PPF: Edgar, Alei, thank you once again for accepting this interview. Let’s talk a little bit about your company, United Paso Fino. It is an institution. United is a name that inspires feelings of trust and security in the industry. How did United’s beginning come to pass?

EO: United began and its name started being mentioned more or less in 1990-1991 when I had a partnership with the owner of Tijodee Farm. We wanted to create something different because her company was coming to an end. Unfortunately, our idea did not go through so then I moved forward with the name we had thought of, and I registered as a business. That was when, luckily, Alei came into our life and the business started to grow in a different and deeper way. We had already been working with horse sales and breeding since the moment we created the partnership and registered the company name. Breeding is one of the aspects that we have been known for the most. When Alei came to be part of our lives, fortunately, she was the best and greatest thing that could have happened to us because she gave a new peak to the company as well as another meaning really. When Alei came onboard, she brought her amateur owner riders. So, we obviously began to compete at a higher level because we came to compete at national shows with over 30 horses for maybe 10, 12, or perhaps 15 years. So, we came to be known in a very solid way, we can say, as a company. That was practically what made it become so strong.

AO: When we met, I worked as a horse trainer for clients in North Carolina and he worked in training, competing, and selling his horses. He made a living from sales alone. I used to say ‘wow, how can this man only live off of sales?’ Edgar really made a living from sales alone. So, then the aspect of sales, which was Edgar’s work, came together with the aspect of training, which was my work, and we turned this into the United that exists today. Do you agree?
EO: That is exactly right.

AO: And it involves breeding, which he already did, and competitions, training the owners, and sales. Thus, all the aspects of the Paso Fino horse industry came together inside United.

PPF: Right. Which do you think have been the most valuable resources you have had as a company?
EO: Our clients and the support we offer them. Their trust and believing in us as far as what we suggest, explain, and inform to them. Fortunately, ours are clients who listen if, for example, a particular horse does not work out for them, and we need to change something or make changes with the horse itself. Obviously, if they are accepting, it is very convenient for us. The fact that they are able to have that trusts in us to handle their horses is, for me, the most valuable representation we have.

AO: Right, our clients are like family to us. We interact with them on a daily basis, they are our friends. Sometimes we may take some time looking for a horse for a client because Edgar and I always understand exactly what that client needs and wants. There are times when we take so long, but then there is such a great feeling of satisfaction when we find that horse for them. Then we get to see the happiness it brings to our clients and how they enjoy the horses. I can’t imagine United Paso Fino without that aspect.

EO: And when we talk about United, I feel very proud of it. The word says it all, we say it and we feel it, we live it and we show it. So, we simply make every effort to succeed at that.

PPF: To have that union, which is what the word United means.
EO: Exactly.

PPF: When you receive a new client coming from another horse breed, what is the first thing you try to highlight of a Paso Fino? How do you promote this horse breed in particular?

AO: The comfort. Its brio and energy, but all the while tame. This horse breed allows clients to learn at a pretty fast pace to be able to compete a Paso Fino. If they are not afraid and they already ride, they will be so comfortable. Paso Fino horses, for the most part, have a very good temperament. Clients don’t have to worry about posting and doing any of the other things that need to be done with other horse breeds. So, this makes it so easy. If a person wants to learn and has a passion for horses, it is relatively easy.

EO: If the person is coming from another horse breed, I think they assimilate very easily and quickly. I see it on the contrary; if someone wants to leave the Paso Fino breed and go to another breed, I think the learning aspect would be a little more complex. This is because of the horse itself and also the sensation, the experience it provides. If a horse has proper training, we don’t have the slightest risk in guaranteeing that someone can ride it trustingly. If the person knows how to handle a horse, they will do very well. So, they establish a connection almost instantly.

AO: We have the example of Louisa Barton, who oversees the CEP in Ocala. She handles everything having to do with the equine industry in Ocala and in the county. She came here one day and rode Jay Suarez’s mare, Doña Blanca – a fino mare. That was incredible, wasn’t it, Honey? You would swear this woman had ridden Paso Fino horses all her life.

EO: Exactly.
AO: That was like on a Tuesday, I think. Then, she practiced riding at a horse show that weekend. Doña Blanca was there, and she rode her one day before the class and we jokingly asked her if she wanted to compete. She asked if she really could, so Javier said yes and so did we. She went to practice once in the show ring at the Livestock Pavilion and then got 4^th place in a class of like 8 mares. That for me was like ‘wow’. It’s incredible!

EO: That goes to prove what I was just saying. If there is a person who has balance on a horse and knows how to handle and direct it, as long as it is well trained, I think this is the result.

PPF: What is your greatest focus on a day-to-day basis?
EO: My focus? Personally, I focus on reproduction. I am always attentive to the mares, the ones that go into heat, knowing which horse to breed. I constantly plan what we are going to do and projecting our breeding program. I like to consult with the veterinarians and communicate with the people who manage the list of horses that are to be bred or that will go into foal. I really focus on that and then, I ride. Obviously, I love to see the horses. If I can see them every day, I’ll go see them every day. Fortunately, from the ground I am able to observe them and identify if there is any need. Then, I will share and suggest something to the riders. But on a personal level, my focus is reproduction. How about you, Alei?

AO: For me, it’s the well-being of the animals. All these horses are athletes and must be in the best condition in order to compete. I like noticing if this horse is too fat or this one too skinny and maybe needs a supplement. I also focus daily on the needs of our clients. This client is requesting a video, or we are marketing this horse, or I need to make a phone call.
EO: I give them alfalfa or extra feed and a bunch of things.

AO: They neigh at him.
EO: Oh no no no no, that is another story completely and they know how it is. The connection is… you know, if I say it is love, that isn’t descriptive enough.

PPF: It’s not a good enough word.
EO: I love those animals as much as I love Alei, for example. Can I make that comparison, or not? Because it means a lot.

PPF: Let’s not get into who comes first.
EO: Exactly.
AO: That’s a tough one!
EO: But we truly do love them. It’s a whole other level because we miss them, and they miss us too. You know what I mean? I’ll walk in front of their stall and some of them are spoiled. If I don’t touch them, they’ll stomp their hand. Alei knows that, right?

AO: Yes.
EO: And they’ll neigh or do whatever they can until I touch them and then they settle down.
PPF: They demand it.
EO: Once I say hello, they are okay.

PPF: Yes, of course.
EO: So, those types of connections make us fall even more in love with them too. I mean, there are horses that come straight to you when you open the door so that you take them out. And they know what you are taking them out for; to work.

PPF: But they are willing to do it for you.
EO: Yes, yes, of course. So, those are things that I really enjoy seeing, for example. That makes me believe that there is something that we are giving them too. They are so receptive, and they get so much from us too. Obviously, it’s the hug, the touch, the pleasure, it’s something… For example, when a horse goes into the saddling area and starts to comfortably play with the halter and the lead or anything. That is trust. That isn’t anything else. It isn’t a bad habit or misbehavior or anything. For me that is simply trust. So, when there is a horse that is always happy and willing, well then, that’s it. Here, we try not to ever let that die in a horse.

PPF: Is there something that you would like to share regarding what United Paso Fino has become today?
AO: I definitely think we are both going to agree on this. Nothing that we have accomplished would have been possible without the help of all the people who have worked with us. From Rafa, who helps us with feeding the horses and cleaning their stalls, Octavio, now we also have Brian… and so many young men who have worked here.

EO: Yes, there have been so many people here. We send them all a huge and very special recognition because each one of them have contributed not grains of sand, but truckloads. And so, through your media, we send them a special message of appreciation because this would not have been possible without them.

AO: Definitely impossible. Ruben worked with Edgar for over 20 years.
EO: Ruben was here for 25 years; Octavio has been here for 8 years now. There’s Rafa and also people who have been working in our office for a very long time.

AO: Carmen, Cristina…
EO: All this despite them saying that I am a grouchy old man. But that just comes and goes. The good thing is that my grouchiness goes away.
AO: The list, Maritza, truly is long. Everyone who has worked here has contributed something and it would have been impossible to do all this without them, impossible.

PPF: I want to thank you both for sharing this personal aspect.
AO: Thank you, Maritza.
EO: Thanks to you for this interview.
PPF: Thank you very much.