Grand Prix dressage rider Naomi Aguilar is based in Jersey at Home Farm with her husband, their two dogs and her two amazing ponies. Enzo (Whitehawk Dancing Fire), her 11-year-old spotty Grand Prix pony, and Patrick (Gorgeous Secret PSF), her 4-year-old German Riding Pony. Naomi teaches and rides for a living. She is also an Equinology equine body worker specialising in equine sports massage and holds a diploma in horse behaviour and welfare and has vast experience with young horses and behavioural issues. Naomi says “my passion is helping build confidence and developing the out of the ordinary ponies to dance”, which she does with incredible success. Some highlights include placing 2nd place at the PSG FSM at the PetPlan champs at Arena UK in 2023, and very recently placing 6th in the GP FSM at Chard Premier League. Her biggest highlight? The very first Grand Prix with her amazing spotty pony.
How did horses come into your life?
Naomi and her wonderful spotty Grand Prix dressage pony, Enzo
I began riding at Mobberley Riding School when I was four, I leased various horses and ponies until I was about eleven when we moved to Jersey, I then was lucky enough to have my own pony. At sixteen, I had outgrown my pony and took a huge (and in hindsight, completely unsuitable) leap onto my first horse Lino. He was a 16.2hh Selle Francais who I had aspirations to jump! However, he was extremely quirky and taught me some stickability and it turns out we were ring shy with the show jumps and got eliminated every weekend at the first fence for a good couple of years. Later I picked up a little job looking after and training 3 horses for a private client which I used to jump. A 3-year-old 17hh Friesian arrived which needless to say didn’t get the jumping memo so off we went for dressage lessons. In our first test we got 80%! At the same time, I began dressage training with Lino under the wing of an excellent friend and trainer, Tasha Byfield – we worked our way up to Advanced Medium.
During this time, when I was nineteen and lived at my parents’ house, I was scrolling through Facebook one evening and came across the cutest brand-new spotty baby foal. He was directly from the Whitehawk Stud and was £800. I put a deposit on him there and then simply because he was so cute and ran downstairs and said ‘Dad – I just bought a foal!’ Turns out it was the best impulse decision I’ve ever made.
Who has helped with your training?
Naomi and Enzo – image courtesy of ESP Photographic
I’ve had incredible trainers over the years who really have shaped me as a rider and trainer. Tasha Byfield was my introduction to dressage and was so kind to me. She invested so much time into me and my horses and really ignited my passion. Jodie Phillips has also been incredible for us, especially in our early days, she showed me any horse can dance and really boosted my confidence to have a go at different things without waiting for, or expecting, perfection. Roland Tong trains us regularly now and just gets ‘us’. His eye for biomechanics during each movement is exceptional and he has helped us to adapt and develop a way of training that has just worked for us both taking into consideration Enzos movement and conformation and my quirky brain(!) especially with the Grand Prix work. He is also a flying change guru. These were our nemesis when I met Roland – now we’ve had 8’s for our 1s.
What would you like to be doing in the future?
Well, I have no aspirations to go the Olympics. But maybe one day we’ll be in the position to ride at an international but what is really important to me is to continue to inspire those with ‘non dressage’ horses to have a go. For me, I enjoy making memories and enjoying experiences instead of chasing placings. My goal will always be to keep developing my skill set as a rider and trainer to be the best I can be for my clients and horses. Patrick, as a dressage bred horse, is new territory for me and I am already learning loads from the early stages of our journey.
Your Top Tip
Surround yourself with the do-ers and the believers!
You really are only as strong as your team, and ‘you are what you eat’ includes thoughts too! Equestrianism, and particularly dressage, can quickly become a negative and a ‘needs more’ place. Have people around you who genuinely believe in you and your horse, even when you don’t believe in yourself. Lean on them, talk to them, appreciate them – those are your people! I am grateful every single day for the people around me and would never have been brave enough to go out and achieve goals without them.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
‘You get out what you put in’
Positivity, consistency, stability.
This seems very simple, but it resonates with me massively. I’m naturally a very anxious person, and having a consistent routine really helps me. Enzo does his stretches every day, has 3 meals a day and our work schedule consists of 2 (or 3 depending on lessons/ shows) schools a week, 3 hacks a week and 1 or 2 days off – in the summer a good walk through the sea too.
Also, to grab every opportunity with both hands. Life is too short!
Did you ever imagine that you and Enzo would get to Grand Prix?
Never! When I first met Roland, I said ‘I’d love to have a go at a local PSG one day…‘
Turns out we did that, then had a go at BD PSG, then got the Area Festival scores and this time last year we were at the PetPlan Championships at Addington competing at PSG & Inter 1. If someone had told me a year later, we’d be bobbing round Grand Prix at a Premier League I’d have called them mad!
What highlights have you and Enzo experienced together?
A few that stand out to me is when we came 8th at the PetPlan Championships at Hartpury when Enzo was rising 5, later that year we won the Area Festival Elementary Bronze in Guernsey. More recently coming 2nd place at the PSG FSM at the PetPlan champs at Arena UK in 2023. And then last week coming 6th in the GP FSM at Chard Premier League and our video hitting over 50k views with nearly 200 amazing comments on the Equidance page.
However, the most amazing memory for me is our first Grand Prix, we snuck off to the UK to a lovely venue called Fairoak Grange and didn’t tell anyone at home we had entered. I remember crying down the last centre line and getting off and falling into the arms of one of my best friends, and biggest supporter, Karen. To me that was my ‘made it’ day, that was just amazing and still makes me teary now.
What have been your challenges?
A special moment
Changes! Good lord did we struggle. I think it took us 2 years to get a clean ‘left-right’ change, I used to get off and cry on the little black bench in our yard thinking I’m never going to get these. However, with time and correct guidance, they’ve become our party piece.
We also sometimes struggle with tension in the boards. We don’t get an awful lot of opportunities to ride down the centre line in Jersey and everything we can do so wonderfully relaxed at home can sometimes become tense in the ring when we both get a bit anxious. I am working really hard to fix this as when Enzo is tense he sometimes resorts back to his pony ways and tries to run everywhere. He has a little hot potato at the best of times.
It takes a team to do dressage, who is in your support team?
Naomi bought this cute foal on pure impulse
The very best people in this world!
Karen and Trevor Barette – who always support and believe in me, they provide us with the most incredible opportunities and let us share their lovely home and farm with them.
Bekka Adams – my long-suffering best friend & councillor.
Manni – my Husband who lets me galivant away all summer.
Ro Wood – Island Equine Vets who sponsor us but has also been one of my closest friends since Enzo was a baby. She is always on the end of the phone to reassure me whether it be an Enzo question or an anxious me talk down.
Sue Carson Saddles – who have always been supportive and provide Enzo and I with the most beautiful Vulcan saddle.
Equidance – who has watched and supported us from the start and provide us with our kick-ass music.
David Dawson – Enzos farrier who works hard every month to provide his supportive dancing shoes.
Roland Tong – long suffering trainer.
I have wonderful clients and friends who mean everything to me and the whole of Home Farm Equestrian club committee and members. They are just the most wonderful people.
Want More?
If you enjoyed meeting Naomi you might like to view more dressage rider “chatting with” interviews here. You can keep up with Naomi’s progress and visit her instagram page here