Kim recently had the wonderful opportunity to ride Elvis HI in the inaugural U.S. Lusitano Conference, held February 6-8 at May Faire Oaks Farm in Loxahachee, Florida. The symposium was organized by the United States Lusitano Association (USLA), who put on two masterclasses taught by Kyra Kyrklund and Pedro Torres. There was a day of seminars on various topics, all about and around this wonderful breed, a special dinner for the Breeder members and a Gala dinner for everyone interested to attend.
Below is an excerpt from the article featuring Kim and Elvis’ session with Pedro:
Elvis is not the typical Lusitano in his looks or in his big gaits. Pedro offered many ways to help him articulate the hindlegs to engage better. Of course, transitions and slowing down the tempo, but also leg yielding across the diagonal at the walk, trot, and canter, making the angle steeper. Another one was leg yielding at the canter with the head against the wall. He asked many times, not only to Kim but to all the riders, to give the reins and let the horse have freedom in front.
“If I put my hands down into someone shoulders, that person can’t move free,” he said. “The back of the Lusitano is the best because it’s elastic, but it’s also bad because it tends to be weak”.
We watched how Elvis progressively sat more comfortably on his hindlegs and performed in harmony with Kim.
“Riding is supposed to be a dance but both rider and horse need to be dancing the same music,” he stated.
Kim would like to thank the organizers at USLA for their dedication and help with organizing the symposium. What a great opportunity it was to work with Pedro to learn more about this special breed and the intricacies of developing them!
Kim also expressed her gratitude to Ailene Cascio, who saw Elvis’ potential as a young horse, and Jorge Gabriel, who imported him from Brazil. “It has been quite a journey with this guy,” stated Kim, “as he is expanded the tools in my toolbox of finite aids. Such an honor and I am truly grateful for the amazing opportunity Elvis HI, you are one of a kind looking forward to what the future holds!”
Many thanks to Carmen Elisa Franco for taking these awesome shots of Elvis HI and Kim at the 2023 Lusitano Symposium, which she covered for Eurodressage.
To read the full article on the Lusitano Conference, please visit EuroDressage.
