Interview with Eduardo Peláez
September 21, 2005
Eduardo Peláez, has studied the Paso horses for many years. With his brothers he is the owner of El Criadero El Salado, located in the city of El Retiro in the state of Antióquia. Eduardo has been a pioneer in the exportation of horses to the United States, and also the breeder of many important horses such us: Vitral, Romancero, el As, La Teoría among others.
How did your breeding farm began?
El Criadero El Salado, is a family business of 3 brothers, Pelaez-Vallejo brothers, it began with my grand father in el Retiro Antióquia. Ricardo Pelaez Correa, that was my grand father name, he bred paso horses in a antique way, with little technique, without interest in the genetics. He used to ride his horses in el Retiro, our farm was a inheritance, although from the breeding lines of my grand father it was very little what we received. The only horse we got from my grand father was Don Paco (Out of Contest) a son of Oro Negro. Being little we used to ride the mare la Gasolina mother of Don Paco, a excellent mare. They were horses that were kept in stalls, ridden and nothing more. Then the farm grew and in 1979, the 3rd of June the breeding farm of the Pelaez-Vallejo brothers began, by buying the mare Casquivana (Carnaval) who was champion in 1977. Until now, only 1 or 2 horses do not descend from this mare.
Which breeder do you admire, and why?
The Ernesto Urrea Sucesores, and specially Alejandro Urrea, one of the persons that knows the most about Paso horses breeding, he is original and creative. They have produced very important horses such us Monarca de Besilu, La Ginebra, Extasis, La Alegría.
Which horse would you like it to be yours?
In this moment there are very few horses I admire, I think the Paso Fino is in a low stage. Tormento maybe, he is very good but not of the quality of horses like Símbolo de Besilu or Vitral, in this moment I have 6 offspring out of Tormento. El Clásico de Plebeyo, is an interesting horse but I don’t like that many of his offspring are in trocha. I admire Capitán de la Vitrina, I don’t like his buckskin color, his legs, I think the legs have to be different, not like a trochador. I don’t like Cortesano, for his phenotype, his male offsprings look like fillies, I wouldn’t cross a mare with this horse. Cortes, is the one I like the least. I think the Paso Fino is in a low stage. Tormento, is a horse with great pedigree, natural fino, I have ridded him and his offspring are very good, the six that I have. One of the offspring out of Tormento has a very important pedigree, the mother is La Lógica del Salado, la Logica mother is La Utopía del Salado, a Profeta de Besilu offspring in La Teoría, Vitral mother, she lacks bríos, but her pedigree is excellent. I notice that Tormento is transmitting his natural fino, when his offspring are born they are fino, this is a great quality. I didn’t like the Nationals (Colombia) the horses were very largo, with legs like pistons, they sound fino but don´t look good, not collected. The harmony is a word that is out of the regulations that Símbolo de Besilu had. We are loosing “Finura” for a hard sound in the board.
And a breeding mare?
I admire many mares, La Teoría, Vitral´s mother, from this bloodline there have been great products. I have a son of la Teoría and Símbolo de Besilu, his name is Murmullo del Salado, gray, excellent horse, a horse with a future, he has the quality of Vitral or better, with more bríos. Teoría in the feminine side, has a filly with Profeta de Besilu with no bríos, but excellent. Also with la Teoría there is a colt out of el As, very good one. Of el Ego(Rescate X daughter de Capuchino) I have a colt with a mare named Alicia Adorada (Amadeus X Teoría) a very fino mare, this colt will be competing soon. Of this mare Alicia Adorada I have a filly with Tormento which I consider to be the best filly I have ever breed.
La Alegría (Resorte IV) of the Urrea, is another excellent mare, they began to modernize their farm with this mare. La Tempestad II (Cerezo X Tempestad I), Rescate´s mother. La Tiznada full sister of la Florencia de Santillana and mother of Bribón.
Which dead horse would you bring to life and why?
Vitral and Contrapunto.
Which Paso Fino Stallion do you consider has been the most influential one?
Resorte IV, in his time. Then Amadeus, the most influential of all in Paso Fino, although he has taken out the breed collection and power in the hands.
Which stallion has not fulfill your expectations?
Símbolo de Besilu, Símbolo´s race is antique, this because Contrapunto is an antique horse, and la Ginebra also is an antique mare, Monarca de Besilu´s mother, this mare is the one that is transmitting the wide legs and the fallen hips, that we see in Símbolo´s offspring.
Who is going to be the next Paso Fino World Champion in Puerto Rico?
Maybe Tormento. If Imponente stays in gait, he is better than Tormento, but it is very difficult for him to get in gait.
A competition that you have in your mind that you remember the most?
A bad one, the Medellín – Feria de las Flores in the year 2004, also the Feria de La Ceja of this year. The 72 months and older mare fino competition in the Nationals, it was a very bad competition, where la Pincelada de la Florida (Candelero x Media Noche) won.
That I remember a good one, when Símbolo de Besilu came for the first time to Colombia in Medellín, it was great, the emotions and the generosity of the people, people left aside the regionalisms.
What can you tell us about el As?
If there is one horse with a better pedigree I would like to see him. The Vitral bloodline I think is excellent. I think he is the horse with the best pedigree in the world, with better bríos, and his phenotype, his offspring are excellent. I have some full trained mares out of him and a very good colt, we are going to begin to see very good products out of him, of lots of quality, the filly that David Castro sold in the United States, they told me she is great.
Vitral is considered to be one of the best horses that have existed in the Paso Fino world, also because of his reproductive potential that we can see in horses like Imponente and la Pecadora among others. What did you considered to cross Terremoto de Manizales with la Teoría?
After seeing Terremoto de Manizales in La Ceja show, I realized that all that was told about Terremoto de Manizales was truth. He walked great, his hands were great, he had perfect hips. I liked his Rescate bloodline. I saw him as a beautiful horse, and another thing I liked about him was that he didn’t have Resorte IV´s lines. I thought that with la Teoría´s low hands and Terremoto de Manizales`(?) ones, something very good should come out. I also consider it as good luck.
What do you think about Terremoto de Manizales?
In his time he was the best Paso Fino ever, he left a very important bloodline, but in my opinion he didn’t leave many good offspring.
Do you like better the judging in the United States or in Colombia?
None, but between the two I prefer the Colombian one. I liked the old system better, where the judges argued, there was debate, they could talk and explain. With good honorable judges.
What do you think of the horse Comisario de la Palmera?
About Comisario, I don’t like his mother. Capitán, his father, is a great horse, but with defects. I saw Comisario in the United States when he almost won against Símbolo de Besilu, in that competition, he walked very good. The board of this horse is great, I think he is in debt with his offspring, he lacks phenotype, and his anger doesn’t help him.
Which is your secret having a relatively small farm and having horses of such a great quality?
Because I breed for the pleasure of breeding, not for the business, or for the appearances. Because I don’t think in the buyers, or the opinion of others, because I have been able of having self criteria. We have originality in the crossings, we think in the colt or filly that is going to be born not in the buyers money, breeding for the pleasure of breeding, being selective. Not crossing with a certain horse because we own him or is known, but because we like him. The perseverance is also important.
What did Romancero mean in your breeding farm?
He was a very important horse, he gave us Síntesis, la Teoría’s mother. We couldn’t cross him with many mares, because we only had a few. He gave to the breed a lot of brío, finura and steady hips.
You have bred Paso horses that are distinguished for their temperament. Do you think this is a defect or something positive?
A positive aspect, that many times stops the horses to go to a show ring, but they can become stallions. We breed for us.
Why have you choosen David Castro as the trainer of some of your horses?
For his prestige, he is an intelligent person, original, with self personality.
Which is the greatest lost suffered by your farm?
A complete sister of el As. Her name was Luz, her legs and hands were incredible, she died of pneumonia, we couldn’t get a offspring out of her.
What do you think of crossing Colombian Paso Fino Horses with Puerto Rican one’s?
I haven’t used it, and I don’t feel like using that crossing, I have been told that Puerto Rican horses lack brios. I can’t talk because I haven’t seen them.
Interview by: Sebastián Correa Asmar
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