When the King of Spain approached the Domecq family to create a school to protect Spain's riding traditions, Manolo Mendez Parejo was made second in command and became the School's first Head Rider, and one of six founding members of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. ( Real Escuela Andaluza Del Arte Ecustre ).
Based in Jerez, Spain, the school is one of the four classical schools which also include the Cadre Noir in Saumur, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Lisbon.
A master horseman with over forty years of experience spanning classical dressage and every riding discipline from puissance jumping to polo and doma vaquera , Manolo is dedicated to a soft, sympathetic and thorough training method which prepares horses physically and psychologically for each stage of training from training level to Grand Prix and Haute Ecole . In particular, Manolo is well known for training or re-training the 3 Ps: Piaffe, Passage , and Pirouette, without coersion or force.
Not content to be merely an accomplished rider and trainer both in the saddle and in-hand, Manolo is also an exceptional equine bodyworker and trimmer who takes a 360 degree approach to horse care and training and does not hesitate to dismount and use different massage modalities to help straighten and release tight, stiff, crooked horses.
In the word of one satisfied clinic rider,
"While Manolo has ridden before the Queen of England, trained a horse for the king of Spain, was presented with a gold whip by the Vienna Spanish Riding School, and performed with his riders all over Europe as well as competed at the Grand Prix level with great success before moving to Australia, he has never wavered in his dedication and strict adherence to classical training principles and in putting the horse first. "
ABOUT MANOLO MENDEZ
It is this dedication to the good of the horse and proven ability to develop healthy, focused, performing Grand Prix horses using traditional methods that has earned Manolo Mendez the reputation for being one of the last truly classical masters alive today. For more information, please contact Manolo using the contact page.
Real Escuela Andaluza Del Arte Presentation at Wembley
REAL ESCUELA ANDALUZA DEL ARTE ECUESTRE
Most know of the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre ( The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art) in Jerez de la Frontera, but few know how it began. The School began in 1973 with founding members: Alvaro Domecq Romero (Director), whose family is famous for breeding the best horses and bulls in Spain.
Along with Antonio Moreno, Antonio Diosdado Ganlan, Manuel Vidrie Gomez, Francisco Javier Garcia Romero, Domecq and I rented a big rectangle tent and installed it at the Fair of Jerez. Inside was placed a low kicking board, and excellent footing, beautiful drapery and bright lighting. It was very well lit, which contributed to a wonderful atmosphere with the décor, all of this made the working ambience very pleasant. With great
determination and enthusiasm Alvaro Domecq supported the show financially for 15 years until the official recognition finally happened. These first shows were called ‘How Andalusian Horses Dance.’
In 1980, the show received the royal patronage of King Juan Carlos, who wanted to create an organization to protect and nurture the history and future of the Spanish Equestrian tradition. The School was born and named The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. What began as a small show and six 'dancing' horses grew in size and reputation to equal the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
Today the school is internationally renowned for showcasing Spanish horses, their training and the role of the horse in Spain’s history. In the early 1980's, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the Cadre Noir in France, the Lisbon School in Portugal and the Academia in Spain invited one another to their respective schools to observe and take part in the riding and training of the horses.
Where the Escuela now stands, a palace was adapted for the construction of a 1,600 seat indoor arena and stables for 60 horses.
Lightness Influence
Manolo was invited by good friend Major Bourbon, who was a major influence to the newly founded riding school in Jerez, to visit and watch an old man train his mare at the Cadre Noir de Saumur Riding School in France. This was to become a major turning point in Manolo’s life.
Manolo recalls, “He was an old man, he had been a General in the Army. The mare had just a little snaffle and he had the reins loose. The mare worked round and free, the neck was long and I noticed how beautifully straight and soft she was.
The rider asked a little bit ... and a little bit more, as he took more contact. Still light, the horse shortened her body and came up in the neck and started to work with more expression, it was beautiful. He did this for quite a while and eventually the mare was up in front and performing Piaffe and Passage in the softest frame and in perfect balance and self carriage – I then realized that this is how I wanted to work MY horses.”
Returning to Spain, Manolo started to experiment with his new concepts and worked the horses in a softer manner than he had previously used in training. He was very pleased with the results and saw the paces improve and the horses relax more.
That experience taught him it takes time to achieve that 'expression' and from that moment he stopped working the horses based on their age and what they “should” be doing up to this point and instead looked at what the horse could do with its body and how it reacted to the rider.
To this day, one of Manolo's simple but powerful training precepts is:
Before I try to get a horse to perform any of the demanding dressage movements, I must be sure that it understands and also that it has the strength to do what I ask.
