Los Caballos de Rancho Las Potrancas by Theresa Cardamone

Los Caballos de Rancho Las Potrancas

by Theresa Cardamone

who are the finest bullfighting mounts in the world and also excel as world-level competitive dressage and carriage horses. When Felix promised his father that he would continue to keep up his studies at school, his dream finally came true; he was the proud owner of a Lusitano! Felix spent every minute that he could with the horse and began taking dressage lessons to become a highly skilled rider. These many years later, his expertise and exceptional communication skills, especially with tricky horses, is highly praised.

Now, Rancho Las Potrancas, which translates to “Ranch of the Fillies,” is world-renowned as the breeder and owner of perhaps the best collection of Lusitano horses on the planet. “We love the Arabians, and we love the Lusitanos, but we have been breeding a little bit longer the Lusitanos,” Felix explains. “All of our horses have at least four generations of bull fighting behind them. We raise the bull fighting stock too and test both the calves and the colts to see if they are suitable for breeding. When they are a year old, we let a calf and a colt loose in the bullfighting ring together. We see which horse is most aggressive to the cow and has that bullfighting attitude. Horses that don’t have it are immediately removed from the breeding program and sold for their potential in dressage or other areas.

“As a young person, you don’t like it very much if you have to alternate the horses!” Felix says wryly. “I remember telling my father and mother that one day I would be one of the best breeders of horses in the world. I had a passion, I had to be always with the horses.” When he couldn’t be with horses To 5-year-old Felix Cantu, it seemed like Felix continued to absorb all he could, the sun would never rise. Fully dressed, subscribing to equine magazines and the horse-crazy boy lay in his bed during pestering his parents for that elusive horse of his own. While he appreciated his family’s annual visit to the ranch of all breeds, Felix was most enamored close friends, alive with anticipation at the with two of them: the Arabian horse, prospect of a morning ride. He was eager especially Bask and Muscat-related, to beat his many “cousins” to the stable, and the powerful Lusitano. knowing that there were more riders than Stemming from ancient, native sources horses. It was frustrating enough that that can be traced back 780,000 they were forced to take turns. Felix was years, the Lusitano breed developed determined to have the first ride. If only the through an influx of Celtic and Greek bloodlines around 800 BCE, with sun would cooperate! At that moment, Felix Arabian, desert breeding introduced promised himself that he would one day during the occupation of the Iberian have a horse of his own and become a known Peninsula by the Moors from 711 and respected horseman. He kept his vow to 1492. The resulting modern-day Lusitano has the power and strength with the creation and development of his of its earliest roots, melded with the Rancho Las Potrancas into a powerhouse in refinement, agility, and spirit of its the equine world. desert-bred ancestors. When Felix was about 12, his father bought the farm in Tampico on the Gulf Coast that would become Rancho Las Potrancas. Around that time, there was a big sale of Lusitano horses. Felix admired the breed that is famous for producing brave and functional horses

Above: Felix rides his Lusitano stallions often, and takes pride in improving the quality of Mexican horses in general with his Lusitano bloodstock so good quality horses can be available to all.

“One of our biggest satisfactions to date is that this year, one of our homebred horses is one of the Top Three competing for the title of best bullfighting horse in all of Europe,” Felix relates. “There usually are only European horses; this is the first time there is a Mexican horse competing for Bullfighting Horse of the Year. We are really crazy about this because the winners have always been from Portugal. The season ends in September and the winner will be determined in October or November. There are three groups of people who decide who the best horse is: all the bullfighters, the breeders of the Lusitano horses, and special members of the Lusitano association can vote. We are proud to be represented.”

It is interesting to note that, to upgrade the selection of functional horses in Mexico, Felix crosses the Arabian and Lusitano bloodlines. Within that part bred program, the Arabian lines trace back to one of Felix’s favorite stallions, Muscat. “We still have Muscat daughters two generations back in our half-Lusitanos,” he relates. “We like that cross because they are very functional. We have a colt right now that is from that line. To be honest, he is one of my favorite colts, he’s just incredible. He is by Glorioso, one of our top Lusitano stallions. The colt is a year old, very nice and pretty, with a long neck and good movement. He is going to be tested soon to see how he does with cattle. His attitude towards the other colts is he wants to be the leader; he is a little aggressive. But when you get near him, he is very nice too. I think he will be a top, top horse.”

Felix Cantu is dedicated to improving the quality of Mexican horses across the board. “We’ve been significantly involved with Arabians since 1995,” he states. “But our idea is to see it not only as a business, but to have good quality horses available to all. The same with the Lusitanos. We are the largest breeding barn of stallions; we have imported some of the best stallions and bullfighting horses from Europe. We like to help Mexican breeders. If someone doesn’t have the money to give for a breeding fee, we give the breeding for free from some of our second-level stallions so we can improve the quality of horses in Mexico. That’s the idea, to make sure everyone has good horses.”

And there are none better than the Rancho Las Potrancas show string of Arabian horses. When the gate opens at the 2022 United States National Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Felix Cantu will be wellrepresented with three dynamic entries attempting to add to the farm’s stockpile of trophies, garnered over the past decades. Since Mikhail One (Muscat x Satin Silver) brought home the first national title, 1995 U.S. Reserve National Champion Yearling Colt, the horses of Rancho Las Potrancas have earned dozens more top honors. Throughout the years, Felix has been guided in the Arabian industry by the expertise and recommendations of his consultant and friend, noted horseman Johnny Downing. “I met Felix back in 1989, when I was judging a show in Guadalajara,” Johnny recalls. “We have remained good friends ever since and I am fortunate to represent Felix in all his Arabian horse interests in North America. Over the years, we’ve created an amazing track record with many national championships. For Felix, the national show ring is a big motivator. He is very involved in the breeding program but showing and competing are at the forefront of his interests. Currently, the Arabian show horses are all at Orrion Farms in Scottsdale, under the care of Andy Sellman, who will show Felix’s horses in Tulsa. In the past, we were fortunate to establish relationships with trainers and handlers who showed our horses very successfully. David Boggs, Rodolfo Guzzo, Ted Carson, and others helped to put Rancho Las Potrancas on the map of the Arabian industry.”

Some of the most prominent winners through the years include: 1996 U.S. and Canadian National Champion Mare JBK Mystic Fawn (Padrons Psyche x Tanzeers Supreme), 1996 U.S. and Canadian National

l-r: Felix Cantu, Johnny Downing, Felix’s wife, Ceci Cantu, and her twin sister, Maggie, enjoying the Arabian Breeders World Cup Show.

Above: Felix (center) with his sons Matthias, Felix, Rodrigo and Alejandro. Right: National Champion mares JBK Mystic Fawn, RD Shahara Bey, Europa El Jamaal and FS Mystique Lady.

Facing Page: U.S. National contender, Aria Valiant (top), and Marajja EK (bottom). Champion Futurity Filly RD Shahara Bey (Bey Shah x Gigi Jubask), 1997 U.S. and Canadian National Champion Mare Europa El Jamaal (Ali Jamaal x SL White Lace), 1999 U.S. National Champion ABS Yearling Filly S Justadream (Justafire DGL x Acquaintance), 1999 U.S. National Champion Mare FS Mystique Lady (Padrons Psyche x HS Mostly, in partnership), 2004 U.S. Reserve National Champion ABS Yearling Filly RHR Ggisele (Echo Magnifficoo x LC Psychesheiress), 2011 Scottsdale Supreme Champion Senior Stallion LD Pistal (Magnum Psyche x Halana), and