PPF: Angela, welcome to Perfiles del Paso Fino. Thank you very much for sharing your time with us to discuss your influence on the Paso Fino world in the United States.
AO: Welcome to this awesome interview and thank you so much for this invitation. It will always be a pleasure to get together with you, since I have known you for such a long time, from when you were a young girl.
PPF: Yes, that is right.

PPF: Angela, to get started and for those who do not know you, can you please share a bit about your beginning in Paso Fino? Do you come from an equine family tradition? How did you get started, and so on?
AO: Alright, honestly, I come from a family who has always been involved with horses. Before I was born, my parents were already in the horse world, not only with Paso Finos, but with horses in general. My father was, in every way possible, a horse aficionado. My father had Paso Fino horses; he was a huge fan of racehorses. My house included a Pinto horse, a mule, and so on. We always had all kinds of horses so, there is no starting point. Rather, I have lived my entire life involved with the Paso Fino world, to my absolute pleasure.

PPF: Moving on, being a judge must be a very complicated profession. When did you decide that this is what you wanted to do with your life?
AO: Okay, well the truth is that I did not decide this at first. I believe it was in 1997 that a Confepaso World Competition took place in Colombia in the city of Cali. That event was apotheotic! It was one of the most impressive gathering of horse people we have ever had in the history of Confepaso. But those who came from outside the country were very surprised to see that we, in Colombia, did not have women involved in the activity. There were no female riders, horse caretakers, directors, veterinarians in the technical group, announcers, and much less did we have female judges. It was an activity that was very centered around the male gender. I mean, I had ridden and shown before. In fact, at that world competition, was the first equitation activity in Colombia which took place during the 2 days prior to the actual world competition event. I judged that event, but it was more through my love of the sport rather than because I had any structure or specific formation for that. At that time, the president of Fedequinas was Hernando Mario Restrepo and he agreed that the observation of foreigners was on point. So, he asked the board of directors to share which opportunities existed for women to become involved in the activity. Thus, at that time, the board of directors invited three people to become a part of that initiative, to which 2 of us accepted. First, was Clarita Isaza, seasoned breeder of several famous horses such as stallions Impacto and Cascabel. Secondly, I accepted as well. We decided to give it a try to see what would happen and if it didn’t work out, we would step back. We received immediate support, against all expectations because at first I felt very skeptical and I turned out to be wrong. There was unconditional support and it was followed by an avalanche of events. I was actually the judge to complete the Fedequinas course the fastest. Unfortunately, Clarita Isaza passed away in a traffic accident on her way back from a competition in Monteria. It was an emotional impact because aside from being a very dear friend, she was also my partner in doing something that was not easy to do at that time. Well, I had the intention of resigning from Fedequinas, who again was headed by Hernando Mario Restrepo at the time. I will always recognize his recognition and motivation for me. He said that I now had all the more reason to finish my process in her memory. So, I decided to see what would come of it. Finally, in January of 2000, I graduated. Once I had graduated, the United States association made a call to judges already certified in other countries. I was among something like 20 or 25 judges who answered that call. Of those, about 2% of us actually stayed at that time. I remained in the process and in 2003, I graduated with the Paso Fino Horse Association and became part of the United States Equestrian Federation. Later, in 2004, I also received my certification as a judge with USEF. This has truly been a very satisfying activity. It has taken me to seeing many new places and meeting many new people. Had it not been in this way, I possibly would never have had these opportunities.

PPF: Right, and that is another question I had for you. What other breeds do you 1. Judge, and 2. Have? I have seen that you are involved with many horse breeds aside from Paso Fino.
AO: Well, as of the year 2010, or maybe as early as 1999, I was invited not to judge, but to provide support in the show ring at AgroExpo, which is a very large competition held here in Bogota, and which is a grand stage for breeds of cattle including beef and milk, there are pigs, sheep, other species, and horses of all breeds. I was invited by the Association of Arab Horse Breeders in their effort to educate Colombian judges for the Arab horse, since there were none at the time. They invited me to accompany the American and Argentinian judges in the show ring. Well, I found it delightful, and I was fascinated by the breed. My family had once owned an Arab mare many years ago and it is a fascinating breed. I mean it is a completely different concept with completely different horses, but their style is equally as fascinating. So then, I had that little tickle inside me telling me that if I wanted to be a judge of this breed, I needed to learn more in-depth information, including bloodlines and genetics that I knew completely nothing about. I asked the association to allow me to get into their stud book, which is like a registry book that is extremely structured. The Colombian stud book belongs to the WAHO, which is the world organization to which I believe 48 countries belong, including our country. They accepted and the first time I visited I was told that their executive director was going to resign, and they asked me to help them out until they found a new executive director. They proposed that I stay there and studied in the meantime. Well, since then, it has been 12 years. On September 1^st, was my 12^th anniversary of working with the association so happily! It is a job that I love and since that year, I have been the executive director for the Colombian Association of Arab Horse Breeders. Obviously, I fell deeply in love and have a small breeding plan with some Arab mares who have a great impact in Colombia because the sport of endurance is very popular. Some of these mares are loaned to me, others are mine, but in general I love my breeding function with the Arab horses and I, of course, breed Paso Fino horses as well.

PPF: That’s so nice. What a nice story because from the moment the seed was planted, all this time until now, to know that your work has continued is so nice to hear about. It seems so admirable to me for a person to have that amount of passion and dedication to remain heading something so important.
AO: Besides, belonging to the Arab Horse Association opened the doors to something that was completely unknown to me. That is an association that exists here called the National Association of Cattle Breeders of Colombia (UNAGA). That association is comprised of around 23 associations of beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, and 5 horse associations. Those are Iberian horses, English Thoroughbred or racehorses, Draft horses, Colombian horses – represented by ASDEPASO, and the Arabian horses. So, belonging to this association gives us direct access to the Department of Agriculture. And I have the privilege of being the representative of all the equine associations, so I have the opportunity to work with the Department of Agriculture. Right now, for example, we are working on resolutions for the equine wellness, which is a topic I definitely love and am passionate about. We also plan so many equine events. There is something called the chain for equines, donkeys, and mules through which the Department of Agriculture channels all the activities and everything relevant to them. And because I am from AsoArabes, UNAGA, and the Department of Agriculture, I was president of the Equine Chain for 3 years. So, this allowed me to do things that I had always wanted to do. For example, a manual of the most popular infectious diseases in Colombia made specifically for the direct caretakers and workers of horses. That meant that it was made so that a worker would read it and have enough basic information to call you and say ‘look, this horse has a fever, a skin reaction; he might have tetanus’. That makes it possible for an initial course of action with the horse until a veterinarian arrives. In the case of Bogota, many farms are nearby, but the traffic is infernal so many times, it takes 1 hour to get here. And that hour could be crucial in the case of a fever or anything serious. So, that is what we did, supported greatly by the Department of Agriculture of the time, by the ICA (Colombian Agricultural Institute), by the associations of UNAGA. Those types of things would not have been possible if I had not belonged to the Association of Arab Horses.

PPF: What a wonderful initiative. Another question I have for you is, how have you prepared to be the knowledgeable, respectable, and sought-after judge that you are? The objective of Perfiles del Paso Fino is to highlight that human aspect and magic that exists inside each of us which has accomplished reaching a point where you have such a positive image and are received by everyone with open arms. Sometimes we say ‘Angela is coming, the judge will be Angela Ochoa. – Oh, then I am going for sure!’ Yours is such a respected and knowledgeable criteria that as competitors we can say ‘we know what we’re getting into, even if we get excused it is a pleasurable experience because I feel proud to have been excused by Angela Ochoa because she explained the reason why’. Tell me, what has been your greatest resource and what do you think has been the most important aspect in your preparation to becoming that person.
AO: Well, first, I receive that opinion with infinite appreciation and a knot in my throat, I’ll have you know because I have always wanted to have as my goal for people to understand the sensibility that a judgment creates, not only for the horses but more so for the riders. This is because the judging of horses is already a delicate issue and when judging the riders, one judgment explained by you on the microphone can lead to a child being stimulated to continue or a child to definitely decide to never compete again. This is something that happens very often, so I never want to lose the ability to put myself in others’ shoes. It is very helpful to me that I am also a breeder and I also compete my horses, so I know how painful, how expensive, and the number of illusions that are behind every horse. Recently, we had an experience like that. Aside from my own breeding farm, I also work as a consultant at another horse breeding farm. It belongs to Dr. Jose Jimeno, who lives in Panama, but has his breeding farm here in Colombia. So, I help him with his facility here. Not too long ago, we went to a competition in Pereira and took a filly we have there; her name is La Prueba de Fe. She was still very raw, we hadn’t done much with her, but we took her for her to experience the environment and learn to handle it all. Besides, she had just turned 36 months which is the minimal age for competition. But we took her for that reason and had no expectations for her to compete. That night, Andres Castro, who is our trainer, said to me ‘Doña Angela, we rode that filly outdoors last night and she was doing so well’. Jose was in Colombia, and I had a competition to judge in Chiquinquirá. So I said ‘but that filly has never been competed, that is a Grade A competition, I don’t know… Alright, let’s show her and see what happens.’ Well, while I was judging my competition my phone kept going off and I knew something had happened. When the class I was judging was over, I answered to ask what was going on. I heard all this commotion “we won, we won!” And I was like “what do you mean? There were like 18 fillies.” And he kept yelling, ‘We won, we won!” So, I asked, “who did you compete?” because we had taken other horses. So, I asked, “with who?” and he answered, “with La Prueba de Fe!”. And I asked again, “with La Prueba de Fe?” Well, since we had never demanded too much from her, she had a little pasi-trocha about her and at times would be a clear Fino, but we had never asked too much of her because regardless, that was the instruction – to let her be a filly. And he told me that filly was going to love the show ring because she was in such a clear Fino gait and went over the sounding board in a clear Fino gait. Since we weren’t expecting anything from her, we were unbelievably excited and precisely when Jose was in Colombia… no, I couldn’t hold it back. I honestly just wanted to shout it out to the world. Not even 1 month later was the national competition and I said, ‘wait just a moment, she went to a large and important competition, but Nationals is major league, there must be about 30 fillies competing there.’ They said, ‘well, let’s take her to ride her outside and we’ll just see what happens.’ Let’s see what happens turned into the same thing. She competed this time with 23 fillies and earned the title of first runner up behind the best filly. So, those are the types of satisfactions that motivate us so much from the other side. Because we know the excitement it brings and that what we least want when we enter the show ring is what you were saying just now. If we aren’t going to win, we at least want someone, in a dignified manner, to put themselves in our shoes and provide the most just and dignified judgment possible. That’s on the one hand. On the other hand, we never finish learning. Horses evolve, the judging system evolves, and the training systems evolve constantly so, we should never fall behind. If you need to analyze all those things quickly, the least you could do is be at the level of the people involved there. And lastly, is something I learned from Rick Meyer once while we were at a workshop offered by USEF for USEF judges. Rick Meyer taught me what ended up being a life lesson: positive judging. We must always provide a positive judgment. You cannot give a placement based on the defects of those who did not win, but on the virtues of those who did win. So, if Maritza shows a horse and I say ‘this is a horse that perhaps does not have a sustained gait, that possibly doesn’t have the proper training, but it’s a horse that has a magnificent conformation,’ well you would say, “well, I was excused from the show ring, but at least she said my horse was a pretty horse.’ Something! Tell me something that at least comforts me after all the efforts I have made.

PPF: Very true. And I have personally had this experience and that is why I can tell it first handedly. I have been excused after being given a second chance, after you have come to me and put your hand on my knee to tell me that something is happening. Then, I have been able to recognize it and feel motivated to show my horse again after having worked on my mistakes and to move forward. That is why when we saw your name on the information sheet for the youth pre-mundial that was approved for Miami, I had been going on for months convincing my daughter and my nephew, who are crazy in love with the sport, that we were not going to take our Fino horse to Mundial. I told them our horse doesn’t have the level the others have, and so on, but when I saw Angela Ochoa, I said ‘kids, we’re going to compete at Mundial!” I knew that this was our chance to see and to actually learn.

AO: But let me tell you that part is very important. The family aspect, especially in regard to children, is very important. Of course, there is a competitive realm and that is why we do the things we do, because there is a competition. But also, just as important is the aspect of clean plays, of clean sports. ‘Yes, we will go compete, but if we win that’s great and if we don’t, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to compete, we’re going to put our best efforts forward, we will have the horse perfectly prepared. If we win, that’s great, but if we lose, it won’t matter. If we use our own minds to imprint in the children a mentality of only triumphs, the disappointment will be terrible when they don’t win. They will then start seeking someone to blame for their loss and, in the end, the easiest person is the judge. This happens to me all the time and you know what happens? It just happened to me recently at a show. The comment by the rider was ‘oh, she excused my horse because she said it was hyperflexing and she eliminated it’. Then the owner called and asked ‘Angela, what do you hold against us?’ and I replied, ‘you know what? That decision doesn’t belong to the judge; that is a veterinary decision’. The veterinarian determines whether that condition stems from hyperflexion which means the horse must be excuse, or decides it is fine. But that decision does not depend on the judge, rather on the veterinarian. So, if that person is honest enough to acknowledge that maybe they could have done something because there are many reasons why a horse could present hyperflexion, so they could recognize whether there was a trauma, a shoeing problem, a nutritional problem, and that will lead them to find a solution. But if they simply blame the judge, nobody will take the time to understand the actual cause of the horse’s issue being presented. Thus, that attitude must be demonstrated from home, from the farm, from the horse’s owner, from the youth rider’s parents is fundamental for the success and the evolution of both equitation and breeding. It’s a matter of having an open mind, and that goes for us judges as well. We recently were at a lecture regarding lameness. If we think we are an expert on lameness, we are starting off at a loss. Here in Colombia, in order for a judge to excuse a horse from a competition, only the order of 1 judge is necessary. You don’t need 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 5, only 1 judge will suffice for excusing a horse. Do you really think we would excuse a horse from a competition either for being out of gait, or for lameness, or for lack of manners if we are not 100% sure of what is happening? It is that clear and simple. So, when a judge makes a decision of that magnitude, it is because she is 100% sure that it is necessary. Otherwise, it is preferable to leave the horse in the show ring. That is just how it is. So then, what is the attitude? The attitude is for the spectator is to say ‘let me see… it is lame, why is it lame? What is going on? Or honestly, yes, the horse was not maintaining the gait and is out of modality. What are we not doing right? Perhaps we aren’t using the right bit, maybe he is being over collected, or too extended.’ You should start to find answers and solutions so that the same thing doesn’t happen again next time. Having a horse, pampering it, going in and giving it treats, that part of having a horse is the essence of it all. Everything else stems from there, but that part, Maritza, is the essence of it all.

PPF: What is your role in the formation of the male and female riders of the future? You have spoken to us about what, obviously, comes from your heart; we know that you have been the director of the Colombian team for the Youth World Championship, that you will be the judge at the Youth Pre-Mundial in Miami. What do you base yourself on for what you do? What are the foundations of what you teach and what you want? What are your objectives? What is your mission as the great leader that you are for the youth?
AO: Well, look, I believe that if all the work we do with horses is not being based on continuity, we are going to lose all that we have done. So, the seeds within the children is what we need to work on the most and it is the same ideal of many other horse breeds. The Cebu Cattle Association actually has a competition called ‘Seedlings,’ in which children are able to show their animals and participate. For us in Colombia, this is fundamental. Just this passed weekend in Medellin, I judged a mock competition [fogueo]. It isn’t official and doesn’t belong to anyone, it isn’t pointed, it isn’t even among the events on our calendar. It was simply an agreement between the 17 equitation schools in Medellin alone to have an internal competition because the national competition was coming up soon. From only those schools in Medellin, we had 170 children competing. They were ranked as B and C, and many of them are already pointed for the Colombian world team. If you go to Bogota at the beginning of October, you will find another 150-200 children. And if you go to the coast, there will be another 100 kids. So, that is such a strong element here in Colombia, that everything we have done for them is worth it. Now, the commitment began when we planted the seed and began to work on getting where we are now. But, nowadays, it’s what I was saying about the horses. We cannot be inferior to the commitment we generated, in what all this has become. One thing we have eliminated completely has been that myth about a good horse being only for the trainer. If you have a Porsche for your driver to use, then why do you have it? A Porsche is for you to enjoy yourself. And this is exactly the same concept. Consequently, this also generated the owners starting to compete their own horses as well. Today, not only do we have the horses’ regular competitions and the equitation competitions, but there are also other special competitions designed for non-professional riders. It is completely incredible that we have over 250 non-professional riders competing, including owners, spouses, children. This alone has generated great movement, horse sales, equipment sales, etc. So, the youth riders motivated their parents to ride as well. Once they are riding, it all starts; ‘oh no, I won’t let Maritza beat me again, so I am going to buy a mare because I am going to beat Maritza next time.’ All this is a very comforting snowball effect. When the parent is losing, the child starts telling him ‘straighten your back, point your toes inward!’ The parent will start to attend riding school as well and the whole family will end up being involved. And that is what it is all about; for you to be able to enjoy your horses with your family. You should be able to go to the horse show and sit around the show ring surrounded by your family and friends. It should be your point of union. If that is accomplished, then all that we have done has been well worth it.

Today, the percentage of riders that have a proper riding position is enormous! It has been greatly understood that the concept of position is not only a concept of aesthetics; the least that it is, is aesthetic. Rather, a person who is correctly positioned on a horse makes it so that the rider does not become an obstacle because of poorly distributed weight, but that, on the contrary, is an accompaniment in the dynamics of the horse’s movements. That has been understood. We have learned that also through the equitation of youth riders. It has brought us all the benefits in the physical, emotional, financial, commercial and business of horse-related sales. It has brought us nothing but benefits.

PPF: I don’t know if you recall a few months ago when I was working with Don Jaime Escudero, when we called or sent you a message.
AO: Yes.
PPF: And he was telling me exactly the same thing. He has been saying this for so many years and it has been the reason for all his success. His riding position has always been to assist the horse to function correctly.

AO: It is of great merit. I am very pleased that you mention Jaime Escudero. The merit of Jaime Escudero is that he, empirically, because he has been saying this for so many years since a time that nobody else said it, he personally and empirically discovered this. He discovered that the position we were using, which was reclining to the rear of the horse with our legs stretched forward, was completely mistaken. He concluded all of this and, very similarly to what happens to me, the more he studied the topic, the more he realized there was so much more to learn, and he became a studious man. More so, he is humble enough to always recognize that he has learned something new. He constantly calls me and tells me that he read a book and he asks for my opinion telling me that they tried something but it didn’t work, or the contrary, ‘we did this and it worked, you should try it also.’ I have constant communication with him, very good communication with him. I feel that he has been a leader and a hero in equitation because, on top of all else, he has made teaching a priority. For me, people like him who teach their knowledge are extremely valuable, so valuable.

PPF: Angela, what has been the greatest challenge you have faced in your career?
AO: Well, I think it was that moment when I decided, in a country like Colombia, to be a judge. Don’t think I didn’t doubt it because back at that time, there was not one single woman involved in the industry. Nothing, not in the technical realm, nor in the practical was there any woman. So I thought that I would probably not find enough support and it would be a disaster. But against all odds, let me tell you, and I am not at all a feminist or any of that, but the most delightful part of it all is that being a woman, I have always received the support of everyone. And nowadays, gender is not a factor to consider at the time of being selected as a judge for a competition. Not at all, not one bit. Having proven that myth wrong I think has been the most important aspect to answer your question. What has been most difficult? Breaking that stigma about this being a man’s world and women not having a place in it. Not one bit. And, thanks be to God, as of that time, an avalanche of female professionals have become a part of the industry. Today, we are 4 female judges, a good 30% of veterinarians work pre-ring evaluations, there are female ring masters, and even announcers. This past national competition in Colombia had a female announcer from Monteria with a precious voice, this was a first instance in announcers. There are women in associations – the president of the association in Pereira is a woman, Daniela Mejia. So, that concept is a thing of the past. There is no longer an aspect of gender. If your capacity is enough, you can be a rider, a veterinarian, a judge. That myth no longer exists.
PPF: So, we see in you and in all the women you have mentioned are a part of the industry in Colombia and in the US as well. There are many women involved and each one earns her due respect in just that; dedicating the time to educate themselves as much as possible, dedicating the time to promote and grow, such as that competition of ‘seedlings’ you told me about. It all is so very nice.

AO: In the United States, there are so many women judges, and they are excellent. For example, female judges like Sharon Londoño, Kelly Cox, Alei Ortiz, and Robin Ratliff. I am sure I am forgetting many names, but just to name a few. These women are trainers, they are breeders, they are competitors, and they are judges. Who can possibly know more about horses than a person who is 100% of the time involved in the industry? It’s almost like they learn through osmosis, if nothing else. So, they can know perfectly well when a horse is a natural or when a horse is being enabled, or when it is healthy or when it is ill. They have demonstrated themselves, and they serve as an example for me here in Colombia because there is currently a rule being discussed regarding horse judges in general only being allowed to ride horses that are of our own possession. So, then I argue that if I open my own horse facility and take in horses to train, I can’t ride them? The rule says I can’t. I use these women as an example. Alei rides horses of hers and of others, Robin does also, they all do. They do so with great capacity and that makes them earn the respect of the industry because, as an announcer here in Colombia -Mario Arevalo- says ‘he who knows how to do it, knows how to order it done.’ This doesn’t happen in CONFEPASO, but here in Colombia a final comparison in competition is that if the judges definitely used all other methods and still cannot reach a decision, they can ride the horses in competition. Although it doesn’t occur frequently, it does occur. Just think about it, you are going to ride a horse you do not know because you have never ridden, it is also tired because it went through the entire competition and then all the comparisons the judges requested, and to top it all off, you are in front of 3 thousand people who are all ready to whistle and yell the moment the judge makes any mistake. So, as a judge, you have to be very sure that you are capable of riding a horse under these conditions. If you do not ride and aren’t constantly in close contact with horses, you aren’t going to feel comfortable mounting a horse displaying body language shows exhaustion, or complicated behavior as the rider has been struggling with it. You cannot acquire that kind of confidence if you are not 100% involved or at least have the majority of your time involved with horses.

PPF: What motivates you each day to continue doing your work? Despite the inevitable aspect of not pleasing everyone or causing disagreements with your judgments?
AO: We had a friend in Colombia, who has unfortunately died, whose name was Pedro Ayala.  We used to call him Pedro Molleja. He was a very dear and kind man, but he was a country man. And he would take his horses to a competition and, inevitably, there will be times when we judges get criticized by the crowd. He used to say that judges were masochists. He didn’t see the need we had to go into the show ring to be treated that way. He never saw the upside to that. Honestly, you wouldn’t imagine how delightful it is for me to be inside of a competition with some 20 horses of whatever ranking [grade A,B,C]. Being surrounded by about 20 quality horses gives me such an adrenaline rush. I feel so blessed to know that I can choose the horse that I personally like and explain to all these people why I like it so much. That adrenaline, that sensation is incredible. Furthermore, in some way, the responsibility of judges is to guide the direction of breeding. If you have a coherent judgment, and you always follow that foundation to choose a certain prototype of horse, people understand that if these are the horses that are winning competitions, perhaps they should direct their breeding programs, their training, and the selection of their horses’ conformation down that same path. That is the immense responsibility held by the judges. So, as Pedro used to say, I guess it’s a level of masochism.

PPF: What has been your greatest satisfaction in this profession?
AO: I tell you, there are so many. But, many years ago, and these are things that mark us forever, especially because they increase our level of commitment on personal, equine, social, and family levels. Many years ago, a horse named Bucefalo had an owner who later sold him to a very kind man. That horse competed at a national championship I was judging. I looked over and saw his wife with tears running down her face. I assumed it was out of excitement to see her horse in competition. They were at their seats when the competition began with a group of incredible horses. At the end, Bucefalo was titled national champion. Afterwards, this man and his wife came up to me and that lady gave me a huge hug. I didn’t even know who they were, and I was receiving this heartfelt hug from her. So, I asked her husband, ‘what happened?’ Well, he told me that when all the horses entered the show ring, they thought of how they were not a well-known farm, nor were they really known by anyone at a personal level, yet all the other horses belonged to famous people and well-known breeders. The lady just cried realizing that they had no opportunity because all the other horses were notorious and eminent, and they were nothing like that. And he told me that he had replied to her ‘Angela is in the show ring and if it is our day to win, we’ll win. If it’s our day to lose, we’ll lose. But we are going to have the peace of having a fair judgment. So, of course, I had a knot in my throat. That is something I have never forgotten. And I have always believed that everybody, every single person, has the right to a fair judgment. If I make mistakes, which is always a possibility, but competitors in my show ring can always have peace of mind knowing that I will always offer a fair judgment. Even if I am mistaken, I will always have that man’s words in my mind.

PPF: Would you choose this career path again?
AO: Yes, definitely, yes. I would change a few things because at that time, there was no real preparation for judges. We are talking about some 20-21 years ago. So, just about 12 or 15 years ago, Confepaso and Fedequinas began a program for the training of judges. It has been so positive because it not only shows us the technical point of view, but also a personal one. We just recently had a judges’ workshop at Fedequinas with some very good conferences about teamwork and about making decisions under pressure. So, these are trainings where you could be doing the task for 20 years, but you can always learn tips and strategies to help you do your job better. If I could change a few things from the beginning, I would have prepared myself so much more. Not from the moment I graduated as a judge, but as of the moment that I thought of maybe becoming a judge. I would have gone through a more conscientious preparation. Things are permanently evolving, and this obligates the judges to continue always preparing and educating themselves. When I began the process of judging Arab horses, I realized that I didn’t know anything about conformation, and I didn’t know the reasons behind so many things. Then, while watching endurance horses, I began to understand the importance of the thoracic capacity and the abdominal capacity because there are horses that run 20, 30, 120 kilometers and need a special kind of structure and, therefore, they have a special judgment. That all taught me that I didn’t know anything about conformation and nothing about structure. More so, I learned that it was important for me to start researching and learning and start a form of sampling or surveying horses of other breeds.

PPF: What is the most valuable piece of advice you can offer Paso Fino competitors?
AO: I think I would offer to ideas. The first is patience. The success of a great trainer, and of a great exhibitor, is to have so much time with a horse that they can understand one another almost by just looking at each other. Just as you were saying a while ago, when a rider mounts a horse and sees its ears are strangely positioned and the horse feels off, that is the result of having ridden that horse over and over enough to realize when something is not normal. The great rider, the great horse trainer, is he who takes a horse and understands what its training needs are and what his timing needs are. There are some horses that can train for 45 minutes in the morning and that is enough, but perhaps there are others who are better off with 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. So, what I would advise trainers to do is to learn to interpret the personal necessities of his own horses, including training times and feeding times, too. There are horses who have breakfast and dinner, but there are others who also need to eat lunch. So, you need to divide the amount of food into three portions. This is something that is learned only when a person has an open mind and can individualize each horse. This one is different from this one, and from this mare who is being bred through embryos and you realize she is uncomfortable because she is fed up with everything being done to her. All those things happen on a daily basis for us. Learning to read and interpret each horse would be my first piece of advice. We must adapt ourselves to them and not them to us. And, secondly, study. Study and learn about new techniques, new equipment, new tools, new bits, more ergonomic show saddles, and so on. This is always progressing; we cannot stay behind. Let’s evolve in a parallel way for the wellbeing of the horses always. That’s the most important aspect: the well-being of our horses.

PPF: Which has been the most influential person in your career? Wow… many years ago, I had cancer. At that time, I had the opportunity to have a wonderful form of emotional support. That person asked me once, he was a professional in emotional support who used to help us back then, ‘who is the most important person in your life?’ My answers included my children, who were very young at the time, and my mother… And he would tell me ‘the most important person in your life at this moment is you, because if you are emotionally sound, you can support your children so that they can be emotionally sound. If you crumble to pieces with this disease, your mother will also crumble to pieces. However, if you are a person who prepares yourself…’ now applied to the horses, if we prepare ourselves, we can radiate our knowledge, no matter how abundant or scarce that is, but you can radiate it and you can multiply it. If we are the type of person who worries about having a lifestyle involving the well-being of animals, with your horses or with your dogs, those who are around you will have that to learn from you. I don’t want this to be interpreted in a narcissistic way, but just it’s what we need in order to share ourselves with those around us. Now, there are many people who I love greatly and owe so much to. My mother, my father – who died many years ago, but to whom I owe my love and passion for horses more than anyone else. My mother is an absolutely charming and discreet person. She always keeps herself on the sidelines, but she is the first person watching all the competitions I judge if she is unable to go with me. And she is always ready to tell me ‘you know, I felt mare #4 was better in the gallop’ and well, she is my first critic. When I write books, for example, because I like to write so much, my first filter is my mother. When I wrote the book about judging, she said she hadn’t understood a thing. She said it was written so highly worded that she couldn’t understand anything and didn’t want to keep reading passed page 10. So then I rewrote everything on a more understandable level and then she said it was a book that could be read and was worth reading. So, even in that aspect, my mother is a fundamental part of my life. Obviously, I mention my children, Simon and Sara. They are saturated, poor thing, they have had an overdose of horses. Nowadays, they are a part of the equine world but in different disciplines. For example, Simon’s mother-in-law owns an equitation academy, so Simon is now involved in equitation. And Sara’s boyfriend plays polo, so now Sara is learning to play polo. But they have both always been very involved in the area of horses. And well, my partner was Juan Carlos Aparicio. He was a cattleman, nothing to do with horses, a totally different scenario. But obviously, he got caught up in the excitement, so now he participates, rides, loves the trail rides, goes to the competitions, and loves watching them. All these people make up a huge part of my personal life and to them I owe tremendous gratitude for always being by my side and promoting and motivating me to always belong to this activity. They are always backing me.

PPF: What is the most important part of your work?
AO: Hmm, what is the most important aspect? Being able to contribute. Contributing something to the well-being of the horses, to the evolution of the riders, to the preparation and elaboration of courses for horse owners, or for riders and trainers, or perhaps for other judges who are just beginning their profession. Being able to contribute to that area of education; that is something I love. And also, as I mentioned before, taking on the responsibility of judges to influence the direction taken in reproducing this breed.

PPF: What do you love most about horses?
AO: Everything. There isn’t anything I don’t like. I like everything about them. To me, the greatest pleasure is to be at the farm, go into a paddock, and for the horses to come to me. Every time I go in, I take brown sugar or something in my hand. People say ‘of course they come because you bring them a treat, but if you didn’t have a treat, they wouldn’t be coming.’ But I want to believe, I’d like to believe that it’s because of me. So, when they come, and I hug them and spend time with them in that communion, or bond, that is created… that for me is… I wouldn’t change that for the world. That is my perfect moment in my most perfect state.

PPF: What would you like for people to know or remember about you the most?
AO: I basically want people to remember me as a good person, that is the most important thing for me. I want to be remembered as an honest and proper person. Everything else will come after that, but I really would like for people to know I was always an honest and proper person. They should know that everything I have done has been done with pleasure and with kindness, and a great deal of preparation. That is what I would like for people to remember about me.

PPF: What are the quotes or sayings that you use the most from the equine world?
AO: Well, my father as a good ‘paisa’ [person from Medellin] had a saying for everything, but that is a very complicated question because thousands of sayings apply for every situation. But right now I can’t think of just one. I would like one that made reference to us never knowing enough. We always have something we could learn, and we are always obligated to teach what we have learned.

PPF: Well, thank you very much for your time and for all that you have shared with Perfiles del Paso Fino. It has been an honor for me to speak with you today.

AO: Maritza, this interview has been delightful. The truth is that we have known each other for many years, and we have our true love for horses in common. If you ever stopped competing and I stopped being a judge, we would always have the same fondness and affection for each other that we have today. Perhaps that is why we have chemistry, because the same interests and motivations move us both. This was such a delightful and human-oriented interview. Thank you, honestly, thank you for having invited me.
PPF: It has been a great pleasure and thanks to you.