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The Brazilian Mangalarga Marchador
Story and Photos by Mark LaRowe
Tashina Red Hawk, Sicangu Lakota riding Akicita, winner of Best of Show, along with her father, Shane Red Hawk, riding Tokala
estled serenely in the narrow Trout Creek valley, Vista da Serra Ranch is surrounded by the steep, rocky slopes of Montana’s Big Belt Mountains. Mature Golden Willows line the creek bottom, while lush grasses and shrubs thrive in the cool, shaded microclimate. Horses graze lazily in the meadows, and peacefulness pervades in the tight valley. While only 26 miles from Montana’s busy capital city of Helena, this place has a remote, “step-back-in-time” feel to it. It’s a thin slice of mountain paradise fully-encompassed by Federally-managed public lands and protected by a conservation easement. The last tract of privately-owned property on the wash-boarded, dead end gravel road, Vista da Serra Ranch is home to a large herd of the Brazilian Mangalarga Marchadors.
grasses and shrubs thrive in the cool, shaded microclimate. Horses graze lazily in the meadows, and peacefulness pervades in the tight valley. While only 26 miles from Montana’s busy capital city of Helena, this place has a remote, “step-back-in-time” feel to it. It’s a thin slice of mountain paradise fully-encompassed by Federally-managed public lands and protected by a conservation easement. The last tract of privately-owned property on the wash-boarded, dead end gravel road, Vista da Serra Ranch is home to a large herd of the Brazilian Mangalarga Marchadors.
Founded in 2016 by DVM Tia Nelson and P.E. Derek Brown, the Vista da Serra Ranch has grown from a single animal to 29 Marchadors, with new additions every year via the ranch’s carefully managed breeding program. The ranch itself dates back to the early 1900’s and evidence of its early operation is still in existence. As we tour the property and are introduced to each horse, Tia provides the full name, describes the features, and recites the breeding of each horse, much like a proud mother would do for each of her children. As we continue to amble and talk, the love and admiration she has for each animal, and the breed itself, is obvious and real.
Smack in the middle of a ranch culture dominated by the American Quarter Horse, the Mangalarga Marchadors are a bit of an oddity. The first thing you notice about these horses is their refined, sleek features, the tapestry of colorations, their graceful movements and those enormous, mesmerizing, expressive eyes. I was immediately taken by their beauty and demeanor.