I remember going to see show jumping competitions with my parents when I was little in my hometown, Vigo, I remember the fascination I felt when seeing the horses move and jump, but it was not until August 1997 that my uncle Joaquín took me riding for the first time. I remember perfectly the first sensations and how I immediately fell in love with the horses. I wanted to know everything about them: I wanted to clean them, shower them, ride them… When I returned home, I waited impatiently at the door for my parents. When they arrived, the explosion of excitement and details I had experienced came and never stopped. I remember how they looked at me skeptically, since, without a doubt, the world of horses was very far from our reality. But I was very persistent and knew that something had awakened inside of me.
The beginnings
For a few years I dedicated myself to riding through the Galician mountains. This was a time of experimentation where I simply developed my passion for horses and to interact with them. Weekend excursions, camping in the river Miño (including bathing with the horses), all of them precious and stimulating experiences that I remember fondly. Unfortunately the riding style, the technique, etc. were far from proper learning and after a few years I started to realize that this was not the way to ride a horse and I started to look further.
Where it all begins
In September 2005 I started to work for Isaac Ares Río in Ponteareas, near Vigo. Isaac was my first teacher and he instilled in me the culture of the horse on which the riding technique was built, the equestrian philosophy, seat and position, vision of the horse, lunging work, and so much more. All this was a radical change in my way of thinking and feeling about horses, his influence was vital for my future and all that was to come.
Welcome to Barcelona
In November 2008 I moved to Llavaneras (Barcelona) to work as an Assistant Rider for Luis Lucio. Working for an Olympic Rider was ´”big talk” and I quickly realized that I had to meet higher standards and a higher quality in every way. I was also lucky enough to accompany Luis to the Sunshine Tour in February 2009, in a few months I had gone from a town in Galicia to being in a competition surrounded by the best international riders, seeing them train and compete every day for a month, a true gift.
And then Madrid!
In the middle of 2009 I moved to Madrid to become Ángel Bermejo's Assistant Rider in Gregorio Peña's stables. It was a very interesting year where I learned a lot about some amazing horses. The National and International Competitions were, without a doubt, a great experience that I really enjoyed.
The great opportunity
In June 2010, the farrier José Alberto Pérez de Dueñas arranged for me the great opportunity that was to become apart of the team of riders of Luis Méndez Rodríguez. The objective was for Luis to help me go abroad and thus continue with my equestrian training, in the event that he could see that I was prepared for that step. Luis Méndez is one of the best people I have ever met in the world of horses and a great, professional rider. He welcomed me in his stables with all his affection, he gave me horses to ride daily, lessons, etc. The icing on the cake was that at a Bert Rutten Clinic, which he organized at his stables, Luis left me ride one of his best horses to receive a lesson. This test was for Bert to assess whether he was interested in me going to the Netherlands to work for him. I cannot be more grateful to Alberto and Luis for everything they did for me and the great opportunity they provided.
Bert Rutten, My Mentor
These four years of learning (from 2010 to 2014) were undoubtedly the most important of my entire equestrian career. Bert Rutten and his horses are the ones that have contributed the most to my riding. Daily training on the same arena as Bert, receiving appreciation from him, lessons from him, having conversations with him, breeding horses and much more. All of these are the greatest treasures I have received in my professional life. Everything changed in my riding and I began to understand more and more what it meant to educate a horse. Bert taught me the importance of the basics as a foundation for success, he got me to understand what “the more you get with the less you do” meant. I still have “movies of Bert training his horses” in my memory to this day and I turn to them when I have a problem.
Then there are the other teachers, who are as important as the previous one. The opportunity to ride Grand Prix horses, like Porto Rico, which taught me great lessons in collection and having them in the hand; Some very famous posterior foals, like Cosmo, which I rode when he was 3 years old for 5 months. Also Cambel B and Da Vinci, horses that I competed. All of the above and many more: El Corona, Belinda, Di Mare, Djoanne, Daffie, Gamble, Flash, De la luna, Diamant, Grenoble, Cohiba, Cool Water, Chess, Florance, Carlo, Donder. Four years in which Bert and Linda Rutten, along with her horses, made me feel at home, happy and expanding my horizons in the equestrian world.
New challenges
After four years it was time to find other challenges. Customers were beginning to appear and opportunities to compete more and at higher levels were beginning to emerge. I had to move forward and decided to start my own business: Alejandro Farina Dressage.
For the next two years (2014-2016) I was riding horses for different clients in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Some of them competing at Small Tour, such as Walt Disney, or at FEI 7 years, such as Elithan. Coaching also began to be a cornerstone of my day to day. This was a very interesting experience, that gradually began to forge me as a professional in all areas of the horse industry.
During this period I had the great luck to meet a very influential person in my professional and personal life. Karin Link, the best horse physiotherapist and a very good friend. With her I have been able to improve the health of the horses, as well as the quality of my training. She has been an integral and very important part of my team since 2015. Her wisdom and her knowledge about horses is undoubtedly of utmost importance to me.
The search for the perfect place
After 6 years away from Spain, I decided to return home to reflect on my life and decide what I wanted for my professional future. I had learned several things about myself and it was important that, for my happiness, they were the cornerstone of my future in this profession. The first thing that I wanted to have was time to teach dressage to the horses, I wanted to know what it felt like to have a partner for years and to be able to evolve together as a competition pair. The second thing that was clear to me was that I am not a horse dealer, but rather I am a dressage rider who can eventually sell a horse, knowing what he is offering and I am creating the right partners for the future. The third thing is that my goal as a dressage rider is to help my horses reach 100% of their potential and giving them 100% of myself professionally. This is what success means to me. The fourth thing; is that I was interested in developing and perfecting a methodology in which training had the horse's health at the centre; I am not interested in training fly changes to young horses, but I want to instill the necessary wisdom to bring a healthy horse to 16+ years still competing at their highest level. The fifth and last ideal, is the development over the years of a recognized brand based on the principles set out above, which would be recognizable at the competition venues just by seeing the horses attitude, happiness, way of going, the developed technique, and more, as a trademark for my training and riding style.
Destination: England
Since April 2017 and until today, the dream came true when I entered as First Rider and Manager of Elena Baturina's private stables. This long-term project has all the objectives set out above, but with one of my other great passions: we have our own horse breeding program. Elena Baturina gave me all the responsibility and confidence to develop and improve her stables in the UK. Her trust and her support, from the beginning, makes it possible to achieve these goals.
Besides the collaboration with my great friend Karin Link, I also currently have the immeasurable help of our farrier, Nathan Appleton, and our veterinarian, Patrick Dean MVB MRCVS. Also our Hi Form nutritional advisor, Claire Hubbard, who has revolutionized the way we feed our horses. Without a doubt, every single one of them is an integral part of our team.
For the last two years I have been training monthly with the Olympic rider Laura Tomlinson. Since meeting Laura, she has inspired my way of riding with her ideas and advice. Her energy, her patience and her commitment to all our horses is essential for our future.
