Natural Concepts Training Clinic

Description

General Information

Summary

Curriculum

Itinerary

Day by Day

DESCRIPTION

After many years offering horseback riding vacations to riders from all over the world, "Mexico Horse Vacations” & “Riding Holidays Mexico"  realized that an often remark made by riders at the end of the one week riding holiday has been how well trained and well behaved our horses are.  Many comments heard by us during the horse treks are about how riders wish that their own horses, or other horses ridden in other riding vacations, behaved as well as ours.  This motivated us to want to offer a horse riding clinic where horse lovers can learn and acquire solid concepts of horse training through the understanding of horse behavior.  This is the same method we use with our horses.   

The horse clinic offered by "Mexico Horse Vacations” & “Riding Holidays Mexico"   is a clinic given and created by Alfonso Aguilar Rios.  It has been designed for horse lovers who are interested to learn about horse behavior and how to have a better communication with the horse.  This is a program that combines theoretical and practical lessons with some riding in the countryside where the riders will be able to apply the new skills learned in the clinic.  In this equine clinic riders of any level will improve their understanding and communication skills with the horse through some ground work and riding in the arena.
The clinic emphasizes the development of trust and partnership between horse and rider. The program is mostly based on ground exercises with the horses.  It is a very useful technique that will help identify and understand horse behavior and develop a method to teach the horse how to learn new things with trust and collaboration.  This will come in very handy when starting a new horse and will also help train or retrain a horse of any level of any discipline.  In the handling of a horse there has to be an understanding of its behavior; at the same time it is necessary to have the techniques and tools to properly ask something to the horse and be able to reward the expected response as small or as insignificant as it could be.  The important thing about rewarding a horse is that he has to understand that he did something well and one has to reward the small steps towards the desired response, not only the final result.
Through this clinic, riders will acquire the knowledge and tools in order to be successful with horses without fear, force or intimidation and will have the capacity of understanding and of working with all types of horses. They will learn that simple steps that challenge horse and rider can lead to an everlasting friendship.  It will be an experience that will change their life.

GENERAL INFORMATION

SUMMARY

SUNDAY:

• Afternoon: Pick up at meeting point and transfer to Valle de Bravo.
• Evening: Arrival to Finca Enyhe, set in bedrooms and dinner

MONDAY TO FRIDAY:

• Monday:
• Morning: 9:30 - 13:30 Hrs. Register, short briefing and start clinic.
• Lunch served in the terraces of Finca Enyhe.
• Afternoon: 15:30 – 18:00 Hrs. Clinic.
• Tuesday to Friday:
• Mornings: 9:30 - 13:30 Hrs. Clinic.
• Lunch served in the terraces of Finca Enyhe. One day lunch served on the trail
• Afternoons: 15:30 – 18:00 Hrs. Clinic.  One day trail ride applying learned skills.
• Friday: 19:30 Hrs. Dinner in town restaurant (NOT INCLUDED IN RATE).

SATURDAY:

• Early morning transfer by car back to Mexico City.
  International Airport “Benito Juarez”, Terminal No. 1.

CURRICULUM

D.V.M. Alfonso Aguilar Rios

Alfonso Aguilar lives with his wife Karin, two children, Sebastian and Valentina and all their horses. His time is divided between Mexico (Valle de Bravo and Patzcuaro), the United States (Texas and California) and Europe (Switzerland and Germany). Without a doubt, Alfonso is one of the pioneers of natural horsemanship training, a training of horses based on no confrontation. He was born in Morelia, state capital of Michoacan (Mexico) and raised in a family with a long tradition of breeding and training horses. Alfonso began riding at the age of 3 and at fourteen he participated in the first competitions of “charreria”, a Mexican roping and riding sport.
Alfonso earned his Veterinary license in 1985 at the University of San Nicolas de Hidalgo. One year later, he moved to the United States to continue and expand his training. In 1988, he began working in a California ranch owned by Pat Parelli, where the training was specialized on colt starting and problem solving. For nine years he worked with Pat Parelli to create and develop a horsemanship training program. During that time, he also met Tom and Bill Dorrance the same as Ray Hunt; from the three of them he increased his horse knowledge.
Since 1990 he constantly teaches clinics in the USA, Mexico and Europe. He has also been in Australia.  In 1996 he developed a study program for the University of Davis in California with themes such as ethology (Animal behavior) and horse handling which is given to first semester students of veterinary.  Other specific programs developed by Alfonso are followed in the Instructor’s School of Reken in Germany, in the Federal Haras in Switzerland and in the Mounted Police Unit of Leon in Mexico.  Although what he most of all enjoys is teaching and giving clinics, he also participates in well known Equine Shows such as Equitana, BEA- Berna, Americana, etc.  Last but not least he also gives conferences in veterinary universities about horse character and behavior.

ITINERARY

DAY BY DAY

Saturday:

Riders can arrive on Saturday during the day or on Sunday before noon in order to be ready for an early afternoon pick up.

Sunday:

Riders will be picked up at the lobby of any of the two hotels suggested according to the schedules detailed for each hotel. The transfer by car to Valle de Bravo will take approximately two and a half hours. After registering and getting set in one of the magnificent bedrooms in Finca Enyhe, dinner will be served.

Monday:

A delicious Mexican breakfast will be served early in the morning. Afterwards a short briefing about what will happen during the week. Riders will get to know Alfonso Aguilar and start the clinic with a theoretical introduction and discussion. The practical clinic will take place in the riding arena of Finca Enyhe where riders will get to know the horses they will be working with.  Lunch will be served in the terraces of Finca Enyhe. In the afternoon riders will resume the clinic and later on will have some time to relax and enjoy the facilities inside the property. During dinner guests will be able to enjoy the excellent Mexican and international cuisine that comes out from the kitchen of Finca Enyhe and accompany it with red or white wines.

Morning clinic will focus on ground work: Understanding and performing lateral flexions, vertical flexions, turn on the hindquarters, turn on the front quarters, lateral movements, teaching the horse how to back up, etc.

Afternoon clinic will focus on riding:  Understanding the different aids and how to apply them.  Ride your horse with only a halter, use the lead rope as one rein and work the same ground exercises now mounted on the horse.

Tuesday:

A delicious Mexican breakfast will be served early in the morning. Afterwards meet in the riding arena to start today’s clinic.    Lunch will be served in the terraces of Finca Enyhe. In the afternoon riders will resume the clinic and later on will have some time to relax and enjoy the facilities inside the property. During dinner guests will be able to enjoy the excellent Mexican and international cuisine that comes out from the kitchen of Finca Enyhe and accompany it with red or white wines.

Morning clinic will focus on an obstacle course from the ground.  Riders and horses will work and deal with different materials on the ground under different presentations.  Riders will learn to walk a horse on different things, around things, under others and through narrow spaces while the horse learns to trust its rider.

Afternoon clinic will focus on riding a horse through the same “obstacle course”.

Wednesday:

By now everybody should be communicating pretty well with their horse and applying the newly learned skills and others that will be learned today.  Guests will have another delicious lunch in Finca Enyhe. At the end of the day you might  have some energy left and will want to explore the colonial town of Valle de Bravo, or why not relax next to the swimming pool with a margarita in hand and have an invigorating and restoring massage in the privacy of your bedroom!

Morning clinic will focus in body language, both of horse and rider, liberty work and round pen.

Afternoon clinic: Description and understanding of how the reins work. Ride with two reins.

Thursday:

After breakfast the horses will be waiting for the riders to take them to an enjoyable ride. Apply some of your new skills in the trail and understand the importance of knowing this technique. Lunch will be served on the trail. Riders will be returning in the afternoon to Finca Enyhe and after having a question- answer session will have time to relax and enjoy the property.

Friday:

Today will be the last day of the clinic. Lunch, as other days, will be served on the terraces of the finca and in the afternoon riders will work for the last time in the arena with the horses. Since this is the last night in Valle de Bravo, dinner will be in the nicest restaurant in town. It is located in one of the oldest buildings of the area (not included in rate).

Morning clinic: reinforcement of liberty work and round pen and for the most daring riders, why not maybe some bridle-less riding.

Afternoon clinic: personalized desires and queries.

Saturday:

Breakfast will be served half an hour earlier, this is at 8:00 a.m. Transfer back to Mexico City is programmed at 9:00 a.m. Estimated time of arrival to Mexico City will be around 12:00 p.m. International Airport “Benito Juarez”, Terminal No. 1.