Jorge Arauz and Cantinero Los Encinos: The U.S. Road to Qualifying for SICAB 2024

--- USPRE press release by Lily Forado

The series of USPRE interviews continues and we’re excited to present Jorge Arauz, an international rider from Nicaragua who has risen to the top with a P.R.E horse on US soil.

Jorge began his journey into riding at just 8 years old, following in his father's footsteps. He has become a prominent figure in equestrian sports, achieving milestones that include representing Nicaragua in international competitions, even the Central American Games.

As Head Trainer at Hacienda Los Encinos in Texas, Jorge shows Iberian horses at FEI levels across major U.S. venues—Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Chicago.

This season, Cantinero Los Encinos (bred and owned by Yeguada Los Encinos has broken all expectations. This winter, he participated in the USPRE Week, taking part in the prestigious clinic led by Juan Manuel Muñoz. Following this, the grey gelding continued to achieve impressive scores, earning an invitation to the USEF Young Horse Dressage National Championships, where he missed the medals. Yeguada los Encinos now celebrates his biggest accomplishment yet: qualifying for SICAB.

This prestigious qualification, earned through competitions in the U.S., marks a new era in his journey. In this interview, Jorge Arauz shares his incredible journey to qualifying for SICAB, the most prestigious event for Spanish horses, and offers insights into how he’s preparing to compete on such a renowned stage.

•⁠  ⁠What were the standout moments for you and Cantinero Los Encinos this season? 

We started the season at Wellington competing in the FEI 7 years old test, it was a surprise to receive consistent scores above 70s and great comments from the judges in that test and that’s when we realized that Cantinero could make it into some important shows this year like Festival of Champions, Ocala Iberian Showcase, and Sicab!

•⁠  ⁠Your qualification at the Festival of Champions was a significant part of this season. How did Cantinero Los Encinos perform there, and what were the main highlights or achievements from that event?

That was pretty amazing because we got into the Festival being the only Iberian out of 60 horses in the Young horses classes, and knowing we were competing just with high-quality Warmbloods made us be conservative on our expectations. But Cantinero surprised everyone including us. Highlights I would say it was the first day, we were first in the order and I think everyone was curious about that “little grey PRE” and me (it was my first time competing in Lamplight)we could feel the environment was tense in the Markel ring but as soon as we entered Cantinero just rise to the occasion and instead of feeling anxious because everything was new to him…. He just owned the ring and gave everything in the test. At the end of the test, all the spectators fell in love with him, judges gave us very positive comments, and we ended up being 4th place overall in the FEI 7-year-old Young Horses in the Festival, less than 1 point away from the warmbloods in the podium.  

•⁠  ⁠How does it feel to represent PRE horses at such a competitive level, and how did Cantinero match up against the warmbloods? 

Well, it’s a big responsibility to represent our horses in such a competitive show, we always try to give our best and demonstrate how competitive the PRE horses can be with the right training. Cantinero proudly stood up and ended up in 4th place against 14 WB. One interesting fact to mention is that one judge commented that Cantinero did the best walk part of the whole class.. 

•⁠  ⁠Competing in the U.S. has played a major role in your season. How did those experiences shape Cantinero's performance and confidence for other competitions this year? 

We are based in Texas, where Hacienda Los Encinos is located, which is my sponsor and Cantinero’s breeder and owner. But being able to compete in such important venues like Wellington and Festival of Champions in Chicago is a big responsibility and a big Joy. I have to thank to my sponsor Los Encinos, and other clients that support me. 

•⁠  ⁠How does it feel to be ranked 15th in the ANCCE Cup standings and now qualified for SICAB? What does this milestone mean to you and your team?

We couldn’t be prouder that a horse that we bred and trained is qualified for the World PRE Championship. it’s a big satisfaction for us at Los Encinos, as well as to our coach Antonio Cid who is always behind our training program, and my family who is always supporting us because as we all know this takes a lot of effort, years of training, and sacrifices. 

•⁠  ⁠Have you attended SICAB in the past, either as a spectator or competitor? If so, what experiences or insights from those visits inspire you in your own journey with Cantinero this year?

I attended as a spectator, but it will be my first time competing. I have seen so many important riders and horses competing at Sicab that have served as inspiration to me. Being able to compete at the top of the PRE makes the whole team very proud.. 

•⁠  ⁠What are your goals for SICAB? Are you aiming for a personal best score, or simply the experience of competing among the best?

Competing in the World PRE-Championship is already a big satisfaction, but we also want to be fair with Cantinero who has such a big heart that we want to show him at his best, so I will try my best to have a top performance..

For more info about U.S. PRE Association, visit www.usprea.org