|
Alei began riding
Paso Finos when she was twelve years old. She had
been taking hunter jumper classes and did not enjoy riding
these horses at all. It was then that her father bought
her first Paso, a mare by the name of Mimosa. Alei
recalls how hot the mare was. The late Pedro Gomez, who
was a good friend of her dad, would come out every day and
tire the mare out for her before she rode. She says that
Carmen Cepero taught her how to ride a Paso Fino and gave her
her first equitation lessons. She will always be
grateful to Carmen for spending so much time with her.
Alei recalls going to many shows just to watch Carmen and Pat
Figueroa ride. She spent hours of her days dreaming she
could someday ride like them. Alei says she even
remembers the pink jacket that Pat was wearing the first time
she saw her compete at the Huck Liles Arena in Davie, Florida.
Alei cleaned stalls and rode her father's horses everyday
after school. When it was time for her first car she
picked a Classic Fino mare, Alondra, over a brand new
corvette, and ended up driving an ugly white Maverick, that
would have radiator fluid shooting out of the front end all
the time. Every time the Maverick would break down and
she would ask her brother for a ride to school, he would
bother her and tell her to ride her horse to school!
At the age of eighteen, apart from working at her dad's farm,
Alei began giving riding lessons to children in Miami.
At the age of twenty two she began training outside horses.
It was during this time that she was able to work at Startown
Stables in Newton, NC, and later at Hacienda Besilu, which was
then located in Wetumpka, Alabama. She is thankful to
Alvaro Iriarte for the numerous hours he spent teaching her
how to train a horse, and to Benjamin Leon for teaching her
all about the marketing of horses.
In 1989, she won her first Grand National Championship under
saddle with her favorite Performance stallion, El Duende.
Alei will always have a special place in her heart for him.
She believes he opened many doors in her career.
Alei talks about all her fellow trainers who helped her with
so many training issues. Those friends are so many she
does not want to mention names and leave any of them out.
Alei also talks about all the nice and caring people she
worked for. She remembers them along with all of their
horses.
Through the years Alei worked for a few different farms.
In 1991, she decided not to work for just one farm any longer,
and it was then that she went on her own taking in outside
horses for training from clients in various parts of the
country. In late 1995, and most of 1996, she had the
opportunity to manage and train Nevado, a stallion she will
never forget. He was kind, noble, and always willing to
give her his all. Alei says it was because of Nevado
that I met Edgar. And the rest is history.....
|
