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Welcome to Live Free Ride Free, where we talk to people who have lived self-actualized lives on their own terms, and find out how they got there, what they do, how we can get there, what we can learn from them. How to live our best lives, find our own definition of success, and most importantly, find joy.
Your Host is New York Times bestselling author Rupert Isaacson. Long time human rights activist, Rupert helped a group of Bushmen in the Kalahari fight for their ancestral lands. He's probably best known for his autism advocacy work following the publication of his bestselling book "The Horse Boy" and "The Long Ride Home" where he tells the story of finding healing for his autistic son. Subsequently he founded New Trails Learning Systems an approach for addressing neuro-psychiatric conditions through horses, movement and nature. The methods are now used around the world in therapeutic riding program, therapy offices and schools for special needs and neuro-typical children.
You can find details of all our programs and shows on www.RupertIsaacson.com
Rupert Isaacson: Thanks for joining us.
Welcome to Live Free, Ride Free.
I'm your host, Rupert Isaacson, New
York Times bestselling author of
The Horseboy and The Long Ride Home.
Before I jump in with today's guest, I
want to say a huge thank you to you, our
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To find out about our certification
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please go to rupertisaacson.com.
So now let's jump in.
Welcome back to Live Free, Ride Free.
I've got Mario Contreras with me.
You may not know him, but you might
well know what he does because you may-
⦠have gone there as a tourist without
ever knowing he was behind the scenes.
If you've ever heard of or gone to the
chain of medieval-themed entertainment
in the USA called Medieval Times, it's
kind of an iconic thing you will have
seen horses doing incredibly good, like
impeccably good dressage fro- in the
manner of the Renaissance to the Baroque.
And I remember the first time
I went there, and I didn't
quite know what to expect.
I thought, "Oh, it'll be all right.
Probably be a bit kitschy, you know.
Fine, I'm up for it," you know.
And Iâ¦
Someone took me there, and I sat
there, and the horses came out,
and I was absolutely blown away.
I was like, "But the standard
here is, this is crazy good."
And I was sort of looking around at
the crowd, and they're like, they
don't know what they're seeing.
Like, they don't, they don't understand,
like, how ridiculously amazing.
Like I, I saw someone riding three huge
caprioles one after the other, boom,
boom, boom, with ease and relaxation.
I'm likeâ¦
and, you know, there's people
like, you know, having a beer
and talking to each other.
I'm like, "You don't
realize what you're seeing."
Like, no, you don't
realize what you're seeing.
Anyway, so I've got the man sort
of behind all of this, Mario
Contreras from the Contreras family.
And he's got a really interesting
story to tell about how all this
was built, how it's maintained, what
are the life lessons and, you know,
what, what he's learned along the
way and what we can learn from him.
So Mario, thank you so much
for coming on the show.
Welcome.
Mario Contreras: Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Rupert Isaacson: Please tell us
about, tell us about yourself.
Mario Contreras: Well, first of
all, you know, thank you so much
for inviting me to your podcast.
It's a privilege to me to be here with
you today talking, and I'm probably gonna
just tell you a little bit about my story.
I was born and raised in Mexico.
I'm the third generation of
horse trainers in my family.
My grandfather, Don Marcel Contreras,
my dad Jose Trinidad Contreras, and
of course all my, my brothers that
are horse trainers, my nephews that
are continue to follow the you know,
the tradition to be with our horses.
So my dad actually started in Mexico
with my grandfather and then he
moved on to Mexico City, close to
Mexico City in Estado de Mexico,
where he continue and startedâ¦
he was actually the founder of
the Escuela of Jinetes Domeq with
Don Antonio Ariza back in the day.
So that's where my family
comes from with horses.
If you ever hear about brandy Presidente
and Don Pedro in Mexico to promote
the the brandy back in the day, it was
throughout the Andalucians that Don
Antonio Ariza Ca- Canadilla brought
to Mexico to promote the brandy.
So each each fair back in Mexico,
they used to promote the brandy with
the horses, you know, bringing the
show with Alta Escuela and all that.
And then through time, as you
know, thank you to Don Antonio
Ariza, now Mexico we have our own
breed, which is the caballo Azteca.
So after a while, of course, you
know, we start growing up, I never had
the opportunity to be in that show.
My, of course, my dad, who was the
founder in 1968, and then after that,
my My brothers, Marcial Contreras,
Jorge Contreras, Trino Contreras,
my cousins that also joined the the
the show Ruben Contreras, Roberto
Contreras, my cousin, El Portugues.
Pardon.
I'm sorry, the El Cordobes, that they
were the foundation of that school.
And then of course, through time
after a while when my brother Marcial
initiated working with Medieval Times,
19 1986, that's when he was there for a
few years, and then I came in in 1990.
Yeah ⦠he's the one who got me, give
me the opportunity along with Don Victor
Delara, who who was there at the time.
I started in California
Medieval Times in 1990.
And then of course I start, you know,
working and learning as much as I could
Rupert Isaacson: Well, you've
made that all sound rather
easy, but I know it wasn't.
Let's just go back to the beginning,
and you also haven't told us, you
know, how you got to the US, et cetera.
But let's start back in Mexico.
Yeah.
So for people that are listening or
watching it's really interesting.
The dressage world in the USA is a really
weird one for me as a European because
they look to Europe for their inspiration,
I suppose, either usually to Germany,
Germany, Northern Europe, or they look
to the Iberian Peninsula, they look
to Spain and Portugal, sometimes both.
But what very, very few American
dressage riders that I've
ever met do is look to Mexico.
I was fortunate to live for many
years in Texas, and I met you, Mario,
because we used to help show for a
very big Spanish horse breeder Rancho
del Lago, there outside of Austin.
So I met Mario at the big breed shows
and of course there was- That was the,
Mario Contreras: International Andalusian
and Lusitano Horse Association.
Rupert Isaacson: Indeed.
Correct.
Up there in Fort Worth, and it was
one of the only places I saw in the
USA where Hispanic and Anglo horsemen
got together and learned from each
other and created culture together.
Yes.
Everywhere else I went, it
was completely separated.
And, you know, as you know, Mario, when
you go to a show like that in the USA,
you see these master horse trainers,
most, most of whom are Mexican or
Tejano or some, some of them born in
the US, but many of them from outside,
and anyone in their right mind would
go, "I want to learn from those guys.
How do I learn from those guys?"
And in the town we lived in,
Elgin, Texas, just outside of
Austin, there would be a rodeo.
There's a rodeo ground.
There would be an Anglo rodeo
and there would be a charreada.
There would be a Mexican rodeo.
Right.
But you would never see any Anglos
at the charreada, and you wouldn't
see any Mexicans, unless they
were working, at the Anglo rodeo.
It was like two separate worlds.
And I remember as a European
going, "This is so bananas."
Like, the, th- there is all
this wealth of horsemanship.
The conquistadors came over in the 16th
century, brought the high school riding,
the doma vaquera, the, the classical
riding with them, brought it very quickly
into North America, and it's been living
and breathing there for 600 years.
Why wouldn't we learn?
So tell us a little bit about the horse
culture in Mexico, and the horse culture
in Mexico that you grow up, grew up in.
Are you from Guadalajara?
Mario Contreras: Well, let
me tell you a funny story.
Yeah.
My whole family was born in Tlaquitetlan
de Corona, Jalisco, which is
probably- Wow ⦠like a 40-minute
drive from Guadalajara downtown.
Okay.
And when my whole family moved to
Estado de Mex- Me- Mexico, Mexico,
which is Texcoco, I was born there,
in Texcoco, but- In Mexico City?
Correct.
So- Right ⦠a couple days later,
because everybody was from Guadalajara,
legally I'm from Guadalajara, but
I was bor- Okay ⦠I, I, w- I,
I did I was born in in Texcoco.
So
Rupert Isaacson: here's a
question quickly on this.
Yeah.
Is Guadalajara a particular
center of the horse culture in-
Mario Contreras: That is correct
⦠Rupert Isaacson: in Mexico, and why?
Mario Contreras: You know what?
I think because everybody's
it's for the tradition.
You know, we were born with the horse.
Of course, now horses are
kind of like a luxury.
But back in the day, you know, it
was, horses were everything before
the machinery came into place.
You know, before the
tractors, before the cars.
You know, I think all Mexico's
was used to having a horse.
I think as you know, throughout
the history, horses are the only
animals who have, you know, continue
to be in our lives, and to me, I'm
so grateful to have it in my life.
Talking about, you know, back in
the day when my- father used to be a
charro and do the, all the you know,
chores around the barn in Mexico.
It was everything with horses.
But when the, he met Don Antonio Ariza
and start mixing his charro, his charro
you know, stuff with the alta escuela,
that's when you start seeing horses
or trainers back in the day to start
teaching horses how to not just to do
the lados, spinning, and the slicing,
which is in charreria, you know, lassoing
the horses, I'm sorry, the bulls and
all that stuff, or the wild horses.
So eventually you start
seeing more, like, show.
Like, eventually, of course, everything,
everything became competitor, which
is now you see, nowadays you see
competitions, alta escuela, charreria.
But mixing it was, you know, very
difficult back in the day to see,
especially, you know, we Latinos
as Mexicans, we love our tradition.
But I think it's always
important to be open, have an
open mind to learn everything.
Me, I- that's why I always emphasize
to to educate and teach and learn
as much as I can from anybody.
My dad when he start mixing his charro
movements with alta escuela, you
know, when we g- when we used to go to
parades, to presentations to the fair,
La Feria de Texcoco in Mexico, which
is one of the most important ones.
And then through time when they start
promoting the brand, the Presidente,
they went to every single fair in
Mexico- To promote the fair, but
the, with beautiful why Andalusians.
So I grew up with Andalusians.
They are in my heart like
you have no idea, you know?
Mm.
I, I bond with them.
And nowadays, you know, I
like I said, I have a very
open-minded, I work with any horse.
I learn from horses that people told
me that they weren't gonna be good
for nothing, and we get to click, and
then we transfer them into the horses
that the owners want them to be.
But with that it becomes, you have to
have that skill, you have to have that
patience, and you have to have a good
understanding of the horse's ability.
I think that all horses can do everything,
just like people, but not with the same
ability, not with the same ⦠Some horses
and some people are extremely gifted.
But you as a coach, you have to search
and give them time and really look
for the proper exercises and, more
than anything, have the patience
for e- everything, and teach people
to have patience for themselves.
Throughout the years, you
know, I was just a rider.
When I came to the US, you know,
when I was with my dad for so many
years, and my brothers, I always
thought that I knew everything.
And then I started
getting into competition.
That was, that was in, you know,
that's when I- When I really
felt that it was important for
me to continue with my education.
And I, as always, I never wanted to be one
of those that I know everything and, you
know, what I do is the right thing to do.
You always learn something.
You know, you go to different
par- different barns, you go to
different countries you do- you go
to different states here in the US.
I go to cl- I still go to clinics
and learn as much as you can.
Even though you hear the same
story sometimes, like, that kind
of confirms that you are going
and you are in the right path.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Tell me, how not everyone who's
watching this or listening to this will
understand what is, what is a charro?
What is charreada?
And what is alta escuela?
Can you explain those for, as if
someone had no horse knowledge at all?
Mario Contreras: Well, charreada is a
Mexican tradition, and it is actually,
we are very proud to have our discipline
in Mexico, you know, charreria, and
you know, and it's kind of like every-
it's like working with at the barn, you
know, working with the horses, working
with the cows, working at the ranch.
But charreria, we now in the association,
of course it has developed in a
way where you as a rider and with
your abilities as a, as a rider, as
a trainer, you know, you show the
best of the horse being in the ring.
And right now, I think charreria is
super popular in Mexico in a way that
it's not just for, you know, for daddy.
It's not for the old guys.
It's for, it's for the, the,
the girls, the little kids.
It's like a family thing.
If you ever go to one of the perfo-
or one of the competitions or just a
traditional little fiesta in Mexico,
you're gonna see that everybody goes.
You know, every- it's like,
it's like a family thing.
It's likeâ¦
And I think that's one of the
things that I love the most.
Mm.
That it has to be, you know, it's
not just for, you know, for ladies.
It's not just for, you know,
older guys or, or, or a guy thing.
It's like, it's for everybody.
So the tradition in Mexico is like
when you see, you know, if you ever
went to one of them, you see that
there is the traditional, you know,
mariachi band the banda de viento
tacos, tortas, all their food.
It's like a family thing.
It's like a huge fiesta.
So, you know, and I'm very, very proud
to have that in my country, you know?
Mm-hmm.
Even though, you know, I never got the
opportunity to, to be a charro, I have
done, tried, you know, to lasso the bulls
and all that stuff, but I think my heart
always went into learning as much as I
could with alta escuela and, you know, and
dressage, which is my passion nowadays.
Rupert Isaacson: So let's talk, so
Alta Escuela translates to high school.
Again for the people who've, just really
don't understand horses, what does that
mean when it comes to horse training?
What is high school horse training?
Mario Contreras: Well, high school and
Alta Escuela to me, it has helped me a
lot, not just to become a better rider,
but it's like it's, it, the discipline
and the detail that you have to put into
it to really connect with the horse and
to have precision as much as you can.
You know, perfect doesn't exist.
But I think through time,
through practice, and sometimes,
you know, oh, that was, you,
you were lucky and good luck.
Well, I think that, that pays off
with a lot of repetitions, with
a lot of training, with sometimes
you don't have to work the horse
for 30 minutes or 45 minutes.
It's only a couple minutes until the
horse really connects and understanding.
So precision riding, you know, that's
why when you combine Alta Escuela with
dressage, of course, Alta Escuela back in
the day teaching the airs above the ground
when horses were thought to be killing
machines, you know, and, and were- Mm
like, you know, to really advance, to
move the, the troops, you know, from one
side to the other, doing leg yields or
half passes and pushing people around.
And of course, eventually, you know,
teaching the horses how to do the
high school maneuvers, the Spanish
Spanish walk to get people out of
the way, to get to do courbettes, to,
you know, jup- Jump on people's heads
jump on top of people, and doing
cabrioles, you know, getting
people from, from behind.
You know, teaching all
these horses to do that.
Of course, nowadays it looks
fancy, it looks- A lot of
people used to call it circus.
You know, I think to me, one of the most
you know, inspiration, you know, things
for me to continue to keep going, you
know, back in the day now it was very
hard to trying to find a video of the
Real Escuela Andalusa de Arte Ecuestre- Mm
to find a book or, or something to see
from the Spanish Riding School, from
the School of Saint Martin in France
to, you know, the school in Portugal.
Nowadays all you have
to do is just Google it.
Go on YouTube.
All you have to do is just, you know,
sign up and all these platforms that
Facebook, Instagram, and you can see these
beautiful horses doing perfect cabrioles.
You can see all this cool stuff that
back in the day was so difficult to do.
So now, you know, thanks to internet and,
you know, the connection that we have
all over the world, it's so easy for me,
especially to my students, to, you know,
sit down for an hour and watch videos
and explain the different disciplines.
Alta Escuela, I, I think to me, I
continue to practice it pr- practice
it throughout Medieval Times, because
that's what we do at Medieval Times.
We don't just teach horses to
do the medieval games, you know?
Every single horse that you will see when
you come next month to our show, every
single horse and every single rider,
I, I train 'em from scratch, you know?
Most of these guys, they're either very
athletic or they're actors, and our
horses, you know, back in the day when
we first opened our first castle in
Kissimmee, Florida, which is still there
Medieval Times, you know, in 19- 1983
we used to import our horses from Spain.
Nowadays Me- Medieval Times is pretty big.
We have 10 Medieval Times, nine in
the US and one in Canada, and, When
you come to see our show and you're
gonna see, okay, that, you know, you
see thousands of people screaming,
and the lights, that sound, and
horses are listening to the rider.
So it's, like I say, it's hard to
transfer or transmit that to the riders
or to the horses, but I think when you
have these program of training, I think
putting the program into, into place is
one of the most important things to make
sure that sometimes if you come, when
you come to our castle, you're gonna
see riders that been with me for a lo-
around 15 years training with me, and
then you're gonna see riders that they've
been only with me for, like, around five
years, and then you see people that they
never touched a horse in their life.
And then through time, you
start teaching them all these
things from different schools.
Every time I get the opportunity to go
to a clinic, I bring it to the castle,
I bring it to my riding school over here
in, in Maple Park at the Gate at 45.
That's the new barn that I've
been, you know, showing and
teaching for the last 10 years.
And and to me, like I said, it's
important to continue to educate
myself, to always have an open-minded
to, to try new things if necessary.
But at the end of the day, as a
trainer, you always put what works
for you and what is easier for you
to develop as a trainer, as a coach.
And, you know, sometimes you can
coach people, and you tell them the
same thing for the last six months,
and then somebody comes along in a
clinic, and they're like, "Oh, I just
It just clicked to me the way he said it."
Back in the day, when I first came to the
US, I did not speak a word of English.
In order for me to communicate
with people, I have to go to
school and learn the language.
I still have little
problems here and there.
My accent is not the greatest, but
I try to do my best to communicate
in a way that people can understand
me as well as the horses, you know?
One of the hardest thing to do, teach
people timing and feeling, you know?
Mm-hmm.
You can't just put your hands
like this, and transfer it, and
wait for a miracle to happen.
You know, sometimes you give a
lesson, you say, "That was it.
Do you feel that?"
Well, sometimes you are not really aware
of what you're doing, but, you know, a
couple days later, a couple months later,
a couple years later, it'll say, "Now
I, I know what you're talking about."
So that timing, that feeling,
when you achieve that consistency,
it's it's a, it's a great feeling.
It's a, it's a payoff, let's say.
Rupert Isaacson: So, okay, why would you
take people who've never sat on a horse
before to train them up for a show that
requires a really high standard of riding?
Surely you would be looking
for people who already come
with a lot of equestrian skill.
What would be the logic there
of taking somebody from-
Mario Contreras: Well, you know what?
Through Medieval Times-
Mm-hmm ⦠we always, every time
we hire people, we do castings.
So as you see, our show requires actors.
So most people are
actors or very athletic.
So when we do these castings and we
interview these people, we always look
for people that has a good background
on, they have to be animal lovers.
They have to have a good, you know,
they have to like to work out and, and
exercise all the time because that's gonna
really help us out to achieve what we
want to achieve with them in the future.
You know, out of 100 people that we
interview, maybe five will cut it
to, to, to get into Medieval Times.
And then through that, we go
through the whole test, and then
we go to the, we go through the,
through the process of training.
And in order for them to be in the show,
let's say as a knight, as a squire,
they have to be involved with horses.
Same thing that I, when I hire people,
like right now at the castle, just
for stables, I hi- I hire people that
loves horses, hire people that has a
little bit of background with horses.
And eventually those people become in
the future, they, they, they become
either knights or squires, or they
can become assistant trainers or
trainers in the future for our company.
Rupert Isaacson: Okay.
So there's a real career ladder there.
Mario Contreras: That is correct.
And then I think one of the beauties
is that we have the ability, and
that's why I love Medieval Times.
Medieval Times gives you
the opportunity to grow.
If you really like horses, if you really
like acting, if you really like to be
in the spotlight, Medieval Times is it.
To me, you know, Medieval Times
has give me and has make me into
what I am, and I'm very grateful.
I love the company.
I still, you know, try to do my best
every time people comes to a show.
You know, out of Medieval Times
in Chicago, it actu- it's actually
the biggest castle of all.
We fit 1,500 people per show.
So most castles are 1,000, 1,100, but
Medieval Times in Chicago is the biggest.
So to me, being in front of people and
performing with the horses, it's, it's
it's it brings me back to life, you know?
And and teaching our horses and our
riders, when you see a horse when they
first come out of our breeding farm for
Medieval Times in Chapel Creek Ranch
in Texas, you know, they come green.
We consider mature our horses when they
are three, four, and five years old.
When it, when it's time for us to
retire one of our horses, which we
do retire horses in the ages between
18, in our program 18 to 20 years
old, and then we get a new horse.
We start 'em from scratch.
We have our program at the
ranch where horses are, you
know, with the halter break-in.
They put they start lunging them.
They start kinda getting
the horses in shape by walk,
trot, canter, both directions.
In the round pen, we put the saddle,
we put the bridle for the first time.
And then when they come to
Medieval Times, we start theirâ¦
And, and as a trainer and as a
coach, we, I decide, for example,
in my castle, I decide what they're
going to be doing in the show.
We usually start with easy stuff,
you know, doing the carousel, doing
the medieval games, and then after
that we start deciding what they're
gonna be doing for them in the future.
Cabrioles the hind walk, the Spanish
walk, the passage, the piaffe the
solo, which is one of the most,
difficult routines in our show.
You know, we combine- What is the solo?
The solo, it's a combination
Alta Escuela with dressage.
Okay.
In the Alta Escuela we do, of course
walk, trot, canter in a collected gait.
We do flying changes.
We do canter pirouettes.
We do piaffe, passage, a Spanish
walk, levades flying changes,
bow, and, you know, something.
It's a, a, an artistic routine.
In this caseâ¦
Well, I'm not gonna tell you the whole
thing about the show, but I want you
to come and see it so you are- Yeah
⦠you know, excited when you see it.
But that in- And you
Rupert Isaacson: also put airs above
the ground in that, too, I, I think.
Do you not?
Mario Contreras: That is correct.
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah.
Mario Contreras: That is correct.
Mm-hmm.
Rupert Isaacson: So which were
these old battle moves that have
now been sort of formalized into
art, one could say, equestrian art?
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
But- So I don't know
if you know, but nowâ¦
So I'm sorry to interrupt.
No.
Now they w- every five years we
change our show in Medieval Times.
Okay.
So every five years we
have a fresh new show.
We change, of course, the choreography,
the costumes, the lights, a new storyline.
And right now it's been a
year since the new show.
So right now when you come,
you're gonna see the new show.
Rupert Isaacson: Fantastic.
Okay.
So I want toâ¦
There's, there's a
bunch of questions here.
Yeah ⦠but first, how doesâ¦
We, we, we've established that you
were born into a horseman's family
that had come out of that horsey
area of Guadalajara, Mex- Jalisco,
which is a horse hub in Mexico.
And then your dad got involved
with this promotion company which
featured Andalusian horses, and
you were lucky, fortunate enough
to grow and, and learn with that.
But then how does a boy, a Mexican
boy, even with those skills, how does
a Mexican boy in the 1980s with no
English find his way- into the US and
into this Medieval Times franchise.
How did that happen?
Tell us about those, that early
transitional time for you.
Mario Contreras: Well, when I was in
Mexico of course riding with my dad and
my brothers all the time it's I think
it's in our blood already with the horses.
So when I came to Actually, I used
to sing a lot when I was little.
I still sing, but now I
just kinda do it for fun.
Uh-huh.
I do more karaoke than anything.
But when I came to the US and my
brother gave me the opportunity as long
along with Victor De Lara, to work for
Medieval Times, that's when everything
came back to life with the horses.
We, when we were in Mexico, my
parents sold the barn and everything
in Texcoco and moved, and we moved
to the city for me to go to school.
Believe it or not, but I was a mistake.
I was born like almost 20 years later.
My brothers, some of them
were already married.
I actually grew up with my nephews.
Okay.
And so when I came to the US, my
brother gave me the opportunity
to work for Medieval Times.
I started working with Medieval Times, and
when they gave me the opportunity to start
riding horses, I could do things that
other people took them a year to ride.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm-hmm.
Mario Contreras: To do, I'm sorry.
And when I felt that, I
don't know, I was hooked.
I was hooked, and then from there I
tried to learn as much as I could.
I started learning English.
I worked with my brother and
Victor alone for many, many years.
And I will say probably two or three years
later, I have the opportunity to become
not just the assistant horse trainer,
but a horse train- a head horse trainer
here at Medieval Times in in Chicago.
I was so involved also with fighting.
I also learned how to fight.
I was a knight for around three or four
years, and and it was a lot of fun.
I loved it, and everything had to
do with being in the spotlight,
working with horses, and being in
the n- in the entertainment world.
I love to entertain.
Rupert Isaacson: Was your, was your
brother your main teacher there?
Mario Contreras: You know what?
My brother, yes he still, he still is.
I respect and I love him, and one
of the things that I always gonna
say about my brother Marcial is
that even though I was his brother,
he never give me a room to slack.
He never give me an opportunity
to say, "Oh, you know what?
He's my little brother," you know, "Let
him get away-" Yeah ⦠"with it," being
late or n- You have no idea how I, I, I
was pushed by him, and I, even nowadays
I still go and try to maintain, just
like my dad's legacy, to continue to be
a hardworking person and try to be as
good as, as I can be with what I have.
You know, sometimes just like anything
in life, you can be a, you can be a
really good rider or you can be a really
good trainer, but if you don't have the
horse to develop your skills, it's- Yeah
it's gonna be very hard, or vice versa.
Sometimes you get a horse thatâ¦
I have had horses, and I still
get, get them once in a while,
that are misunderstood, horses that
nobody can deal with them, horses
that have been ruined because they
don't understand their personality.
They don't get into their mind or
their brain properly, and these
horses are, get ruined by people that
claim to be trainers or very good- Mm
um, and, and, and is, a- and I
feel that you just have to really
spend the, the time in a way
where, In the future it pays off.
And once you connect with horses that
people thought that were not goodâ¦
I have, I have had the opportunity
to get horses, I w- I'm kind of
like his last option before they
go to the kill pen, and- Yeah
turn them around, and turn these
horses into beautiful creatures.
But unfortunately, these horses
are not just for anybody.
You have to have the right person to work
with these horses in a way that youâ¦
I always tell people when they bring
horses to me the culture in Mexico was you
bring the horse and train him, you know?
They also say, "We can be
finished the horse in a year,
and then you can take him."
Well, the horse is not the only one
who has to learn and go to school.
That's why I always continue to
promote education, not just for
the horse, but the riders as well.
Mm.
Whoever's gonna be working
with the horse in the future is
the one that has to be there.
And I think the beauty, if like I
told you with my brother, he make
me clean stalls, like, for so many
years and, and brush horses and
shampoo horses and braid horses.
When you feel like you're already a
trainer, a trainer that, you know, I don't
have to do that, that's, that's my time.
No, you know what, I, I still do it.
I still do things that people thinks,
like, "Whoa, aren't you the head trainer?"
Yeah, that's fine, but that
doesn't take anything from you.
I think one of the things that- No,
Rupert Isaacson: absolutely.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: And I think, I think
there's a great, there's a great
value when you are- Correct ⦠in
the leadership role- Correct ⦠of
showing that you do not mind
doing the basic tasks and that-
Mario Contreras: Correct.
Getting your hands dirty.
Yep.
Rupert Isaacson: Indeed.
And, and also showing that this is how you
learn horsemanship- Correct ⦠because
this is, of course, where you build
your relationship with your horse-
Correct ⦠is when you're standing
next to them, washing them, brushing
them, getting to know them- Correct
⦠understanding their moods and their needs.
Which leads me to another question.
So, you and I both, I think, share a
similar philosophy when it comes to horse
training, which is that I train everything
from the ground before I put a rider on.
Correct.
And it's what we call the in-hand work, i-
including- Correct ⦠you know, all the
work in the canter, and even the change,
applying changes and all that stuff.
I'll do it walking next to the horse,
and I did a deep dive, a d- a deep sort
of apprenticeship and education to learn
how to do this, because I just observed
that the people that did this always
seemed to have horses that were not
just reliable, but really happy, that-
Yeah ⦠were clear in their minds.
I know that you are a master trainer
of the in-hand work and the, and
the and not just a, a, a rider.
You are a master, Mario.
Mario Contreras: Well, thank you.
Thank you for saying that.
Rupert Isaacson: But I- I have,
I have seen you and- Yeah.
So talk to us now about the value of the
ground training and the in-hand training.
Most people think of it, all,
all horse training as just
something you do from the saddle.
Or at least the complex stuff
you would do from the saddle.
Talk to us about the, the, the,
the in-hand work, the, the,
the long reining, all of this.
How do you do it?
Why is it important?
What does it give you?
Mario Contreras: Well, I think
the most important thing of
this is building the horse's
confidence, and to build this trust.
Once you build that, you can do anything.
But more than anything, when you do
everything in-hand, I think that's the
perfect way to teach the brain of the
horse to understand you, because at
the end of the day, you are kindaâ¦
you gotta talk his language for
him to understand what you want.
You know, a lot of people, for example,
if you're gonna teach a piaffe or a
Spanish one, let's say piaffe, you
know everybody loves piaffe, right?
So how do you teach it?
Most people, you know, a lot of people
teaches it from the f- just by, you
know, going from a, a working trot
to a collected trot, into half-steps,
into piaffe on place, right?
That's fine.
To me, I find it, I can do it, but to me
it's a lot harder, not just for me, but
I find it harder for the horse to get
it when you have somebody on top of you.
I
Rupert Isaacson: agree,
' Mario Contreras: cause they have- When
you do it- ⦠to figure out weight.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Correct.
But when you do it from the ground, the
horse has this freedom to not to get the
wrong cues from the rider when, when we
are bad riders and we still don't haveâ¦
I think to become a great rider, you
have to be extremely quiet and, and
steady and relaxed on top of the horse.
Now, if you do it from the ground with
nothing on, just a little halter and a
lead rope, you just touch the hind leg.
Let's say that you are on the left side of
the horse and you just tap the left hind.
You just teach something very simple, just
like putting a fly on a, on the horse,
and when he feels that touch, that's
like a fly landing on the horse, and the
horse, all of a sudden he picks it up.
And then you praise him
by, you either give himâ¦
I use a lot of petting.
I, once in a while I do use sugar cubes.
I use pieces of apples, pieces of
carrot, something to motivate the
brain to say, "Why did I get that?"
So train the brain to respond
to something that I ask.
At the end of the day, what you're
really doing is asking a question and,
of course, you want the correct answer.
But sometimes you touch the horse,
and the horse in the beginning,
especially when they're extremely
sensitive, what do they do?
They jump, they kick, they
rear, they move side to side.
They go backwards, they go
sideways, they go forward.
They do everything, but at the end of
the day you want something so simple that
is just pick up your li- your hind left.
Just pick it up.
I don't want anything, just pick it up.
Eventually, when you start teaching that
program of training- Every single little
cue means something, and most people, I
don't know if you, it, it happens to you
when you start teaching, people loves
to talk, people loves to move around.
So all that movement creates a cue
because they don't understand that
being quiet with their body, that's
their h- that's their language.
And so if you start quiet and, and
project being assertive nothing is
wrong, I think you know that by nature
when you as- when you move around
so fast, you trigger their behavior.
Like, "Oh, what's going on?
Somebody's gonna eat me,
so, let's, let's run away."
But you have to build that trust
and make sure the horses are
extremely connected with you, so
eventually they start understanding.
After a while, you tap not just the
hind left, now the hind right, and
now the, tap the front left, now
the front right, then being quiet.
Eventually you put that together.
And of course, like you said, at
the castle when, or anywhere, when
we go and just do, regardless if
it's a competition or exhibition,
I think good riding is good riding.
Having a good understanding of the
horse, depending on the levels that
you are with the horse or the time that
you've been working with the horse.
But it's important to teach that from
the ground, so eventually you transfer,
transfer it to your riding aids.
Rupert Isaacson: When one sees
the horses in Medieval Times,
it's qu- it's quite interesting.
And I, I see a lot of equestrian shows.
A lot of friends of mine, you know,
work in or are trainers in or have,
are even producers of equestrian shows.
I've ⦠Sometimes you look at them
and the horses are not so happy.
Sometimes you look at them and
the horses are really happy.
One of the things I've noticed with the
Medieval Times horses is they're happy.
Yeah.
As a horseman, I can see,
oh, these are happy horses.
They're clear in their job, they're happy
in their job, they're enjoying the show.
When people are trying to get together
with horses to put on shows, whether
it's in competition or whether
it's just for fun or for their art-
Mario Contreras: Exhibition.
Mm-hmm
⦠Rupert Isaacson: exhibit.
Yeah.
What for you is the real key to making
it really enjoyable for a horse so it's
not stressful, so the horse doesn't feel
under pressure to perform, that the horse
comes with his heart and actually wants
to perform as much as the human does?
How, how do we achieve this?
Mario Contreras: That's
a very good question.
For example you know, I have on my
training facility with MC Horse Training
The Gate of 45 and of course Medieval
Times, I think building a program is
important putting the program together.
For example, at Medieval Times,
I have 25 horses right now.
It's a full house.
So how many horses do I use for the show?
Usually 12 or 13.
That all the same horses
do the same show every day?
Well, it's like you eating tacos all the
time or eating hamburgers all the time.
Can you do it?
Yes, you can, but it gets boring.
It gets likeâ¦
Right?
So that's why it's important
to put the program together.
I mix the horses all the time.
I cross-train them all the time, so
they are not used to the same thing.
All horses dependent of course on their
ability, but you gotta make sure that
you give them a day off or two days off.
All horses have to go
out every single day.
That's part of the ritual of training.
Turnouts are super important.
Making sure that, That
they get their turnout.
For example, we start our day with,
of course, we do our f- give our
first meal at 7:00 in the morning.
After they get their meal, all
horses get out, and they are
pretty much outside all day.
Rupert Isaacson: When it's da- Where,
where do they go out when they're inâ¦
'Cause a lot of, like Medieval
Times Chicago, it's down, it's
in, it's in a very built-up area.
Where do you have to turn them out?
Mario Contreras: Well, when you come to
Chicago, Chicago, we're very privileged
in our castle because we actually have
the paddocks in the back of the castle.
Okay.
Outside So you've got
Rupert Isaacson: fields out back,
Mario Contreras: right?
Yeah.
There is a couple Medieval Times that
they do not have paddocks on the outside,
but they, those Medieval Times, they
have a huge, beautiful barn not too
far from the castle where horses go,
and they get their, let's say their
little two or three days out of the
week to go, and then we, Oh, they'll go,
Rupert Isaacson: they'll be
rotated out to the country
Mario Contreras: we rotate them all
the time so they can go their time out.
Got it.
So, you know, but that's
important, and that's part of every
single Medieval Times program.
So here at, in Chicago, we're very
lucky that we don't have to, you know,
put the horse in the trailer every day,
which I wouldn't mind if I had to do it.
I will do it all the time.
But what I'm saying is that when
everything is right there, like in this
castle in Chicago, we have our paddocks
right next to the castle, and you,
if you ever show up in the morning,
that's, you're gonna see that that's
part of the program to turn horses out.
Even when the days are super
beautiful, of course, during the
winter we don't work outside because
it's so cold or there is snow.
But s- we're so privileged also
that we work indoors, and we have
two arenas in the, inside the
castle, which inside the castle we
have air conditioning and heating.
So- Mm ⦠it doesn't matter if it's
20 below outside, horses are, We,
we're able to work like if we would be
in a 68-degree environment, you know,
perfect for riding indoors all the time.
And our stables are state-of-the-art
stables where horses are being taken care
of from 7:00 in the morning to 10:00 PM.
Even when we leave the castle,
security goes every single hour
and check the horses to make
sure that they are doing fine.
So, and that's that program.
With training, let's say a regular day
right now we are in busy season, which we
have our first show for the kids, and it's
a smaller version of the big show in the
evening, which we have, the morning show,
it's an educational matinee show at 11:00.
You know, and right nowadays in
this summertime, we have usually
Thursday and Friday, which is
our small show in the mornings.
And then in the evening we have a
regular show especially in this castle,
around 6:45 that we have a regular
show, wh- which is a two-hour show.
And that's ⦠Right before
that, let's say with the
we start our day when we arrive
around 3:00 with all the guys,
the new knights or the, the guys.
We practice some of the routines that
we need, or we start schooling the new
horses for the show, where we put lights,
sound, music, or very simple, continue
with the education that they started at
the barn, at the ranch, with just lunging
teaching them how to walk, trot, canter.
But we start introducing lights, sound
music you know, the the guys practicing
on the side with the swords and the sound
of the shields hitting the sword, and
all those little things that if you see
some of these horses, you know, in the
beginning, it's, it's very scary for them.
But I think it's where, to me and to
us at Medieval Times, it doesn't matter
if it takes us, I don't know, some
horses are so good that in three mon-
in three months they are doing little
pieces in the show, and then there's
some horses that will take up to a
year to do little parts in the show.
And it doesn't really matter.
As long as the horse - Mm-hmm ⦠is
comfortable, you know, when you come next
month and see our show, you're gonna see
that, you see the finished product, with
the riders and the horses where they
already are extremely comfortable to go
into in front of 1,500 kids screaming
from the top of their lungs, and horses
will be just listening to the rider,
even just to do simple medieval games.
Simple, you know, our little carousel,
which is, I find that it's really, it's,
it's really good for the horses to be
introduced to the show, where they go with
other horses and they feel comfortable
as a herd to go with the others, with the
flags, you know, your helmet, your armor
with it, your cape, which is really long.
And, you know, and horses get to enjoy.
But it's important for me to see when
horses are stressed out or when horses
are not really ready for the show yet.
So- Mm ⦠and just like I said, I think
time and the right program for each horse,
it's important to, to get things going.
Rupert Isaacson: You talked
about cross-training.
T- what's cross-training in
your context with horses?
Mario Contreras: Well, you know,
most trainers are really, you know,
they just, Let's say that in my
case, I'm just a high school trainer.
I'm just a Alta Escuela trainer, right?
Well, I f- I i- i- in order for
me to put, like for example, our
show at Medieval Times, we have
to mix all these disciplines
together to put it together- Mm
which is, of course, the main
one, which is dressage, and then
of course Alta Escuela, which we
add the airs above the ground.
We also add the the stunts to do all the
jumping off the horse, falling off the
horse, doing the, the, the roll-outs, the
fly-outs, the, you know, when you get hit
on the joust and you have to throw the
shield, throw the lance, and, you know,
push yourself off the saddle correctly.
Everything starts standing.
Everything starts, you know, from scratch.
Until, like I said, these guys that
never even touch a horse in their
life, eventually they become pros.
When you come and see our show, you're
gonna see whoever becomes the champion
that day on that show, it's gonna
take at least three years of, you
know, training to achieve that spot.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: And if you see these
guys, they make it look easy, but it's,
there's a lot of training behind that.
And not just, I always feel that
it's important, in order for you to
become a great rider which we all are
riders, eventually you depe- develop
yourself into a coach or a trainer.
But in order for you to become a great
rider, you must learn to ride different
horses different mindsets, different
brillos, you know, where horses sometimes
you're like, "Oh, this one is a, a pistol.
This one is super sensitive.
You know what?
This one I put my leg on and it
seems like nothing bothers him."
So learning how to ride different
different horses I think is crucial
for you to become a great rider.
You know, Eventually through time
when you put these horses together
and these riders together, you're
gonna see that in the beginning, just
like horses, just like riders, we are
intimidated, like, "Oh, you know what?
I'm gonna ride a new
horse," and you don't know.
But if I think if you have the
right program and the right
coach to take you in, inâ¦
A- and I'm gonna tell you, I'm
gonna- I'm a very pushy coach.
I want results.
I don't wantâ¦
I'm not the kinda coach that
is gonna have you on the launch
line for, for three years.
I'm not a gonna- I'm not the kinda
coach that would like that is gonna
spend the time just for you to be a
training-level rider for five years.
I want results.
I want, I want you to move forward.
I want horses to becomeâ¦
Of course, always the goal is
gonna be to, to become a Grand Prix
rider to have a Grand Prix horse.
And, you know, I think it's very important
to do it in a way where physically and
mentally you have to be prepared for that.
Putting too much pressure, you know,
I'm a very pushy coach, but I know
when to back off as well, not just
with the horses, but riders, you know?
I think the new g- new
generation of riders lately,
they are a little sensitive.
You can't push them because we cry.
We "Oh, he doesn't like me."
But I, I think that's important why
it's important to have briefings,
meetings, little mini clinics at your
own place with yourself, with your
people so they understand how you
think, what you really want from them,
and how far you gotta, they gotta go
between six months, a year, two years.
I think dressage to me has been very
helpful to educate our new generation
because going from a, let's say,
green as grass, just, you know, groom
the horse, clean the clean the stall
brush him, and eventually putting the
saddle on, and eventually, you know,
start doing little lunging lessons,
just you and the horse, and the rider.
And always having these people right
next to you so it sometimes they will
catch things that you don't even explain.
You know, just very simple, holding
the reins, or holding the launch
line, or holding the whip, or
how to use the whip in a way that
you're not just scaring the horse.
I usually call tapping- Or touching the
horse, when you touch him or you tap him.
Touching or, you know, petting the
horse with a whip, I always y- think
that it's important to use the whip and
the, ⦠E- every, every single tool that
you use to familiarize the horse with
it so they start trusting you big time.
So when you get on the horse, I have
worked with horses throughout my career
where people tells me that the horse is
ready to learn piaffe, and these horses
are already 12 years old, 13 years old.
And then you approach him with
the whip just to touch him, and
they want nothing to do with it.
Me you'll see me working with horses
that are three, four years old
already, you know, getting, getting
familiar with the tools or the
equipment that I'll be working with
them for the rest of their lives.
Mm.
They must trust you when you approach
them, and you must teach the people
how to approach them properly.
So, you know, horses are beautiful,
but they can be also dangerous if
you don't read them properly or if
you don't approach them properly or
if you don't use the tools properly.
Yeah.
Your spurs, your, your, your little
whip to give him little commands
or to create a little more energy,
to create a little more impulsion.
You know, all those things that
you have to always keep in mind.
The more you learn, the more
stuff you have in your head.
I have people that sometimes they
re- read two or three books at once,
and then when come to you, they're so
confused, they never know where to start.
Same thing happens to the horses when
they are going, jumping from trainer
to trainer to trainer to trainer,
and then when come to you, they are
already so Out of it that they want
nothing to do with humans, and sometimes
I have to start just from scratch.
Mm.
Just put them in the round pen and
just sit there with them for a little
bit until they come down and they,
they start building that trust.
Rupert Isaacson: Absolutely.
No, I, I agree.
Any horse that comes to me, I
always effectively start them
from scratch, even if I know they
have a high level of education.
Honestly, if I need to get to know
them, because if I f- I feel that if I
just get on and start demanding things-
Mario Contreras: Correct
Rupert Isaacson: As you know, if
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We really want to know.
We really want to help people like
me, people like you, out there
live their best life, to live
free, ride free, see what happens.
I don't really have that right.
I don't we don't know each
other yet, so why don't we
just start from the very basic.
It'll just be an accelerated
process, but why don't we do that?
Because I would do that with a human.
Why wouldn't I do that
w- with, with a horse?
It's, it's interesting though in the old
masters books, you know, when one reads
the r- real old masters like Pluvinel
from the 17th century or La Guérinière
from the 18th century, even, even some
of the later ones, they all tell us this.
They say, "Take your beginner rider," and
this sounds like what you're doing, and
it's certainly what we do a- at my place.
Take your beginner rider, and on the
first day, put them on one of your best
horses in the piaffe, either at the
shoulder, you're at the shoulder, or
in the long reins or in the pillars,
if you know how to do the pillars,
and let them feel how it should feel.
Correct.
And then little by little, bring
them up to the level of that horse.
Of course, the only way I would think
that you can create the riders who
are coming in off the street to be
so good in that three-year timeframe
is, of course, you are, you are
matching them with these extremely
good horses that will also show them.
Mario Contreras: I think, I think you
have say something very important.
In order for me to achieve what
you just said, that's what exactly
what I do at MediBall Times.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: I train all
these guys in our school masters.
Mm.
And through time, believe it or not,
these guys become an exceptional riders.
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely.
And these riders, in, in the future,
those are the guys nowadays, you will
meet a few of them, that those are the
ones who help me to train the young
horses, the horses that has no training.
But, you know, I think that's,
what you just said, it's extremely
important to build their confidence.
I think, I think you have seen or
has heard that, you know, a lot of
people when they have horse stories,
they're like, "No, I don't like horses.
I got thrown off by
one when I was little."
Well, because he was not- introduced
to the horses the right way.
Indeed.
So now they hate him for no reason.
So, but when you say, "Well,
you were on the wrong horse," or
whoever teach you was not thinking
and, and didn't do it properly.
But eventually, I think same way, I have
turned a lot of people around, having
that bad experience with horses back
in the day, and I have the I'm so proud
that I actually have one guy that is
one of the top trainers at the Meetable
Times that used to be that way, you know?
And now he's doing well, and he's
been very successful because I changed
his mind how to see horses nowadays.
Rupert Isaacson: Right, and
of course, you produced horses
that helped to change his mind.
That is correct.
You talk about c-
creating feel and timing.
Of course, who's really
going to show us this?
The horse.
Mario Contreras: Well,
it's not, it's notâ¦
You know, sometimes- Yeah ⦠we
always try to take the credit.
"Oh, I'm the trainer.
I'm the teacher.
I'm the coach," and no, I think
the best, right, the best teachers
and coaches are the horses.
I think it's important for us- Absolutely
⦠to learn to listen to them and see them.
Yeah.
But the real trainers and coaches
are the horses, believe it or not.
Rupert Isaacson: So, so tell me this.
So I, I was once giving a
well, no, I actually asked
a top German guy to come in.
He was actually a representative
of the FN, which is, you know, the,
it's like the USDF in, in, in America
or so, in Germany- Yeah ⦠to come
to Texas and, and give us a clinic.
Mm-hmm.
And he gave us the sort of standard
German clinic, you know, push, make
the horse go f- forward a lot, and-
he then saw me giving a lesson, 'cause
I had some clients, I had to give a
couple of lessons, and I was giving
a lesson to a beginner, and I put
this beginner on a horse in piaffe,
and I'm saying, "Okay, now feel this.
Just sit still.
Feel it.
This isâ¦"
You know.
And he said, "Where did you learn that?"
And I said, "Well, in Portugal.
You know, I, I went and did
a, an apprenticeship there."
And he said, "Well, no one
teaches that way anymore."
I said- Yeah ⦠"That's true.
They don't.
Tell me, you are in the FN,
why don't they do that?"
And he said, "Well, you just can't
find the schoolmaster horses."
I said, "But, but you guys are in the FN.
You can create schoolmaster horses.
You know how- Yeah ⦠to
create schoolmaster horses."
And he didn't really
have an answer for me.
And I'm a, I, I sort of feel that w-
in, since competition became so big, one
of the difficulties about competition,
as opposed to, say, exhibition, is
that in a, in competition you have to
have winners and losers, and you have,
always have to have more losers than
winners, or there is no competition.
So it's almost as if the whole way
of training and the whole way of
coaching of people too has almost
gone to setting people up for failure.
Because when I go to the average clinic,
when I see the average dressage trainer
training people, they absolutely do
not put people on schoolmaster horses.
They absolutely let people break
their hearts for, you know, five
years feeling stuck, without ever
giving them a window on what it should
even feel like in the first place.
Why do you think this is, Mario?
Because you, you came from a really
good, solid, old-school Mexican horse
family, where I'm sure you as kids
were always put on really good, solid
horses that the older generation
had prepared and, you know, that's
sort of how to do it with monies.
Why, why is this gone?
Why don't we see this?
Why?
Mario Contreras: I think,
I, I think it's the culture.
Mm.
I think the culture is that's how it is.
Me, if you ever come to our place in in
Maple Park, you know, the Gate@45 right
now I think I- that's what I promote.
I try to build riders, create riders.
Just like I said before, mentioned
before about in order for you to
create great riders, you have to
put them in these horses that are
it's a match for these people.
People that, you know, in the
beginning of course, we make sure to,
they, we do exactly what the Spanish
riding school of the Real Escuela
Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre, teaching
people just to find their balance
first on the lunge line, right?
Mm.
And eventually you start putting
these people, once they fi-
teach them in a schoolmaster.
Mm.
And then, you know, in no time
you're gonna have great riders.
That's exactly what I do at
Medieval Times, you know, with these
people that- Have no knowledge,
but I think it's the culture.
Here- But so what do
you mean by the culture?
W- w- what- Well, it's very
hard, it's very hard for you
to go to a regular barn orâ¦
And, and somebody will let you use
their horse for a lesson because they
have not just invest a lot of money.
Mm-hmm.
But when you put someone with no education
and a horse, what's gonna happen?
The common thing, the horse is
gonna go downhill on the training.
So-
Rupert Isaacson: No doubt ⦠but
I, but I- But you don't haveâ¦
If you're a good trainer,
you don't let that happen.
You basically just work your horse in-hand
with a passive person sitting on top.
Mario Contreras: Not everybody's- Letting
Rupert Isaacson: them feel, right?
I mean- ⦠gonna
Mario Contreras: have that mindset.
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Not everybody's gonna have
that mindset to, to do that.
I have the opportunity when I went to
Spain for the, It was a reconnection
for Mexico, for Don Antonio Ariza,
as a matter of fact, and in 2008.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: And going with my
cousin Roberto, you know, he's really
good friends with Claudio Castilla Ruiz.
He was a member at that time of the
t- dressage team for the, for the
Spanish team, and we went to his barn
and, you know, immediately, you know,
my cousin Roberto, El Cordobés, he's
like, "Oh, can he ride your horse?"
We're talking about a horse that is
about to go into the Olympics, Jade,
that he was he was produced by Don
Manuel Vidrie Lusitano, beautiful horse.
You know, I was, I was a
tourist guy at that day.
I was w- you know, wearing my, my tennis
shoes, jeans, and, you know, in my mind,
I was just going there to look horses.
Never even thought that I was gonna be
able to get on a horse and ride, right?
So Claudio, without even thinking
or hesitating, he's like,
"Oh, yeah, get on the horse."
I really thought they were gonna
bring another, I don't know,
another horse or something.
And he let me ride his
Grand Prix Olympic horse.
Cade.
And there is actually a little
video there in YouTube that I
continue to brag about because
that's an opportunity of a lifetime.
Mm.
I didn't have any shoes or anything
to ride a horse, and one of his
students was passing by, and
he's like, "What size are you?"
And he happened to be the same size as me.
So he make him take his
boots off, and I put them on.
I get on the horse, and
gi- he give me a lesson.
That's the best feeling in the world- Mm
⦠to have somebody with that confidence.
He didn't know me.
He didn't know if I could ride at all.
And, you know, 15 minutes later
I was doing everything that
that horse knew with no effort.
That's one of the, one of theâ¦
That's one of the most beautiful
experiences that I have in my
life, riding Olympic Lusitano horse
with, Mm ⦠Claudio Castilla.
And and that tells you how confident as
a trainer, as a rider, as knowing his
horse that it doesn't matter what I was
gonna do, he can bring the horse back
to whatever he needed for the Olympics.
Rupert Isaacson: Absolutely.
Mario Contreras: I actually got to
see him at the World Equestrian Games
over here in in Kentucky in 2010.
I was lucky enough to do the
opening with one of our horses
in, in in the grand opening.
So it was, it was a great experience,
and I got to see Claudio and Cade again.
It was am- it was amazing.
And that tells you- So- ⦠the, the,
Rupert Isaacson: Right.
So t- you and I are both on the same
page with this, that, you know, to, to,
to bring people where they want to go.
And also I think to make horses
happy so that they don't have
to have- heavy, bad riding.
If we bring people up on the
schoolmaster horses, it, it goes better.
How do we change this culture that
you've talked about to bring it back
a little bit more to this older way
of doing it, which I think is easier
on people and easier on horses?
I- yeah, do- you- you're,
you're a professional in
the horse world in the USA.
Mario Contreras: I think
continue to promote education.
Mm.
I think here in the US, it's very
common to go to clinics, which I love,
you know, always promoting education.
I think Germans French right now, if you
go to Mexico, if you go to Spain, I think
Spain has improved big time to- Mm ⦠and
I think the government has to do a lot
with it, where they promote education.
Mm.
So everybody wants to learn.
And if you want to learn, that's
actually the most important thing.
I think we all fall behind when you
think that you know everything and
you don't want to learn from anybody.
Yeah, sure.
I think promoting education, I still
encourage my students, I still go
and spend my money to go, if I have
to travel to a different state or
different country to go and, and learn,
that's what I will do because I think
that's what keeps you motivated in
a way that learning is a good thing.
And then- Absolutely ⦠once you
learn pass it to the next generation
or pass it to whoever wants to learn.
Mm.
Me, I'm gonna be very honest
with you, I like to teach to
people that wants to learn.
Teach people who really cares
about their horses, teach
people that really wants toâ¦
It's not just toâ¦
I feel that being a horse person
is not just to have a horse.
You have to know about horses.
In order for you to know about horses,
you have to invest in your education.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
How do you find the time y- you know,
Medieval Times is a big show, and
you're not allowed to suck, right?
You can't have, having a
bad day at Medieval Times
is, is, is not a good thing.
And I was actually gonna ask you a little
bit about that in another questions.
I want to come back to this.
But you yourself personally, how do
you have the time to then also train
other people at your farm and such?
Because, you know, Medieval
Times is so demanding.
Yeah, how, how do you manage this?
Mario Contreras: Well, I have the
I have the opportunity to find-
good people that love what I love.
And when you do what you love
and it's your passion and you
get- people get I think it's
contagious, and you build a team.
Mm-hmm.
When you have you know, people can say
whatever they want, but I feel like
Medieval Times Chicago has the best team.
I have the best team.
I continue to encourage my people.
I continue to, you know, you just said
it, sometimes we have good days and
sometimes we have bad days, but those
bad days have to go to the past and we
need to move on and work even harder the
next day to try to achieve what we really
want to achieve in life with the show,
with the horses, with our competition.
I think, and I build the same thing in in
my training facility at MC Horse Training.
I, I think it's important to
build and to find the people
that has the same passion as you.
Building a team, you can
go and do anything in life.
Mm.
Kind of like your family.
With your family, you
feel complete, right?
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
And you know, my parents were one of the
big pillars in my life to keep me going
and always to be, to live something for.
Even though they have passed away,
my mom 13 years ago and my dad a
couple years ago, he was 66 I- I'm
sorry, 96 years old, and even until
the end, he was so happy when I did
a little demo, when I won something.
And, you know, and one of my rituals,
it was to bring my little trophy
to him, my little ribbon to him
or my mom and, you know, one of
those things to keep them happy.
At the end of the day, I always
feel like it's important to keep,
just like horses, keep riders happy,
keep riders with a little you plant
that little seed, but you know, this
thing doesn't take a couple days.
Mm.
The horsey thing doesn't
take a couple months.
And if you win it, if you really
want it last, you know, this is
my 35 year with Medieval Times.
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah.
Mario Contreras: I started
when I was five yearsâ¦
No, just kidding.
This is my 35th year with the company.
I've been here in the US for 35 years.
I've been here longer than
I have been in my country.
But you know, I love US.
You know, US has give me and make me to
who I am, and I'm super grateful for that.
Rupert Isaacson: Medieval Times,
as you say, has been around a long
time, and the standard is very high.
There's a couple of things which
I find intriguing about that.
There've been a lot of really,
really good equestrian spectaculars.
The one that obviously
comes to mind is Cavalia.
Mario Contreras: Mm-hmm.
Rupert Isaacson: And I know very
well the people who produce some of
the classical horses for Cavalluna
in the, in U- Europe, which used to
be a passionata and so on and so on.
What's the secret to longevity, and
particularly for Medieval Times?
Because, In Appassionata has a sort
of dedicated equestrian audience.
But honestly, in Medieval Times, if you
put on a show that just had a lot of
fighting and a lot of action, the question
is would the public, which is not horsey,
not, not an informed equestrian audience,
would the public see the difference?
And it's interesting to me that in an
economically hard-nosed climate like
the USA and like Chicago, which is
a very, you know, practical, bottom
line kind of a economic culture, to
produce a show like Medieval Times
with that level of horsemanship
is so expensive and time-consuming
for an audience that may or may
not even know what they're seeing
And to maintain that
standard over 35 years.
Talk to us a little bit about that,
or do you feel that it's actually
the standard of the horsemanship
that creates the longevity?
Because even if the people don't know
what they're seeing, they respond
to the aesthetic, to the beauty.
Like, why do you think it's
hit this economic sweet spot?
Mario Contreras: You just mentioned
something really important.
I know that all these shows that you
just mentioned, you know, that also
do horsemanship and do produce these
beautiful shows, but Medieval Times,
I think we're leading on that because
we've been here for so many years.
And that, I really think that it
has to do with the mindset that
the owners of the company has.
Taking care of our people, taking
care of our horses, and always, even
nowadays, we continue to improve every
single part of our company to, to
continue to keep people, horses happy.
And it's a very, very complete show.
I think most people when
they hear Medieval Times,
sometimes they think thatâ¦
And I hear it all the time because at
the end of the show, we always go and
mingle with people for meet and greet.
And, and people, you know, they
are amazed how complete our show is
in a way that some people has that
thinking that it's just for kids.
No, it's for the whole family.
I think horses create the
huge magic in the horse.
Yes, fighting is really good.
Every, and p- part of the entertainment
of the show is really good, but
horses create this beautiful
atmosphere that, that makes us unique.
If you see the dynamic of the show
from the very beginning all the
way to the end, in what show you
can eat and drink and party like a
real medieval celebration nowadays?
I know that there is quite a few shows
there, but Medieval Times is unique,
and that's why I love it because theyâ¦
It's my life.
It's I've been there for so many years.
I know that it's not mine.
I don't own it, but I treat the
horses and our people and our
stables like they were mine.
I alwaysâ¦
You know, when I walk into
the stables, I'm, like, always
scanning what's out of place.
What horse didn't go out yet?
Always, you know, I want a
full report of what's going on.
And, you know, building the team
like a family, it's important,
but it's important to have that
discipline every day, you know?
And, you know, with Medieval Times,
one of the beauties that we have is
that Medieval Times doesn't haveâ¦
If a horse is, I don't know, sick
or he's got an injury, you know,
we don't have a limit to bring the
horse back to being 100% in the show.
We take him out of the show if necessary
for a day or two or a week or a year.
Doesn't matter.
And if we need to bring him to
the hospital, we need to do all
these things, everything is there.
You know, the, the, the budget is, there
is no, you can't spend more than this.
No, it's, it's it- and
that's the beauty when
I think when all these people sees how
Medieval Times cares about their people
and cares, cares about their horses,
that's what makes this company a beauty.
You know?
Even with my little riding school, I don't
have that kind of a budget, but some of
these people are, you know, very wealthy.
Some people, I give the opportunity to
some of the students that they don't
ha- they don't ha- they don't even have
the money to pay for one of my lessons.
But that's why, you know, these
opportunities come to become a working
student where, okay, you help me to
shampoo horses, I'll give you a lesson.
You help me to go to a show and I'll,
you know, you know, little things like
that that will give you the opportunity.
I never had the opportunity.
I didn't grow up with money.
Everything- Hmm ⦠you know, I remember
my first show for the International
Andalusian Horse Association for the
Andalusian and Lusitano, my first show,
I only brought my little custom and
then one shirt, and I used to, you know,
wash it in the hotel every, every day
because I didn't know I was gonna do.
I, I wasn't expecting that.
Nowadays, you know, I
have ⦠I'm very lucky.
I save my money to buy, you know, whatever
I need for the show, and it's very
rewarding to have that opportunity and for
me to teach someone that has the passion.
Maybe they don't have the money,
but they have the passion, and
that's what I see in the cultures.
Like in Mexico- Hmm ⦠I see a lotta,
a lots of great trainers, great people,
but sometimes I ⦠That's, that's why
I always said to continue to foment
education and, and continue with that.
With Medieval Times, like I said, it's
important to continue to, to ⦠I
continue to work there because I love it.
I'm happy.
I I feel like, you know, getting
there every day and seeing our horses,
that I get to spend years with them.
In the outside world, you
know, every horse have their
own owner, and guess what?
Hmm.
Sometimes they run out of money, sometimes
they, they don't like what they see,
sometimes they don't they don't wanna
continue with the horse education.
They think what they have
learned, that's enough.
And at the end of the day, you
have to learn and respect- the
owner's decisions on what they
want to do in the outside world.
With Medieval Times, we get these
horses at three, four, five years old
when they are considered mature, and
same thing with the riders, and we work
with these people for many years, so
we get to know each other very well.
And just like you said, it's
important to keep riders and, and
horses happy so they can form, they
can f- they can perform each day
necessary to continue with the show.
Here at Medieval Times in in Chicago,
you know, in the slow season, it's
actually really nice because we
work with with the show only on the
weekends, only Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday, which is really nice.
You know, we get the whole week.
We get usually g- get a couple
days off, Monday and Tuesday,
which is our, our weekends for us.
And then after that, we continue
with Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday to work in some of the scenes
that need some work or some of the
horses that need to be introduced
to the show, as well as the riders
Rupert Isaacson: I guess one of the
things that come, I'm getting from
what you're talking about is you have
the luxury to some degree in this
show of having an integrated herd.
That horses come in and they're gonna
be in there with you and with their
herd buddies for many, many years, and
this creates a kind of a stability.
Which as you say, when you're
running a sort of a training barn,
there often isn't that luxury.
Horses come, horses go.
Mario Contreras: Correct.
Rupert Isaacson: People come, people go.
You know, we're very lucky
with that at home with us.
You know, I've had my herd for a long,
long time, and if a new horse comes
in, that herd will come around them and
make them feel good and i- integrated.
Obviously not everybody has that luxury.
When you retire your horses, you
said that you retire them sometimes
around 18 to 20 from the show,
but that's still a young horse.
I mean, in, in, in my book- Correct ⦠an
18-year-old horse is just- Correct
⦠really coming into his wisdom.
And, and, and as we know, the Iberian
horses, they go on working until they're,
they're usually close to 30 because
they, they have that morphology, they
have that body that allows for this.
They, they don't break down- Yeah
like some of the big horses.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Well, no, we don't retire
them because they are, they're
broken or they are too old.
Yeah.
We retire them because we want,
we want them to enjoy the rest of
their life in a, a lot easier paced.
So- So what do
Rupert Isaacson: they
do in their retirement?
That's kind of an interesting
Mario Contreras: horse nuance.
Well, we have two, we have two options.
The first option, they just go back to
the ranch in Texas, in Chapel Kirk Ranch.
They retire and they just go to the
pasture, and if they have potential
to become breeding stallions,
that's what they're going to do.
Rupert Isaacson: Okay.
Mario Contreras: If they don't,
the second option, we can actually
find people around the area.
Mm-hmm.
People who has the place, the
money, the knowledge toâ¦
You know, they can ride them, but
we don't want them to go back- Give
Rupert Isaacson: them
Mario Contreras: a second career.
That is right.
People who will take care of them.
One of the things that you just mentioned
that to me is super important for these
horses is that we have the beauty of kind
of like the Spanish riding school, and
of course, the Real Escuela Andaluza,
and of course Portugal and, and and
France, that we get our stallions.
You know, a lot of people,
they're afraid of stallions.
I think people are afraid because
they don't understand them.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: I, I think it's important
for you, most people who bring me a
horse, like, "Oh, be careful because
this, he's so aggressive or he's aâ¦"
It's because most people
isolate these horses.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: Me, you can put
all the stallions together and
you represent that main stallion.
You represent the alpha.
You represent who they're
supposed to be listening to.
They have to, you teach
them to behave that way.
But they must mingle with each other.
Otherwise, you know, of course, they,
they can develop these aggressive or,
you know, always fighting or trying to
establish dominance because of the mares.
I think it's important for you to to
mix them together, not close together
or put them in the pasture together
and they'll beat theirselves up.
We don't do that.
Through work and, you know, having a
good understanding, draining that energy
in a positive way where horses learn to
mingle with each other without becoming
aggressive or hitting each other because
they don't, they don't know each other
Rupert Isaacson: As you may know,
if you've been following my work,
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And we have been training horses for
many, many years in the manner of
the old classical dressage masters.
This is something which is
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Give us some tips.
There's a lot of people I think
will be intrigued by that.
I remember when I first started owning
stallions, I'd never had stallions before.
Mm-hmm.
So I went on a kind of stallion 101
education, you know- Yeah ⦠with
people that kept a lot of them, and
I went to different people, Portugal,
France, other parts of the world, and
saw how they were all doing it, and- Yeah
got coaching before Iâ¦
And then eventually I had a,
a small group of stallions.
Tell us from your point of view when
people are gonna have stallions,
what's the best way to get them
integrated with each other?
What are someâ¦
What's, like, the 101
that people should know?
Mario Contreras: Well, when you have,
when you have your own breeding facility
and you have the babies since were, they
were born, of course, the program that
we have, when they are six months old,
we separate them, and they all go with
the s- six months old, and then after
that, with the yearlings, and then after
that, with the two-year-olds, and then
after that, with the three-year-olds.
That's when we start actually is-
not isolating, but separating, that
they have their own individual stall.
But even like that, after that, especially
right now in my training facility
where we train horses, and these horses
become already like tigers because they
were not used to being with others.
Slowly you start introducing these horses
with the, with the rest of the horses.
It doesn't matter if it's
mares or geldings, you start
introducing and start working in
the same arena as everybody else.
Mm-hmm.
But guess what?
Sometimes they are not that friendly.
They start rearing, they start calling,
they start intimidating people or horses.
Well, if you know how to handle them
properly, you can start in the round
pen, in the round pen with others around
in the outside, so they start getting
used to other horses being around.
My advice is always to hire someone
that can handle energy, you know- Mm-hmm
⦠because that's where you're gonnaâ¦
You need to learn how to redirect
the energy in a positive way.
You know, when you start getting
aggressive with these horses, and I've
seen it before, when these horses come
to me already extremely aggressive,
where already they ha- they see you
as an enemy, where they already see
you as, "Okay, who's gonna be tougher?
Who's gonnaâ¦"
And when a horse already start becoming,
you know, more like a, a, a predator it's,
it's really hard, and it's very sad to
see that, because it's very, I don't know.
People thinks that they can handle,
people thinks that by isolating these
horses is the best thing to them.
I think they are doing
actually the opposite.
They are actually taking the horse
to a position where when people can't
handle anymore or they hurt somebody,
these horses will go to the kill pen
because they were- Misunderstood.
Mm.
So having a professional do the
right thing is important, and if you
gonna have, you might as well gelding
these horses if you are not gonna
become a a breeder or someone that
can handle s- these horses properly.
I always feel that it's important to
have a training program or an exercise
program with these horses that are
gonna become breeding stallions.
More than anything, I, as you know,
is it's sometimes just the status.
They are not a breeding facility.
These horses have never bred
before, and but if you take them
the right way with exercise,
these horses can be gentle giants.
They can be as as sweet as a gelding, as
as sweet as a beautiful mare, but you have
to, you have to, you have to create that.
You have to create that environment.
Rupert Isaacson: Well, you
talked about redirecting energy.
Give us an example.
A horse is coming to you.
He's doing some aggressive
behaviors for whatever reason.
You now need to redirect this e- energy.
Give us some strategies that you use.
Mario Contreras: Exercise
is always important.
If the horse, like right now let's
say that I get a young horse that is
extremely energetic, I think it's energy.
So you're gonna drain the energy.
Most of the time we want to control
the horse to walk, we want to control
the horse to trot, we want to control
the horse to canter, and we, we
want to control not just that, but
we also want to control the tempo.
No, no, no, no, no.
Just let them be horses in the beginning.
Yes.
Yes.
Regardless if it's gonna take you a
week, a, a month, a whatever, but you're
gonna see the results if you're patient.
Patience comes with the training.
And always knowing what to look for.
And sometimes, you know, most of the time,
myself as a trainer, I use common sense.
I don't have to go to a book and
read it or can read it again.
Common sense.
Just use common sense
and redirect the energy.
Let the energy drain in a positive way.
If the horse wants to jump and kick
and fart and, and, and , and run
around for five minutes, let him do it.
Yeah.
It's okay.
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
And then you're gonna see, if you're
patient enough, you're gonna see, if
you start talking to the horse just
verbally or use your body language to put
pressure, to take the pressure off with
your body or using your voice command a
little bit louder, a little bit softer,
if you are sensitive enough to- Mm
capture those things, you're gonna
be able to see that the horse is
starting to, to try to see that you
are trying to communicate with him.
Mm.
And once you do, believe
me, the sky is the limit.
Rupert Isaacson: I so agree.
We have a, w- we, when we were in
Texas, we had a, a sort of ideal
situation because we had our own
ranch, we were in control of the
environment, you know, we could do it.
But we moved to Germany, and when we
moved to Germany- Mm-hmm ⦠we weren't
gonna just buy a farm in Germany.
A, we couldn't have afforded it, and
B, we had young children at the time,
so it wouldn't have been possible.
So we took six horses, and we from
Texas, and we set up in a boarding
stable in Germany, so a public
stable with lots of other people.
First time in my life I'd
ever kept horses that way.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: And suddenly we ran
into all the rules- ⦠of the stable,
where you can't do this, and you
can't do this, and you can't do this.
And oh.
Oh, okay.
And then we were in this really
strange position where we knew more
about horses than the person running
the stable, but they were the boss.
It was their place.
Mario Contreras: Correct.
Rupert Isaacson: And of course we had
three stallions, which we, so we gelded
the stallions because we just, there was
just no way that, they would not have
let us come to a place with stallions.
They were afraid.
Correct.
And so we collected the semen.
Said, "Okay, fine.
They can be geldings."
But- W- it made us creative.
So in, for example the winter, the
horses were barely getting out, and
our horses have a lot of energy.
Lusitano horses, lots of energy.
Yeah.
And so we came up with
the concept of crazy time.
As you say, if they've got the energy,
use it, don't try to control it.
So we would build courses.
Our horses like to jump,
so I would do jumps.
But if it wasn't jumps, it
could be stuff on the ground,
but little problems for them.
But then let them go, and let them
go really nuts- ⦠in a group of
three or four, because they know
each other, and express that energy.
But then every two minutes I would
change it, and they'd go- Yeah
"Ooh."
And you'd see them kind of
go, "Oh, that's interesting."
And they'd go nuts over that one,
and then they'd turn and say,
"Okay, what do you got next?"
And like, "Well, I'll
change it like this."
And then I realized you could teach
so much horsemanship this way.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: And then I
realized- Mm-hmm ⦠you could teach
special needs children this way.
So- Yeah ⦠I would have
special needs kids come in with
me and help to move the horses.
We would do team building,
'cause we'd build the course.
We would measure, you know, how
high is it, how is the distances.
Then we could s- we could measure
with our feet how long is that
long side of the arena, and howâ¦
what's the time that it takes each horse
to go down there, or what's the time
it takes you, Mario, to go down there.
What's the time it takes me?
I'll be kind of slow going down.
Yeah.
And the dog, we said.
And then we do a little calculation,
distance over time, we get speed.
And so suddenly I'm teaching math,
and suddenly I'm teaching s- physics.
And I realize, oh, my gosh this thing
where I thought I was so constrained
has now suddenly opened the door to a
whole program that benefits my horses.
They can work with no
weight on their back.
They can work with no constraint.
This can always be the first part of
their day, particularly in the winter
where they're standing in a lot.
And then we can go to the working day.
Yeah.
And the horse has endorphins in his
body, and he's like, "Okay, I'm kind
of ready to receive something mentally.
I'm, I'm ready to receive
something intellectually now."
And of course we also did
a lot of trail riding.
We always have done a lot of
trail riding for the same reason.
When people are facing these types
of dilemmas with their horses, and
as you just said, they'll often try
to slow things and create tempo and
all of that kind of thing before
the horse is ready to accept it.
What are some of yourâ¦
You know, I talked about
our crazy time thing.
What are, what are some of your, like,
one, two, three strategies that you would
tell somebody to do if they find they're
going a little bit against their horse?
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
We were talking about earlier about you
know, the disciplines that we use at
Medieval Times to put the show together.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: One of the things
that I do, especially with the
stallions or redirect energy,
is teaching horses liberty.
You know- Uh-huh ⦠teaching horses
how to communicate with just your body.
Just like, like I say earlier, try
not to control every single moment.
Let them run.
Mm.
Let them do whatever they want.
And then once the horses go, for
example, the energy is in 100, right?
Like, they are full of
energy, and it's wintertime.
Well, you know what?
Let's bring that energy down to
50 when you can actually start
working with what you really wanna
work with the horse to learn.
And so if the horses start getting like,
you know, maybe already tired or, or
maybe you have to bring them from 25 to 50
because they are in the laid back, right?
It's important to create that energy.
With liberty, you can reconnect
or connect with the horse in a way
that you don't have to be holding
anything to control the horse.
But using your body and using
your voice commands, I think,
is crucial, and that'sâ¦
Like right now, when I teach people
h- how to do that, it's, I think we're
losing, we're losing the aspect of
communication, you know, with humans
because we're not like back in the day
if we were in the caves or whatever, you
know, have that sense of, "Oh, shoot,
we're gonna get killed," or, "We need to
go and go get something to eat," right?
I think humans, we're losing that,
and that's what horses keep alive to
continue to use that body language.
Some people are really good reading
people, and I think that's what horses
teach us if you learn to listen to them.
Mm.
Redirecting the energy by just a simple
movements or redirecting the energy
just to try to click with their brain
so we can establish communication.
What, what we want them to do, just a
simple transition from canter to trot or
trot to walk, or bring him in when you ask
him to, and stay calm at the same time.
So it's it's a, it's a big thing.
But I think the most important thing is to
continue to practice it so it doesn't die.
Most people, they want to learn to to, to,
to mingle with a horse or ride a horse.
They don't really teach body language.
They don't really teach liberty.
They don't teachâ¦
They're just teaching to put a saddle,
put a bridle, get on and try to find your
balance, which is fine, but it's more
modern, more, you know, learning toâ¦
You know, back in the day, I remember with
my dad, we used to go get the horses in
the pasture, and it was just like a And
horses used to come up to you without
you have to go get some grain and bring.
They knew exactly.
But, you know, it's that bond that you
have to create with your horses with time.
Another thing that I use a lot for
draining the energy, just like you
said, finding ways to do it, to me
working equitation, even though-
Mm ⦠we didn't do work in equitation
back in the day, but we kind of did
without being work in equitation.
Nowadays, that is becoming
very popular and competitive-
Yeah ⦠all over the world.
At the castle, we do these
mini ball games, all this stuff
to desensitize the horses.
Even though we don't do work in
equitation with any of the horses in a
competitive way, we actually use work
in equitation in a way to build better
bonds, to make the horse versatile, to
I think when I work with horses that just
do dressage, dressage, dressage, dressage,
I usually- Mm ⦠put into my program a
little bit of everything so they don't
get bored, so they are not- Absolutely
⦠sour of, "All right, here we go.
He's needs to learn how
to do changes, and heâ¦"
I think sometimes just by playing around
they will give you the changes, or
they're playing around, they give you a
little step, so piaffe and you're like
Or they are so gifted that you
c- over collect them and they
give it to you just by accident.
What you said earlier, when
you turn horses out, that's
why, that's how I do it.
I turn horses- Mm ⦠out, not together
when there are stallions, you know, in
their separate paddocks, but they're
all together in the same pa- not in
the same paddock, but in the same
spot, where you turn them out and
the first thing that they do, they
jump around and throw a cabriole.
Yeah.
They jump around, they stand on
their hind legs for a couple seconds.
You're like, "Wow, this
horse is extremely strong."
Or they go to a little puddle of water
and they start striking with that energy
for the Spanish walk, and you're like-
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah
⦠Mario Contreras: I know what
you're, I know what you're gonna
be doing in the future, you know?
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah, absolutely.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: You sort of
put it in your pocket for later.
You're like, "Thank you for
Mario Contreras: showing me."
That's right.
That's right.
A lot of people, you know, when they
see you, especially in the show they
say, "Oh, my horse can do that."
And I go, "Okay, can he do it on cue?
Can he do it when youâ¦"
Well, no, when he's being naughty or
when he's jumping around the pasture.
I think the beauty through time, when
you spend all this time with the horses,
it's it's beautiful to see it when they
listen to you being super quiet, and you
just give them the cue, and they perform
every day, each day, with the best of
their ability to perform these exercises.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm-hmm.
Mm.
One of the things which I think you, you
pointed out there with when you turn them
out and they do all the high school Alta
Escuela and a lot of the dressage just
free, because of course horses do this
when they play, horses do this when they
mate, horses do this when they fight.
Just like people do.
Correct ⦠so it's in them.
And I think that one of the
things that's often missed is,
you know, the training scale.
There's the often pretty,
shown as a pyramid.
Yeah, the pyramid of training.
Mm-hmm.
They put rhythm, relaxation-
Yeah ⦠was it contact impulsion,
straightness, and collection.
Mario Contreras: Collection at the
Rupert Isaacson: end.
Mm-hmm.
Right, right.
That's usually how it's presented.
There's a big word I always feel
is missing there, and that's joy.
Mario Contreras: Mm-hmm.
Rupert Isaacson: Like, where's the joy?
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: Because these
are movements that horses
do when they feel passion.
Mario Contreras: Yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: When you are training,
and, you know, a, a lot of horse-
and people behavioral problems I feel
actually come from chronic boredom.
Boredom is, is, it, it, it's,
it's, it's a real torture I
think for the mind and the body.
So when you, you have this very
program, as you say, there's a
lot of cross-training, they're
doing all kinds of things.
They're doing working protection,
they're doing games, they're doing
the dressage, they're doing the
Alta Escuela, they're doing liberty.
When you go out in front of those
1,500 people who do not know much
about horses- The only way it's
going to carry any kind ofâ¦
Ma- make people feel that they spent
their money well, that they got value for
money, is if they feel a certain emotion.
And the only way they're gonna feel
a certain emotion is if the horse
projects that emotion, and that
emotion must be joy and passion.
What's your advice to people who've got
horses and they want to do the dressage,
they want to do that stuff, but they've
been kind of hammered, hammered, hammered?
And yes, we need discipline but too
much discipline is its own curse.
You
Mario Contreras: get burned out.
Rupert Isaacson: Yeah.
What are your secrets, Mario, for
making sure that that, that passion,
it's th- it's there, and it's evident?
I've seen you ride.
I've seen you present horses.
There's always that.
You alwaysâ¦
Okay, you're selecting
charismatic stallions to do this.
I'm, "Okay, okay."
But even those horses, it could, you know
how it c- it can look r- it, with, with a
different attitude, it can look robotic.
How do you make sure, Mario,
that that passion is there when
you ask for it from the horse?
Mario Contreras: I think we
have been talking about it,
and that's cross-training.
Okay.
You gotta keep it alive.
Rupert Isaacson: Okay.
Mario Contreras: Most horses that
I've, and most horses, and not just
horses, riders as well, that get burnt
out is because they do the same thing.
They d- you have to have some kind
of a mindset or brain to really
continue to do that without getting
stressed out, burned out, or whatever.
But I think cross-training, that's
why to me, doing a little bit of both
has keep me alive for many years in
the business of training horses and
doing this because I, I, when I do
competition, it's a little more stressful.
I'm I'm actually more nervous and stressed
out being in front of one or three or
four judges than being in- For sure
front of thousands of people.
Yeah.
We just finished, we just finished
the Midwest Horse Fair here in
Madison, Wisconsin, and, and it was
it was super fun because we always
look forward to go to it, and we have
10,000 people in each performance.
They give me a half an hour,
30 minutes before the rodeo,
and do a little presentation.
We did something that it was called the
Greatest Horse Show you know, kind of like
the, the theme of the movie, The Greatest
The Greatest- Showman ⦠Showman.
Uh-huh.
And it was so much fun, and
everybody was looking for it.
We build a little customs, and it was,
it was so much fun to put it together.
But at the s- at the end of the
day, it is fun, but guess what?
I really have to perform.
So I don't want us to see pe- I don't
want people to see us as a joke.
I don't want people to see us as a clown.
I want us to see the horsemanship
that it requires to do all
these maneuvers, you know?
Yeah.
And I respect rodeo like
you have no idea, you know?
To get on a bull- You don't just
have to be extremely brave, you
have to be extremely skillful-
Rupert Isaacson: Yes,
Mario Contreras: okay ⦠to, to, to
do the roping, to, and and it'sâ¦
Like I said, I respect every discipline,
but I think it's important once in a
while, you know, we like to dress up and
do l- do like a Western day, you know?
Yeah.
Like a cowboy day.
We like to do, we love working equitation.
I have this lady that used to be
a judge back in the day, and now
she just retired, and she loves.
Yesterday I had her doing, do, do
the garrocha with her Friesian, and
she was so happy and, and, you know,
she missed a couple times that,
that, that gar- that little ring,
you know, that is on top of the bull.
Yeah.
And she's like, "Oh, no.
This is not gonna happen."
I go, I said, "Just do it again.
It's okay."
And she was doing it at the walk,
nothing fancy, and she had it.
She got it.
You should have seen how happy
everybody was, how happy she was.
And I think it's just, just like
you said, to bring that joy.
If y'all were to have her just to
do dressage, dressage and perfect
that transition from trot to walk
and canter and, yeah, it's fun,
and it's, it's a lot of work.
But it's not as fun as to just
go in the do a trail ride and
see the birds and see the geese.
And we do a little bit of everything,
and that's the secret, to try to
keep everything alive and do what
horses can do, and that's everything.
That they are super versatile.
Yeah.
They are- Yeah.
But you gotta, you
gotta be an open-minded.
When you are close-minded, when
the dressage hates the jumpers
and the working equitation hates
other peop- No, no, that's not it.
I think we are here.
There is a, there is a, there is a
huge reason why I'm talking to you.
We have something in common,
and that's the love of horses.
Regardless if you just like to do
liberty or high school or dressage or
working equitation or jumping or you
like races, you know, there is, there
is so many things that you can do.
But at the end of the day, like I said,
it's it's important for you to stay,
to have that mind, and I agree with you
100%, to find the joy being around horses.
Rupert Isaacson: Let's
look to the future now.
What do, where do you
wanna go with with this?
Where's Medieval Times going?
It's, it's kind of a-
an institution now.
And do you, do, do, do you
go back to Mexico much?
Do you have a plan- Yes ⦠for how you're
gonna give back with all this knowledge?
Have you got a bit of a vision
for where you'd like to go?
Is there a service aspect to this?
Is there an unfulfilled dream?
Talk to us about these things.
Mario Contreras: You know
what I think the time is now.
I'm tryingâ¦
I don't know if tomorrow
is gonna be there for me.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: The past is the past,
and I have done what I have done.
But I, I think it's important toâ¦
I, of course, I do have a, I do still
have a lot of dreams, a lot of things
that I would like to accomplish.
But at the end of the day, I think it's
important to continue to maintain the
legacy of my family horse training,
and educating people as much as I
can nowadays, and now is the time.
In the future I don't know if I'm
gonna live 96 years old like my dad.
I don't know if I'm gonnaâ¦
I, I have no idea, but, you know, my
goal is always to enjoy life and try to
take every opportunity that life throws
me, and do the best with what I have
and with the knowledge that I have.
And if I can help somebody to f-
fulfill their dreams or to plant
the seed on somebody that has that-
That little I don't know how to say
inquietud in English, but you know,
that you really want to, but that
you, you don't have the opportunity.
I do give the opportunity to
a lot of people, and I have
teach- taught a lot of people.
But at the end of the day, it's up to them
to continue to make the best out of it.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: You know, maybe one day
I'll just retire, and I always ⦠My
joke is that I'm gonna retire in a little
by the beach in Mexico, and maybe buy
10 burros and rent them to the tourist-
and do nothing, and drink
coconut water all day.
That's, that, that's actually
what I do when I go to Mexico.
You know, I go two or three
times a year to still visit my,
my, my brothers, my cousins.
We have our own breeding farm
of Andalusians in Teocuitatlán
de Corona, Jalisco, and like 40
minutes from Guadalajara, Mexico.
You are more than welcome to,
to come and see our place.
We would love to come.
And, and, you know, it's a little
town where it's, everything
is, like, very beautiful.
You see the mountains.
Our barn is built at the edge of the
of the un cerrito, a little mountain.
It's beautiful.
You get to see from up there.
You get to see the whole
town and everything.
And we still produce Andalusians
and sell them to all over Mexico,
California, South America here in the US.
But, you know, I think there is
gonna be a time where when I go to
Mexico, believe it or not, but I
want to know nothing about horses.
I want to just relax for a week
or two- But I end up going to the
barn, I end up going to- Of course
and my friends and my family, and we
end up riding or we're end up doingâ¦
It has to be, the only way for me
to really get away is going to the
beach, and sometimes we just end
up renting horses and ri- riding
at the beach with the horses, which
is, you know, it's part of it.
But once in a while, you have to kinda
just take a little break and, and, and,
and disconnect from the world where you
have to be always on the phone or always
worrying about, you know, making sure that
that client is happy, making sure that
the show is complete and all the spots are
there, all the riders, all the horses you
know, just like at the castle, or I have
to have three or four horses that can do
the same movement or the same maneuver.
There is no such a thing as, "Oh today
we're not gonna have a horse show
because the horses are in vacation,"
or one of the horses that, the one
that used to do it, you know, he's
a little tender on the front right.
You know, those little things that
we always have to be always aware
to keep every- everything on place.
Absolutely ⦠you know, when you
work in the same place for a long
time, you learn to find that rhythm
and that energy to put everything in
place where you don't get burned out.
There is, you know, right now there
is busy season at the castle, and
we have shows every single day.
We usually take Mondays and Tuesdays
off, but after that, we have
shows daily, morning and evening.
And then right now in my training
facility, it's show season, so we're,
you know, we got the whole winter
to prepare for these competitions.
And within a month we'll be showing,
you know, there is some horses that
will be doing just basic training
level, first level, second level stuff.
We have a couple horses that will
be doing Princeton-George level
stuff, and there is a couple horses
that will be doing intermediate
one and two, and, and Grand Prix.
So, and same thing, we need to stay
super focused in some of that stuff.
But it's important, me, you know, I like
to take a break when I'm really tired.
I like to go to sleep
when I'm really tired.
I like to- Mm ⦠eat when I'm hungry.
I don't just- Mm.
You know, but it's important to have
a good team that takes care of you,
takes care of you and your horses.
I, I, like I said, I don't think
without the team and without the
support of my family will be where
I'm at and continue to do what I do.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm-hmm.
Mario Contreras: Mm-hmm.
It's, And it
Rupert Isaacson: sounds like,
it sounds like you run Medieval
Times a bit like a family.
When- It has to be ⦠as we sort of
approach the, the, the two-hour mark
here what's your advice to people?
This is something I'm often dealing
with when I go out and give clinics and
training, and one of the things I'll,
I'll tell people straight up is, "Listen,
if you want to get where you want to
get to with horses, you need a tribe."
I always call it tribe because
this is how horse training evolved.
It evolved out in the steppes, grasslands,
deserts, you know, people in tribes
living in tents, groups of families
together, all doing it together.
When you go to the top schools,
you talk about the one in Jerez in
Andalusia or- Mm-hmm ⦠Portugal
or wherever, what do you see?
You see groups of people
training the horses together.
You usually see normally minimum
two, sometimes three people
collaborating to create a horse.
It's a team effort, and
there has to be really good
communication between these people.
There has to be a kind of
love between these people.
Mario Contreras: Correct.
Rupert Isaacson: Just like there would
be in an extended family, in a clan.
A lot of people, as you know, are keeping
their horses in isolation, you know?
They've always had a dream for a horse.
Maybe they couldn't have a horse
when they were younger, then they
get a job, they make a little money.
Now they have a horse.
Right.
And it's them and their horse,
and- What I always say is f-
you need to manifest your tribe.
You need a tribe of people around you and
that horse to, to get where you wanna go.
And I have some little things I tell
people to do spiritually, actually, to
put it out to the universe to bring that
tribe, because it actually always happens.
But the first thing is
they have to want it.
And as you know, a lot of people want to
be very protectionistic with their horses.
Yeah.
It's understandable, but
it won't get you there.
How do you help people?
You do a lot of training.
How do you help people find that
Contreras family vibe, that medieval
times team in their own backyard?
Mario Contreras: We spend
a lot of time together.
For example, my day usually
starts at 6, 6:00 AM.
We usually meet at the barn
7:45, let's say the morning.
I usually do the mornings in my
training facility, and then I
do the evenings at the castle.
So I think the most
important thing is to gather.
To gather and, when I have, for
example, a, a normal, typical
morning, I'm gonna have between 5
to 10 riders in the arena at once.
So, and of course, and one of those is
the go- is i- one of those is gonna be
the one that is gonna be having a lesson.
Most of the riders that I have right
now, they're actually really good
riders, where I just kinda give them the
program of what I want of the morning.
We have, we usually have small briefings.
But I think it's important to, to do one
on one, one with the horse, one with the
rider, where we start really understanding
and getting to know each other.
Just like any family.
Mm.
You know?
I know that you can say, "Well,
that's my, that's my son," or,
well, it is your son, but you
don't know him that much like I do.
Rupert Isaacson: Mm.
Mario Contreras: You know?
Sometimes building this relationship
in a way that most of the time
when you meet somebody, you meet,
successful person, the happy person,
but you don't know the other faces.
You don't know- Mm ⦠the other
faces when they are sick, when they're
mad, when they are uncomfortable
with different situations.
When they're sad, scared, absolutely.
That's right.
That's right.
Mm.
So learning how to- That's why when I
have my, my little briefings, I think
I usually do it a least once a week
to put everybody in the same, in the
same spot and to, to everybody have
the same kn- knowledge, to everybody
have the same goals that we all want.
One of the things that I see a
lot, big time, in this horse world,
there is a lotta gossiping, a
lotta talking bad about others.
Mm.
I try to, you know, let people know
that that's not allowed in my team.
That's not ⦠I- if we- if something
goes wrong, we all come in and help out.
Mm.
If the show doesn't go as good
as, as we didn't practice at the
house and things didn't go well,
that's not the end of the world.
You know, we can continue and practice
and it- it's a- it's always a learning
opportunity when things don't go.
Who doesn't want the little blue ribbon?
Who doesn't wanna, you
know, take the first place?
Who does at the castle?
Who doesn't wanna be champion
on the on the tournament?
Well, that's the goal, but it's important
for you as a coach to maintain that
alive every single day when things are
extremely difficult, when the horse is
not listening , when your balance is not
great, when, you know, when things don't
go the way you want to in a competition.
You know, sometimes we work the
whole year to go to nationals,
and when you go to nationals, you
only have one shot to perform.
And then the horse, all of a sudden,
because he's a stallion, and there is
a mare on the other side, you know, in
heat, and the, the stallion picks up
the scent, things start going backwards.
Well, you have to have in
that mind that, you know what?
You want a stallion, that's what happens.
Yeah.
It's okay.
But you have to have that open mind.
Mm.
And if you really think about it,
you're like, "I worked a whole year
and I spent all this much money and
things â¦" Well, you know what?
There's always next year.
As long as you are alive,
anything can happen, you know?
Mm.
And as always, it's a learning experience
to, to continue to live life with the
best of what you got when you have it.
There is gonna be days, like, like I said
earlier, my future, you know, anybody's
future, you know, you have all these
dreams and one of my dreams always when
I was younger is, was to, to be, to, to
have a, to build a school in Mexico that
will be at the same level as the school
of Jerez, a school that will be at the
same level of the Spanish riding school.
But, you know, for that you need-
the government to be involved.
You need you know, people who
really will do it pretty much
for free with a lot of talent.
I hear so many stories
of different people.
I had the opportunity to take the
clinic with with one of the masters
in the school of Jerez, Rafael Soto.
Mm.
He came here to to Chicago and to do
a clinic, and you hear these stories.
They've been working for, for the Spa-
for the Real Escuela for so many years,
and now he's doing his own thing.
And, you know, sometimes, you
know, you want to look for new
frontiers where, okay, you know,
sometimes maybe, I don't know.
I, I didn't, I didn't talk to him about
that, but, you know, a, a person that
continues when he should be maybe retiring
or having just fun or fun with his
horses, you know, he continues to teach.
He continues- Mm ⦠to have, to, to,
to give in a way what he has learned
his whole life in a three-day clinic.
I think you and I both know
that that's impossible.
Mm.
But that gives you this motivation
to continue to, to keep going and
to be better every single day.
Rupert Isaacson: Do you think you will
achieve that dream in in, in Mexico?
Are you talking with
people about that now?
Are you strategizing?
Mario Contreras: I have.
I have, but just like I said, it's
it- that would be a, a huge dream.
There is a school in Mexico,
Escuela de Jinetes Domeq, but
it's owned by a particular person.
So, you know, when the
place is owned by aâ¦
It's just like any other school.
I want something that will
belong to the country.
Mm.
Something that the country will
be proud of, something that the
government will do it just like they
do in other countries that we- Mm
admire, you know?
And but, you know, I think as riders
or people who has, who has the passion
for horses, I think we have that.
But I think it's maybe, you
know, I don't have that high of a
hierarchy in a way that I canâ¦
and I, I haven't even tried either, but
to talk to someone who has that power
to build something like that in Mexico.
But I think that would be-
Rupert Isaacson: I would
add, I would say yet to that
⦠Mario Contreras: cor- correct.
You're right.
It's it's something that, that always
has been in the back of my mind.
And I have talked to a lot
of people, you know, andâ¦
But it hasn't been, like, a project to me.
Mm.
Maybe, you know, in the future that
would be something that I would
be interested on to, to do that.
In the meantime, you know, I continue
to do what I do right now, you
know, trying to do, and try to have
probably the best cast of the whole
company, to try to have the best
show for multiple times in Chicago.
I continue to have my little riding
school over here in Maple Park, Illinois,
you know, with MC Horse Training.
And try to do and try to continue
to enjoy life as much as you
can with the opportunity.
I think as long as you are healthy and
as long as you have the privilege to be
in this world, you know, to continue to
to promote education and try to see if
I can help just a little bit to, for me
to help you to have a better bond with
your horse, that would make my day.
Rupert Isaacson: Well, let's
find out how people can do that.
So, first question, how do
people contact you, Mario?
Mario Contreras: Well, right
now through social media.
You know, Facebook has been a big
platform for me to, to show who I am.
You know, Mario A.
Contreras on Facebook.
With I- Instagram, same thing Mario A.
Contreras.
And lately I've been trying to do
TikTok, which is kinda, Believe it
or not, but I was so shy when I was a
little kid, and I remember when I used
to go to pretty much anything even
to go and buy a pair of shoes orâ¦
I was so, I was afraid to ask how
much they were or I was so shy to ask.
And you know, throughout the
time, it's it's getting better.
So now me talking to you and being in
front of the, the camera and just talking
about what I love the most, which is
horses and enjoying life, I think, I don't
know if you know this, but back in the
day I, I got kicked out of the country
when I didn't have the opportunity to
have to fix my paperwork here in the US,
and I end up in Guadalajara four years
later after I didn't have I didn't have,
contact with my family or my friends,
and you, when you go back four years
later, a lot of things have changed.
Mm.
So a week later after I was in
Mexico after not being there for
four years Medieval Times contact me
and say, "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Well, nothing yet, but I'll
probably find something to do."
"Well, we want you to come back to
the US, but we're gonna help you
to fix your paper- papers, your
paperwork to come back to Me- to
Medieval Times here in the US legally.
So in the meantime, we are gonna
open a new business in in Cancun."
So I end up going to Cancun.
They are like, "You wanna go?
We're gonna bring some pirate ships
from Cuba, and and would you like
to help us to, to open it up?"
And I was like, "Cancun,
are you kidding me?
That's, like, the best place
to go and, you know, and have
fun and, and all that stuff."
Well, I end up, I was gonna
be there only for six months.
I end up staying there for three
years working for Medieval Times,
but this company, it was, it's
called The Galleon of Captain Hook.
So I end up being a pirate.
We did a something super
similar to Medieval Times.
We started with horses, with pirates
taking over a piece of island
producing a a pirate show with swords,
very similar to the one that was in
in Vegas with explosions, pirates
jumping off the ship, a horse doing a
little horse show, blah, blah, blah.
Believe it or not, but that show
continues very strong in Cancun,
The Galleon of Captain Hook.
Okay.
El Galleon del Capitan Garfio in Cancun,
and I was just recently there in December
and I was so proud to see it, and it's
something that I created and continue
to, to enjoy being creative in a way.
When people tells me something to
do little shows here and there,
and I have to dress up andâ¦
But I always try to do it in the
most professional way as I can.
I watch movies.
I take lessons.
I, I continue to educate myself in a way.
And of course, I always like to
have all my team involved into
what I do, and that's why I think
keeps it a lot of, it keeps it fun.
It keeps it it keeps me going in a way.
Maybe one day when I can't ride
anymore, maybe I continue to coach
people or to teach people, or
maybe I'll just do what I said.
I buy myself a little house in, by the
beach in some- not seclu- you know,
something very, you know, I love little
towns, you know, something that is
nice and quiet, so something close to
the beach, and maybe I'll buy myself a
little burro and, you know, ride around.
Rupert Isaacson: You'll be on
the piaffing burro in, That's
Mario Contreras: right.
That's right
⦠Rupert Isaacson: yeah,
Mario Contreras: yeah, yeah.
Rupert Isaacson: So listen, okay,
so people can find you Mario A.
Contreras on Facebook and Instagram.
Do you have a, a website for your horse
training that people can also go to?
Mario Contreras: You know what
I'm rebuilding it right now.
It was mchorsetraining dot com.
Mm-hmm.
But www- but I took it down.
I felt like it wasn't really
bringing the attention that I wanted.
Mm-hmm.
So I took it down, and right now I have
this lady that is working on it and
put it back together with everything
new, with all my concepts, all my new
material that I have, all the stuff that
I've been doing in the last few years.
But it's in construction
right now, my new one.
I took the old one down probably,
like, maybe three, four months ago.
Okay.
And I just felt that it wasn't
really doing what I wanted promoting.
I feel more using
Instagram Facebook TikTok.
All these things are doing
exactly what I want when I want.
And, So if
Rupert Isaacson: people want to
make contact with you, they, they
can contact you through Facebook.
They can do it through Facebook ⦠and
if, if they want to- Mm-hmm ⦠come
and learn with you on the School Master
horses and learn the feel and learn
the old master's way of doing it, they
can contact you and come and do this?
Mario Contreras: That is correct, mm-hmm.
And if you see on, on my Facebook
page right now, you know, right
now I don't just check my phone,
I have to check Messenger, emails.
Email is really good, too.
But you know, usually Messenger, a lot
of people for some reason, you know,
on my website most people, Of course,
I have my, my phone number there as
well my email and people, I mean, there
is so many things to check on every
day when you wake up and try to see.
But, you know, going through my,
texting me is also probably the
best, fastest way to contact me.
Okay.
If you don't mind, I can give my number so
people- Please do ⦠can reach out to me.
It's 630-415-9788, and I'm located-
Rupert Isaacson: Say it again slowly.
Mario Contreras: Mm-hmm.
630- 415-9788
Rupert Isaacson: Okay
Mario Contreras: And I'm located
here in Chicago, Illinois.
Rupert Isaacson: Super.
I have some students in the Midwest area.
I think I might bring them to your place
and- All right ⦠let you loose on them.
That would be great.
Mario Contreras: All right.
No, that would be perfect.
Rupert Isaacson: I- Thank
you so much ⦠I can't wait.
Well, it's- Mm-hmm
⦠absolutely my pleasure.
Thank you so much for
coming on the show, Mario.
Mario Contreras: No, thank you.
It was myâ¦
It was an honor to be on
your show, so thank you so
Rupert Isaacson: much.
Ah.
Well, likewise.
I look forward to seeing
you in Chicago soon.
All
Mario Contreras: right
⦠Rupert Isaacson: and yeah,
we will, we will continue.
Thank you for
Mario Contreras: sharing.
Okay.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna start practicing as
much as you can with the whole team, so
when you arrive, everybody should be 100%.
Rupert Isaacson: I wouldn't even know.
Or I- It's a Contreras show.
It's going to be fantastic.
They always are.
I've seen-
Mario Contreras: Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Standard is- It was a pleasure talking
to you, and good luck to you, and-
Rupert Isaacson: Thank you
⦠Mario Contreras: have a great day.
Rupert Isaacson: You too.
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