Andrea Boscarino

Horse training and handling is a tough profession for a man or a woman. However, Andrea Boscarino from Italy is undaunted. His love for horses is overwhelming to the extent of spending twenty-four hours with the most elegant animal in the world. Andrea lives in Lombardy where he co-owns the well-known BM Arabian Training Centre with his brother Angelo. 1. Hello Andrea. Just to set the scene with our readers, will you please give us some background to you, your family and education? 1. Hello everyone! Thanks for this great opportunity. My name is Andrea Boscarino. I am a professional handler of purebred Arabian horses and I have been breeding Arabian horses for about thirty years at the family stables located in the province of Varese, north Italy. 2. How and when did this passion for Arabian horses begin? To what extent has the love for the Arabian horse affected your life? 2. In truth, we inherited this passion from our parents, Mr. Michele and Mrs. Lina Boscarino. My parents had started breeding Arabian horses a few years before my brother Angelo Boscarino and I were born. We both grew up around horses and fell in love with them. The Arabian horse has impacted on our life from an early age to such an extent that we turned this passion into a job. 3. Andrea, have you developed a systematic program for handling Arabian horses at BM Arabian Training Centre? Can you describe this program? How have your handling techniques evolved over the years? 3. At BM Arabian Training Center each horse is treated individually. We take care of our clients' horses as we get to know them and try to figure out which training technique is best for the horse we are dealing with. We don’t use a standardised training technique so as to always make any horse feel at ease, and keep both movement and ‘type’ as vital as possible. 4. Is there a limit to what an Arabian horse can be taught through handling? 4. What a good Trainer must understand is what the horse actually teaches him. Like humans, horses too never stop learning. 5. Who has been the most demanding horse to train? 5. As I said before, what’s truly important is to create a ‘connection’ with the horse in training, in this way even the most particular horses will be willing to listen to their Trainer's requests. 6. What, in your opinion, really defines a good Handler? What do you need to become a successful one? 6. Definitely, get to know the horses and their habits first, be very serious with clients, and advise them in the best possible way as if what you do for them you are doing for yourself. 7. What are your favourite bloodlines? 7. Well, we grew up in a family of breeders and lovers of the Russian bloodline, we have always been looking for mares deriving from PADRON, in my opinion one of the most important sires in history having created a dynasty of Champions of its own. In our barns, we also have mares deriving from the extraordinary EL SHAKLAN, another champion in reproduction. Lately, I have started to appreciate more the Straight Egyptian horse. 8. Andrea, how do you feel about the showing environment? Do the most deserving horses in terms of 8. I state that the quality of horses in Italy has significantly increased in recent years, and we get many requests for young promises from abroad, which means that Italy is certainly taken into high consideration by other states when it comes down to horses’ quality. As for the shows, honestly there have been a few circumstances where I doubted the true standards of the Arabian horse, but as I often say, the world of the Arabian horse is a world apart, as you cannot argue with those who judge according to certain criteria. Personal taste may vary in terms of Type, Head and Harmony. Quite often I can see a horse and get thrilled whilst this same horse means nothing to the person who is next to me. 9. Which show have you been to as a Handler most recently? Share with us most exciting moments… 9. We have recently participated in the Straight Egyptians World Championship in Milan with two mares: Nardene Al Naif belonging to Al Naif Stud from Qatar, who won the 2020 SEWC World Champion title; the other mare belonging to Nawasi Stud team, also from Qatar, won first place and the Senior Mare Bronze medal. The most exciting moment was when I won the World Championship for the first time in my life. I had been waiting for it for a long time after all the other victories at the Italian Championships. 10. How important are the Fairs of Arabian horses? 10. Certainly the Arabian Horse Fairs are a great showcase that offers breeders competing in the shows every year a method of comparison, and with that, a great opportunity to understand which direction their breeding program is going, as well as an occasion to share exciting moments together with friends and other breeders. Fairs are also important to show other countries in the world what Made in Italy breeding has done so far and it is able to do to enhance the value of Italian products on the international market. 11. How and where do you see yourself in ten years? 11. I take this opportunity to give you some great news: I have recently bought a new property together with my brother Angelo Boscarino where we will build our new BM Arabian Training Center. We will give our clients the opportunity to have a small clinic for gynaecology, a breeding station for stallions and frozen semen storage, all services that were not yet fully available at the previous stables. We would have much larger paddocks as the area exceeds two hectares of land available both for mares and their foals. I hope to see all my expectations fulfilled in ten years especially workwise, but, first and number one, I hope to continue arousing great emotions in all the people who have supported me up to now, and to those who will do so in the future. 12. Andrea, will you please leave a message for the readers of AHM? 12. Believe in your dreams because sooner or later they will come true if you truly believe in them: in everyday life, at work, on the farm, at shows. If you think it can be done, then go ahead with boldness. I hope this 2021 will wash away all the problems and worries of last year due to the spread of Covid-19 pandemic disease. I hope I will see all my friends and colleagues again very soon. I miss them all… Thank you so much Andrea. Your words have touched us deeply. May all your dreams come true!