Written by Chantelle Matthews, Assistant Trainer and Barn Manager at Manolo Mendez's Equestrian La Mancha.



A few months ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with Phil Maddox or Maddox…

Vintage Dinamico....Manolo likes to long line using his one ring cavesson. These images are not finished Piaffes but a succession of steps during Piaffe schooling.



There are a few things Manolo considers crucial when schooling Piaffe. Thefirst one is that the horse be physically ready to start schooling as…

QUIZZ TIME and a PRIZE! 

QUESTIONS: What differences can you find between the top and bottom frames looking closely at Clint and Manolo's body, posture, tack, etc..We counted at last thirteen. 



What clues do these differences give you as…

WHAT, WHY, WHEN and HOW: The WALK PIROUETTE



Check the link at bottom for full article and over 10 clearly captioned step by step images plus clues to help you figure out what is not working, why and how to fix it.



"There are different ways to introduce the walk…

We have had some very good discussions at La Mancha about stiffness and suppleness and how to help a horse develop towards being able to bend evenly going both directions by gently straightening and suppling him. 



For Manolo, suppling is not achieved by asking the horse for more bend on his stiff side then his soft side while riding or working in-hand and making him work in smaller circles and figures to "make" his stiff side "give",…

Relax. Breath. Smile for your horse. It will make your body softer and your horse more beautiful. Smile.

It is important to know where the bones are but also understand that in themselves bones cannot move. It is the action of the muscles, tendons and ligaments that create motion or action. Thus how the muscles feel - tense or relaxed, stiff, plump, dry, contracted, elastic is essential to good movement -and keeping the horse supple and straight.…

Does your horse's tail swing?



If a horse's tail gets caught between his hind legs he is not using his body properly. If the tail lays flat and listless these are clues that energy, messages and feedback from the brain to the body and back may not be traveling up and down his spine properly. If the tail is clamped down, the horse may be in…