Keep Your Eyes On It

Horseback riding is a state of mind. There isn’t better rider in the world than Dom Quixote. In his mind there wasn’t any fear or doubt. Nothing bothered the intimacy of De La Mancha. Giants and dragons disappeared in front of him and his wonderful horse Rocinante.

The pleasure and good sensation felt riding a horse and the equine existence for the men are so deep that they are impressed in our genetic memory. In Greek, Hipocrates, the greatest doctor, in 377 B.C already receipted equine activity wanting the blood regeneration and the body preservation. This way, we can concluded that the Federal Medicine Council recognizes equotherapy as an important work tool to develop biopsychosocial patients.

To ride a horse is a pleasure process that can make applications on the best exercises of motor coordination and a stimulus of self control, self confidence and auto esteem. The horse's walk is almost the same as the human – their movements with rhythm and balance make the muscles and coordination strengthen.

In German, Sweden and Switzerland the equine therapy is funded by the government. There are courses in the universities aiming graduated professionals in this specific healthy area.

When the horseback riding has regular practiced brings many benefits to riders healthy and gives improvements for heart and bread functions, conditioning the entire locomotion system beyond prevent from different degenerative sickness.

After 30 minutes riding a rider will execute proximally 5.400 body movements - tridimensional movements: horizon positions: right, left, forward and backward and vertical positions: up and down. All body muscles are moved producing high levels of serotonin and dopamin wich are brain neurotransmitters responsible for the welfare and good sensation. It is a mental relaxation and physical therapy extraordinary.

No stress, no depression or poetry lack that resist to a good ride.
To ride is a way to see the world on the top…

By Otavio Pedroso (Mangalarga Marchador Breeder)

Into The Wild

" I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong."

Be Aware!!!

Cantering soon: 2011 Schedule!!!

Which directions will Centaurus give us?

Breeds of Brazilian Horses

I'm pretty much proud because I was born in Minas Gerais.
This State has tons of history about my country developement and here is where the most horses' breeds in Brazil had their origins as Mangalarga and Campolina for example.

The Mangalarga's history tell us that the breed was made in the South of Minas Gerais, exactly in Campo Alegre farm having as its owner Colonel Francisco Junqueira.

In 1812 he had received a present from from the Dom Joao VI, the governing prince. This present was a horse of the Royal Alter breed (coming from the "Coudelaria Alter do Chao", in Portugal) named Sublime.

The animals resulting of the cross-breeding beteween Sublime and the Brazilian mares were the basis of the first Mangalarga Marchador horse.

The name Mangalarga Marchador is due to the fact that the most important clients of Fazenda Campo Alegre were the owners of a famous farm in the State of Rio de Janeiro which name was Mangalarga and because of this the buyers used to ask for Mangalarga horses, equal to the ones of Fazenda Mangalarga.

Considering here that this breed offers the smoothness of gait, endurance and pride.

The Campolina breed was formed in Entre Rios de Minas - Minas Gerais State - in a farm named Fazenda Tanque, owned by Cassiano Campolina.

Mr. Campolina began his horses operations in 1857, however the real date of the foundation of this breed is the year of 1870 when he received from a friend a black mare called Medeia. This mare was Brazilian but bred by a pure Andaluzian Stallion belonging to Mariano Procopio who had received it as a present of emperor Dom Pedro II. Medeia gave birth to a beautiful dark gray colt, an authentic half blood Andaluzian, named Monarca (Monarch).

Monarca served during 25 years in the herd of national mares of Fazenda Tanque, concetrating Mr. Campolina in a selection of genetic improvement, obtaining animals of great port, great vivacity and smooth gait.

Something curious about Campolina breed: It was cross-breeding with Mangalarga, Clydesdale, American Saddle and Hostein breed, the last one from Germany.

Breed of Brazilian Horse in the Pantanal

The first horses that arrived in the Pantanal, a flooded land of the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul (Central Western region of Brazil), formed a breed - the Pantaneiro horse -a product of natural selection over the last three centuries.

Horses were introduced into the Pantanal by the Spanish expeditions during the colonization period found in this region good environmental conditions for their multiplication.

The animals brought by these expeditions were, for the most part, Iberian horses. Some horses on these expeditions were lost in the Pantanal, proliferating and, consequently, populating the area. The Guaicuru indians helped to spread horses in the Pantanal because they learned horse management from the spanish and extended their range.

Since the formation of the Pantaneiro breed, this horse has played an important role in the development of the Pantanal region.

Some Pantaneiro's curiosities: Sometimes Pantaneiro horses spend more than six months (all day and night long) with their hooves under water, duo to the fact of a flooded areas in Pantanal. This breed is also special because adapted to the regional environmental conditions and to feed is very usually to see a horse with their muzzle searching for grass under the water as well, just like an amphibio.

Source: EMBRAPA CPAP / MS

A Country With a Large Biodiversity...

Basically, biomes are large geographic ecoregions with specific environmental conditions that determine tyical plant and animal communities in that area.

According to IBGE ( Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics, Brazil can be divided into the following 6 biomes:

1) Cerrado (Savanna) : The Cerrado holds the source of three major basins in South America (Amazon/Tocantins, São Francisco and Prata), which results in high water potential and rich biodiversity. This biome is home to more than 6,500 catalogued plant species.

In the Cerrado there is a predominance of savanna formations and a hot sub-humid tropical climate, a dry season and a rainy season.
In the highlands, with extensive plains, are gallery forests, known as riverside and riparian forests, along the watercourse and evergreen foliage all year round; the lowlands, in wet valleys, consist of groups of buriti palms on a layer of grasses.

2) Mata Atlantica (Rainforest): Its main type of vegetation is tropical rain forest, usually consisting of tall trees and related to a hot and humid climate. The Atlantic has been one of the richest and most varied groups of rain forest in South America.

The Atlantic Forest is an environmental complex that includes mountain ranges, valleys, plateaus and level lands throughout the east Atlantic continental range of Brazil.

3) Pantanal: It is characterized by long-term flooding (due to the low permeability of the soil) that occurs annually in the plain, and causes changes in the environment, wildlife and the daily life of local people. The predominant vegetation is savanna, but there are formations of savanna steppe and small areas of semi-deciduous and deciduous forests.
Almost all of the Brazilian fauna is represented in the Brazilian Pantanal.

4) Caatinga: The Caatinga (indigenous name), meaning “clear and open forest”, is uniquely Brazilian. Drought, heat and light characteristic of tropical areas result in a steppe-like, thorny and deciduous (when the leaves fall at a given time) savanna vegetation.
This biome is subject to two dry seasons per year: a long period of drought, followed by intermittent rain and a short drought followed by torrential rains. These two seasons highlight the contrasts of the Caatinga.

5) Pampa (Steppe): The Pampa biome is present only in Rio Grande do Sul. It comprises the South American pampas, stretching through Uruguay and Argentina, and is internationally classified as steppe. The Pampa is marked by rainy weather, without a dry season, and with regular polar fronts with freezing temperatures in winter. The vegetation consists of pampa grass and shrubs

6) Amazon: Amazon is the largest biodiversity reserve in the world and the largest biome in Brazil. It has well-distributed rainfall during the year and rivers with permanent heavy flow. The Brazilian Amazon is marked by the Amazon basin.The characteristic vegetation of the Brazilian Amazon is tropical rain forest, usually composed of tall trees. In the plains accompanying the Amazon River and its tributaries are the lowland forests (periodically flooded) and igapó forests (permanently flooded). Aspects of the savanna, the campinarana, pioneering formations and ecological sanctuaries are also present in this biome.

Huge Country and Its Regions

Hello Riders and Normal People all over the world!

This is the kind of Blog that you have to try, drinking a cup of coffe or tea... Take your time, relax and start to open your mind! Feel freedon as you're riding a wild horse and it's catering trough uplands or flat grounds in Brazil.

To say that I live in a huge country I think everybody knows but to say that this huge country is divided in five regions maybe, some of you don't know yet... Right?

Ok, so let's start to explain step by step because this way becomes easier my job comprehension for you and why not... for me as well!!!

As you can see in this simply map, we find the north, the central west, the northeast, southeast and the south.

To be so big each reagion has its own particularity. In other words you can see many Brazils in each reagion due to diversity found in this tropical country.

My suggestion... Try the best of each region and if possible... Try it riding a very good horse!!!

Southeast - Brazil

The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro e Sao Paulo. It is the richest region of the country.

The Southeast region leads the country in population, urban population, population density, vehicles, industries, universities, airports, ports, highways, hospitals, schools, houses and many other areas.

The landscape of this region is marked by montains, valleys and caves.

Minas Gerais is the source of some of the biggest rivers in Brazil, most notably the São Franciscoo, the Paraná and to a lesser extent, the Rio Doce.

The state has huge reserves of iron and sizeable reserable of gold, gemstones, including emerald, topaz and aquamarine mines

Some of the highest peaks in Brazil are in the mountain ranges in the southern part of the state, such as Serra da Mantiqueira and Serra do Cervo, that mark the border between Minas and its neighbors São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro state is part of the Rainforest biome, and its topography comprises both mountais and plains, located between the Mantiqueira Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Its coast is carved by the bays of Guanabara, Sepetiba and Ilha Grande.

The Southern - Brazil

The Southern Region of Brazil includes the states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. It being the smallest portion of the country. It borders Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as well as the Center-West Region, Southeast Region and the Atlantic Ocean.

The region is highly urbanized and many cities are famous for their urban planning, like Curitiba and Maringa cities. It has a relatively high standard of living. The region also has a high literacy rate.

The Rio Grande do Sul has a great potential for palaeontological tourism, with many paleontological sites and museums in Paleorrota. There is a large area in the center of the state that belongs to the Triassic. Here lived Rhynchosaur, thecodonts many others saurs.

In southern Brazil, the immigrants from German, Italy, Ukrainia and Austria specially settled in colonies, which were rural areas, composed of many small farms, settled by the families. Some of these colonies had a great development and gave birth to major Brazilian cities, such as the former German community of Joinville or the former Italian community of Caxias do Sul. Other colonies did not have a great development and remained small and agrarian. In these places, it is possible to feel more intensely the impact of the immigration, as many of these towns are still predominantly settled by a single ethnic group.

The European immigrants were accustomed to a wheat-based diet, and introduced wine, leaf vegetables and dairy products into Brazilian cuisine. When potatoes were not available they discovered how to use the native sweet manioc as a replacement. Barbecue, Fondues, Chocolates, Pasta dishes are also very popular in this region for our hapiness.

Central West - Brazil

This Region is right in the heart of Brazil, representing 18.86% of the national territory.

Here is located Brasilia, the Brazilian Capital.

A flat landscape, alternating great chapadas and plain areas, Mato Grosso presents three different ecosystems: cerrado, Pantanal and the amazon Rainforest. The vegetation of the open pasture covers 40% of the state and the National Park Chapada dos Guimarães, with its caves, grottos, tracks and water falls.

In the north is the Amazonian Rainforest, with a huge biodiversity.
The Xingu National Park and the river Araguaia are located here. Further south, the Pantanal, the world largest plain covered with water, is the habitat for almost a thousand species of animals, with many aquatic birds.


The Pantanal covers 12 municipalities and presents an enormous variety of plants and silvan animals, with forest, natural sand banks, savannahs, open pasture, fields and bushes.

The annual rainfall is 1.500 mm. January is the warmest month, with mean maxima of 34°C (93.2°F) and minima of 24°C (75.2°F) and more rain; July experiences the coldest temperatures, with mean maxima of 25°C (77°F) and minima of 15°C (59°F) and sun.

The most central of the Brazilian States and most populous of the region, Goiás presents a landscape of plateaus and chapadões. In the height of the draught, from June to September, the lack of rain makes the level of the River Araguaia go down and brigs up almost 2 km of beaches.

At the Emas National Park in the municipality of Chapadão do Céu, it is possible to observe the typical fauna and the flora from the region. At the Chapada dos Veadeiros the attractions are the Canyons, valleys, rapids and waterfalls.

Northeast Region - Brazil

Amazing Beachs or Water Falls and Horses...?

Northeast region is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piaí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia and it represents 18,26% of our territory.

Salvador was the first brazilian capital. Its located in Bahia.

The population in this region representes 28% of the total number of in whole country.
When the first Portuguese came to Brazil his first steps were in Bahia state, so we can find unique folklore, music and literature, the sertao and the birthplace of Brazil in this special region.

Dishes particular to the region include carne de sol, farofa, acaraje, vatapa, pacoca, canjica, pamonha and moqueca and many others.

If you decide switch beaches for water falls then you can go to Chapada Diamantina.

This National Park is located in Bahia and has a dramatic landscape with high plains, table-top, and steep cliffs or towers known as "tepuy . A perfect scenery for a ride and after that a sunset contemplation!!!

Northern Region - Brazil

SSSSAVE THE PLANET. IT'S ASKING YOU FOR THIS...

AMAZONAS!!! Well, this is the word that we brazilian people call women who ride horses...

But, of course we are talking about the largest river in the world!

This region is the largest but also is the least inhabited of the country. For those who prefer numbers, the northern corresponding to 45.27% of the national territory! WOW!!! And talking about people, they're only 3.8 inhabitants per km2.

What else can we say about this fabulous brazilian part???

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforest and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.

The diversity of plant species is the highest on earth with some experts estimating that one square kilometre may contain over 75,000 types of trees and 150,000 species of higher plants.
Oh no... Higher plants isn't such a appropriate place to have our horse back holidays... We'll see...

One square kilometre of Amazon rainforest can contain about 90,790 tonnes of living plants. This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. One in five of all the birds in the world live in the rainforests of the Amazon. To date, an estimated 438,000 species of plants of economic and social interest have been registered in the region with many more remaining to be discovered or catalogued.

Excuse me guys... ButI have to stop here and say that it's something which makes me really proud about my country!!! Its biodiversity! Incredible. Isn't it?

The economy of the North Region is essentially based on the vegetal plantation and extraction, such as latex, acai (to be continued)...

It better I continue to write later cause now I have to have an acai bowl!!! Has anyone ever tasted this fruit? According to my swiss friends its tastes many fruits, flavors and smells in just one spoon! Brilliant definition, girls.
...woods, and nuts; and mineral extraction of gold, precious stones, beautiful cassiterite, and tin (metal); as well as mining exploitation, mainly iron and manganese.
The population of northern Brazil is largely made up of Caboclos, descendants of Indians and Portuguese of course...
The north of Brazil has received and continues to receive large migration of people from other regions.