Gerardo Diaz To Dazzle National Horse Show With Charro Charm

Mary Hilton for Phelps Wilkes Associates, Inc.

Wellington, FL – November 20, 2003 – Gerardo Diaz is a fourth generation charro from San Antonio, Texas, who has demonstrated his horsemanship and roping skills in every state in the continental U.S. except Florida – until now. Diaz is booked for three appearances at the upcoming National Horse Show in Wellington, Florida. A renowned and popular performer, Diaz has presented exhibitions at venues ranging from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the Professional Rodeo Circuit to the Economic Summit for world leaders.

His appearance at the National Horse Show marks his 179th performance this year. In his one-man show, Diaz performs in traditional charro attire, combining Mexican mariachi music and his precision roping maneuvers with his horses’ skills in dancing, tricks, dressage, and reining. The 120TH National Horse Show will be held November 26-30, 2003, at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club show grounds in Wellington, Florida.

Diaz was personally invited to appear in Florida by Gene Mische, who enjoyed the charro’s performances at the recent Metropolitan National Horse Show in New York City. Mische is a Director of the National Horse Show Association of America, Ltd. and President of Stadium Jumping Inc., the company that produces the Winter Equestrian Festival as well as The National Horse Show in Wellington.

Gerardo Diaz, 43, known as “Jerry,” is carrying on the Mexican cowboy tradition that originated with his great-grandfather in Spain and was carried on by his grandfather and father in Mexico. The family now lives in New Braunfels, Texas, where they operate Three Mile Creek Ranch, a 50-acre horse operation. “We train them for high school horses, which means dancing horses, trick horses, reining horses, dressage horses, all combined,” explains Jerry. His 84-year-old father still rides and carries on the charro tradition of handstitching Jerry’s concho-encrusted saddles, which are as much a part of the show as Jerry’s charro attire. Based on the military outfit worn in the Mexican revolution, the charro outfit includes a 14-inch sombrero and silver-trimmed bolero jacket and tight trousers. “They are very, very beautiful outfits,” Jerry notes.

For his Wellington performance, Diaz is bringing three horses: Cerrano, a dark bay Andalusian stallion; Osado, a dapple gray Andalusian stallion; and Grain of Gold, a golden palomino Quarter Horse gelding that was Diaz’s mount for his 1996 Atlanta Olympics exhibition.

Diaz is especially proud of nine-year-old Cerrano. “I bought him when he was four. He was an abused horse and that was the only reason I was able to get him,” Diaz explains. “You could hardly put a halter on him, and five years later here we are performing with him and taking him to shows. He’s a real special horse. He’s taken a lot of extra work and now he has accomplished a lot. In his performance he’s very majestic. He’s very up, he’s very proud, he dances really beautifully, he marches, he does a beautiful passage, he spins, he lays, he sits, he bows. He’s a really nice horse.”

The dapple-gray stallion, Osado, is 10 years old and has been touring with Diaz for three years. “He is very animated. He does a beautiful extended trot,” notes Jerry. “He marches beautifully and he also lays, and sits, and bows. He has a really nice ‘handle’, which means he has a nice rein, really nice control. He’s really well balanced.”

The horses will also exhibit movements such as side pass, Spanish walk, and pirouettes. “For the finale of my show I do a 65-foot rope around one of the stallions and take them into a full gallop around the arena while I get the rope going at the same time. It’s very, very neat,” Jerry grins. “My rope artistry is not trick roping and I like to describe it as ‘rope maneuvering’. It is a very unique kind of rope called a maguey rope and is probably one of the most difficult ropes to maneuver in the world.”

Jerry will be a featured performer at the Children’s Fair scheduled for Saturday, November 29, from 11am to 3pm. “I absolutely love working with children,” Jerry says. “I love working with the kids one-on-one. I like to wear a wireless mike so I can get them a little closer to me with the horses and get them involved.” The charro exhibition will also be featured at The National Horse Show’s Jumping Under The Stars event on Friday, November 28, which begins at 7pm and the $100,000 AGA Championship Grand Prix presented by Chesapeake Petroleum on Sunday, November 30.

Tickets

Children age 12 and under are always free. General admission seating for adults, Wednesday through Saturday (on Friday, there will be separate day and evening tickets), will be $10/each, with Sunday priced at $15/each; children over the age of 12 and seniors (65 and older) will be $7/each. Diamond Horse Shoe Club and box seating information and reservations can be obtained by calling (800) 237-8924 or the Special Events office at (561) 753-3389.