overreach.
A timewise equally spaced four-beat gait can be regarded as a further deviation of the trot where the foreleg reaches the ground even earlier than in the fox trot or the pasitrote. Horsemen familiar with walking and pacing horses will describe the same equally spaced four-beat gait as a deviation of the pace, where the foreleg reaches the ground with a quarter cycle delay after the hindleg on the same side. The effect is the same. The footfall becomes a regularly spaced four-beat and is the same as in the horses natural walk. This walk when executed at different speeds, with different degrees of collection an different action gives the horse its name, Walking Horse.
Gaits with equally spaced four-beats are the running walk, single-foot, rack, tolt and for the Peruvian Horse the paso llano. The running walk is usualy a taught or encouraged gait and is not considered natural. In this four-beat gait the horse moves at about 5-6 mph with low head carriage and overstepping with very low hock action. The singlefoot is faster than the running walk and comes natural to the horse. With its higher head carriage this four-beat gait is also easier on the horse. The rack, a true saddle horse gait, usually is a forced gait with the timing exactly between a trot and a pace. It is executed in a very fast even timed rhythm at a high degree of collection and is characterized by high head carriage and flashy high stepping action.
The Paso Llano
The paso llano is the most natural and desired gait for the Peruvian Horse. A quality Peruvian Horse put under saddle will perform the paso llano regardless of whether or not he trots or ambles when moving at liberty in his corral. Executed properly, the gait has an exact four-beat rhythm and shows a very harmonious relationship between the movements of the rear and front leg on the same side. This harmony leaves the impression that the hock is pushing the knee on the same side with an invisible, elastic rod. In a well performed paso llano the hocks show very little vertical action, moving level with the ground. Depending on the level of collection, the paso llano can be executed in three different modes or styles.
On the free rein, with the head showing little or no movement and carried lower, the front action is lower and all legs should have excellent reach. The hind foot should land ahead of the mark left by the front foot. Generally, the reach is better on the free rein than on the moderated rein if the horse is ridden correctly and allowed to stretch out. If the horse is ridden on the forequarters, there will be very little reach. Here it is important to distinguish between poor riding and the inability of the horse.
On the moderate rein, with the head showing no movement in a slightly higher and tucked postition, the collection allows less reach for the hind legs. The horse becomes a little lighter in the front quarters, allowing for a higher movement. This is how the horse usually is ridden on the trail or in pleasure classes at the show.
At full but not excessive collection, the front leg action is highly animated, the head is carried as high as naturlally possible (usually with the nose in line with the top of the withers) and shows absolutely no movement. The horse is working off the rear quarters with very light front quarters. In this fully collected mode the timing may quickly change to an uneven four-beat when the horse is pushed too fast, getting close to the rhythms of the sobreandando. When fully collected, the horse does not achieve the fastest speed. High collection produces a shortened version of the paso llano gait just like the Passage is a shortened version of the trot. To get speed, the horse will have to stretch some at slightly less collection. The paso llano, as characherized by his even spaced four-beat, can be performed over a wide range of speed. These extended or shortened variations still must be in the proper paso llano rhythm and timing. The paso llano "gateado" is the most desired variation. It shows good overreach even at the speed of the walk and virtually no vertical hock action and therefore is very smooth. Gateado means "catlike", giving the horse the appearance of a cat stalking prey.
The Sobreandando
As the timing of the foot fall changes even further away from the diagonal trot towards the lateral pace it becomes easier to view these gaits as deviations of the pace. The stepping pace for example is still a four-beat gait, but tends to be more lateral with less time between the footfall of the laterals. This is not a natural gait and the horse is well collected, flexed and with a high head carriage.
For the Peruvian Horse this more lateral gait is called the sobreandando and is natural for some but forced for many. Because the timing is uneven and not an equal four-beat, the sobreandando usually is not as smooth as the paso llano. The horse literally changes from one side to the other. Often thought to be faster than the paso llano, this is partially a misconception. The horse that does the sobreandando naturally will do it on a loose rein, a moderate rein and in full collection. The horses that are taught to do the sobreandando can not do it on a loose rein except at very high speed. Many of the true, natural sobreandando horses have a hard time doing the proper paso llano and may never learn to do it. When ridden with a high degree of collection these horses tend to perform a gait with the timing very close to the two-beat pace. In the show ring of today we observe many of these horses performing a man-made "goose step like" gait that is not natural and fluid. This is very hard on the horse and in a short time he tends to slip to the two-beat huachano as the timing of the 1-2 set and the 3-4 set gets so short that only two beats can be distinguished. Some riders try to use the sobreandando as the high speed of gait with horses that lack the depth of a natural paso llano. Increasing the speed of execution allows the horse in paso llano to go as fast as the sobreandando horse while maintaining the equally spaced four-beat rhythm. The paso llano horse will cover the same ground with slightly more steps.
The Huachano
With the pace we have arrived at the opposite end of the whole spectrum of gaits. In the trot the two legs on one side never move and leave the ground together. In the pace both legs move exactly with each other, leaving the ground and touching down at the same time. This produces a two-beat gait that is not considered to be natural and often is observed on a lazy, tired or injured horse except in the case of the racing pace of the Standardbred. For the Peruvian Horse the pace is called huachano and is not exactly the same gait as the pace. It is often said that a very good, well performing Peruvian should be able to do the walk, the paso llano, the sobreandando and go to the huachano just before breaking into the canter. This would be the natural progression of speed. Therefore it stands to reason that the proper huachano is the speed gait showing the most reach and extension possible with the horse on the laterals. The correct huachano will always have overreach which is not the case for the pace. The pace can be performed at very slow speeds and as such is not a natural gait for the Peruvian Horse. The Peruvian Horse performs the huachano at slow speed when he is not able to execute a proper gait, lacks brio and is lazy, is hurt and feels pain or is trained and ridden wrong. This pace at slow speed is very hard to break once a horse learns to do it by himself. Some Peruvians are born so tight to the pace that they do not trot loose, can not canter properly, will not run well and are generally difficult to ride. These horses usually have long stiff rear legs or are too sickle hocked and can't push well with their rear quarters. This type of pace is awkward, stiff in the knees and hocks, not sure-footed and should not be considered a huachano.
The Canter
With its different forms of execution, the canter is a natural gait which produces a three-beat rhythm. Any other sound from the canter, gallop or lope indicated mixed gaits. Within the canter there are the working canter, ordinary canter, collected canter and the extended canter called gallop. The racing gallop is also called the run and a canter at the highest collection is used to perform the pirouette. A sound and strong Peruvian Horse will perform the canter when at liberty, when being lounged and when being ridden.
Say It With Pisos
The collective term used to describe the total of a Peruvian Horse's gait is called pisos. Often misunderstood and misused, the term expresses the sum of desired characteristics of the Peruvian Horse's gait. It includes brio, smoothness, overreach, advance, cadence, rhythm, and harmony. The horse wtih good pisos should look as if he was floating with style, arrogance, great ease and wonderful cadence. With good pisos, the Peruvian is the most natural walking/ambling horse in the world today. It is extremely improtant to understand that anyone can ride a Peruvian, but will not necessarily do it the proper way. Riding to show the horse at its full potential takes knowledge, practice and experience. In order to bring out the best of the horse, the rider must gently channel it's brio and understand the gaits.
Mary Donald has been an owner, breeder and exhibitor of Peruvian Paso horses since 1965. Presently, Mary is an approved judge with both the AAOBPPH and the PPHRNA and has been a past registrar, president and secretary for the AAOBPPH. She has also been involved with the publishing for the second AAOBPPH Stud Book, a committee member for the new PPHRNA Judges Handbook and in addition is a founding member of the Idaho Peruvian Horse Club. Mary has bred and shown several National Champion horses.
Magic Valley Ag Weekly
Twin Falls, Idaho
Saturday May 14, 1994
Pasos Provide "Cadillac" Ride
By Terrell Williams
Ag Weekly Correspondant
RUPERT- Not everyone can ride a Peruvian Paso.
"Have you ever met a guy that can't dance?" Mary Donald asks. "There are certain people that have no rhythm."
When Donald got started in the Peruvian Paso horse breeding business back in 1965, she was told this is the perfect horse that anyone can ride.
"That's a false statement," she said. "People who are a just passengers are never going to be riders."
Peruvians, like the Arabians she grew up riding, are spirited, sensitive animals, Donald said. They shift "gears" through a series of four or five gaits by subtle weight, leg and rein shifts by the rider. "Passengers" she said, never seem to get the hang of it.
Also, Donald said, Peruvians are not the perfect horse for everything, as some breeders claim.
"They're just a horse; A horse that does something very well," Donald said, "but they're not a wonder horse, not an all-around animal."
For people with rhythm and a balance who like to cover a lot of miles in a day and love to glide along, the elite Peruvian is the pleasure horse for them.
"When it's right on the money, it's like floating," Donald said. "It's a high that's unbelievable. It's incredible."
Donald's recent customers include a couple from Caldwell, age 77 and 74, who bought two Peruvians that they rode last year through the Tetons, around Bear lake and in the mountains north of Fairfield. Teenagers who like to rope and race don't need a Peruvian, Donald said.
"It's the same reason a guy will buy a sports car when he's 20 and a Cadillac when he's 40," she added.
At the 86-acre Rancho Buena Ventura - that was her grandfather's - Donald takes time to study the foals of her 20 brood mares. She watches the youngsters at play in the pasture and gets to know their personalities. If certain weanlings dominate the others she moves them into the field with yearlings, where they become underdogs. Going from the top of the pecking order to the bottom makes and aggressive horse easier to train later on, Donald explained.
"It brings them down a peg," she said, adding with a smile, "I let the horses train themselves."
Donald also watches her young horses to determine which are the most athletic and which are less agile. She uses what she sees to adjust her breeding program and, later, her training methods.
Above all, she listens to the sound of the hoof beats.
"Some babies, the best ones, have rhythm all over the place," Donald said. "You can have an even cadence, but you have to have the rhythm to go with it. It's like the difference between a good drummer and a bad drummer."
Peruvians are born with a natural four-beat gait. Each hoof hits the ground at a different time, so there is no bouncing. Average speed for an adult horse on a mountain trail is five to six miles an hour. Peruvians are known for a swinging action in their front feet, called "termino."
They are heavy through the neck, their withers are low, they have thick, long manes and tails, and the depth of their body is about equal to the length of their legs. They are wide betweeen the eyes wtih a straight face, small muzzle and large nostrils.
"They look like an old-style Morgan," Donald said.
Business success
Imported from Peru since the early 1960's, there are now about 6,000 Peruvian Pasos in the United States. About 150 of them are in Idaho, and about 50 of those are at Rancho Buena Ventura.
Donald has been a national leader in the Peruvian horse business and holds numerous titles as a judge, author, trainer, showman and breeder. Her daughters, Laurie Donald and Christie White, help train and run the ranch. Donald's weaned Peruvian geldings are priced at $1,500 and up. Weaned fillies bring about $2,500 and the price of the yearlings and trained riding horses goes up to about $6,500. Good breeding and show stock bring $10,000 to $20,000.
This may sound like a good business to have. But don't jump in with the idea of making easy money, Donald warns.
"Those who get into it for the 'Almighty Dollar' last about five to seven years," said Donald, sho raised Peruvians in California 24 years before returning to Idaho in 1988. "They shoot themselves in the foot because they don't bother to learn. You have to know your business. .... We try to produce a good horse for a reasonable price."
Conformation is important, she said, but breeders also have to consider the horses' strength, energy, endurance, smoothness, good disposition and "heart."
"The only way you can tell all those things is to get on and ride them," Donald said. "Unless you ride them, you don't have any idea what you're breeding, whether the horse is an athlete or a clutz."
Donald studies Peruvian bloodlines, taking care to avoid inbreeding in the relatively small genetic pool of purebred Peruvians. She also keeps detailed records of production results.
"Some horses that look wonderful have poor babies," Donald said. "They can't pass on what they are. Genetics are a strange thing."
South Idaho Press
Peruvian Horses Impressive
By Ralph W. Maughan
SIP Correspondent
The first Peruvian horse Mary Donald ever saw really took her eye; yet her father, the late George Branson, disparaged the idea of buying one because, he told his young daughter, "it has everything we have been trying to breed out of horses."
But the Peruvian gelding, "with the energy of an Arabian and an attractive smooth gate," really impressed her and she determined that one day she would own one. But it had to be a mare so she could raise some colts.
The gelding she had seen on display had been brought from one of the large agricultural estates in Peru where the animals were used for both riding to the fields and working them. And she learned that this was the only place she could get one.
It took some doing, but Mary eventually arranged to purchase a Peruvian mare, which would be flown to the States along with a number of other horses. But the delivery plane developed trouble and the animals had to come by ship, a much longer and tiring trip for the horses.
With the mare finally on hand she began the long process of training and eventually raising some colts. Today she has some of the finest show horses to be found anywhere.
Mary told about her operation April 18 as she presented the program at the Minidoka County Historical Society meeting.
She showed a video featuring some of her finest horses as well as numerous others strutting their stuff at shows and expos.
Their distinctive smooth gate and showmanship was outstanding.
The speaker told how the horses are trained with a halter - never a bridle, as it is too harsh on the animals.
They are easy to train, but she indicated that they have a mind of their own. Never make a mistake with a Peruvian, she said.
"They never forget," she warned. Each one is unique and must be ridden differently.
Donald displayed bridles, halters and other items hand made in Peru from native leather.
An outstanding item was a "pellon", essentially a saddle bag made of leather and wool which doubles as a mattress when needed.
She explained that the thousands of threads of woven wool had been made by Peruvian women, each one composed of several wool fibers.
Today there are perhaps 200 breeders of Peruvian horses in the United States, she said, and some 1600 members of the Peruvian Paso Horse Registry of North America.
Headquarters are in Santa Rosa, California.
Idaho Ranch and 30 Years of Peruvian Pasos
By Desarai Rushforth Schild
Five generations of the nation's best-known Peruvain Paso mares are owned and bred by three generations of women in Rupert, Idaho.
The Peruvian Paso is a naturally gaited horse that grows to 14 to15 hands tall and weighs and average of 900 to 1,100 pounds at maturity. The horse is born with a natural four-beat gait that gives the rider an unbelievably smooth ride and makes the horse appear to be floating. It boasts a luxuriant mane and tail, and is noted for a kind disposition.
Mary Donald, 54, fell in love wtih Peruvian Pasos more than 30 years ago. She imported one of the first Peruvian mares to California in 1965. That mare, Patita, and two more imported shortly after, are the foundation mares of Donald's 40 to 50 horse herd.
"The highest quality has always been my goal," Mary said. "I have a careful breeding program where we only breed the best to the best. We have four and five generations of mares here, so we've learned which stallion is best paired with which mare." She said that only about five percent of all colts born are kept at stallions, giving her high-quality geldings that may be just one point short of her stringent breeding stock standards. This also means the four stallions she stands at Rancho Buena Ventura are considered to be the epitome of perfection in Peruvian breed.
Mary moved her horses to the family farm in Rupert in 1988. There she joined her widowed mother, Dorothy Branson, now 76. Dorothy holds down a full time job at a potato sales business as well as working at the ranch.
Mary's adult daughters, Christie and Laurie Donald are also involved in the operation. Along with breeding horses, Christie trains the horses.
The ranch covers several acres of pasture, with corrals, barns and riding and training arenas. Most were built and all are maintained by the women. It's not unusual to see Christie hauling feed with the large tractor while Dorothy cleans the barnyard with the smaller one. Meanwhile, Mary may be cleaning stalls in the barn, or riding colts in the arena.
There is never a "man's job" at the ranch.
"I call somebody to do electrical work and things like that," Mary clarifies,"but we can do most everything ourselves."
The Mary Donald dressed for the everyday work on a horse ranch bears only a passing resemblance to the regal Mary Donald who regularly dons traditional Spanish riding wraps to show her Peruvian-tacked mares and stallions to championships at national shows. This is the Mary Donald who judges international equine events and rubs shoulders with trainers including Linda Tellington Jones.
The Mary Donald at the ranch wears blue jeans, scruffed boots and is escorted around by a motley band of dogs. She spends the majority of her time at the ranch where the pace only shows down when buyers from as far away as Europe come to select one of the world-famous Rancho Buena Ventura horses, or to bring one for training or breeding.
Mary strives to educate area residents about the breed by holding open houses and clinics, where she and her daughters display the Peruvian Pasos' smooth floating gaits and regal parade horse demeanor.
"You have to ride them to appreciate them," Mary said. "Most people are amazed that any horse, even one so beautiful, could be so smooth at any speed. Once they ride, they are usually hooked."
RBV PERUVIANS
Rancho Buena Ventura
750 North, 1150 East
Jackson, ID 83350
208-436-6380
Please e-mail any
questions or comments to: Mary Donald
NAPHA Approved Judge (Senior)
NAPHA Registered Steward
NAPHA RAM for Region 8
RMHA Approved Judge (Senior)
UMH Judge AA
IJA Judge
Last Updated: Oct. 12, 2007