A Dressage Clinic with Juan Matute at Woodspring Farm

Kathy Priest and Ronaldo

Kathy Priest, who has been training with Matute for four years worked with several clients’ horses and well as her own young 5-year-old Westphalen, Ronaldo, an exciting young horse talent she purchased from Matute earlier this year. The handsome bay gelding by the thoroughbred sire, Rockwell, Ronaldo had placed eighth at the 2005 Bundeschampionat for Young Horses is Germany. Matute had purchased Ronaldo as a three-year-old, and had planned to keep him for himself, but after they spent over a year searching for the right horse for Kathy, Matute sold her the horse. Kathy and Juan both are clearly excited about Ronaldo as Kathy’s next big time horse.

For this session they worked the young horse in a double bridle, and after a light session as the heat of the Kentucky summer day began to rise, trying the exercise used to introduce the passage movement. Starting with a forward moving shoulder in along the wall, to collected small trot steps, then forward. “Don’t always stop first then try to piaffe,” explained Matute. “Go ahead and make a small trot then in and out with half halts and make a piaffe, coming back to little steps to go under. Inspired by a recent training session with Hubertus Schmidt, Matute tried this exercise with several horses during the clinic. “If you lose power” added Juan, “push use lengthening then collect the trot again.”