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6
Friday, June 28 2019 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Daniela Siberio: The Magic of the Lusitano Horse

Daniela with Jasmin a mare she co-owns with her mother, Ana B. Campos-Siberio

By Doris Degner-Foster

Portraits by Barbara Bower

When Daniela Siberio’s mother suggested a riding vacation in Portugal, Daniela wasn’t entirely enthusiastic at first — partly because it had been years since she had ridden, and also because there would be dressage lessons as part of the riding holiday. Daniela’s teen years had been spent riding in jumper competitions when not casually riding with her friends, and the idea of dressage and the disciplined work on the flat that it entails didn’t sound like a fun vacation to her.

Daniela shows her love for Fundador

Daniela agreed to go and it proved to be a life-changing trip. “After that first trip, nothing would ever be the same again for me,” she said. “I fell in love with the Lusitano horses and in love with the sport of dressage as well.”

After that initial vacation to Portugal, Daniela went back whenever she had the chance. She had made friends there and she was captivated by the Lusitanos.

“When you come back to reality after a vacation, there’s an adjustment period, and I guess mine was just too much for me to handle,” Daniela laughed. “It wasn’t that I was unhappy working in my family’s insurance business, it was just that I saw an opportunity to pursue something I was really passionate about. I had gotten such a strong impression when I was over in Portugal.”

Daniela admitted that her career at the time working in an office wasn’t ideal for her personality, and that being an active, creative person, she probably wouldn’t have been comfortable in that atmosphere indefinitely. “I love being outdoors and being with animals or doing artistic things,” Daniela explained. “I think if I were not working with horses now that I would have left office work to pursue something artistic, whether it be dancing or writing or something along those lines.”

 Making a Change

Although Daniela dreamed of becoming a professional in the horse world, she was hesitant to make the change. As an only child, she knew her parents would like for her to eventually take over the family business. She was just beginning her career there after graduating from Syracuse University with a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations, so it was especially daunting to start a new career with horses. But her mother had set an example of a strong woman early in Daniela’s life, which left an impression on her.

Daniela’s life changed when she discovered the Lusitano breed during a trip to Portugal.

“I grew up with my mom as a very strong female role model,” Daniela remembered. “She started her own business when she was only in her 20s and it’s grown to be very successful. She’s so good at what she does and so unapologetic about it. I grew up with this powerhouse in my home who never limited me. It has definitely marked my life and influenced the decisions I’ve made.”

Having spent the first 12 years of her life living in her mother’s native country of Mexico and with a Cuban-American father, Daniela was fluent in Spanish as well as English, and learning Portuguese was not difficult for her. As Daniela became more interested in starting a business working with the Lusitano breed, she developed her contacts in Portugal.

“I met some other dressage riders in Portugal and we became friends; they were the first to motivate and support me in starting my new career with horses, and I met more people there,” Daniela said. “It’s such a small community that everybody knows everybody and if you know one person you know 10 people. Portugal is pretty small and the breeders are all very well connected to each other — they’re either friends or family. Once I got that spark of meeting a few people, it was really easy to be welcomed into the horse community there.

Daniela would travel to Portugal twice a year to attend the two big horse fairs, which was helpful in keeping in touch with her friends there: One fair is in July in Ponte de Lima and another is in November, which is the famous Feira Nacional do Cavalo Lusitano. It’s held in what is sometimes known as the capital of the horse in the city of Golegã in Portugal and is a national fair dedicated solely to the Lusitano horse. Well-known breeders attend both fairs to show and sell their horses and the fairs are an ideal environment to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

Daniela with Fundador, a cremello gelding she co-owns with her mother

“What I immediately loved about the Lusitano breed is that they are not just beautiful, I think the breeding is making them much more athletic for the sport,” Daniela enthused. “They just have these incredible minds. People say this jokingly, but they’re like the golden retrievers of the horse world, where even from a young age they’re very curious and seem drawn to people. That’s what I find to be so unique for this breed: They want to have this very strong connection with their humans.”

Taking the Plunge

Since she didn’t come from a family that worked in the horse industry, Daniela felt like she was starting from scratch, but the support she received from friends in Portugal and in the U.S. made it less frightening. When her parents agreed to become partners in her business, Daniela was ready to move forward with her plans.

“We bought a place in Loxahatchee Groves in Florida; it’s a smaller barn and I live on site,” Daniela said. “I can look out my kitchen window and see my favorite horses looking out of their stalls back at me. I absolutely love what I’m doing. I have five horses now; two are my own personal horses and three are young horses that I’m training as sales horses. We chose to keep it small with 13 stalls and just a few boarders, which was our plan when we started this partnership. We kept it small so that we could keep it individualized. For the people who board here, they feel like this is their own personal barn.”

Daniela loves that the Lusitano breed has a very strong connection with their humans.

A special boarder is Cathy Robinson, who came as a reference shortly after they opened. “She has a broad background in the equestrian disciplines and she is just the sweetest, most kind and generous person,” Daniela said. “She was very encouraging when she saw me ride and said, ‘I’d love to help you in any way I can.’ Ever since then, she’s been like a guiding light.”

Seeing Cathy on a regular basis keeps Daniela motivated during the stages of progress with her riding and the training of her horses. Now riding as an adult amateur, Cathy isn’t Daniela’s trainer but simply helps her, encouraging her to keep learning and improving her riding.

Another mentor who is very dear to Daniela is Margaret Auerbach, who was her first official client when she opened her business. “Margaret took a chance on me when I still had a long way to go and a lot to learn,” Daniela remembered. “She’s the most loving and helpful person, like a second mother to me.”

Daniela’s trainer, John Amber of Pas de Deux Dressage in Wellington, Florida, has experience with young horses, which is beneficial to Daniela’s business of developing young Lusitanos. “John has such an expansive background in training in Germany. I completely love him as a rider and he has such a soft touch with horses,” Daniela said. “His philosophy is that you want the horse to want to do this for you, which I immediately clicked with. I think this is really what dressage should be about — horses wanting to do their job and having fun.

“It’s been really great working with John, especially because he has worked so much with young horses,” Daniela continued. “My oldest horse right now is nine and starting to go into the FEI levels. The others are all younger, so it’s great that he has a lot of experience in bringing young horses through the lower levels. It’s been really amazing to learn from him.”

Lusitanos are often referred to as the golden retrievers of the horse world because of their curious nature and desire to be around people.

Although Daniela admits to having a long-term goal of being a grand prix rider, she realizes that the journey is half of the fun — which is important in order to be in the sport for the long term. She emphasized, “It’s always great to have these big goals.”

With her numerous friends and contacts in the U.S. and Portugal, Daniela’s company, Lusitano Masters, caters to clients who are considering importing a horse from Portugal. “I definitely see it as a huge privilege to be able to help people find their equine partner,” she said. “To be able to ride these amazing horses is one of those things where once you experience it, it’s just so hard to imagine not making partnerships with other riders and having them find their own special horse.”

For more information, visit lusitanomasters.com

Photos by Barbara Bower, www.BarbarasVisions.com

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Tagged under: Barbara Bower, Daniela Siberio, Doris Degner-Foster, lustiano

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The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

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We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

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You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

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