Real People: Riding to another land

Clydesdales hoofing it to Costa Rican horse show

Posted: Monday, October 22, 2007

Brice Stater did his part to fill up a modern Noah's Ark bound for Latin America.

A Costa Rican theme park touts the chance to touch "a horse smaller than a coffee table and others over 7 feet high," and two of those big ones are on their way from Amarillo.

Stater sold two Clydesdales, Jasmine and Hogan, to PANACA, a company that also has two parks in Colombia and another under construction in Puebla, Mexico.

"It was kind of a pain," Stater said. "It was very complicated."

There was blood to be sent to Iowa for multiple tests, and then the horses had to head to Louisiana.

"They go there for a month to be in quarantine on the company's ranch before they fly to Costa Rica," Stater said. "They have two transport planes taking about 20 horses at a time."

The process started because Stater and his parents are members of a Clydesdale breeders association and had a listing on the organization's Web site.

PANACA got in touch and talks started. Stater completed his part of the transaction last week.

The purpose of the parks is to give city dwellers the opportunity to see the animals and crops from the countryside beyond the city.

The Stater family's horses will join everything from pigs to goats and crops such as sugarcane and coffee on the park's 207 acres.

The horse shows, whether they have Costa Rican native Criollos or Clydesdales, are popular.

"The equine show is the most attractive because of the international cowboys show and acrobatics," said Pablo Solano, marketing director. "But also the canine show, as well as the pig race are some of the most liked shows among visitors."

The horses Stater sold are a somewhat rare black stallion, Hogan, and a bred mare, Jasmine, owned by his mother. The foal Jasmine is carrying is not so incidental.

"Their babies are 175 pounds when they're born," Stater said.

Stater's no stranger to putting the public and horses together.

For several years, he ran Amarillo Carriage, a business that specialized in giving customers carriage and wagon rides during the Christmas season. And he may not be through.

"They said they may buy the rest we have for their coming parks," Stater said.