Page 92 - Libro_MariaA_26agosto

María Alejandra Ramelli

his life and heart forever. That horse is like the cherry on the cake, and that was
Son Oriental for me. When we were together we were one. He was just an ex-
tension of my body. I knew his fears and favorite things to do. Just by a simple
move I’d know exactly what he would do. Always remember that there is only
one horse in our life that ends up being our own avatar.”

Maria Andrea Ospina

Maria Andrea is an ama-
teur showjumping rider.
She has a lot of experien-
ce with horses because her
aunt, who was also a jum-
per, put her in the saddle
when she was very young.
Today, Maria Andrea is the
general manager of a ri-
ding school for beginners
in Bogota, and has a lot of
knowledge about horses.

“My first horse was inhe-
rited by my aunt when I was seven years old. His name was Pijao, and he
had all the experience in the World because my aunt had been champion
of many national competitions in the eighties with him. Pijao was perfect
for me because he was a great teacher. I did my first competitions with
him, and he taught me the true value of friendship. All my life I’ve owned
a lot of horses. I once bought a mare I knew had several health problems
simply because I fell in love with her. Her former owners didn’t treat her
well. They gave her lots of tranquilizers, and sometimes left her without
food to calm her down. I worked very hard with her, and we achieved very
good results. However, her leg problems were increasing, and I wasn’t rea-
lly aware of how expensive all her veterinary treatments were going to be.
The best thing I can say to a person who is thinking of buying a horse for
the first time is to be aware of what owning a horse means. Horses are not
toys, and keeping them is quite expensive. Another great advice is to ride
with a trainer with whom you and your horse get along well. Your trainer
must have patience to do everything calmly, and treat your horse well.”

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