Juan Matute Guimón: The Passion to Expand a Legacy

By Britney Grover

Portraits by Shawna Simmons

Juan Matute Guimón is one of a select group of riders whose passion and talent for horses was inherited from a successful equestrian parent. Juan’s father, Juan Matute Sr., won the 1982 Young Rider World Championships and was on Spain’s Olympic dressage team three times, even standing as reserve rider for a fourth.

Now Juan Sr. is on the sidelines, coaching his son to even bigger goals. Juan’s achievements already include multiple team and individual Nations Cup medals in Wellington, Florida, the gold medal freestyle at the 2015 Junior European Championships in France, individual bronze medals at the 2016 and 2017 U25 European Championships and the U25 Spanish National Champion 2017 title. At just 20 years old, Juan is both impressively eloquent and youthfully enthusiastic.

“There are pressure and expectations in carrying on my father’s legacy, but I like challenges; the bigger the challenge, the better I perform. It’s the best way to push myself to continue improving,” Juan said. “Of course it’s an honor to have my father’s last name, but I think any son would like to expand and improve upon our father’s or mother’s achievements. It’s tough and very challenging, but with him on my side teaching me, coaching me and making sure I’m going in the right direction, it’s truly the journey of a lifetime. It’s a pleasure.”

Family Foundation

Juan grew up in Spain and began riding ponies when he was 6 years old. By then, his father had already competed in multiple Olympics. “I began as a pony jumper, and then I gradually turned into an eventer, and from there I started to develop a love for dressage,” Juan said. “I’m a perfectionist, so very early on I found it exciting to pursue perfection — even though we all have a different understanding of what perfection is. It’s a challenge to get to your best possible performance and to achieve becoming the best version of yourself.”

Juan grew up riding alongside his sister, Paula, and growing up in more ways than one. “We were competitive when we were younger, but now we’re more mature and realistic when it comes to the competitive side,” Juan said. “We understand that with horses it’s difficult to compare because a lot can change depending on the horse, the experience of the horse and the bond between horse and rider. At times you can be competitive, and at times it’s not realistic to compare because of differences in experience. So now we’re less competitive in the ring. She actually has her own business and isn’t as focused on the competitive side as she used to be, but she does have some up-and-coming horses. We’re just at different stages now.”

With his father as coach, Juan began to excel in the dressage ring — despite some differences in approach. “It’s very demanding to have my father as my coach as well,” he said. “We’re very strict with each other; we have clear goals and we know which way we want to go. There might be a bit of tension sometimes, because I’m a perfectionist and he’s more likely to ask a little less than too much, but because we have such a great family relationship, it’s easy to make up and continue working together and improving.”

Juan Sr.’s past as a top dressage rider didn’t only become useful to his son as a coach. Yeguada de Ymas, a breeding and training facility in Spain, supported Juan Sr. during his career. “So very early on they already had a relationship of sponsorship,” Juan explained. “Then after the 2008 Olympics, my father decided that he had had enough, and that he wanted to focus more on being a structure for his family and not so much on the elite top of the sport.”

With no need for sponsors, the relationship faded. But when Juan was 14 and began competing on the CDI stage as a junior, it just so happened that Yeguada de Ymas had expanded operations to Florida. The owner’s family saw Juan competing in Wellington and wanted to reestablish the sponsorship they’d had with Juan Sr., this time with his son. “Ever since then it’s been really a successful and family-like relationship,” Juan said. “I ride some horses owned by them, and the rest that are owned by my father are supported and sponsored by them, therefore the suffix Ymas after the horses’ names. It’s really like a family relationship we have with them; they’ve seen me grow up, they’ve known me since I was a baby, and having the relationship evolve into not only a father sponsored in the past but now to also to be sponsored by them is really unique and I’m forever thankful.”

Focusing on Priorities

With his father ringside and Yeguada de Ymas supporting him, Juan has been able to focus on what he loves: riding, education and being himself. By 17, Juan was competing in his first grand prix classes against top riders from around the world — on the same horse that he started his junior career on. “When I first started competing in dressage, I competed with Don Diego Ymas, and to be with him when I first competed at an international grand prix, I was very emotional about that,” Juan shared. “I’ll never forget that feeling, to continue that bond and fulfill the entire phase of training, working through the levels up to the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.”

But Juan is quick to give credit to his team from Yeguada de Ymas for his success. “I have a great group of professionals around me that take care of my horses and make sure everything’s running smoothly in the barn, and I think my job is kind of easy — I just have to focus on riding better, on not getting distracted, on continuing to be humble and ‘normal.’ The rest is really taken care of between my family and this super generous sponsor I have. It’s really a pleasure to work with such a group of professionals.”

Aside from riding, Juan has been able to focus on his education, which he values highly. After one semester in a traditional high school, he switched to online schooling through Palm Beach International Academy to complete his high school education. Now, he’s starting college with an eye on a business degree. “I’ve always enjoyed working with numbers, and every time I hear conversations about business or numbers and accounting, any of that kind of stuff, it’s very interesting to me,” Juan said. “In the future I’d like not only to have my athletic career but also perhaps be an entrepreneur and create a business, or join with someone who has similar visions and create stuff, and have a bit of a dual career.”

Unlike many his age, learning isn’t just something Juan likes to do at school. While he also enjoys more common pastimes like running, going to the gym, hanging out with friends or going to the beach, Juan particularly likes learning new things. “I don’t watch TV very much; I like to be more outdoors or reading things on the internet,” he said. “I really enjoy learning about anything and everything. If I find it interesting, I want to learn about it and expand my knowledge database. I like to play guitar, and I try to take time here and there to continue working on it, but it’s more of a hobby. I’ve always liked music. I like singing also — I’m not the greatest at it, but I do have my fun times singing in the shower.”

Sound of Success

Music is a big part of Juan’s life, both when it comes to riding and his free time. “I tend to choose the music for our freestyles,” he said. “My father may come up with the choreography and I give him my opinion on a few things here and there, but the music either we work with professional companies or we actually work on it at home. My mother has a great ear for music, and she’s made some wonderful freestyles. I might give her a few examples of a song that I’d like to ride with, and we pick and choose and find the songs that best fit the style of the horse and the choreography.”

Juan’s passion for the musical freestyle is evident. “When you design the freestyle, you have to tell a story — you have to explain a bit about yourself, and the music selection is a very important part. I think when you’re involved in the selection of the music and you put your stamp of approval step by step as the project is unfolding, you really benefit from that when you’re in the ring. When you have a successful ride and the judges pick up on the choice of music and the choreography, there’s this rewarding feeling that’s really difficult to describe. It’s just very satisfying.”

Before every competition, Juan can be found listening to music while he stretches, but there are many factors that influence what he listens to. “I enjoy such a variety of music, everything from classical to contemporary,” he shared. “I like to listen to some hip hop, pop, dubstep, it all depends on my mood, on the type of competition that I’m going to be performing in. Let’s say that I’m going to be riding a very sensitive horse and I have to be very delicate and careful. I want to choose something that will put me in a state of harmony and sensitivity. Perhaps with a horse that’s more competitive and not as likely to spook, one that I can just ride big and not worry about the little things, then perhaps I’ll listen to something that will give me some adrenaline and get me going, get me excited or jumping up and down, ready to go in the ring and kill it!”

Juan’s exuberance sets him apart both as a professional rider and as a young man. Dressage isn’t just a sport or a job to him, it’s what he lives for. He’s never wanted to do anything else but follow in his father’s footsteps. “I try to continue working on myself, not only on my horse but on myself as a rider as well,” he said. “It’s a very rewarding feeling, because of the difficulty of the discipline. When you’re able to achieve harmony and power and suppleness and elasticity — ah! — it just really becomes a passion, and not only that but a philosophy of life.”

Just Getting Started

Looking back on his achievements, Juan finds it hard to choose just one that means the most. “There are so many that have been very special, that have so much meaning,” he said. “It’s a very long journey; you have to be patient and there are many ups and downs, but I think if you keep focused and determined, overall the achievements just come and they’re all special because they remind you of the effort you put in and the long days of training.”

Looking forward, Juan’s goals are both lofty and realistic. “With WEG around the corner we will definitely fight for a spot on the team, but without giving ourselves too much pressure,” he said. “Of course, it would be amazing to make it onto the adult teams that will perform in the World Equestrian Games. But I’m only 20, so I still have 5 more years in the Under 25 division and we’re not too worried about fighting to get onto the adult team. As to my other activities, I want to get started with my college degree, and I want to continue learning and asking questions and to be myself — that’s one of my primary focuses.”

With all the success he’s already had, it would be easy for Juan to get swept up with his talent. Instead, he makes sure he stays focused on what matters. “I think I’m very fortunate to have a group of people around me that keep me grounded,” he said. “I think it’s essential to success in any field. I’m very strict with myself: I don’t let things go to my head and I’m aware that without hard work, dedication and lots of determination, you really won’t achieve any goal. I’m very ambitious — I don’t just settle with what I’ve won or achieved. I want to continue improving and hopefully having success, so I’ll continue working on myself.”

Photos by Shawna Simmons, SAS Equine Photography, www.shawnasimmons.com, unless noted otherwise