Nov 04, 2010 – The Chronicle of the Horse
Amintas Interagro and Leah Winston Score 71.6% to Win the High Score Lusitano Award At The Wellington Classic Dressage Autumn Challenge
The Lusitano stallion Amintas Interagro, owned by Al and Sherie Zobec, rode away as the winner of the High Score Lusitano Award at the Wellington Classic Dressage Autumn Challenge. Sponsored by the Lusitano CollectionTM, hosts of The 2011 Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction, the High Score Lusitano Award is presented to the highest scoring Lusitano at select dressage shows during the Florida dressage circuit.
Considered the “ultimate competition horse”, Amintas Interagro was shown by trainer and co-owner Leah Winston. The Lusitano stallion earned a score of 71.60% in the FEI Six-Year-Old division. “He is such a pleasure to train that I save him for my last ride everyday when we are at home,” said Winston. “I definitely believe he will show in the Grand Prix division in the future. I think he is just a dream come true, and is the most balanced and willing horse I have ever ridden. You can’t beat his temperament and he will eventually be a breeding stallion.”
Amintas Interagro, sired by Ofensor (MV), was the recipient of the Gold Medal in the One-Year-Old conformation class at the 2006 International Lusitano Show and was reserve in the Two-Year-Old conformation class the following year. The Zobecs, who own Z Stallions in Palm City, Florida, purchased him at the 2009 Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction in Wellington, Florida.
The Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction, a prestigious event featuring horses from the world’s top Lusitano breeders, gives interested buyers the unique opportunity to purchase Brazilian horses without the hassle of import fees or quarantine periods. The Lusitano CollectionTM selects all horses for auction based upon their exceptional abilities for FEI-level equestrian sports, especially dressage, jumping, and driving. The auction will take place in the United States for the fourth consecutive year at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida on February 23-26, 2011.
Leah Winston and Amintas Interagro are the first of many horse and rider combinations to win the award as The Lusitano CollectionTM is sponsoring the High Score Lusitano Award for the first time at various shows on the Florida winter dressage circuit. Their goal is to support the local Lusitano community and to highlight the Lusitano breed within the FEI-level equestrian sports. Because of the breed’s generous temperament and ease under saddle, both amateurs and professionals alike find them to be an excellent sport horse across all levels of competition. This enables amateurs, as well as seasoned Grand Prix riders, the opportunity to win the High Score Lusitano Award.
The Lusitano CollectionTM will present the High Score Lusitano Award at the GCDA Fall Fling, November 13-14, 2010; the WCD Holiday Challenge, December 11-12, 2010; the GCDA Opener CDI, January 21-23, 2011; the WCD Spring Challenge CDI, February 10-13, 2011; and the WCD Challenge II. They will also present a GCDA Year End Lusitano High Point Award.
For more information about the horses or The Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction scheduled for February 23-26, 2011 in Wellington, Florida, visit www.lusitanocollection.com. For more information on Amintas Interagro, visit www.zstallions.com.
About Interagro Lusitanos
Founded in 1975 by Dr. Paulo Gavião Gonzaga to preserve the Lusitano breed, Interagro Lusitanos is now recognized as the world’s largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses. Dr. Gonzaga started with a small band of four mares and one stallion imported to Brazil from the breed’s native Portugal; to date nearly 800 horses populate the 1200-acre ranch outside São Paolo. Today, Cecilia Gonzaga manages the farm and operations. Interagro Lusitanos are handled, prepared, and evaluated from birth, with a handful of the best stock presented at auction each year. The annual Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction gives buyers a unique opportunity to evaluate, experience, and purchase top-quality Lusitano horses in the U.S., without the complications of importation and quarantine. Interagro Lusitano horses are now successfully competing, and winning, on four continents.