Majo Country
Boutique Breeders of Spanish Horses in an American Culture
Never Swam with a Dolphin
Never Flew With Wild Geese
Never Touched a Gorilla
But as great as all These
I've known MAGIC
I call him MAJO
My Iberian Wonder!
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This horse that dates back to the days of Sparta, has qualities that have no relevance to the culture of the People on the Iberian Peninsula. But at any show it seems the average Andalusian owner feels absolutely compelled to adopt the Spanish Culture. Believe me, this horses is every bit as much the pleasure without playing dress up and doing a flamenco dance! It is as if owning a Deutschland bred German Shepard inspired you to wear lederhosen and sport cuckoo clocks on your dog house! This baffles me. Spain breeds prized bulls for the sadomasochistic torture and slaughter before a frenzied mob. That might lend a clue that being kind to animals is not a top priority in Spain. They certainly do not have training methods I really want to emulate. Try using less tack not more. Recently Majo and I have been riding without a bridle, just a TTEAM ring. That's Linda Tellington Jones way of riding in Harmony. Go look at the sides of some of those highly trained "High School" trained horses. The marks you see are not from riding as a team. Those horses are mostly nervous animals that could not cantor down Main Street in a parade. I am afraid they simply serve as a commodity for the owner to derive pleasure from the prestige of ownership not of partnership. This horse we call the Andalusian does not, for me, inspire thoughts of "High School" exhibition. The discipline of "High School" work can be beautiful to watch. And it seems the minute someone acquires an Andalusian the poor horse is destined to be tortured and trained into the stereotype. But why take a kind and gentle horse with so much talent and fill his mouth with a bear trap to ride in harmony. This highly disciplined activity appears to make many horses nervous and uncomfortable. When I look at all the tack required for High School, and when I see the reactions of the horse to this disciplined performance, I ask how any thinking person can call this riding in harmony? A Spanish horse does not require Spanish riding style. That is so obvious no one should have to say it. The Spanish horse is kind and gentle. I would not regard bull fighting as a kind and gentle sport. I am impressed with the horse not a culture that allows drunken machismo scoundrels to run before frightened bulls that face a gruesome death at the hands of a bunch of sissy matadors!
The Iberian Horse has always been considered a War Horse without equal. Before all else, a war horse is treasured for its courage and stamina. War Horse qualities of the Spanish Stallion are conveyed in his Temperament, Athleticism, and Relation to Rider. A noble specimen of equine artistry, the Andalusian is far more than a creature that can taught to "Dance" or fight bulls. The Spanish Horse is living art that can work with little connection to his mouth. I regard my Majo first and foremost as a wonderful companion animal of exceptional courage and beauty.
So what do I do with my special guy! Well I certainly don't bore him to death with repetitive and mindless drill! I have little interest in hauling him all over God's creation looking for yet another show to sap his spirit. A great stallion deserves better than that. He has allowed me into his world, and he has carried my soul to new highs while riding the beaches, in the mountains and on the trails. We have done Exhibitions of his willing and tractable temperament. We ride in parades where he is a natural and people that know nothing of horses fall in love with this magnificent fellow. They cheer his noble presence and calm demeanor amidst the hoop de la of a parade. We have even ridden in 60 mile an hour windstorms! But what we really do best is found away from the crowd. It is a solo performance. Those are always an immense source of JOY! I am the steward of his physical and emotional welfare. He is the lifter of my spirit! We don't need to win anything or be in a herd to feel that way! He is happy to be owned by a Maverick!
Majo is natured to relax in a street crowd. Prior to age three, he was sandwiched between a fire truck and a drill team in his first parade. One of the finest things about the Andalusian is this willingness to work in partnership. To see a breeding stallion that can perform with Majo's calmness in a parade should tell you something about his training and breeding. Majo was not trained to meet other people goals. I refuse to use questionable training techniques to reach questionable objectives just to please a judge. The ride is one for us both to enjoy.
Unfortunately, many horses suffer from all kinds of bad training. The Andalusian is no exception. So many times I have heard: "He is a professional and has to treat horses like that to get results"? That is a sorry excuse for training techniques designed for a specific result - winning! Unfortunately, the professionals do not lead but seem agreeable to be creators of techniques to please judges! I will never forget one professional whose techniques I questioned. He asked me if I ever took a horse to championship. I asked if that was his yardstick for success. This man was supposedly helping people learn, Yet everything in his speech was on how to win. The impact of these techniques beyond wining was irrelevant. He had zero respect for the horse. He did not and doesn't not even own one. I yearned to hear a voice tell this trainer there is a lot more to horses than winning of ribbons and the resulting prestige. But there was silence. Today, this trainer continues to carry horses to national championships. To most people that validates his thinking and I am the heretic. The mindless continue to flock to him and he will have done his duty. He will have provided victory and winning is what it is about.
If this is a Just Universe there is a special place in Hell for these trainers. I have seen some smack a young horse around to give the horse that excited look for the judges. As cruel as that sounds, it is but one of the minor abuses horses suffer as a result of the competitiveness of owners. Being number one in front of the judge is NEVER important to the horse. Being number one is only important to the ego of the owner. The show ring is always more about the owner than about the horse. If you think the show ring says something about breeding quality you are very mistaken. Horses that are rejected as breeding animals continue to win blue ribbons. Winning a ribbon is an exciting experience, and shows provide a gathering of many horses for people to see and compare. But the relationship you have with your horse is worth more than any of the ribbons you may win.
I try to listen to Majo as much as to any expert trainer. When Majo and I are both having a good time then something must be going right. Yes, even if his head isn't where a judge may want him to carry it he is doing just fine. Majo looks great when he is excited by the mares. He parades around with an arched neck and puffed chest looking like one magnificent hombre. But I do not expect him to ride for hours on end in the posture he uses to impress his lady friends! I ride a calm stallion that can cantor down the street in a parade and respond to my requests! Majo will put his head where he needs it to give me the response I want.
If you ever see Majo cantering in a parade with his reins lying on his neck you will understand the Joy I share with this wonderful Spanish Stallion! My rides with him and the General were the best there is to know. There is no experience grander than Equine Joys and it has nothing to do with what anyone else thinks. The beach rides of the Pacific Northwest are behind us now. But I will always remember cantering through the waves at the beach with The General at our side. Those were great times. Now we cantor through the green hills of the Shenandoah Valley and ride the trails. That's great too. The Andalusian is a magnificent specimen of equine nobility. He wasn't made to Dance for us and he wasn't made to fight bulls.
Internal combustion toys
These can never Have
The Heart of a Warrior
The Soul of a Poet
Such things can never compare to
My Iberian Stallion
Through him I know the best there is to know
Through him I found Equine Joy!
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