Emma Thomas is the woman behind Esperanza Dressage in Surrey, a training yard she has run alongside her partner, James Smith, for the past twenty-two years. With a particular passion for Spanish horses, Emma and James have built their business around backing, producing, training and competing Iberians in dressage and showing, while also working with horses of many other breeds including warmbloods, Arabs and Fresians.
Half Spanish herself, Emma’s love affair with the Spanish horse began in Andalusia and eventually took her to the Royal School of Jerez before she and James returned to the UK to establish Esperanza Dressage. Looking back, she describes those early days as being fuelled by “youth and enthusiasm and a large dose of determination mixed with a small dose of delusion.”
More than two decades and hundreds of horses later, that determination remains, but so too does a philosophy shaped by experience, mistakes and listening to the individual horse. As Emma puts it, “the biggest teachers of all have been the horses themselves.”
We chatted to Emma about her journey, her passion for Iberian horses, life at Esperanza Dressage and why, however difficult things might seem, you should “never give up on a rainy day.”
How did horses come into your life?
I don’t come from a horsey family, no idea where the obsession came from, at six years old my non horsey parents found a local lady with ponies that allowed local kids to hack them round the local common, fall off and learn to ride with minimal tuition. It certainly wasn’t a riding school; this was the 80’s a very different time regarding health a safety. It was a great place to learn, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
You run Esperanza Dressage, where you specialise in producing and training Iberian horses. How did it all begin?
I’m half Spanish (I don’t look it unfortunately!) and I didn’t come across Spanish horses until I was twenty-three, my parents had moved back to Spain some years earlier and after meeting James we spent some time with them in Andalusia, and I was surrounded by them having and became slightly obsessed with them. I was lucky enough to work for a rider at the Royal school of Jerez, and then James and I decided to come back to the UK and start our own business. Which in hindsight was utterly crazy, we had no financial backing no real idea of running a business, no place to start, but we had youth and enthusiasm and large dose of determination mixed with a small dose of delusion.
What does a typical day at Esperanza Dressage look like?
I’d say our day looks like most other professional riders and trainers, you start early, you work hard, you finish late, weekends and bank holidays have no meaning. And you question your life choices on a fairly regular basis, then you have a good day and it all makes sense again.
What are the day-to-day challenges of running your business and training horses?
Making it all work financially, horses are cash munchers. The margins to make a profit are very small especially when you’re renting your premises. It has to make a profit otherwise it’s a very expensive hobby that you can’t afford.
Why did you choose Iberian horses?
They are very intelligent horses and want a job to do, they have been historically bred for working in harsh environments (out in Spanish campo in high temperatures and rough terrain) makes them pretty hardy. And of course, you can’t beat a truly beautiful Spanish horse, they are very striking and nothing else comes close. But like all breeds you have the good the bad and the ugly within the breed.
Who have been your mentors?
We have never had any mentors or consistent trainers through our career. We have read lots of books, watched videos and try to learn from various schools of thought, the biggest teachers of all have been the horses themselves, nothing makes you learn quicker than making mistakes and then learning from them. That’s something we saw in Spain, not to be afraid of not getting it right straight away but to have a go and listen to the horse, they always tell you if you’re on the right path. We have backed and trained hundreds of horses of all types and breeds now, each one will teach you something new in some way.
What do you love about dressage?
Teaching the more advanced movements, the flying changes, the first piaffe steps are my favourites, especially when it’s a horse we have backed and produced from scratch.
What is your philosophy towards training and caring for the horses?
Well, I think our philosophy would be the paths for each horse may be very different, but the end goal is the same . A horse that is happy to carry a human being and understands what is being asked of them and is willing in their responses to questions asked.
One of the most important aspects of management for us is turnout, and in fields not postage stamps, in pairs, and for plenty of time. We turnout at night winter and summer, winter is more restricted due to wet ground, so they go out on a rota basis, not every night but as much as they need depending on their age, temperament level of work etc.
What advice can you offer to someone who is considering an Iberian horse?
Look at the pedigree, learn about some of the different lines, Spanish studs have bred horses for specific jobs like driving, bullfighting, morphology or dressage. Try to find a horse that has been bred for the job you want it to do not a mish mash that’s not one thing or another.
Proudest achievements?
Competing at SICAB in Seville (the world championships for Spanish horses) there’s no other show like it. Around a thousand Spanish horses all together in one place, all disciplines, driving, dressage, showing, side saddle, Vaquera to name a few. It has a real party atmosphere and the best Spanish horses in the world.
The proudest moment to me is watching James compete Pinturero P II in the Grand Prix Special at Hickstead Premier league a horse he had trained from a four-year-old, it was during Covid years so there was no audience, but just me whooping and cheering after he finished his test.
Future aspirations?
I would love to produce and compete another Grand Prix horse, and to retire healthy and grateful.
Your Top Tip
If your new to having a young or inexperienced horse, when taking them out for the first time whether a show, clinic or arena hire. Put the bridle on in the lorry or trailer then put the saddle on as soon as you unload and take them for a walk around the show ground in hand to have good look around and let them absorb the atmosphere before you get on, and always have your own mounting block with you to get on by your lorry/trailer not in the warmup.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
“Never give up on a rainy day”.
If things are not going well in any aspect of your life wait before you make any rash decisions, rainy days always pass and with it your perspective can change and give you better insight into what’s happening and how to improve or change things.
It takes a team to do dressage, who is in your support team?
Dan Mcdonald – our fantastic farrier, always smiling and has endless patience with young horses.
Surrey Hills Equine Vets – our no-nonsense vet Corrado Montoneri, straight talking easy to get on with and has wealth of experience, trust him implicitly.
Bearsden Pet Supplies – weekly feed delivery’s and always a treat for our dog Ripley.
Ripley our ridgeback cross rottweiler, head of security and welcome committee to visiting clients.
Kitty soft paws, stray feral cat that turned up on the farm, now a princess and head of morale boosting.