In December, Suzanne and NLHTM intern Anna Jacob traveled to Chicago to have a little fun with Mario Contreras, head trainer and stable manager for the Medieval Times Castle there. Mario also trains out of Indian Hill Stables just outside of Chicago and Suzanne worked with him there on high school maneuvers with his Andalusian Stallions. Mario is well versed in the Baroque Horse, recognized for his training abilities by various associations and recently by Dressage Today as one of the country’s leading dressage trainers.
Mario was a gracious host and gave Suzanne and Anna back stage passes to the stables at Medieval Times and front row seats for the dinner theater to witness first hand the spectacular events that unfold from all of the behind the scenes efforts. You can learn more about the Medieval Times show by visiting their website .
At Indian Hills Stables, Suzanne had fun working on Piaffe, Passage, Spanish Walk and Working Equitation with Mario and the magnificent Andalusians. Working Equitation is a competition sanctioned by the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA) and something that Suzanne will be competing in with her Andalusian Celio when he is ready. Suzanne is also training Piaffe with Celio now and had a lot of fun riding the maneuvers on Mario’s horses.
As part of the NLHTM Internship experience students get to travel with Suzanne when she works with other professional trainers in the industry. These experiences are unique for the students and give them the opportunity to solidify what they learn about training in the NLHTM Program. Learn more about internship opportunities at NLH.
Visit Suzanne on Facebook to see a complete album of her visit with Mario.
