Attached as a PDF file is a USMMA Press Release reporting news of 2 stallions being imported by 4 Seasons Marchadors, and 2 historic births – the first Marchador embryo transplant foal (4 Seasons) and the first foal born that was created using frozen semen (Summerwind).
Great news for the breed!
USMMA PRESS RELEASE
ABCCMM Protects their M Brand Trademark in the US
On December 25th, the US Patent and Trademark Office awarded the Horseshoe M Brand Trademark in the U.S. to the ABCCMM, the Brazilian Mangalarga Marchador Association. The trademark is an M inside of a horseshoe. The M Brand is placed on the shoulder of an inspected, approved Mangalarga Marchador horse. It is universally recognized as a symbol of quality and tradition for this Brazilian breed.
The Brazilian association, supported by members of the United States Mangalarga Marchador Association, filed for the trademark in 2004. The trademark attorney for the ABCCMM was funded by USMMA members Tresa Vivian Smith, John J. Kelley and Linda Sheridan Kelley. Previously there were rumors and reports circulated on websites and in magazines that certain individuals claimed ownership of the M brand and exclusivity of the Marchador breed in the US.
The ABCCMM is the rightful owner of the trademark and the inspection process and now holds the US trademark to maintain the quality of the breed here as well. (Registration number 3358324).
“It is a wonderful day for the future of the Mangalarga Marchador in the US”, said Tresa Smith, President of the USMMA. “We can be confident that the quality and value of the inspection process and the meaning of the M brand is preserved.”
The USMMA sponsored a Brazilian inspection process in 2005 where horses born in the US were inspected and branded. They plan to host another inspection in 2008.
For more information on the Marchador or the USMMA, visit their website at http://usmarchador.com. For information on the ABCCMM, visit their website at http://www.abccmm.org.br
Effective August 1st, Lynn Kelley, a founding member and President of the USMMA stepped down as President and Vice President, Tresa Smith, also a founding member of the association, assumed the role of President.
Tresa is an owner, breeder and importer of Mangalarga Marchadors in Montana. She discovered the breed while working in Brazil during the 1990s and decided to import horses to the US. She chose the Tabatinga bloodline as her speciality because of their hardiness and cow sense to work her ranch and Angus cows in Montana.
Lynn Kelley will stay on the board in the role of Registrar. The USMMA has registered more than 90% of the Marchadors born in the US. Horses registered in Brazil and imported to the US are automatically registered with the USMMA, with the submission of DNA.
The USMMA remains focused on introducing the Marchador across the country in the coming years. In 2007, Marchadors were registered in the new states of North Carolina and South Carolina and a new country, Canada. For further expansion and improved genetic diversity, the Kelleys are working with the ABCCMM (the Brazilian association with over 200,000 registered horses) to import frozen semen and frozen embryos to the U.S.
| On September 30, 2004, the ABCCMM filed a U.S. Trademark application for recognition of its international trademark, the M brand in use in Brazil since 1950. Click here to download the Press Release. Founding USMMA members Tresa Smith, John Kelley and Lynn Kelley are coordinating and funding the effort on behalf of the ABCCMM. |