NEDA Know How with Juan Matute Sr. & Juan Matute Guimón Jr. discuss dressage

Juan Matute Sr. has had incredible impact on the dressage industry globally, winning the 1982 Young Rider World Championships as well as competing in the Olympics for Spain in 1988, 1992, and 1996, and now trains horses up to the Grand Prix level while also shaping his children to follow in his Olympic footsteps.
One of the most important quotes this author could find from the great Juan Matute Sr.:
“Because I have shown in the international arena for most of my life, my children listen to the mistakes I made. And, I made all the mistakes. So, I know how to help my kids and my students. I don’t want them thinking too much about the atmosphere, or thinking about the judges.”
Juan Jr. is a USDF Gold Medalist, and has been inducted into Becas Podium, a sponsorship program awarded to the top two young Spanish athletes of every Olympic sport. Matute Jr. began his international competition career in 2013 and became the Kur gold medal winner at the 2015 European Junior Riders Championships. Sponsored by Yeguada de Ymas, he was able to spend his winters in Florida and summers competing in Europe. However, in 2018, Matute decided for professional independence and split from his long-time sponsors. He permanently moved to Spain and based himself at the yard of Russian-Spanish Cristina Khamidoulin in Moraleja de Enmedio, Spain, half an hour from Madrid city centre.
He competed for Spain at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon and with horse Quantico is now short listed for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. With Don Diego he had qualified for the 2020 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, which were cancelled due to Covid-19.
Matute Jr. was rushed for emergency surgery to address a brain bleed in May 2020, and endured a few weeks in a coma before being released in July to being rehabilitation.
NEDA MEMBERS LEARNED:
"I was happy to see how they stressed the importance of keeping the horse interested and happy in the work."
"Variety of (holistic) training for optimal physical and mental health of horse. In hand work, which I have been dying to learn and practice more. The art of dressage not the art of $1 million horse flesh."
"Loved how Sr described looking into the horse's eye. Communication with the horse on every most basic level."
"It was wonderful seeing the boundless enthusiasm of youth balanced by patience wisdom of age"