‘Tis the Season

Fall is my favorite time of year. It’s one of three seasons I missed growing up in the endless summers of South Texas. So I get positively giddy over the changing leaves and cooling temps.

I’m also thrilled that so many of us are getting out there and enjoying the wonderful weather, our fabulous horses and our good friends. The CSPHC had a great time in September as guests of Terri Miller and Amanda Speaker at their family homestead near Buffalo Creek. There’s also a ton of great pictures from the group who enjoyed Dawson’s Butte Oct. 22, and the Rio Grande Peruvian Horse Club had more than a few Colorado folks in their ranks that same day as they rode along Rio Chama.  Several of us are looking forward to a ride in Cañon City on Bobbi Taylor’s ranch on Oct. 29. And if you’re a Facebook friend of club member Emily Knight, you’ll see fabulous new trail photos just about every week.

Garden of the Gods is one of my favorite spots to ride in Colorado Springs.

At the moment, our first real snow of the year is coming down hard enough that I didn’t quite make it out to the barn this morning as I hoped I might. But it will be gone before we carve our pumpkins, and we’ll have more scenic trail shots to share.

Send me yours or links to your albums if you’d like to add your photos to our site.

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Happy Trails

I like to tell people that Peruvians are the original American trail horse. Before quarter horse folks jump down my throat, note I did not say North American trail horse. Plus, our breed predates the fabulous quarter horse by a few centuries, so I think it’s a fair title.

And one of our very own Colorado Peruvians is competing for the top spot on America’s Favorite Trail Horse, a show on HRTV. Bobbi Taylor and HHF Nevado of Cataloochee Ranch in Guffey, Colo., were picked from thousands of competitors to vie for the grand prize:  $25,000.

And there’s a second palomino Peruvian pair in the finals, Me Llamo Altanero and Jody Childs of Vista, Calif.

Bobbi’s and Nevado’s episode is Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. MT on HRTV (Dish Network 404). She’s hosting a viewing party at the 8 Mile Bar and Grill in Cañon City, Colo.; call Bobbi, 719-837-3011, or email votenevado@aol.com to RSVP. You can vote one time per email address for 48 hours following the episode on ACTHA’s TV website,  www.actha.tv. Nevado is No. 256 from episode No. 3.

No matter who walks away with the check, both these teams helped us secure a fabulous bonus prize:  exposure for our breed. Everyone watching will see these ladies and their geldings maneuver all kinds of obstacles with ease. Hats off and good luck to both of these competitors.

Here's a shot of Bobbi and Nevado when they were competing for the final cut of America's Favorite Trail Horse.

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Versatility

If you’ve been in the Peruvian horse breed for a while, odds are you’ve heard these kinds of comments:

“Peruvians can do anything any other breed can do.”

“They’re really not that versatile. They’re here to gait. It’s what they do best.”

A recent discussion on our club Facebook page hit on this very topic. An article on Peruvians and reining appeared in my email inbox, so I posted it to our FB page. There are some excellent comments in there about what different people are doing with their horses and what those activities mean for and about the breed.

I’m not picking a side here, but I think it’s a good discussion to continue as we all work to promote our breed. I know we all want to share and show off our horses, but I think we also need to figure out whose attention we’re trying to catch. If we can define the market we’re trying capture, we can target those folks.

I guess that raises the question of who “we” is, though. Are “we” traditionalists preserving and promoting Peruvian culture? Are “we” fun-loving trail riders who just want to get out and enjoy nature? Are “we” parade/demo folks who love to put on a memorable presentation of this stunning horse? Are “we” competetive types who have something to prove to other breeds?

If “we” are all the above, I’d say that’s a pretty versatile group.

What do you think?

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