Mike Marquez Heather Arcari
I've always felt very fortunate to have been born to the situation I was, and to be exposed to the lifestyle I grew up in. Almost everything about my life has some relevance to the horse. They've been a part of my life, in one way or another, since I hit the ground. My folks had a 1,000 acre horse operation in Sierra Valley in the northern California mountains where they ran upwards of 120 broodmares consisting mostly of Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and Welsh ponies.
After my folks split up and sold the ranch when I was 11, my brothers and I went to Mexico with Dad where he started ranching in Culiacan, Sinaloa. After 5 years of Mexican adventures, I came back to the U.S. to finish high school, heading to the family cattle ranch in Marysville, California (my brothers, cousins, and myself being the 5th generation on the ranch) to hang my hat for a while.
The next several years I spent playing with horses, rodeoing some, working cattle quite a bit, doing some horse showing, and generally having a good time. I spent some time in my late teens and early twenties picking the brains of a few trainers I admired, swapping riding their colts and problem horses for knowledge. It was a good bargain for both of us.
In 1981 I was hired to come train horses for an outfit in Connecticut (never having been east of the Rockies before that, I had to look at a map just to see where it was located), so I loaded up my dogs and gear in the truck, and headed east. About a year later, after a few requests from people, I decided to start my own training business. Since then I've been in my own little world, training horses, helping them, and learning from them.
All through my life growing up, I've been exposed to the California vaquero's traditions of horsemanship, through story and by example. Of all the things I've been , that made the biggest impression on me, and has always been a major factor in my work. Although there wasn't much call for traditional vaquero horsemanship (jaquima a freno) in the east, the philosophies have served me very well in all aspects of the diverse work I've done here.
When I started Vaquero Training Center in 1983, not many even knew what the word "vaquero" meant, and only a handful outside the west coast regions had much knowledge of the vaquero horsemanship traditions. Although it's gratifying to see a resurgence in awareness in the Californio horse traditions, people should understand that it's much more than wearing a specific attire, being able to speak the "lingo". It's a philosophy. Of the Horse. Their most valuable asset. A testament to their lives.
In the show ring, Mike has countless accomplishments along with many World, National and Local Championships in Multiple Disciplines and with Multiple Breeds. More than 50 years of history.
Heather was born with horse in her blood! She was always attracted to anything horse related, even before her first word! Heather started her riding career, at the age of 7, at her neighbor's backyard barn where she learned the basics of horse care and riding skills. She would go to the barn right after school and help with chores in exchange for her lesson time, accepting every new opportunity given to her. As her riding skills got better, she started showing in Hunt Seat and Western classes, Equitation and Pleasure, as well as various Hunter Jumper classes.
Heather's skills and knowledge progressed so she wanted to seek more! When she was 13 years old she contacted Mike and Laura and began taking lessons at Vaquero Training Center. When Heather turned 15 she became a working student at VTC. All the while, she learned more fine-tuned horsemanship skills, both on the ground and in the tack, handling more difficult horses and was exposed to more intricate horse care.
Heather couldn't absorb enough knowledge so shortly after starting at VTC she explored Saddleseat at a neighboring barn that focused on that discipline and way of training and was given the opportunity to show at Morgan breed shows and other local shows offering Saddleseat. At this same barn she was given the opportunity to help giving beginner lessons. She explored that discipline and breed for a few years while also working for VTC!! Heather is a self-driven individual, eagerly looking for more knowledge!
She eventually focused solely on her horsemanship skills with VTC where she began showing in Western Dressage and Ranch classes. Within a few years, Heather was given the opportunity to shadow Mike and Laura as they gave lessons then started teaching beginner lessons on her own. Heather found herself truly enjoying the art of good horsemanship and looked forward to sharing this important knowledge with the next generations. Heather became the barn manager and full-time instructor and has had students showing and winning at the Regional and National level.
Heather herself, has acquired many accolades over the years but most recently, is her WDAA 2020 World Championship! She continues every day looking for an opportunity to learn, or do, something different and new! After countless lessons, and shadowing Mike's training and lesson session, she is beginning to exercise and train some of the horses in the program.
Heather does what she Loves, and Loves what she does! The sky is the limit! It's people like Heather that VTC thoroughly enjoys watching stride forward!!
~ ~ Heather Arcari Lessons at Vaquero Training Center ~ ~
Laura Marquez
Laura has been riding for over 50 years and comes from a diverse background of horsemanship spanning several generations. Some of her earliest training was with the Glastonbury Pony Club and at Henley Farms in Andover, CT where Pam Goodrich was trainer. When Henley Farms burned, Laura honed her jumping skills as a working student of Beth Baumert at Cloverlea Farm in Columbia, CT.
Eventually Laura focused primarily on Dressage and worked with both Beth and Sarah Geikie, owner of Angushire Farm. Throughout her youth, involvement with the U.S. Dressage Federarion's Young Riders program, Laura benefited from the instruction of clinicians such as; Jimmy Woffard, Denny Emerson, Gunnar Ostergaard, Lendon Gray, Kathy Connelly, Max Gahwyler, Volker Brommann, Pam Goodrich, Reiner Klimke and Gerd Reuter with an invitation to apprentice in Germany.
In 1986, Laura represented CDCTA as a team member with Sarah Geikie, Karen Roberts and Claudia Tarlov at the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association competition held at the U.S. Olympic Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. She celebrated her 16th birthday riding down the center line of this event. Throughout almost four decades of riding, Laura received numerous championships and year end awards in Dressage, Eventing and Hunters: USDF, CDCTA, NEDA, Tri-State Horseman's Assoc., CDA, US Pony Clubs. Additionally, Laura's involvement in the US Pony Club and Connecticut 4-H programs offered her opportunities for equine educational recognition in Horse Judging, Hippology and Quiz Bowl at both state and national levels. In 1987 Laura received the Reader's Digest Presidential Award at the National 4-H Congress and was the recipient of one of six AQHA scholarships, out of over 200,000 applicants, as well as a full tuition scholarship to UConn's Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture, studying Equine Science, and rode as a member of the school's competitive teams, including their Polo team.
Laura owned and operated Nightingale Farm in Hebron, CT, a full service boarding facility prior to working with Mike.