El Chino de El Batey

El Chino is a Paso Fino Horse owned and shown by J.R. Morales of Ocala. J.R. is the owner of Continental Paso Fino Farm. Frank met him the year before Mimi was born in 1994. At the time Frank was hauling chips in to the farm from Suwannee Lumber and ended up becoming good friends with him. Enough so that Mimi and Frankie have both gotten to ride on El Chino.

El Chino is a 7 time Bella Forma Grand National Champion. He is also nationally known as the Gypsy Dancing Horse. This horse became J.R,'s baby so to speak.

This afternoon while reading the news, I came across a breaking news story about a fire in Ocala that killed 5 horses. When I found out that it was J.R.'s farm, my heart stopped. J.R. loves all horses and for this to happen on his farm is absolutely devastating to him. I can only be thankful that El Chino was in the second barn and was saved. That would have been his undoing I do believe. All of our prayers and sympathy go out to J.R. and his wife on their loss.

Below is some info on J.R. Morales and El Chino. The video is just one of the performances El Chino and J.R. do for the crowds.

Date of Birth: 2/2/1988
Sex: Stallion
Registration Numbers:
International 81334
PFHA 12512
Color: Black
Owner: JR Morales
Farm: Continental Paso Fino Farm

Titles Held:
Bella Forma Grand National Champion

Narrative:
Not only is El Chino famous as a Champion, he is also famous as a Gypsy Dancer.Chino has also produced Champion Offspring. To name only one, at the 95 Grand Nationals, his daughter Kofrechino, won first place in her class

OCALA - Five horses perished in a barn fire off County Road 475A Tuesday morning while the horses in a second barn that was partly burned escaped harm.

Marion County Fire Rescue received a call about the fire at Continental Paso Fino, 1080 SW 128th Lane, at 7:49 a.m. and was on scene within 10 minutes, said county spokeswoman Peveeta Persaud.

Firefighters found one of the barns already fully engulfed in flames. The sides of a second barn, roughly 10 feet away, were also burning. Persaud said firefighters were able to prevent the second barn from burning down.

After extinguishing the blaze in the first barn, firefighters found the bodies of five horses. Four of them were Paso Finos and the fifth was a paint.

Persaud said about 25 firefighters from four stations responded. The agency did not yet know what caused the fire in the barns, which had wood stalls and tin roofs. The State Fire Marshal's Office was conducting an investigation.

Neighbor Ray Menz, owner of eight Paso Finos, heard a popping sound, went outside and saw the first barn already being consumed by fire.

He and two other neighbors rushed over to see what they could do. It was too late for the horses in the first barn, he said. They saw the horses in the second barn already rushing out.

Farm owner J.R. Morales said he was bathing in a bathroom when he heard the dog barking outside. When he looked outside, Morales said, he saw the first barn, which had the five horses in it on fire, and ran barefoot outside in an effort to save them.

The flames were too hot on either side, Morales said, so he went to the second barn, which had 10 horses, and released them.

"They were going crazy in the stalls, and I turned them loose. There was nothing else I could do,” Morales said.

In the second barn was El Chino, a popular show horse that does numerous exhibitions in Marion County, Morales said. He said El Chino, along with other horses are scheduled to do exhibitions next month.

He said the horses that died in the fire were between the ages of 5 and 7.