| The
Mantequilla Awakening Compiled by Shirley Reese and appeared originally in several publications |
| Sire: Dam: |
*Piloto Limena |
Birthdate: Deceased: |
October 1, 1960 June 1982 |
Bred By: Color: |
Alfredo Elias V of Ica, Peru Palomino |
1982 · Of all The Peruvian horses I have known. Mantequilla is
the most under rated. It may seem a bit strange to say that a horse is under
rated when he has been crowned Champion of Champions. But. Mantequilla is
to me, much more than Champion of Champions. His is the perfect blending
of the old type of Peruvian Paso and the modern version.
In his era, Mantequilla was a national hero in Peru. His photograph could
be found in magazines newspapers. advertisements and on record jackets.
Peruvians of all social classes recognized him instantly whenever he appeared
in parades or exhibitions.
But he was not accepted well by many of the Peruvian breeders. They downgraded
him because of his size and color. To me, it was all the more proof of his
extraordinary quality that a horse with two such handicaps could climb high,
a National Champion of Champions.
Mantequilla's gait was everything that could have been desired. Peruvian
aficionados called him a "A Swiss Watch", and personally, I think
Swiss Watches were receiving a great compliment. The precision of his gait
has not been approached by any other champion I have seen during my fourteen
year association with this breed. He was so smooth that a person could not
detect any movement whatever in his rider, even in a slow motion movie.
His gait was fast, but more than that, it was extremely efficient. His carriage
was stunning. He carried his head so high that his chest sometimes was further
forward than his throat latch. He would cross an arena at top speed, with
no more appearance of effort than is given by a swan floating on a lake.
I remember thinking of him that it was a shame a horse's height is measured
to the withers. If their height were measured to the tops of their heads,
he would have been a giant. When Mantequilla was competing with El Cid for
Champion of Champions in 1966, it was unbelievable to see that Golden Head
thrust higher into the air than El Cid's - even though El Cid was a full
three inches taller at the withers.
Between 1967 and 1969, I received a phone call almost every month from a
gentleman in Ohio. Our conversations were about Peruvian Paso horses, and
they seldom lasted less than an hour. One evening in 1969, we were talking
and he asked me "what horse was the best in the Peruvian breed".
I asked him. "Best, in what way?"
He answered, "The most impressive."
"Mantequilla," I told him.
"Could he be bought?" I thought the question was strictly theoretical,
and I said "I felt that the horse could be bought and exported because
of his color - even though no Champion Of Champions had ever been permitted
to leave Peru".
Two days later, in the mail, I received the largest check I had ever seen.
Roy Mason, of Swanton, Ohio, a man whom I had never met (except on the phone),
was sending me to Peru to try and get Mantequilla. There had never even
been the formality of a written word between us - let alone a contract.
I don t think Mr. Mason had ever regretted "Taking the Risk."
......Vern Albright
PARKAY . . . NON MANTEQUILLA!! A well-known slogan repeated time and time
again on Spanish speaking media. Yet, we in the world of Peruvian Paso's
are well aware there has never and never will be a substitute for that legendary
Peruvian Paso stallion, *Mantequilla. He was born butter in color; at this
time in the history of the breed Palomino was not a desired shade as most
breeders were trying to change the mode of greys and roans to chestnut.
Being the first born (1960) of his famous sire *Piloto he in all his glory made an impact upon the small country of Peru despite his differences and soon won the respect and admiration of his countrymen. Because of his decisively unusual and obvious qualities he was, indeed, noticed. Upon entering the show ring he was soon noted as being a horse of a different color in more ways than one. Articles and pictures were published concerning the Bright new Star, a stallion of gold, consisting of outstanding stamina, disposition, strength, indescribable beauty, and a one of a kind smooth Gateado gait. Being a mere 14.1 hands in size he soon became a Giant in the industry. His pictures were soon used by various advertisers depicting their product, etc. You can imagine his breeder , Alfredo Elias Vargas, was held in high esteem.
At this time few Peruvian horses were being imported into the United States. It was difficult for the American horse owners to accept a slightly smaller breed of horse as Bigger and Better has become an American way of life. Yet, as the old expression, "Great things come in Small packages", the first ride upon their back tends to bring a startled joyful smile to the face of the rider and the world becomes a smoother domain at the tips of their fingers.
In 1965 *Mantequilla became the toast of the town by beating out many fine Peruvian Paso stallions to become Peru's National Champion of Champions Breeding Stallion. He continued winning high honors during the next few years. Meanwhile, a young man from the United States had become well aware of the extraordinary pisos and attributes of this fine young stallion while attending various shows in Peru. Always alert as to ways of bettering the breeding practices of the few American breeders he was interested to the point of jumping at the chance of importing him into the states. Consequently, after two years of Peruvian Paso discussions with a breeder of Morgan horses (via telephone) he had managed to arouse the interest of Roy Mason from Ohio. Roy had decided he wanted the Best Quality money could buy, thus *Mantequilla became his and Verne Albright's prime target.
After much deliberation *Mantequilla arrived to the U.S. and proceeded to wait out his importation quarantine. He became the first Champion of Champions to arrive (from Peru) and also sold for the largest amount of money of any Peruvian Paso imported up to that day.
Finally, arriving in Ohio in 1969 he again raised quite a stir. Ohio, being a bit far from most California and Texas breeders caused him to be out of reach for dedicated breeders. In 1975 *Mantequilla was purchased by a religious group in Espinoza, New Mexico then moved to their facilities. This, again was an inappropriate location for the stallion even though the group considered him strictly a business transaction. Very few breeders took advantage of their chance to breed to such a great stallion. A few had the foresight to introduce this blood into their future breeding programs.
Just three short years later (1978) he was sold to his final owners; Marshal & Shirley Augustine of Claremont, California. The public had some access to *Mantequilla at this location and again a few breeders took advantage of this fact. Marshal and Shirley allowed the animal to live out his final days in a huge area where he lived and ran free (as all great stallions should) until the day of his final resting place in June 1982.
*Mantequilla's Spirit Lives On In His Get and In Thier Get. His Contribution To The Breed Of The Peruvian Paso World Will Never Be Ignored Nor Will We, As Breeders, Let It Be Forgotten. There is Only One *Mantequilla in a Lifetime!
 This third edition has
been expanded to 432 pages. Information has been added on Bloodlines, training,
famous horses and famous personalities in the breed. It contains a complete
list (including 1993) of Champions and Champion of Champions at the National
Shows in the U.S. & Peru. A beautiful 8 1/2 x 11" collector's quality
book containing many outstanding color photographs.This classic book has
been unavailable ever since the second edition sold out over a decade ago!
·Perfect for gift-giving - sure to become a collector's item! |
To order your own copy go to "The Peruvian Paso and His Classic Equitation"! Home Page |
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