Manolo mendez - PDF document

WWW.BAROQUEHORSEMAGAZIN.COM WWW.BAROQUEHORSEMAGAZIN.COM Manolo Mendez was the first Head Rider, and one of six founding members of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. Based in Jerez, Spain, the school is the Cadre Noir in Saumur, the Spanish Riding School in in Lisbon. A master horseman with over forty years of experience spanning classical dressage, doma vaquera and jumping, Manolo is dedicated to a soft, sympathetic and thorough training method which MANOLOMENDEZ THE BROWN LEAHER CHAPS I WEAR ARE OVER Y-FVE YEARS OLD. THE CAREFULLY OLED, WWW.BAROQUEHORSEMAGAZIN.COM WWW.BAROQUEHORSEMAGAZIN.COMback. As he learns to travel laterally or do changes, or pirouettes dqg pruh, I vwloo vwulyh wr khos py kruvh ey sodflqg py zhlgkw, sometimes in an exaggerated manner, where it helps him most. As the horse understands better and better what is asked of klp dqg ghyhorsv wkh vwuhqgwk wr gholyhu wkh zrun frq�ghqwoy, I uhwuuq wr d pruh wudglwlrqdo srvlwlrq wkrugk py vhdw lv dozdyv alive. Oq d yruqg kruvh, I ohduqhg wr frpsurplvh, qrw wrr hxshfw wrr pufk. Ii I dvnhg iru d kdow, I dffhswhg lw wrrn d ihz vwhsv uqwlo my horse could stop its momentum and stay in balance. As he became more balanced, he was able to stop sooner and sooner uqwlo kh fruog vwrs zkhq I dvnhg. Iw wdnhv wlph iru d yruqg ru untrained horse to learn a new balance and the more we help him, the sooner he will succeed.Oq d zrunlqg kruvh, wkh ulglqg’v �uvw sulrulwy lv dozdyv wr khos the horse, and so should it be on any horse, in any discipline.Dw iruuwhhq, I zhqw wr zrun iru wkh Drphft idploy rq wkhlu surshuwy lq Dqgdouvld. Tkhuh, I ohduqhg wr ulgh but also Doma a la VaqueraAcoso y derriboÁlvaro Domecq . Srrq hqrugk, I zdv wudlqlqg klv kruvhv iru Vaquera and had three or four horses to work with every day.This kind of work requires that a horse knows how to do travers, shoulder-in, half pass, single and multiple pirouettes, �ylqg fkdqgh, sldiih, sdvvdgh dqg Ssdqlvk zdon. Wkloh doo wkhvh movements are present in dressage, three things are different: First, as we carry a pole, we have the reins in one hand not two. Second, this work includes some speed not found in dressage, dqg wklug wkh uhshwlwlrq ri wkh pryhphqwv dqg wkh frq�guudwlrq ri wkh �guuhv zh fuhdwh duh gliihuhqw. For example, working with cattle or bulls, a rider and horse may have to spin three or four times in a series of tight pirouettes and move out at warp speed only to do a half-pass to the left, one wr wkh ulgkw, gr d �ylqg fkdqgh dqg �qg wkhpvhoyhv grlqg vhyhudo spins again only in the opposite direction. By comparison, in dressage, the same movements feel as though they are happening in slow motion.Tklv lv wkh vhfrqg dqg prvw lpsruwdqw ohvvrq I ohduqhg iurp wklv work. The more balanced and able to carry himself at high speed or in-place a working horse is, the more he knows the rider will MO "Hshnzo iroiokhss eeds.sdo piiti,o ow ths e s qsrchluerei ano,iln n ssuesashthl thl ves. d MO d I Toea hokry,e e-odrh Va W.OSAG Photo: Developing a strong, supple horse means he can carry himself and the rider is free to use his body and hands as he needs whether it is to close a gate or volte underneath a garrocha pole. WWW.BAROQUEHORSEMAGAZIN.COM WWW.BAROQUEHORSEMAGAZIN.COM not block him but assist him in his work, the more he will wuuvw klv ulghu. Bhyrqg ghyhorslqg �w, vussoh, dwkohwlf kruvhv this work taught me that there is an intimate relationship ehwzhhq frq�ghqfh dqg edodqfh. Iw lv d ohvvrq wkdw dssolhv to all horses, not just working equitation ones. Oqh ri wkh prvw sohdvuudeoh wklqgv I iruqg dv yruqg ery and then man riding working horses was that it truly is whdpzrun. Iq guhvvdgh, wkhuh lv tulwh d elw ri wdon deruw kduprqy dqg sduwqhuvkls euw I uduhoy vhh d kruvh wkdw kdv any choice in the matter of how it is ridden. Riding a working horse, failing to listen to him when you are in the middle of separating a cow or taking a group of bulls to a new pasture, may get you killed. A working horse not only has to be in independent balance to react and move as fast as lightning without being blocked or slowed down by the rider (who will not process data as quickly as a horse with his eyes on a cow), but it has to be trusted that it knows how to do its job. Yru wudlq wkh kruvh, yru pdnh klp �w dqg edodqfhg, yru introduce him to his work gradually and safely and when he is ready and he is reporting to duty, when he has hxshulhqfh uqghu klv ehow, wkhq yru kdyh wr vdy:   I wuuvw yru. I zloo gulgh yru euw I zloo dovr olvwhq wr yru, dqg vrphwlphv, we will do it your way”. Because you are a pro. Because you carry me. Because you are doing the brunt of the work and you know how the earth feel beneath your feet, and how wklv frz ihhov wr yru wrgdy. Yru vdy,  I dp yruu ulghu euw sometimes, you know better” and that is true of all horses, not just working horses. A good horseman should know the difference between his horse’s working instinct and disobedience wether he is riding dressage, garrocha, jumping, etc...Llnh pdqy d zrunlqg kruvhpdq ehiruh ph, I ohduqhg wkdw while we ask for our horses trust, we should not forget to give them ours - and as they have to deserve ours, so do we have to deserve theirs.Iq wuuwk, ulglqg fdq eh erlohg grzq wr wklv: Ii d ulghu dqg d kruvh duh erwk independently balanced, they will have frq�ghqfh lq wkhlu delolwy wr pryh wrghwkhu. Ii wkh ulghu pdnhv khoslqg klv kruvh klv �uvw sulrulwy, klv kruvh will give him his trust and have even guhdwhu frq�ghqfh lq klp. As the horse’s balance and of his work and so can the rider’s trust in his horse grow. When these conditions are in place, there are very few limits to what can be taught and experienced.naturally when we learn to ride in the �hogv dqg zh kdyh d mre wr gr. Wkhq our horse is our only companion sometimes for entire days, and from klv vruqgqhvv, frq�ghqfh dqg zhoo being depends our livelihood and sometimes survival, we learn to really value his generosity. That is the best lesson of all, knowing how giving a horse is, if we give him the chance to be. you. I will you but I listen to you,“ To order or for more info:www.bluechipfeed.com.au Before After Before After Also availableThe Original feed balancer for horses NEW To Australia Blue Chip feed balancers (Original, Pro and Lami-light) and joint supplement (Dynamic) are added to a horses regular feeding regime. Each sack lasts an average horse 40 days. You should expect to see a difference in your horse with 3 weeks. to laminitis. Aids BC-Aus-Ad.indd 1 3/8/12 15:48:18 Photo: Carrying a heavy pole is not reason for a rider to not carry himself and sit lightly on his horse, this allows the horse in turn to rise up beneath the rider.Photo: And sometimes, it is about just having fun and letting your horse have a say. Dinamico loves nothing more then to charge, and in this session, Manolo indulged him.Photo: In working equitation, the horse sometimes has to move at warp speed and make very sharp turns or spin multiple times. The horse is responsible for his balance and the rider for his own. The rider leans into the movement, lightening his seat to free his horse’s back and help him collect and turn as much as possible.