Keron Psillas | Dominique and Debra Barbier

Posts Tagged ‘Keron Psillas’

Brasil trip reports and so much more

Posted in Brazil equestrian trips, classical dressage, horses for sale, tagged Barbier Farm, Dominique Barbier, horses for sale, Keron Psillas, Lusitano, Lusitanos for sale on 07/08/2012 | Leave a Comment »

Hello Friends,

It’s been too long between blog posts, so this is going to be a long one! We are just back from Brasil, again, and of course it was a wonderful time. But let’s start with the May Expo trip….

We visited our favorite farms and spent many hours looking at beautiful Lusitanos. We spend a lot of time each year checking on the progress of the young horses. Debra keeps all her notes from trip to trip and year to year…so we know exactly which horse to recommend to our clients and we plan our visits accordingly.

After the farm visits we had a great three-day clinic at Manege Sant Adelaide with Davi Carrano, our guests, and clients from Brasil. Riding beautifully trained horses helps students to replicate the feel and movement when they go back home to their equine partners.

Then, it was on to the Expo. The big event moved this year from downtown Sao Paulo to the Helvetia Riding Center in Indaiatuba, just south of Campinas. The facility was beautiful, and much nicer for the participants, equine and human. It was great to see the Lusitanos of all ages, and watch our friends celebrate victories! Congratulations to all the exhibitors….looking forward to next year. Abraços e beijos.

Late June found us back in Brasil for a couple of reasons. We had a wonderful group from BUSHTRACKS Expeditions that were interested in seeing the culture of the Lusitano in Brasil. We visited our a few of our favorite farms and enjoyed carriage rides, working equitation, riding gorgeous Lusitanos….and of course, legendary Brasilian hospitality! Another of the highlights was filming an episode for the Masters Series with Tribuna Lusitana. I’ll post details and airing time on the blog soon! Thank you to Andrea and Jose and all the Tribuna Lusitana Team. It was a great pleasure.

And the best part (for DEBRA)….we visited her babies on several different days! We have wonderful babies and young horses (1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 year old Lusitanos) from the legendary Do Top bloodlines! We’ll be adding more images and video to the Horses For Sale page, but I’ve included a few shots in the gallery below. Enjoy!

Now….time for the July Symposium. It’s not too late to sign up….there are spaces available! Click on the Symposium link above and join us for all the learning, fun, and great food….and Vive La France! (We’ll celebrate Bastille Day on Saturday!) And speaking of FRANCE….sign up NOW for the trip to see the Four Classical Schools in Paris…..late September, early October. The link is above. Registration must close soon!

Thank you to Keron Psillas for the wonderful photographs.

: At Coudelaria del Sol

: Having fun with Querer during the clinic at Manege Sant Adelaide

: Rocas do Vouga visit

: An Alter Real horse at Coudelaria Ihla Verde

: Great fun with working equitation at the Universidade de Cavalo, with Aluisio, Trish, and a super little Criollo.

: Debra’s baby boy, Hermes DB

: Esperança, Barbier Baby

: Barbier Babies

: Barbier Babies

: Barbier babies

: Debra’s babies

: Rocas do Vouga champion with Carlos Oliveira presenting

: Valentim, with the Interagro Lusitanos

: Antonio and Fabio, Interagro Lusitanos, on the driving course at the Lusitano Expo

: Pedro Tavares Almeida on Balluarte do Mito, another Rocas do Vouga champion

: Voraz do Vouga

: Voraz do Vouga, full brother to several of our imported Lusitanos

: Coffee drying under Brasilian sun

: We always enjoy wonderful food!

: Coffee from Ricardo’s gorgeous farm

: Ricardo Wuerkert and Dominique

: Thank you, Ricardo, for a lovely day!

: Interagro Lusitanos

: Babies in the field at Interagro

: Antonio with one of the driving horses after carriage rides at Interagro

: Beginning to film for the Masters Series on Tribuna Lusitana TV, with José Nogueira Martins

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Golegã!

Posted in classical dressage, Equestrian Tourism in Portugal and Spain, tagged Barbier Farms, Dominique Barbier, Festival, Golegã, Keron Psillas, Lusitano, Portugal on 11/16/2011 | Leave a Comment »

Here is a small gallery of images that Keron created in Golegã, Portugal, over the last 8 days. If you have never been to the Festival in Golegã, Keron’s pictures will show you what you’ve missed! There are campinhos at Manuel Assuncao Coimbra’s box, people of all ages riding gorgeous Lusitanos, and atmospheric photos to give you the feel that is only Golegã. The history and culture of a horse fair in Golegã, going back nearly 500 years, is known around the world. But as a living festival, it is in a state of constant change. The one thing that does not change is the joy of people celebrating the Lusitano and the connection humans have shared with these remarkable animals for many hundreds and hundreds of years. You can see an even larger selection and read a little about her experience over on her blog: www.keronpsillas.com.

Some other items of interest:

We have secured a reduced rate at the Dry Creek Inn (click the link for their site) for all the January Symposium attendees needing lodging. It’s a very nice place…just give them a call and tell them that you are attending the Barbier Farms event.

There is a new trip on the blog. Click the page above (BRASIL for Carnival) for an outline of the trip. Please contact Debra for further details. Follow the links to see some of the places we’ll be staying. I am so happy to be going back to Trancoso and Toca do Marlin in Bahia.

For all those interested in hosting clinics in 2012, contact me ASAP. Dates are nearly filled for the year already! I’m excited to be going to South Africa, Switzerland, England, and Brasil, in addition to many clinics here in the US and Canada. With our trips scheduled in February and May to Brasil, and and others to be announced, it is going to be a very busy year, but one filled with the culture and passion of the Lusitano and classical dressage. We hope to share part of it with you.

Amities~

DDBarbier

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Getting ready for the Symposium! (and lots of other news)

Posted in Brazil equestrian trips, horses for sale, Well-being of the Horse, tagged Barbier Farms, classical dressage, Dominique Barbier, French Classical Dressage, Keron Psillas, Lusitanos for sale, Lusitanos Horses, Rocas do Vouga on 09/27/2011 | Leave a Comment »

We have just returned from Brasil (The 3rd Annual Lusitano Festival at Aguas de Lindoia) and are preparing for the 3rd installment in our Classical Series here in Healdsburg. A few of the special things we’ll be doing this weekend include a reception featuring the latest horses from Brasil, including Capaz do Mito, and a Brasilian-themed dinner in the barn Saturday night! There is space available for auditors and a very few spots for the clinic afterward on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Contact us if you are interested. We would love to have you join us. Click on the September Symposium link ABOVE for all the details.

We have some exciting news to share: A Larapio son (our breeding stallion) is headed to the World Championships for Working Equitation in Lyon, France! Unico HS, owned by Hilda Toledo Piza, will join the best horses in the world and showcase the versatility and spectacular temperament that make the Lusitano such a joy. Congratulations to Hilda, Mariana, and Fabio. Boa sortie!

Congratulations are in order too for the team behind Xama Do Top. Xama (sire of Debra’s gorgeous filly Graphica) was Champion of Champions at the Lusitano Festival in Lindoia. Xama Do Top was bred by Tonico Pereira and is owned by Victor Oliva of Coudelaria Ihla Verde. Victor’s son João Victor rode Xama for the championship and was named Champion Rider of the festival. What an outstanding achievement for this young man! Congratulations to Tonico, Victor, João, and all the team behind this marvelous horse.

We’ve been in Brasil several times this summer and our visits are not complete without seeing Debra’s herd of babies. Yes, I said HERD. Graphica, her filly by Xama Do Top, is turning into a spectacular horse. Her movement is beyond stunning and she is very lovable and easily handled. This is easy to understand given her exceptional breeding. But all the babies (and now young horses) are bred exceptionally well. Here’s a gallery of images from “the herd” including pix of Graphica, Dynastia, Fado, Fadista, Escritoria and Esperanza.

Equestrian Brasil is a-buzz with the anticipation and excitement of preparing for the Pan Am Games. It was a long and arduous selection process with outstanding teams competing for just a few slots. Rocas do Vouga will be sending Olympic Veteran Luiza Almeida with her mount Samba and rising young star Manuel Almeida with Viheste; Coudelaria Ihla Verde will send Olympic Veteran Rogerio Clementino on Sargento Do Top; Haras Juliana sends Mauro Pereira Junior to compete with Tulum Commando SN; and Fazenda Santa Izabel returns Olympic Veteran Leandro Silva with new mount L’Acteur VDL. Boa sortie and boa viagem to all the teams headed to the Pan Am Games!

After all the fun and learning in the Symposium is over we will be back to teaching in the US and our first clinic in South Africa! Click on the Clinic Schedule tab to stay updated….and contact us if you are interested in a clinic for 2012. Dates are filling very very fast.

Amities~

DDBarbier

: João Victor Oliva on Xama Do Top

: Manuel Tavares de Almeida riding Viheste

: Junior aboard Tulum

: Rogerio riding Sargento Do Top

: Xama do Top with João Victor Oliva, at Japu

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Summer round-up and some BIG NEWS!

Posted in Brazil equestrian trips, classical dressage, Tips, Well-being of the Horse, tagged Barbier Farm, Brazil, Caroline Hatlapa, classical dressage, Classicus Farm, clinic, Debra Barbier, Doma Clasica, Dominique Barbier, dressage, Equestrian Photography, French Classical Dressage, Herrenhaus Borghorst, Isabella Sonntag, Keron Psillas, Keron Psillas photography, lightness, Linda Bertschinger, Lusitano, McCrae Farm, Meditation for Two, Wu Wei Verlag on 08/25/2010 | Leave a Comment »

It’s been a very busy summer for Debra and I. This post is a sort of round-up of all the activities and a look ahead for the fall and winter.

I’m very happy to announce that Meditation for Two, my book with Keron Psillas, will be published in Switzerland and Germany, and then in Brazil! I’ll post the information on this blog when the German and Portuguese language copies are available.

This past weekend we hosted a clinic at our home in Healdsburg. It was a resounding success. We had 30+ participants (riders and auditors) and three days of lessons, lectures, and great food. There were 35 for dinner on Saturday night and a great time was had by all! What made the clinic such a success was this: all the participants were open and engaged. What I mean is that we were able to discuss the deepest meaning of riding and how it impacts our lives and our horse’s lives along with all the steps, how-to’s, and discussion of technique. We had participants aged 10 to 85 and in many ways, the youngest and the eldest were the most receptive. It was a magical time. I hope you’ll make plans now to join us in January (the 14th thru the 16th) for the next clinic here at home. There are limited spaces so sign up early by sending an email to Debra to reserve your spot. (Barbierfarm at aol.com)

Prior to the clinic at home I made a tour of the US with stops in Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Illinois. Ridiculously hot weather was the common denominator, but happy horses and riders was a close second. It was great to be back in Virginia at Classicus after a long hiatus, and it was good to see regular students progressing at all the other stops. Keep up the good work! Congratulations are in order for the group at Jill McCrae’s farm in Grayslake, Illinois. They performed a great show in late July. It had to have been pretty spectacular to see all the Lusitanos with their riders in costume. We had a visit at Jill’s from Nancy at The Royal Lusitano with news of Larapio’s babies growing up and into their personalities! Best of luck to all the group for the World Equestrian Games appearances.

In early September I’ll be traveling to New Mexico for TWO clinics around Santa Fe with Ginger Gaffney and Lynn Clifford. You can see all the contact info on the clinics page. There are a very few spots left, but plenty of room for auditors. I hope you’ll join us if you are in the area….and tell your friends, too. Then I’m off to New Jersey to Castlegate Farm. Nancy Clark tells me that her new horse, Ataualpa has adjusted nicely to life in New Jersey (he hasn’t seen snow yet….). And then after that, I am in Germany, Switzerland and Greece for a series of clinics. This past July, we had a great clinic near Munich that was hosted by my German editor and publisher, Isabella Sonntag, and I am looking forward to returning to see those students and some new ones! Then I travel north of Kiel (in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein) to conduct a clinic for Caroline Hatlapa at the Herrenhaus Borghorst. Caroline was my hostess in June when I delivered the Meditation For Two lecture to a very lively audience. I’m happy to be headed back there to teach and to see many of the people I met in June. I’m working on a few other clinics for October in Germany and Switzerland and will post the details here as soon as they are available. Then I’m off to Greece! This will be my first visit to the land of Xenophon and I am really excited.

I realize this post is rather long….but there is MORE BIG NEWS!!! Debra and I will be leading a trip to Brazil in late November. Reserve your spot now as we are bound to fill up very very quickly. Brazilian hospitality, delicious food, and of course, spectacular Lusitanos will create a once in a lifetime experience. We’ve been doing this for many years now and because we have longstanding relationships with the finest breeders we can show you the best horses to suit your needs. Debra and I will be your guides, whether you are looking for your perfect equestrian partner or the perfect equestrian vacation. All the details will be available this weekend on the blog.

Here’s a gallery of images (courtesy of Keron) from a number of the clinics this summer and the clinic here at home this past weekend. Enjoy! And check out Keron’s article in Doma Clasica (a Spanish magazine dedicated to the Equestrian Art).

Let us hear from you, and please, share the blog with friends. We are gearing up for a tremendous announcement and we want as many dedicated equestrians involved as possible!

Amities~

Dominique and Debra