Isaac Ares
Classical Dressage Trainer, Educator and Author
For more than four decades, I have studied how horses learn, move and develop, and how training influences their physical, technical and emotional wellbeing.
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My work brings together biomechanics, ethology, technique and progressive gymnastic development. These are not separate subjects, but interconnected parts of a structured approach designed to help riders understand what the horse’s movement, posture and behaviour are truly revealing.
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The aim is not simply to produce movements or short-term performance. It is to develop the horse without compromising its physical integrity, emotional stability or natural balance.
I do not teach riders to impose a system upon the horse. I teach them to observe, understand and make better decisions.
Learn to see before you correct.
Learning to observe before intervening
From traditional horsemanship and elite dressage to an independent understanding of the horse
I began riding at the age of six. By eleven, I was already working with horses trained in show jumping, Haute École and Doma Vaquera.
Determined to make horses my profession, I moved to Salamanca, where I trained and worked with horses in Doma Vaquera and Rejoneo. This gave me direct experience of demanding equestrian traditions in which balance, responsiveness, courage and precise communication are essential.
Later, my career took me to Portugal, Madrid, Catalonia, France and Germany. During this period, I worked for two Olympic dressage riders and continued my professional development under highly experienced international trainers.
I studied different schools, techniques and training systems, observing both the results they could produce and the physical and psychological demands they placed upon the horse.
Yet the most decisive part of my education did not come from a formal system.
For three years, I closely observed free-living horses in the mountains of Galicia. Without directing, correcting or demanding anything from them, I studied how they communicated, organised their movement, managed tension and responded to their environment.
That experience changed the direction of my work.
Everything I had learnt through traditional horsemanship and elite dressage remained valuable, but it acquired a different meaning. I came to understand that the horse does not need to be manufactured according to a human ideal. Training should develop its physical and technical capacities while preserving its nature, individuality and ability to remain sound.
I later became Technical Director of two equestrian clubs in Galicia, where I was responsible for developing horses, riders and training programmes. This allowed me to transform decades of practical experience and observation into a coherent educational approach.
Before moving to the United Kingdom, I had already worked across several European equestrian traditions, from Doma Vaquera and Rejoneo to classical equitation and international dressage.
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My professional experience gave me the tools. The horses taught me how those tools should be used.
That understanding became the foundation of everything that followed.
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I have been based in York, in the United Kingdom, since 2010. Today, my work combines practical development of horses and riders with teaching, writing, and creating structured educational programmes.
I do not teach a method. I teach a way of seeing.
My way of observing horses has been shaped, in part, by being autistic, Autism Level 1, formerly known as Asperger’s syndrome.
I do not consider this a limitation. In my own experience, it has sharpened my ability to recognise patterns, notice subtle changes and remain focused on details that can easily be overlooked.
I observe the horse beyond its external appearance: changes in posture, rhythm, muscular tension, balance, behaviour and emotional response. These details often reveal a problem long before it becomes obvious or develops into injury.
But observation alone is not enough. It must be combined with knowledge, experience and an understanding of how the horse learns, moves and responds to training.
True training is not about producing movements at any cost. It is about developing the horse’s abilities without losing the horse in the process.
I do not ask riders to follow a system blindly. I teach them to recognise what is happening, understand why it is happening and make decisions that respect the individual horse.
Every correction should begin with observation; training decisions should begin with understanding.
No body of work is created entirely alone.
I am grateful to the authors whose ideas have expanded my understanding, the teachers who contributed to my education, and every student who has trusted me with their learning.
Above all, I am grateful to the horses I have worked with, both directly and indirectly. They have challenged my assumptions, refined my observation and remained my most important teachers.
My deepest gratitude goes to my wife, Eva Ares. Her role in this work extends far beyond personal support. As my editor, assistant, and closest creative and digital collaborator, she has helped me organise, refine, and transform decades of knowledge into books, educational programmes, articles, and online projects that can reach riders around the world.
Her judgement, persistence and ability to give structure to my ideas have become an essential part of everything we are building. Much of this work would never have taken its present form without her.
I am equally grateful to my daughter, Zoe, for her patience, understanding and support throughout this journey.
To everyone who has contributed, questioned, listened, learnt or helped this work move forward: thank you.
The horse has always been the teacher.
I remain the student.