Flamenco is here in New Mexico. He travelled from Guadalajara, Mexico on August 18 to the border crossing at Del Rio, Tx. He was there, at a private facility until Monday, August 21 when he was checked into the quarantine station at Del Rio. He remained in quarantine until August 28, when the US shipper picked him up, along with 13 other horses. They were headed to Ft. Worth, but I arranged to meet the shipper in Ft. Stockton, TX and pick up him up there. This avoided him having to go through another week of travel while he went to their central facility in Ft. Worth to await a truck heading west on I-10. He came off the shippers trailer in a big dirt lot, next to a truck stop off of I-10, and walked right on to my trailer. We got home with him at about 2 am on Tuesday, August 29.
He has been with me for a little less than 3 weeks and has been a delight. I lunged/rode him about 5 times, starting in my round pen and progressing to my fenced arena and then my dressage arena. He was so good! So, I got brave and took him to a clinic in Mesilla, New Mexico this past weekend. We lunged him and rode him both days, just walk/trot under saddle. He was a super star! He was not frazzled by anything, he stood quietly tied to my trailer, worked quietly both days, and he loaded and unloaded like a seasoned show horse. One fortuitous outcome was that he learned to self load over the weekend too. I am just so proud of him!
Although he was started under saddle in Mexico, he is just now learning about contact and bend, etc. But, he is just super quiet and accepting of new things. I couldn’t be more pleased. The clinician, a S judge and quite well respected throughout the US, was super impressed and confirmed that I am on the right track with him.
Edited to add that I am beyond blessed to now have 2 wonderful PREs, the 13 year old that I got my bronze on last March, and now this one!!!
