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Correspondence
I'm here on invitation from their Equestrian Federation - their fledgeling Endurance committee is working towards building Endurance as a significant sport here. Hoping to create a pool of FEI Endurance riders, to learn the basics of training, management and competition, and to host their own quality FEI events. Steve and Dinah Rojek are also here on invitation, bringing their wealth of knowlege and experience, and Dinah's comprehensive presentation on Endurance - how to get started, and how to excel.
The Federation, Commission, Endurance Committee Their Endurance program started with their first real event in October 2001. They have their own set of rules, adopted by the Federation, which primarily mirrors FEI rules, with some exceptions for issues dealing with children and junior riders and sponsorship (similar to AERC). Some of the riders have participated in rides outside of Colombia, but for the most part they are learning on their own - reading, studying training physiology, following internet discussions, inviting speakers and experts, making many of the mistakes that most newcomers to the sport make, but steadily making progress. They are somewhat limited by their terrain, which can be quite steep and rocky, but are constantly scouting new places to ride. Recently they've identified a National Park which is encouraging more public use, and will give them a course with better footing - something they will need in order to meet FEI qualification and speed requirements. The demographics of their Endurance community are similar to ours (USA) - middle class people, juggling jobs, kids and their horse passion.
Gregory became involved with horses, scouting Argentina for good horses and breeding stock, and eventually caught the Endurance bug, and now I believe his is hooked. He has several nice prospects now, and is setting his sights on competing in the 2010 WEG in Lexington. He's serious about the sport, and I'm sure he'll make it. When I put my Orlov cross mare on the market last year (very nice horse, but more of a handful than I wanted at the time) Gregory made an offer - Ok - but I guess I'll have to come to Colombia to see her! So here she is (Nature's Cleopatra) and here I am too! Gregory helped set this trip in motion - the seminar, the endurance event (next week), and the introductions between us (myself and the Rojeks) and the other Equestrian Federation and Endurance committee members. - so that's the beginning. more later- Steph -back to main page- COMISION DE ENDURO Sr. DIEGO ARBOLEDA Sr. JORGE ENRIQUE VILLA Sr. MAURICIO MUTIS Sr. DANIEL VASQUEZ Sra CAROLINA BARRAQUER Sr. GREGORY SMETEK Sra. Maria Eugenia de Mendoza. Coordinadora COMITÉ EJECUTIVO Dra. Ma. Eugenia de Mendoza, Presidente MY(r). Héctor Suárez Mayorga, Vicepresidente Dr. Carlos Esteban Jaramillo, Secretario Dr. Israel Bluman, Tesorero Dr. Rene Verswyvel, Vocal SECRETARIA GENERAL Rosario García de Martínez. REVISOR FISCAL Iván Novella -Principal Pedro Arturo Díaz M. -Suplente MIEMBROS DEL TRIBUNAL DISCIPLINARIO Dr. Jorge Ortiz Rubio Dr. Miguel Francisco Zornosa General Jairo Duvan Pineda Niño 
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Colombia - Bogota - it's safe, it's beautiful, the people are wonderful, the
food is fantastic. I really didn't know what to expect, I know so little
about this lovely country with such a bad reputation. They have a great
president now, Uribe, just re-elected for his second term - he's hard
working, business minded, determined to defeat the guerillas and restore
Columbia to a nation of diversity and prosperity. Colombia has great natural
resources - and coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean sea. Land
of coffee, and high country of the Andes. (and unfortunately land of coca
and poppies too). Colombia is second in the world for biodiversity. Major
exporter of emeralds and cut flowers (that alone should be worth a lot of
good will!). Bogota is a densly packed city of 7 million people, spilling up
into the mountains, architecure of Spanish style - red bricks, red tile
roofs. Traffic is horrible, they brag that if you can drive in Bogota, then
you can drive anywhere in the world. The taxi rides have been quite
exciting. It's fairly clean, with a huge national park that stretches across
much of the city. We haven't seen the poor sections of the city, which
certainly exist, but what we have seen is delightful. Tight winding roads,
colorful brick and adobe, lucious vegetation - a mix of tropical and high
elevation - flowering broadleafs, cedars and pines, and flowers flowers
everywhere.
My first exposure to anything Colombian was when I met Gregory Smetek. In
2005 he came to Idaho for the Arabian Nights ride. He was scouting for
Endurance horses, and brought one of his prospects to the ride. Gregory is a
dual Colombian/USA citizen - an American father, and Colombian mother. His
story is Colombian though - his parents met in Spain (father an Airforce
pilot on duty, mother on a student vacation), lived in the USA for several
years, eventually moved to Colombia where they started restaurant and
cafeteria businesses. The political climate in Colombia was gradually
worsening, with growing anti-American sentiment, violence was increasing and
Gregory's father was killed by a bomb placed in one of their cafeterias. His
mother raised the children (Gregory, age 3, and two older sisters) alone,
growing the business and eventually selling it. His mother and one sister
moved to Miami, and Gregory now splits his time between Miami and Colombia,
growing his import business.