2014 NAPHA ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCE
Our annual membership conference was held in Fort Worth,
Texas, February 29-March 1, 2014, and was quite the success! Attending members engaged in a very productive meeting on Friday
followed by an evening social hour and dinner. During the dinner, Dr.
Jorge Galante, Vicky Shelton and Terry Jarchow -- three of our longtime members -- received special recognition for their years of dedication to our organization and the breed. NAPHA intends to continue
this annual presentation to recognize more of our members for their
efforts. Congratulations to these very deserving recipients!
The business meetings of the RAC and the board were very
productive and focused on the branding and marketing of the horse.
On Saturday, the meeting moved to Weatherford, Texas, to the
beautiful Rancho Santos The clinic was hosted by Horacio and Mary
Kay Santos. There were more than 50 members in attendance, including judges from three countries who participated in the discussions.
The facilitator of the clinic was Pepe Risso, Jr., who began with a brief
presentation on the origins and evolution of the Peruvian horse. Other international judges included Lionel Peralta from Costa Rica and
Roque Benavides from Peru. The group of U.S. judges included both
current judges and applicant judges.
Risso began by explaining the different bloodlines: northern,
Lima and southern. He spoke also of the benefits of combining the
bloodlines to take advantage of the positive qualities of each.
After Risso’s introduction and Benavides’ presentation on
judging standards, horses were exhibited. Judges commented on and
placed horses as if they were judging a show.
The first “class” focused on conformation. The judges discussed harmony of build and the fact that the Peruvian horse should
have a bit more angle in the shoulder and hock than most other
breeds. If the horse’s shoulder angle is too steep, the horse’s movements tend to be choppy and will lack extension and looseness. The
back should not be too long and the tail should be set low and carried
flat and still. Faults include “sickle hocks,” “rope walking,” weak suspensory ligaments and overly long pasterns, according to the discussion.
The discussion of breeding division included emphasis on gait.
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