Hola From Venezuela

Jessy Gutierrez, his wife, Nielisbeth Assante, and their two sons pose with the Venezuelan flag at the Region Nine Experience in Jackson, Mississippi. (Journal photo)

Jessy Gutierrez and his family were planning a 20-day vacation to the United States this month, so Jessy looked on www.aqha.com to see what shows were taking place during their travels.

He found the Region Nine Experience online and promptly traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, where he, his wife, Nielsbeth, and his two sons spent a day watching halter, showmanship, western pleasure and western riding.

“In Venezuela, we don’t see so many beautiful horses together,” Jessy said.

A farmer near Ciudad Bolivar, Jessy has six horses and a mule. He competes in “colea,” an activity he described as being somewhat like the tailing the bull competition in Mexico.

Jessy also spent a lot of time talking to people and showing off the Venezuelan flag, which he brought along. Everywhere I went Friday, I was a step behind Jessy. Folks from Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi all told me that I should talk to him.

Between his English and my sputtering Spanish, we had a nice conversation, and then the family posed for the picture you see above.

Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Check out photos from Day Two of the Region Nine Experience. Click on the photos to see the captions. Some of the photos are available for purchase at the AQHA Photo Store.