Miguel Moreno Zafra is a Spanish dressage rider from Seville in the south of Spain. Miguel currently rides at Yeguada Torreluna, a PRE stud farm based in Seville. Previously, Miguel worked at a Hanoverian stud farm in Cádiz, where he competed for the first time in 2025. He had been riding professionally for many years before having the opportunity to compete. Miguel has experience working with several breeds of horses, including Lusitanos, PREs, Hanoverians, Oldenburgs and KWPN horses and firmly believes it is important to know how to ride and understand different types of horses.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Miguel with his most-recent new horse Ribatejo PSL. Image courtesy of Firma Toro.
At the moment, my day is mainly focused on riding at the yard. I train horses for different purposes, including dressage training and preparation for sale. On a daily basis, I ride around 10 horses, training horses from three-year-olds through to Grand Prix level. At the weekends, I like to take the horses out hacking in the countryside so they can switch off and relax. Two of the horses I am most excited to compete with currently are Jativo, who will be competing in the six-year-old category this year, and Tentaero, who is a Grand Prix horse. I have only been riding these horses for a few months, but I am already seeing their progress. With Jativo, I am introducing flying changes, half-passes and continuing to improve his basic work. With Tentaero, I am working on improving his stamina and spending a lot of time on one-tempi changes, which is an exercise he finds challenging. I am very proud of the progress we have made together in such a short period of time.
How did horses come into your life?
Black Label and Miguel at Miguel’s very first dressage competition. Image courtesy of Firma Toro
Horses have always been present in my life. What I feel for horses is pure passion. From a very young age, all I wanted to do was ride and spend time with them. In the south of Spain, there is a strong culture of riding out in the countryside, so I began riding in the field, like most children in the area. As I grew older, I wanted to pursue this more professionally and discovered dressage. From that point on, I began surrounding myself with professionals in order to learn more about this wonderful sport.
Who have been the mentors that have been influential on your journey?
I have been very fortunate to train with José Antonio García Mena, Claudio Castilla, and students of Daniel Martín Dockx, as well as with Giovanna Pass, an Olympic rider for Brazil. I am still eager to continue improving my education, and I would love to train in the future with Central European riders who compete at international level. In addition, due to the amount of time I have spent working closely with him and the connection I have had with his way of working, which I feel is very similar to my own philosophy, one of my greatest references as a rider is José Antonio García Mena
What do you love about dressage?
Miguel riding Senna. A black-Oldenburg horse who is a grandson of Totilas
What I love most about dressage is the respect it shows towards the horse, the skill of appearing almost motionless, doing very little, while the horse is able to transmit exactly what you are thinking. For me, it is more than a sport; it is an art that allows the rider to express themselves and reflects the personality and the connection between horse and rider.
Proudest moments?
Dressage has allowed me to meet very interesting people and experience different cultures. Thanks to this sport, last year I was able to travel to Ocala, Florida, to train horses and attend the World Equestrian Centre. In addition, every day of training, horses give back more than what you give them. I also have very fond memories of competitions, where all the daily work is finally shown. In 2025, I fulfilled one of my childhood dreams by competing at the World Championship for Spanish Horses, held in Seville, my hometown. There are still many dreams to achieve and much work ahead.
Dressage isn’t without its challenges, what have been yours?
Miguel with Isabell Werth at her stables in 2022
The path of an athlete is very difficult and full of challenges. One of the hardest things for me is dealing with injuries that horses sometimes suffer, which force you to restart their training almost from the beginning, or when a horse is sold after you have already developed a strong level of connection and mutual understanding. There are also many moments spent far away from loved ones, although I am always fortunate to be surrounded by the team around me.
Your biggest lessons?
One of my greatest learning experiences came when I accompanied José Antonio García Mena to the World Equestrian Games in Herning and to CHIO Aachen. These experiences made it very clear what I wanted in my life. I was able to see how riders work at the highest level of competition, meet Isabell Werth, and spend time in Ton de Ridder’s stable. The level of care they showed towards the horses truly changed my perspective
Horses that you have taught you the most?
Miguel and Jativo Torreluna at SICAB 2025. Image courtesy of Firma Toro
I have owned several horses, in addition to working with many others at different stud farms, and I have learned something unique from every horse I have ridden. However, one horse that truly marked me was a Lusitano named Ligón. This horse allowed me to dream with my eyes open and helped me improve my dressage at an incredible pace. I have never felt the same level of generosity and dedication with any other horse. At that time, I was also based at José’s yard, and he would occasionally give me advice that helped me further improve my riding. Another horse that left a strong impression on me, even though I only rode him for a few days, was a grandson of Totilas that I tried in Ocala. Currently, I continue to ride several horses that push me to learn, improve and work harder every day.
What are your future aspirations?
This year, I want to continue improving my knowledge and skills as a rider and compete in a CDI with Jativo in order to qualify for the World Championship for Young Horses. In addition, I aim to bring out the best in every horse I ride on a daily basis and to train regularly with a trainer. Looking further ahead, I would like to begin competing in Central Europe.
Your Top Tip
My advice is to be a good person and never stop fighting for your dreams. As I have said before, it is a very demanding path, but it is worth the effort.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
The best piece of advice that I was given is “working with passion when things seem lost”. Sometimes we don’t see the bigger picture, but we have to keep pushing forward.
It takes a team to do dressage, who is in your support team?
I am very fortunate to have wonderful colleagues who help me get the best out of myself in every training session and support me at every competition. The stud farm has also trusted my work from the very beginning to bring out the best in these horses, and the care and respect we have for each other is reflected in the way we work together. On a personal level, I am also supported by a strong family circle that helps me push myself to improve every day and of course my fiancee Firma Toro who takes most of the images I share on social media