THE INTERVIEW

With Horse Trainer Emanuel Arias Elizondo by Anna Lovelace Patton

photos provided by Emanuel Arias Elizondo

In the quiet mountains of Londres, nestled along the border of the river sits the finca of Emanuel Arias Elizondo. 

Anna: Don Emanuel, thank you for speaking with me. You have a lovely farm. The sound of hooves drumming to ground and the familiar smell of dry hay give hints to the creatures that roam here. Tell us a bit about your finca. 

Emanuel: This is the training grounds for a variety of horses ranging from Costarricense de Paso, Iberoamericanos, Aztecas, to Cuarto de milla breeds. We prepare them for exhibition and rodeos—events that highlight the intricacies of horse and human connection. 

Anna: What got you started in this work?

Emanuel: I come from a family of horse trainers, and have been working with them since I can remember. One of my earliest memories with horses was when I was a chamaco of 8 years old, watching my father handle the arrival of a new horse that came all the way from Panama. 

The horse arrived anxious, aggressive, and totally out of control. He eventually escaped, sending me and my father on a wild chase to get the horse back to its new home. I watched as my father maneuvered the situation with patience and compassion- two necessary traits when cooperating with horses. 

Only after arriving at the level of the distraught steed and getting his hands dirty, in the most literal sense, did my father earn the horse’s trust and we saw it calm its demeanor so much so that the horse calmly returned to its new home. It was later that we found out the horse had been very badly treated and its behavior was just a reflex because of this maltreatment. 

Anna: It sounds like this was a vivid memory

Emanuel: That memory offered  a lesson to me about horses, that they are a mirror for the people who approach them. 

Anna: Can you say more about that idea?

Emanuel: Horses feel human energy immediately. They sense anxiety, impatience, fear, or calm, and reflect it back through their behavior. This is why patience is the most important requirement for a horse trainer. The rest comes from experience— learning to read the horse’s body language: the movement of the tail, how they stop, the position of their ears, the expression in their eyes, etc. 

Anna: I’ve heard of this, it’s called equine therapy, is that right? 

Emanuel: Correct. We have also been offering an equine therapy program for the past 10 years. Being about to read a horse, to be sensitive to these sensitive animals is a crucial requirement. Children with developmental conditions such as autism participate in therapy sessions supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and, of course, horses. 

One recent encounter involved a three-year-old child who arrived terrified of the colossal creature standing before him. But with time, patience, and a calm environment, the session unfolded slowly. By the end, the child had fallen asleep on the horse’s back—a powerful testament to the animal’s ability to offer trust, regulation, and emotional safety.

Horses have the ability to show us who we are in the moment, acting as a mirror to our internal state of being. They are deep feelers and empaths, and knowing this can bring out our own sensitivity and compassion when collaborating with these animals. Working with them is very rewarding. 

Anna:  I bet you are a calm guy in the rest of your life. 

Emanuel: Well, you better ask my family about that, but I think so.