New beginnings, new things, new hopes, new and renewed dreams, new year, the birth of something unexpected and exciting. It is also a time for reflection, early cleaning of the cobwebs from your closet and your mind, setting goals for the year. This is the time when I like to give a facelift to things, to rearrange my thoughts, my agenda, my goals like furniture in a room; and bring in something new, a welcome addition. The photo in the logo is a colt just three months old and representing the combined old with the new - a renewed beginning. He is the best of the old Mahoma lines and that of the renewed Majestuoso-Curioso lnes. I hope that everyone's New Year is rife with everything special and it bears witness to the unfolding of your heart's desires.

    Congresista de Besilu

The painting entitled "Foreboding" is created by Arizona artist  Wendi Evans, a self-taught, self-styled painter, who creates imaginative yet real portrait pieces from a limited pallete of only two to four colors. Her love for animals has prompted her to specialize mainly in the painting of them including commissioned portraits of pets. Wendi's works are in the mediums of acrylics, oils, colored pencils and graphite.

Wendi has captured the undeniable essence of Congresista de Besilu that is his forebearers of Rescate through Resorte III, and maternally through his Patrimonio del Ocho line. There is royalty on both sides of this fence. Congresista is "packing."

This painting of Congresista de Besilu is an 18 X 24 gallery wrapped acrylic and is available for sale. You can view this and Wendi's other works at

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/wendi-evans.html

or

http://animalart.weebly.com/.

You can also contact her through the website or at Wendiebcr@aol.com.

 If you would like any of Wendi's paintings or a commissioned portrait done by her in unique colors and styles, drop her a line; you'll be glad you did.

CONFEPASO Mundial Paso Fino World Championship held every two years, hosted by the different member countries, is being held this November 16 - 20, 2011, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It will, as usual, be live-stream on line. For more information, go to http://www.pasofinohorsedirectory.com/Forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1531&page=1

The Paso Fino Grand National Championship Show is live stream on the following link. It's September 25, 2011 through October 1, 2011:

http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/39thPFHAGrandNatl/

The auction for the Debbie King Fire Fund on the "Fire" painting has ended as of April 24, 2011. An amount of $600.00 was the final bid by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The painting is planned to be placed in a prominent place of honor. Thanks to everyone who participated. It was for a very worthy cause. It was a successful auction all the way around. Thank you for your help and participation; it is greatly appreciated by all involved in this auction.

Photo by C. Gascon - Horse Haven Paso Finos

Salgareno de Rescate, black, beautiful and in the buff, Mr. Dominican Republic himself, as that is where he hails from, even though he is of Full Colombian bloodlines. He has travelled the world, spending his youth  in Venezuela, and now his retirement in the USA.

Salgareno, aka "Salgi," is a direct Rescate son of the famous Resorte bloodline, specifically Resorte III, what I consider the best Resorte line hands down. Salgi is one of the few Rescate sons still alive. He typifies everything that is Paso Fino -  color, size, temperament, gait, his personality, brio, excitement, and the great beauty of his Spanish heritage.

These bloodlines of Resorte III through Rescate are very prepotent, and the characteristics specific to his father and grandfather are easily recognizable from his conformation down to the gait of his hooves and personality, including the quirks of his tongue girations and jaw-flapping.

Salgareno de Rescate is pictured with his nemesis, Miss America Runner Up. Salgi says: "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!" His natural beauty is what it is, just as the natural beauty of his gait "is what it is." Don't question it, don't reason why - just accept and appreciate it as it is and for what it is - a la naturale.

"Zero to 60" is Jonelle T. McCoy's latest painting - her depiction of a Largo-Speed Paso Fino. In Spanish, Largo means "long," as in stride. It is a longer stride in a four-beat gait at a high rate of speed. Some Largo-gaited speeds of Paso Finos have been clocked at 30 plus mph. It can be and is done while maintaining that ultimate four-beat natural gait that is inherent in the Iberian-blooded, Spanish Paso Fino. This is the fashion in which all equines probably once traveled, on all four's, singularly stepping; but the Paso Fino is one of the few breeds left that still does it, and does it in a most spectacular way! It has been carried through from generation to generation for many, many centuries.

While there really is no such thing as a "LARGO HORSE" per se, like everything else, there are individual Paso Finos that excel at it and are faster. Even Classically-gaited FINO Paso Finos , many of them, do a nice largo and canter.

To view more of Ms. McCoy's parade of art in all it's glorious rainbow of colors, take a peek at her new Website, "McCoy's Gaited Horse Artworks" at http://www.mccoysgaitedhorseartworks.com. There you will see most of her collection of art in various categories that she has painted over the years, including Event work, Specialty Themes, and Portraits of both people and animals. So enjoy your cruise through her art pages, as you stop to peruse her "Fav-Savs," her "Keepers-Weepers," and photos of her very own paso finos.