by Lynn Kelley

Our nucleo’s first Official ABCCMM Cavalgada Tematica! (Themed Trail Ride) On February 2nd, USMMMA members from AZ, CO, TX, UT and WA came to the OLD CAVE CREEK ride. In order to be official, the ride has to have at least 20 Mangalarga Marchadors participating. This number is smaller than in Brazil with the ABCCMM recognizing we do not have large numbers of Marchadors yet.

Cave Creek is a magnet for outdoor adventures, cowboy heritage and live music.  With a history that includes ancient peoples, gold mining, ranching and dam construction, this scenic town is filled with the spirit of the old west.

Our group of riders and horses trailered or drove to Cave Creek Regional Park to saddle up for our ride through the wide open desert.  We took a remote and scenic trail that eventually bought us into the town of Cave Creek.  Many of the town’s buildings are 200 years old making it a painting of the old west.   We rode into town heading for the Buffalo Chip Saloon, famed for barbecue, beer, line dancing and bull riding.  The Buffalo Chip bull riding arena provided the perfect place to tie up the horses while the riders went to the long family style tables to have lunch.

It was a fabulous and fun experience!   I was dreading a group trail ride because so often they are boring to me.  But it was a beautiful day from the early “before it got light out” start to the final trailer ride back to the barn.  What can I say?  Marchadors are fun!

The USMMA, an ABCCMM nucleo and the ABCCMM supported the event.  Many USMMA members gave their time, supplies or services to make the event come alive.  The ABCCMM provided official vests and passports that get stamped whenever and wherever you participate in these cavalagadas.  The ride was officiated by ABCCMM’s Dr. George Vilar.

Special thanks to Carolina Peterson, who planned and pushed to make this event happen from the get-go.  Many volunteers went above and beyond the day of the ride and we thank Silver Stables for trailering many of the horses. Photos from the group and some by Jennifer Jeung.

The USMMA is committed to education and have several events planned by the USMMA and MM breeders this year. Our first USMMA event of the New Year crept up on us! It is happening in January! Alan Villaca, a top trainer in Brazil, CTE Alan Villaça, is coming to Arizona and will be training and teaching here. This clinic is open to all USMMA members and we hope you can join us!

MORE INFORMATION HERE

USMMA WAIVER FORM to sign

Please fill out the form below, if you have an interest in this first clinic offered January 18 and January 19!  

December 15, 2024 @ 5 p.m. MST

Video and pdf of the presentation given by Tia Nelson. On the YouTube video – f you need more time on any screen, just pause the video.

Youtube Video – click here to watch.

PDF file to download

February 2025

Dr. George Vilar, ABCCMM inspector and judge will be coming to the US in early February, 2025. 

Currently, his only planned stops are Phoenix, AZ and Corpus Christi, TX. If you have Mangalarga Marchadors that need inspection and would like to join this inspection visit, please contact Lynn Kelley, 602-999-3915. 

Sharing a planned inspection visit will lower the costs overall by splitting the airfare among many breeders. There is another planned inspection visit in August 2025.

INSPECTION DETAILS AND PLANNING

The cost of the inspection is $600US per breeder, per location for the inspector. That is often paid in cash or check directly to George. 

In addition, you must pay for ABCCMM membership and/or registration fees, plus the cost of airfare to get the inspector to your farm. Housing, meals and transportation for the inspector should also be included in your planning. Most people just have the inspector stay with them.

We estimate a definitive registration (riding) inspection could take an hour to 1.5 hours per horse.  Following the riding inspection, the horse measurements are taken and the horse will be branded with the ABCCMM trademarked Horseshoe M brand. 

Plan on 15- 25 minutes per provisional (foal) inspection. During the foal inspection, the horse will be microchipped. 

Catch the Spirit of the West

February 2, 2025 Cave Creek, AZ 

Cave Creek is a magnet for outdoor adventures, cowboy heritage and live music.  With a history that includes ancient peoples, gold mining, ranching and dam construction, this scenic town is filled with the spirit of the old west.  

We will saddle up to ride through the open desert to arrive on the town streets where many buildings are 200 years old right next to modern shops and restaurants.  We ride through Cave Creek tying horses up at the Buffalo Chip for lunch. The Buffalo Chip serves up line dancing,  barbecue, beer and weekend bull riding competition.  The cavalgada then heads back to our trailers.

Get your Mangalarga Marchador ready to join the fun the first week of February.   There are a few extra horses available for out of state riders.

ABCCMM/USMMA OFFICIAL EVENT!

Everyone is welcome, but space is limited, Sign up today!

Meet at Cave Creek Park parking lot and be ready to ride at 9:15 a.m   15km total.  Ride will last approximately 3.5 hours.  2 hours from the park, through town to the Buffalo Chip Saloon. Lunch / Social Hour at Buffalo Chip Saloon.  Then return to the Park via a different trail.

Cost: $50 per rider

ABCCMM Official: Dr. George Vilar

Trail bosses:  Mike Crowley and Randy Gassett 

Please fill out the following forms on our website namarchador.org 

• Release of Liability – WAIVER
• Sign up Sheet
• Membership, if needed

Questions?   More information?   Please contact the ride coordinators:

Carolina Peterson, SW Regional DirectorABCCMM Liaison 503-970-3750 or carolina1470@aol.com Lynn Kelley, USMMA Treasurer  602-999-3915 or lynnkelley@me.com

VISIT CAVE CREEK CITY WEBSITE

The USMMA wants to ask all our members if they are willing to volunteer to serve as Regional Directors in ALL regions. The term is 4 years from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029. In 2029, there will be another election for a 4 year term. 

We need to elect Regional Directors in 7 regions. Membership ranges from 10-50 members in each region, but growing.

1. Canada/International – all Canada and members living abroad.
2. Midwest Region- Oklahoma, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Louisiana, Kansas, and Arkansas
3. Northeast Region- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Je5rsey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia
4. Northwest/Mountain Region – Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska
5. Pacific Region – California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington
6. Southeast Region – Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
7. Southwest Region – Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah

Please nominate yourself, or give us the name of a USMMA member to contact that you think would be a great candidate for these important positions. 

The calendar is as follows:

November 5 – November 25 Nominations Open for Regional Director Members interested are asked to submit their name, and a one page introduction of yourself to the membership. (This one page could include a statement about you, your Marchador and perhaps other things you want people to know, such as: qualifications, any previous USMMA activities, your ideas for the USMMA or for your region; other job or horse-related experience that apply, particularly with the MM breed).

December 5: Election held if there are multiple applicants. This is a National election as each regional director will sit on our Board of Directors and gets one vote. We do not need to fill each position if there are no candidates in a region.

December 10: New Regional Directors Announced 

January 1: New Regional Directors take office.

Thank you all for your considering this important position on the USMMA Board of Directors.

Sincerely,

Cathy Pierce, USMMA VP and Committee Chair

From the Bylaws: 

“To be considered for Regional Director, the individual must be an active FULL member or LIFE member for at least 60 days before the election, and be a USMMA -registered Marchador owner at the time of the election. Each Regional Director must remain an active voting member of the USMMA for the duration of their responsibility.

A full term will span 4 years. There are no term limits as long as the individual is willing to volunteer and is deemed capable to fill the position. Each Regional Director must submit their name to the Election Committee to be placed on the ballot and be elected by the members every four years. The first election was held in 2020.

The USMMA Regional Director elections will be staggered elections with the USMMA Officer elections so that elections are held every 2 years beginning in 2020.

Regional Directors shall be full members of the Board and required to cast their vote on USMMA budgets, bylaw changes and other motions requiring a vote of the board. They are required to attend at least two Board meetings a year. The USMMA President will request resignation of the Regional Board Member should they not make the required meetings.

Regional Directors are responsible to encourage participation and cooperation among breeders, owners, trainers, and other equine professionals in support of the Mangalarga Marchador and the USMMA goals within their region and to affiliate and coordinate with other local organizations and associations in support of the vision and mission of the USMMA. They are expected to know all of the USMMA members in their region and hold one Marchador or member event at least every 4 years. When a regional event is planned, the Regional Director needs to submit a plan and budget for the event to the USMMA if they are requesting funding for the event.”

To view on constant comment format – more photos and read only what you want.

https://conta.cc/48vCp29

To view in pdf format – click below to download the files.

I would like to invite you to the 2024 Annual Member Meeting (via Zoom) to be held on Sunday December 15 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time (4pm PT, 6 pm CT, 7 pm ET).

We will send out the agenda and the ZOOM invitation a week before the annual meeting, but you can expect reports from the following areas:

• Membership
• Financial
• Registration
• Awards
• Current Projects
• Planned Projects

You can respond to this email with your ideas for things we should be doing or your questions or concerns you would like addressed during the meeting. We will also be asking again about a week before the meeting. Zoom also allows for questions and conversations during the meeting.

We look forward to the meeting and hearing from you, the members.

Best regards,

Tia Nelson, DVM 

USMMA President

drtiadvm@aol.com