Pair will perform at P.R.E. National Celebration Horse Show
Heidi Gaian and Antonio Barron have been around horses most of
their lives, but they both agree that the P.R.E. National
Celebration Horse Show in Las Vegas will be one of the most
prestigious events in which they have been involved. The show
started Wednesday and runs through Saturday.
Pair will perform at P.R.E. National Celebration Horse Show
Heidi Gaian and Antonio Barron have been around horses most of their lives, but they both agree that the P.R.E. National Celebration Horse Show in Las Vegas will be one of the most prestigious events in which they have been involved. The show started Wednesday and runs through Saturday.
Gaian, who trains horses at Villa Rosa, in Hollister, rode in her first horse show at 6. Her mother, Pam Nelson, founded the local training center in 1989. Gaian focuses on dressage, a traditional style of riding.
Barron started riding horses at 5, but started showing when he was 16. His father started Rancho Alegre Andalusians 30 years ago and Barron has since taken over breeding the horses as well as training them.
He said he’s been in other shows, “but not of this caliber.”
The event is put on by the Foundation for Pure Spanish Horses and will be hosted at the South Point Casino Equestrian Center. The pair will perform to a song from “The Mask of Zorro,” and Gaian will sport the actual dress worn by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the 1998 film.
“I am normally a stick in the mud who would never do this,” she said, of performing in an elaborate costume. “But a client couldn’t go who was going to do it.”
She joked about the costume being hot and the wig being unflattering.
“Luckily, the horse doesn’t care,” she said. “Some horses do.”
The horses were selected for their temperament. Gaian plans to ride a tall, black Andalusian stallion and Barron will be riding a white Andalusian stallion.
“Both horses are stallion and it can be hard to work that close together without (the horses) trying to fight,” Gaian said. “It’s pretty cool.”
The “Zorro” theme came from the client, but Gaian said she and Barron designed the choreography around the music. She said the beginning of the music sounded perfect to have the horses cantor. Barron’s horse also knows some tricks so they incorporated those into the routine. The routine is four-minutes long, but other than the timing and the type of horse required – a Pure Spanish breed such as the Andalusian – the choreography was wide open.
“There are no parameters,” Nelson said. “It’s whoever gets the audience going.”
Barron and Gaian will be competing in the “American Idol” class.
“The audience gets to judge it and you can win $1,000,” Gaian said.
The movie dress came about because Gaian has another client who worked on the set of “Zorro” and had access to the costume.
“Once the dress arrived, we were committed,” she said.
Barron’s costume includes a black shirt, black coat and a hat, similar to what Zorro wore in the movie.
“I’ve never (ridden with a costume),” he said, after the first dress rehearsal. “It’s a little bit difficult.”
Gaian added that the horse arena is indoors so it will be air conditioned.
“A lot of the shows are just out in the dust and heat,” she said.
She added that another plus is the performers can order room service to their stalls.
Barron will be driving the horses to the event at night to avoid the hot temperatures. Gaian said they will give the horses electrolytes to keep them hydrated and Pepcid AC for their stomachs, which can get upset. They estimated the drive would be eight and half hours, the week before the trip.
“There are not normally costumes,” she said.
They will be competing against 300 other performers. The pair planned to bring a total of seven horses, and the other five will be shown in a different class in which they can win $5,000. The horses will be shown to traditional dressage music.
“We want to win, but even if we don’t we’ll have a lot of fun,” Gaian added.
Nelson added that participating in the show also allows them to promote Andalusian horses as dressage horses.
“They are really a nice, athletic horse, but they are a lot more gentle,” Gaian said. “A lot of horses that are athletic are hard to handle.”
Gaian trains horses and also works with people to teach them how to ride. She has local clients, but also travels to other places to work with owners. Barron mostly trains locally and has his clients come to him.
“Dressage is very exacting and detail oriented,” Gaian said. “Personally, I like getting a horse from being a baby all the way up.”
Barron said most horses are ready to start training when they are 3 to 3 ½ years old. Barron is the first person to ride the horses he breeds, while Gaian takes over training further down the line.
“Every horse is so different, you can’t do the same thing with every one,” Barron said. “It really is kind of scary, but it’s fun to figure it out.”
For more information on Villa Rosa, visit www.vrdressage.com; Rancho Alegre, visit http://ranchoalegreandalusians.com/; and the Foundation of the Pure Spanish Horse, visit www.yourandalusianfoundation.org.
