My equestrian journey began during the autumn of 2010 when I was 8 years old. I was introduced to all the ‘standard’ practices of the horse world from the start: horses stabled 24/7, bits, whips, spurs, draw reins… At such a young age, I could not see the welfare issues that these tools presented, especially because it’s what is shown in movies, and believing that I was learning under ‘experts’, I assumed that the aforementioned practices were okay and not at all harmful. 

   The first riding school I attended closed at the start of 2011, so I had to find another one. The second instructor I had was much harsher on both his students and his horses. Nevertheless, I progressed rapidly and participated in my first Dressage competition in May of 2012. I’m pleased to say that I won 2nd place in a class against adults! And, instead of focusing on the negative stuff, I want to thank this instructor for all the positive things he left me with; most importantly, the ability to groom and saddle horses on my own. Thanks to him, I have since disliked the idea of a stable-hand preparing my horses instead of doing it myself. I believe it’s a way to connect with them! 

   In 2013, this riding school changed locations and it was not a favourable move, for the new place was not very well-kept and the riding arena was minuscule. Besides, I was beginning to feel stuck in my riding progress. So I made the difficult decision to switch schools once more. I only spent a couple of months with my third instructor before switching again. My fourth trainer was much more focused on show jumping than the previous ones, and what’s more, he found me my first horse, something I will forever be grateful for. Joey was a birthday present from my parents when I turned 12. We started competing right away and brought home great results. However, I had hoped that once I had my own horse, I’d be able to do more than just ride. For example, I wanted to learn to do liberty work (something I often saw on Instagram), go on trail rides, ride bareback, and simply spend time with him without expectations. None of this was facilitated, and after a couple of frustrated months, I changed riding schools again. 

   My fifth trainer holds a very special place in my heart. She was incredibly good with her students: strict enough to make us progress, but never rude or overly pushy. She was also very motherly. Now that I teach riding to children, I try my best to emulate these characteristics because I truly admire the way in which she approached teaching. Under her guidance, I was able to do most of the things I wished to do with Joey. I even had my first taste of ‘bitless’ riding during a Halloween parade! But my 14-year-old brain did not register the fact that Joey responded just as well without a bit and we carried on using our usual awful elevator gag instead. I also got the opportunity to ride many different horses, help with summer courses, and expand my overall knowledge and abilities. 

   Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, this beloved trainer had to move away in 2018 and left us under the charge of a friend of hers. I could say a lot of things about this person, but above all, I want to thank her for being the catalyst that set off the beginning of my journey towards a more ethical approach to horsemanship. 

   It was also during this time that I became a big fan of horse racing, and for a while, my biggest dream was to become a ‘jockey’. So with the help of a family friend, I was able to begin my training towards this goal at the Hipódromo de las Américas, where I spent two summers helping around the stables and riding Thoroughbreds. I even got my ‘apprentice jockey’ licence! However, the more time I spent there, the more I saw. The horrible practices that racehorses endure dawned on me: physical violence, stress, drugs, etc.; and I ultimately decided to give up my adrenaline-packed dreams. 

   Joey and I had a series of accidents during our time with our latest trainer due to her tendency to push Joey for more than his aging body could give, and her quick temperament that caused violent reactions towards horses when they said ’no’. This escalated to the point where I had to choose between continuing to advance my riding career, or the mental and physical well-being of my horse (and therefore, mine!). Between a rock and a hard place, I finally said ‘No more’ and opted to go my own way. I had enough experience to be able to train with Joey without the need for a coach. So I switched barns yet again. 

   My whip was the first thing I got rid of. I didn’t think much of the bit and spurs yet, but this did not last much longer. We entered a competition just a few months after going ’solo’, and I can proudly say that we won! I proved to myself that I could do it on my own and that I wasn’t wrong in thinking that I did not need to be harsh on my horse in order to achieve my goals. After this milestone, I started to experiment with other things, one of which was removing the bit. Looking back now, I’m fully aware that I had no idea of what I was doing, and I came close to having a serious accident because of it. However, at the beginning, everything seemed perfect and I gradually began to alternate between riding with a bit and riding ‘bitless’. Joey and I got really good at training like this, so I thought: why not enter the next competition without a bit? And we did! We did not win any prizes, despite having a clear round, because I chose to take things slowly and just make sure we got through it in one piece. But we showed that it could be done. 

   Nevertheless, as I mentioned previously, I had no clue of what I was doing. A little bit after the aforementioned competition, Joey began to ‘misbehave’, and although I now know that the likely cause for it was pain in his joints and back from all the years he had been jumping and ridden in an inverted frame, my mind had been conditioned to interpret behaviour from a mistaken human perspective, and I concluded that Joey had lost respect for me and, therefore, I had to go back to using that horrible bit. 

   Fortunately, this did not last long. In 2020, some dear family friends that we had met at the second riding school I attended opened their own equestrian centre, which was entirely different from everything I was used to. Their open stall concept facilitated interactions between horses, and even so, they spent most of their time in paddocks where they were able to move around as they pleased, socialise, and graze; allowing them to simply be horses. Unsurprisingly, this had a very positive effect on Joey. Besides this, our friends specialised in ‘bitless’ riding and ethical training methods. The decision to move Joey to their place, which happened in August, was a no-brainer and I was soon back on the right track. I began to take lessons again, but this time I was taught the force-free way to ride ‘bitless’ and all aversive tools were ditched. Beyond this, they taught me a lot about good welfare practices (allowing horses to live in herds, keeping them ‘barefoot’, allowing free-choice hay, etc.), equine behaviour, biomechanics, and more. I am eternally grateful to them! 

   Sadly, everything came to a sudden stop due to a crisis at home. When I finally had the strength to return to riding, Joey was no longer fit to work with me, as he was beginning to truly show the signs of his advanced age. For this reason, my friends allowed me to take lessons on one of their mares, Luna, and she was the first horse I ever rode bridle-less. 

   My world was turned upside down once more in May of 2021, when my family took the sudden decision to move to another city. This was devastating to me, especially because I made the hard decision of leaving Joey in Mexico State for a while, knowing that it would be near impossible to find another equestrian centre that offered species-appropriate management. 

   As soon as we arrived in Querétaro, I began to look for options. I visited a couple of equestrian centres that seemed, to some extent, more evolved than the usual ‘traditional’ facilities, but they all contradicted my newly acquired knowledge in some way or another and I was not willing to compromise my moral principles. Finally, after long talks with my parents, we decided that I should look for a horse I could lease with the purpose of using him/her to practice the things I was learning through the online training and behaviour courses that I was taking. That’s when I found Juanito. He lived in less-than-ideal conditions, but the bright side was that, due to the cluttering of horses in that facility, there weren’t any stalls left for him, so he lived in a small paddock (which was definitely better than the alternative!). Initially, my plan was to train him using ‘natural horsemanship’ methods, but I soon realised that he was way too shutdown and fearful for that to work, so I dived into researching and eventually found positive reinforcement. This allowed me to quickly bring him out of his state of learned helplessness and he was soon happy to work with me. 

   I leased Juanito from June 2021 to February 2022, for in January of 2022, a great opportunity presented itself. I was asked to work at a new equestrian facility that housed horses that had been rescued from bad situations in exchange for free boarding for one horse. From my perspective, the place was not good enough for Joey, but it was certainly an upgrade for Juanito – whom we purchased as soon as I took the job! 

   The place where I began to work had only just been founded and lacked many things. Regardless, I will forever be grateful to the owner for taking a chance with an amateur trainer such as myself. I worked with several horses who needed to learn to trust humans again. I remember Gitano with special fondness, for he was the only horse I actually rode while working there and my first teaching partner. Honestly, I was very hesitant to teach lessons, but it was a way to generate some income for the facility, so I accepted the task. And that is how the first bitless and positive reinforcement based riding school in Querétaro was born! 

   Unfortunately, finances continued to not be enough to sustain the place, and it had to close in May. It was a very unfortunate situation for everyone, and I had nowhere to take Juanito. Also, the possibility of having Joey back with me seemed very distant. But my luck was quick to improve, for as soon as I began looking for a new home for Juanito, I found Paulownias Ecuestre hidden in a faraway corner of the internet. The photos of the place and the philosophy stated in its description seemed promising, so I immediately contacted the owner, who was happy to invite me to see the place for myself. To say I was enchanted would be an understatement! There was not a single stall in sight, only a nicely sized paddock housing a herd of happy, barefoot horses and a friendly owner who was already familiar with ethical riding practices. We clicked and everything was arranged for me to move Juanito. 

   Paulownias Ecuestre already had a small riding school established, headed by the owner, but he graciously allowed me to bring my students and use his horses to continue teaching. I had my first few rides on Juanito and my work teaching ethical riding to children continued. The riding school grew a bit during the remainder of 2022, and in October I was finally able to bring Joey to Querétaro! I introduced him to positive reinforcement as soon as he arrived and, although I don’t plan to ever ride him again, it is a great way to keep his body active and his mind engaged. I owe everything to this horse and I want the rest of his life to be as pleasant as possible. 

   In February of 2023 we were invited to a small, friendly competition in Tequisquiapan and we took 5 of our students and 2 horses. They participated in an easy working-equitation-style test at a walk. Our horses were the only ones in the entire event ridden without a bit and barefooted, and they behaved wonderfully, giving our students a fantastic first showing experience. All of them returned home with their first rosettes! 

   By then, all horses owned by Paulownias Ecuestre were ridden 100% bitless except for one – London. His full story can be read under ‘success stories’. I took on the task of reconditioning him and now he is the star of Paulownias Ecuestre and my main teaching partner! 

 

To be continued…