November 1, 2004 – Indian River, Ontario – A ‘pas de deux’ performance by two Andalusian stallions made for unique entertainment at the ‘Drive For Cancer’ fundraiser held Saturday, October 2, at The Hunt Club to benefit the Southlake Regional Health Care Foundation in Newmarket, ON.

The two Andalusian stallions performed in unison for the large crowd that included many local politicians and personalities who attended the event chaired by 1968 Olympic Show Jumping Gold Medallist, Jim Elder. The ‘Drive For Cancer’, comprised of various activities throughout the day and topped off by the Southlake Harvest Ball, dedicated all money raised to the Southlake Regional Cancer Centre scheduled to open in 2007.

Owned by La Finca del Rio, the Andalusian stallions were shown by well-known dressage competitors John MacPherson and Keith Reid. MacPherson, who trains the La Finca del Rio horses, rode Baturro XII, a 10-year-old purchased in Granada, Spain, that enjoyed his first season competing at First Level with impressive results after beginning his formal dressage training less than a year ago. Reid was aboard Amoroso XLIII, a six-year-old that was bred at the famed Escobar Barrilaro farm outside of Seville, Spain. The Roman numbers that follow each of the stallion’s names designate that they are PRE (Pura Raza Espanola) registered breeding stallions in Spain.

“We were thrilled to be a part of this event, which was in support of such an important cause,” said Vinetta Andrews who, with her husband, Huntley, owns La Finca del Rio. “Andalusian horses love to please and attract attention, so entertaining the crowd comes naturally to them, especially to our two stallions who love showing off. Our main focus in breeding these horses is to demonstrate what nice, dependable animals they are and we did this at the fundraiser by bringing the horses right into the luncheon tent after the demonstration, so that everyone could see the horses up close and witness what gentleman they are. The stallions were so well-behaved that I think most people were impressed by that fact alone!”

The Andrews were first introduced to the Andalusian breed in the 1990’s while living in Costa Rica. When they moved back to Canada in 1997, they brought three Andalusian horses with them. A buying trip to Spain that fall resulted in the purchase of four others, and a breeding program was born. La Finca del Rio, which translates from Spanish to ‘the farm of the river’, is located in Indian River, ON, just outside of Peterborough, and currently offers five different bloodlines for breeding purposes. Numerous inspections by the Cria Caballar of Spain, responsible for maintaining the registries and studbooks for all Spanish-bred horses, are also hosted by La Finca del Rio.

For more information on the Andalusian horses owned by La Finca del Rio, please visit www.andalusianscanada.net or e-mail andalusianscanada@hotmail.com.