Sisters woman greets her Brazilian gaited horses... finally

Susan Neumann of Sisters is a patient woman. It has taken 2-1/2 years, but at last she can gaze upon her small herd of Mangalarga Marchador horses.

The horses arrived in mid-August from Brazil and now graze peacefully in a pasture at trainer Clint Surplus’ Terrebonne property.

Neumann and her husband Holm visited Brazil in March 2003, taking Surplus along to help them choose six horses. The Neumanns had been exposed to the Marchador breed on previous visits and were smitten with the attributes they discovered in the national horse of Brazil. Naturally gaited, even tempered, athletic, hardy and versatile, the horses are part of every day life in much of rural Brazil.

The Neumann’s horses were selected from a large herd at the farm of Jeronimo Mesquita, in the state of Minas Gerais, northwest of Rio de Janeiro. After viewing videos and choosing six, plus two alternates, the Neumanns and Surplus were able to confirm their choices during the visit.

Importation of live animals from South American countries is fraught with difficulties, mainly due to the presence of some animal diseases that are not endemic to the United States. A strict quarantine policy is in place and the horses got no exemption.

Officials closely monitor piromlasmosis, a tick-borne disease caused by a parasite that attacks red blood cells. It is a common disease in Brazil, said Neumann.

“All Marchadors raised in the coun-tryside carry the parasite,” she said.

The treatment of piroplasmosis involves a type of chemotherapy which can have severe side effects and it is not uncommon for the treatment to be unsuccessful. This was the case for the Neumanns; four of their original six horses failed to respond in the first attempt.

A second treatment also failed and Neumann’s patience was getting strained. A serendipitous meeting with Rick Schatz, who lives in Oklahoma but has close ties with Brazil and the Marchador breed, enabled her to find yet another vet to try another round of treatment. Schatz had 12 horses going through the quarantine procedures; the Neumanns were still working on their six.

“Of the six still in treatment, three failed immediately and were sent back to the breeder,” said Neumann. “The three left were the best, two mares and one stallion. The treatments were going well and Rick came back to the United States. A change in his circumstances caused him to change his plans for importation and he gifted his horses to me,” said Neumann.

By the time the arduous treatment had at last finished and the horses were declared clear, there were 10 horses ready for shipment to the U.S. They were air transported to Los Angeles, and sent to Jet Pets, a USDA contracted quarantine facility, for seven days.

Neumann convinced a friend to do a road trip, and the two of them hauled trailers through the tangle of LA freeways to pick up as many of the horses as they could and bring them to their final destination, the quiet, grassy pastures of Terrebonne. The remainder of the horses came north with Hubbard’s Horse Transport.

“Along the way, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people,” Neumann said of the saga. “It has been a long road, but a lot of it has been pleasurable. Brazil is a wonderful country.”

Once the horses are settled, and regain some of the weight and condition lost in quarantine and transport, they will go through Surplus’ training program. He has worked with several other Marchador horses and has had great success with their training.

One of the horses, a four-year-old stallion named Zumbido (Portuguese for Zoom), is first on the list for training, and will be available in the spring for breeding. Neumann also has another Marchador stallion that has several foals on the ground.

“Now I’ll be able to start promoting the breed,” said Neumann. The imported horses are for sale, she said. For more information call 389-9744.