As some of you know I lost my beloved riding partner and company mascot, Cosette, last August to dreaded colic. Since then I have been looking for another horse and a good many hours were spent on the internet searching for my next mount which had to be a Lusitano or Andalusian. Last September my husband accompanied me to Northern Vermont to look at a 3 year old Lusitano which had just been started under saddle. Sadly after making the long car trip up there the horse was displaying a head-shaking type problem which turned me off. After that I stayed more local for a while looking at a few horses in NJ, none of which struck my fancy. The winter was cold and my desire to start a young horse at that time was non-existant. Then once spring arrived with all its flowery splendor, my passion to ride started to make its strong presence once again known. Realizing to find my dream horse I may have to travel to the west coast where the Iberian horse is more prevalent I started to expand my search. Through much networking a breeder in Kentucky told me about a breeder in Oregon who was liquating her herds. With a lot of persistance on my end to gather more information, I was convinced I would find my next horse there since they had a fair amount of horses for sale. I booked my flight and traveled to Oregon in the middle of June. It was a wonderful trip. From Newark, NJ I went to Salt Lake City then flew into a tiny 2 gate airport in Lewiston Idaho which was the closest airport to my destination, Lostine, Oregon. I traveled 2 hours by car on a very windy road along steep clifs. Luck was on my side as the road was free of the sometimes occasional boulder which would roll down and block the way so I was told. Having no cell phone coverage would have made it a bit more of an adventure than I cared to experience. Anyway the weather was picture perfect and I arrived in Lostine in no time. The views along the way of this pristine countryside were glorious (sans developments, strip malls or condo buildings). The folks where the sale horses were being kept were delightful and the owner/seller showed me Amatoro first as he knew this horse had the movement for dressage. Right from the start I really liked his calm eye and disposition, sensitive nature and lovely movement but coming over 3,000 miles away I wanted to see more horses. And so I did. Spending the next day with herds of Lusitanos and Andalusians on a mountain top in northern Oregon was a soul touching experience. None of the horses had been handled very much and some were extremely timid. Having the horse trot on a lead line was not going to be happening here! After seeing many prospects I decided to make an offer on Amatoro. The next day I was able to see Amatoro again which confirmed my decision that he was the horse for me. An hour later I had to head back to the airport and witnessed a cattle drive somewhere in Washington. This definitely was a charming completion to my trip as this easterner headed back home.
