I was born and raised in Puerto Rico where my parents owned Rancho Kofresi, a Paso Fino farm named after Kofresi, the famous Paso Fino stallion owned by my dad, Ramon A. Figueroa. Even though my dad was a breeder, riding Paso Fino horses was a hobby for my family. While growing up, my siblings and I competed in the youth category in Puerto Rico’s local horse shows. During this time, I was one of the founding members of the “Jovenes Caballistas de Puerto Rico”, an organization made to compete against the youth from Dominican Republic where I had the opportunity to compete.
I graduated from the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School in 1989, but soon realized my real passion was riding horses. I made the decision to become a professional trainer, and in 1990, I purchased my first farm in Puerto Rico. At the same time, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in finance, graduating from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico in 1994. In 1995, I moved to Ocala, FL where I started working with my good friend Jorge Suarez at Criadero 4J in Summerfield, Florida. In 1998, I started my own training business contracting work at various Paso Fino farms in the Ocala area. In the year 2001 I was fortunate enough to purchase and build my own training facility in Summerfield, FL named Victoria Paso Fino. In the year 2006 I was honored to receive the Paso Fino Horse Trainer of the year award at the Grand Nationals Paso Fino Championship show in Perry, GA.
My farm is currently located in Ocala, FL. For the past 24 years I have participated in many competitions throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Throughout this time, I have committed full-time to the Paso Fino Horse Industry specializing from trail ride horses to the world class Paso Fino champion in the professional division and focusing on amateur owner riders.
In the year 2020 I started VPF Logistic, now named VPF Equine Removal & Cremation. VPF Equine Removal & Cremation comes from an equine necessity in Marion County. As active horsemen we never want to think of the passing of one of our own beloved horses. The love and respect we have towards our horses made us develop a much-needed service in the equine community.
VPF Equine Removal & Cremation is offering professional removal of horse carcasses while giving the owner the respect and space they need while going through this hard time. We are a family operated business serving Marion County, Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando surrounding areas.