Wellington, FL – April 6, 2011 – The horses and riders of G&C Farm had great success in the last three weeks of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival to conclude their winter season. Many top finishes and highlights throughout the twelve week circuit include an exciting win in the $35,000 Hermès Puissance, where Pablo Barrios cleared the 7’3″ puissance wall with G&C Quivola, as well as a fantastic victory for Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11 in the $40,000 Surpass Grand Prix, CSI 2*. The Mirabal sponsored team was also victorious in the FTI Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments. G&C Farm is based in Wellington, FL, and owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal of Venezuela. Barrios, who competes for Venezuela, is also based in Wellington.



Gustavo Mirabal is very pleased with the success that G&C Farm has seen this season as they continue to position themselves as a dominant force in the sport. The farm has prospered in Wellington and Mirabal is excited to continue this year’s show season.

”We had a very successful circuit this winter and I was very happy with the results,” Mirabal stated. “The horses were all fantastic and our riders had a great time. The time we spend in Wellington provides an opportunity for a lot of growth and development in both the horses and the riders. We always enjoy the experience and to do so well is just icing on the cake. We look forward to the rest of the season and hope to succeed even further.”



As the team at G&C Farm continued into the final three weeks of competition in Wellington, they saw more great results from their top horses and riders. During week nine, Pablo Barrios and G&C Sinatra were third in the $31,000 G&C Farm FEI 1.45m and Mark Bluman and Cataro Ask finished third in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m.

In week ten, Barrios and G&C LaGran were second in the $31,000 G&C Farm FEI 1.45m Classic and G&C Flash was fourth. G&C LaGran also placed fifth in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Jumpers. Simply the Best was fourth in the $1,500 Adequan 6-Year Old-Jumpers. 



Moving into week eleven, Simply the Best showed her talent with a win in the $1,500 Adequan 6-Year-Old Young Jumper Qualifier. Another up and coming young horse for the farm, G&C Con Air was seventh in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm Speed Challenge 1.40m. G&C LaGran continued his comeback this season with a fourth place finish in the $31,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic.

Gustavo and Maria Emilia Mirabal (right side) in a presentation for Wheels for Kids

During week 11, the Mirabals were a part of the presentation to present children with new wheelchairs. This was through the charity Wheels for Kids, which was the charity paired with the Mirabal team in the FTI Great Charity Challenge. The team of Pablo Barrios, Luis Larrazabal, and Emmanuel Andrade won $150,000 for Wheels for Kids.

Six-time Olympian Nick Skelton began coaching the G&C Farm riders during this year’s WEF circuit and has been a driving force in the fantastic success that the team has seen.  Skelton will continue to share his knowledge and expertise throughout the year as the team travels to competitions all over the world.



Pablo Barrios, Nick Skelton, and Gustavo Mirabal

The next stop for G&C Farm is Tampa, FL, where Barrios will show in the $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational on April 9. G&C Farm is the presenting sponsor of the class for the second year in a row and will be on hand to show their support for one of the nation’s most elite show jumping competitions.

G&C Farm has been invited to some of the top competitions in the world, and their 2011 schedule takes them from Europe to South America and North America.

Venezuela plans to field a team at the Pan American Games with Pablo Barrios as one of the team riders, in hopes of securing a place in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

2011 Show Schedule
$200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational presented by G&C Farm – April 9 – Tampa, FL

Hermès CSI 5* – April 15-17 – Paris, France

Rolex FEI World Cup Finals – April 27-May 1 – Leipzig, Germany
Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – May 6-8 – Valencia, Spain
Jumping International de France CSIO 5* – May 12-15 – La Baule, France

Piazza di Siena Show Jumping CSIO 5* – May 26-29 – Rome, Italy

Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – June 9-11 – Cannes, France

Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – June 23-26 – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – June 30-July 2 – Estoril, Portugal

World Equestrian Festival CHIO 5* – July 12-17 – Aachen, Germany
Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – July 22-24 – Chantilly, France

Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – August 12-14 – Valkenswaard, Holland

Rotterdam CSIO 5* – August 25-28 – Rotterdam, Holland

Global Champions Tour CSI 5* – September 2-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Spruce Meadows Masters CSI 5* – September 7-11 – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Pennsylvania National Horse Show, CSI-W – October 17-22 – Harrisburg, PA 

Pan American Games – October 25-30 – Guadalajara, Mexico

Royal Winter Fair, CSI-W – November 4-13 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

*tentative show schedule

Please visit www.farmgc.com  for more information on G&C Farm, their riders, and their horses. You can also find out more by visiting the G&C Farm page on Facebook  or follow G&C Farm on Twitter.

G&C Farm brings exceptional horses and top Venezuelan jumper riders to the highest levels of competition. Their state-of-the-art, full-service facility is located in Wellington, FL.

The vision of G&C Farm is to improve the instruction and training of their top jumper riders and horses in order to seek a place on the Venezuelan team for all high level tournaments and top competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games. G&C Farm sponsors top grand prix rider Pablo Barrios of Venezuela, as well as other up and coming riders. The technical advisor at G&C Farm is Olympic Games course designer Leopoldo Palacios.

For more information on G&C Farm, please visit www.farmgc.com .