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Obrizo, "Obi", was foaled approximately 24 hours before the "Storm of
the Century" or "No Name Storm" came ashore near Keaton Beach in the
Big Bend area of Florida and passed over the Live Oak area in North
Central Florida. At the time of his foaling (4-5 AM on March
twelfth), the air was totally still and dead. The humidity and air
pressure were so heavy it was difficult to draw a breath. Dulce
probably foaled when she did due to the high pressure. The storm was
hurricane strength, but because it was out of season for hurricanes
(June-November), it was never designated as such. No one had warning
of its coming as this was in the days before weather satellites and
the Weather Channel. The storm hit the Live Oak area about 5 AM on
the thirteenth of March. A tornado spawned by the storm traveled its
path of destruction just south of the property line of Obi's home,
Hacienda Sinsonte, twenty miles southwest of Live Oak. It did no
damage to the hacienda, but leveled a neighbor's huge hay barn and
uprooted pine trees on an adjoining tree farm. Obi and his dam were
safe in their stall/paddock as were all the other horses, but it was a
harrowing experience to hear the ferocious wind and to watch the roofs
on the barns "breathing" up and down, up and down as the wind tore
across and through them. The temperature dropped from the high 60’s
to the 30’s in a matter of hours and snow flurries were actually
visible in the air. Power was out to the hacienda for 14 hours. Many
people were without power for two weeks. Quite an introduction to the
world for the little colt!
Fortunately, Obi's life since has been much less dramatic, but
exciting nevertheless. He is the first born son of Leo de Vez out of
a Cantante de Omega daughter, Cosa Dulce de Remanso. He spent his
early years at the hacienda. At age five he was shipped with his sire
to Las Vegas, Nevada where Lindsay had recently transferred. He was
started under saddle in Florida, but his actual training took place in
Las Vegas and the surrounding wilderness areas. Lindsay rode him much
of his first year under saddle then Ed took over and really helped Obi
to become the wonderful companion he is today. Ed rode him all over
southern Nevada at elevations ranging from
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2000
feet (Las Vegas Valley) to close to 11,000 feet (on Mt. Charleston).
He also explored southern Utah. Obi and Leo team penned while in Las
Vegas and were very good at it. They were quick and responsive and
very "cow-wise".
Obi
was a hit for two years in a row when he participated with Leo and
another Paso Fino, Centinela la Joya, in drills for an all-breed
demonstration at a local arena. The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar
Goodman, got a chance to ride Obi while at a rally for wild horses at
Red Rock Canyon. Their picture appeared in the Las Vegas
Review-Journal. When Ed's daughters visited from Florida they both
rode Obi. He is very good at sensing the ability of his riders and
adjusts himself accordingly. If a person is a poor, not very
confident rider, he takes care of them by going slowly and calmly. If
a person is skilled, he is an amazingly fun, fast, smooth ride.
Obi
returned to Florida in 2001. Since then he has started a new career,
that of limited distance riding. He just passed the 1000 mile LD mark
in the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference). Ed has ridden him in
all but three rides. Obi has placed in the top ten several times and
when not top ten has almost always been in the top half of those
finishing. Ed has gotten two first place middleweight awards on him.
For two years in a row (2004 and 2005) he was Endurance Horse of the
Year in the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA). He was Reserve in
Limited Distance for the South Eastern Distance Riding Association (SEDRA)
for the 2004-2005 year. He placed fifth in the Southeast Region of
AERC in 2005. All these competitions have been against people riding
Arabians, the horse most often doing distance rides. He has also
competed in and finished one competitive trail ride. He has also been
awarded blue & red ribbons and a trophy cup in the two hunter paces he
has competed in.
Obi
took a much-deserved rest in 2006, but is now back in competition and
we expect him to continue his exemplary career, hopefully for years to
come. He is a noble horse, a gentle horse, a fiery, competitive
horse. He is proof of the tenacity and toughness of the Paso Fino
breed.
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