 Manolo on Rose Flanery's Al Pacino
 Manolo discussing technique with Marianne
 Jessica McTaggart on Belotti
 Manolo
 Margaret Rowe on Winnie
 Wiecor with owner March Enders
 Manolo working piaffe with Mary and Willow
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RECENT CLINIC with
MANOLO MENDEZ
Manolo working inhand
The most outstanding feature of Manolo's clinics is his emphasis on
the correct, unhurried development of the body and mind of the horse.
He teaches the importance of maintaining a long, low neck carriage, so
that the horse is always in front of the vertical as he moves. He
begins with simple, straight movements, and introduces new movements,
such as transitions, work on a circle and lateral work only when the
horse is strong enough to maintain self-carriage, straightness and
balance as he performs them. He feels that, as the horse learns more
advanced movements, such as collection, half-passes, flying changes,
pirouettes, piaffe and passage, he should be able to remain physically
balanced, straight and free of any physical discomfort, as well as
mentally calm and confident. He emphasizes that achieving these goals
can never be hurried, because of the years it takes for each horse to
develop the necessary strength, self-carriage and confidence in his
abilities. During lessons, each new movement is practiced quite
briefly, and is always accompanied by ample praise for the horse's
efforts to learn something new. Riders are encouraged to always ride
with very gentle hands, so as to allow the horse to seek a soft
contact with the bit, and to develop flexibility and softness in their
own bodies so that they will be able to enhance, rather than restrict,
the horse's own natural movement.
Observing Manolo interact with a horse is an unforgettable experience. He begins by standing quietly in front of the him, focusing intently on him, but saying little or nothing. Horses immediately notice this unusual attention, and themselves become calm, focused and ready to learn. They invariably remain intensely focused on Manolo, and on what he is thinking about them and asking of them, for the remainder of the training session. Manolo is then able to proceed with getting to understand what the horse's level of development is, discovering particular problems which may exist, and choosing what he thinks are the most important areas to work on during the lesson. Frequently, he will discover incorrect muscle development in a horse's neck, shoulder or hindquarters due to faulty riding or training, and will help to develop a plan for correcting these with the horse's rider, At times, he will find that a horse is confused, anxious or unsure about what is being asked of him, and he will concentrate on building up the horse's confidence as he helps the rider to develop increased clarity in his or her requests. He is exceptionally skilled at working in-hand, especially with young horses, and with horses whose training is not going smoothly. He works with mounted riders extensively, and will occasionally ride a horse himself as part of a lesson- always a special treat for observers. Even riders and auditors who have attended many of Manolo's clinics feel that no two are ever the same. Unique and challenging situations arise out of the encounters between Manolo and each individual horse and rider combination. Because of the depth of his knowledge and experience, each one is a tremendously exciting and rewarding learning experience for everyone.
In attempting to explain what it is that makes dressage riders return
again and again to Manolo's clinics, his own words are surely the
best: "We are aiming all the time to develop the horse so that he can
carry himself in an increasingly better position, becoming more proud,
more elegant and more beautiful with each passing year."
Written by March Enders
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