dilemma. “We have a breeding program and we had these youngsters that were three and four years of age. We bred them and got them to this point, then asked, ‘now what?’ We wanted them relaxed and we wanted them started so they could progress as sport horses,” Julie says. She credits course designer Linda Allen with suggesting
trainer Jose Alejos as a good person to give the Maplewood young stock solid basics to build upon. She considered the ability to bring along young horses a dying art, but was “sold on Jose” the first year he started coming to Reno. A native of Guatemala, Jose was training the young horses at La Silla’s operation in Mexico when first approached to
educate the young stock at Maplewood. (La Silla is a large breeder of jumper horses in Mexico.) “I was the main colt starter for La Silla for two years—150 horses—and I was also training their riders to start the young horses without my help. I think that the less they need me, the better I am as a teacher. I want all my students to be better than I was at their age,” Jose explains. Jose can trace his roots in horsemanship back ten genera-
tions to the ancestor who landed in Central America in the 1600s aboard a ship of mounted Spaniards. “I did not come up with anything new; the cues were already there from when they used to fight on horseback,” he says. “Horses are magical creatures and we have to do what
is best for the horse,” he continues. There is no ego involved and there is too much emphasis on winning. Ego and [winning] money are detrimental to the industry.” The Young Horse Trainer School at Maplewood, which
offers Jose, Linda and Julie and other clinicians, started in 2012, designed to help fill the void of educating young horse trainers in the United States. It has run every autumn since and each session typically lasts about six days. “It is wildly popular and the next year fills up almost as soon as the current one is finished,” Julie says. “We added Mauricio Benavente, who is originally from Chile, to teach the ground work and lunging—everything up to riding—as the missing link for the North American market and as another way to educate young horses.” Cathy Chalack, of Ulterra Equestrian Ltd near Calgary,
Alberta, learned about Jose at a coaching symposium where both Julie and Linda spoke very highly of him. She attended the Young Horse Trainer School and came away thinking, “This is a more effective way of getting a horse into training, with a consistent and solid basis in horsemanship. Breeders trying to sell young stock suffer because they do not have young horses buyers can get on, due to a lack of trainers who specialize in training young horses. Part of why there has been such an influx of imported horses is because that link is missing. So I asked, and Jose said he would love to come to Canada.” Ulterra hosted a Young Horse Training Series with Jose in 2016 and 2017, where he starts young horses, mentors train- ers hoping to increase their effectiveness with young horses and corrects issues with problem horses. This program typi- cally encompasses ten days for unstarted horses and four days for horses already going under saddle. “The first year people were supportive, but had a bit
of a wait-and-see attitude...until he turned around a prob- lem horse. From that, news spread. This year we had repeat customers and new customers as well as young horses and problem horses,” Cathy reports. Cathy was not only impressed with Jose’s results, she
Here are the three main clinicians from the Young Horse Trainer School in Reno, Nevada: Top: Jose Alejos, Middle: Linda Allen and Bottom: Mauricio Benavente.
50 November/December 2017
was even more impressed that he guarantees his work and offers a free check-up ride for each horse he started the year before. Looking at the big picture, she believes, “His approach benefits the horse for the future. His mentorship for trainers, over time, should help bring more consistency
Photos by Tricia Booker Photography
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