A Midsummer Night's Dream - José Daniel Martín Dockx

José Daniel Martín with “Grandioso” and his wife Africa who has given him great support in his debut at the London Olympics.

This is how this great story of tenacity and daily sacrifice could begin. Recalling that literary masterpiece written by the famous William Shakespeare and entitled A Midsummer Night’s Dream, because everything happened just like that, dizzyingly, from one day to the next and “without expecting it”. José Daniel Martín Dockx, a 38-year-old rider from Mijas, has made his debut, and a successful one at the recent London 2012 Olympic Games. What has led him to live “with immense joy”, the great dream of his life.

José Daniel Martín started riding at the age of six
age of six, thanks to the hobby of his father, the builder José Martín Alarcón, who
José Martín Alarcón, a builder, who was
and supported his son from the beginning, providing him with everything he
providing him with everything he needed to be able to
to practice this expensive equestrian discipline.

After spending two months in Germany with the Spanish Dressage team, José Daniel Martín travelled to London on Saturday 28th July as a “reserve”. An injury to Beatriz Ferrer-Salat’s horse “Delgado” means that the entire

The Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation sent a communiqué to all the media announcing the withdrawal of the Spanish double Olympic gold medallist. In this way, the Spanish national dressage coach, Jan Bemelmans, announces to Daniel Martín, the day after his arrival in the English capital, that he will participate in the Olympic Games representing Spain in place of Beatriz Ferrer.

To make matters worse, our rider was drawn in the draw to open the track for his debut. At his side, his wife Africa, who will give him all the support and help he needs to compete. José Daniel Martín confesses that at the beginning of his performance he was not able to offer “the quality I wanted” but little by little he got over the nerves of the beginning and improved in the different technical exercises with an average of around 7. The final result he obtained was 69.40%, for which the rider is “very happy as it is a very good score for a beginner”. His two sons, of course, are “very proud” of their father’s achievement.

Almost still unable to “wake up” from the great dream he has lived, José Daniel Martín Dockx, who considers himself a “humble worker”, has been receiving TV stations, radio stations, newspapers and magazines calling him since his return home to give him interviews, which “he is happy to do”. The one that had the greatest impact on him, without a doubt, was the one made by TVE right there on the stage of the Olympic Games.

The rider from Mijas shares with the horse another great passion, the motorbike.

José Daniel Martín Dockx with his wife Africa and the complete team of the Spanish Dressage Team that took part in the London Dressage team that participated in the Olympic Games in London.

An injury to Beatriz Ferrer-Salat’s horse “Delgado” caused the Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation to send a press release to all the media announcing the withdrawal of the Spanish double Olympic gold medallist. In this way, the Spanish national dressage coach, Jan Bemelmans, announces to Daniel Martín, the day after his arrival in the English capital, that he will participate in the Olympic Games representing Spain in place of Beatriz Ferrer.

José Daniel Martín other hobby is road motorbikes, although he spends around nine hours every day fully dedicated to breaking in, riding and giving lessons to his students, one of whom, Alfonso Parra, has given him a "great joy by becoming double Spanish Champion in Junior Dressage and Spanish Champion in Young Horse".

ACECOS offered him an emotional dinner at Mesón Andrés after his victory last year in the Spanish Dressage Championship. The president of ACECOS, Francisco de Sosa, recognises in José Daniel Martín Dockx an "impressive, noble, hard-working and humble person, exemplary, shy and a real genius".

He spends the occasional Saturday afternoon on the road, “to take my mind off it”. However, since finishing his military service and setting up on his own in his stable, Daniel Martín spends around nine hours a day fully dedicated to breaking in, riding and teaching his pupils, one of whom, Alfonso Parra, has given him a “great joy by becoming double Spanish Champion in Dressage Juniors and Spanish Champion in Young Horses”. Daniel Martín started riding at the age of 6, thanks to the hobby of his father, the builder José Martín Alarcón, who went out of his way to support his son from the very beginning, providing him with everything he needed to be able to practice this costly sport.

equestrian discipline. He was lucky because during these years of apprenticeship he had two of the best teachers in the province of Malaga. The first was Inger Hallberg, “a great professional with whom I learnt the seat and the basics”. Then came Isidro Maldonado Espinosa, “one of the best, quite demanding, who wanted things well done and didn’t stop until they came out”. With him she won her first title, at the age of 12, when she made her debut at the Fuengirola Fair, winning the first prize in Doma Vaquera and an infinite number of prizes with which she recalls, with a frank and spontaneous laugh, “I took a lot of money home because the prizes were very good then”.

José Daniel Martín Dockx riding “Grandioso” in his performance at the recent Olympic Games in London where he got a final score of 69.40%, totally “satisfactory” for a debutant.
The rider from Mijas got in all the technical exercises an average of 7 points. José Daniel Martín admits that the horse “Grandioso” has changed his life.

His mare “Candela”, with whom he had achieved so many victories and for whom he was very fond of, falls ill. In addition, his studies became more and more complicated, and so he withdrew from riding for a couple of years. She finishes the Baccalaureate with the clear idea that she does not want to study and with the fervent desire to “try her luck” in the world of horses, as she had her father’s stable. However, his father flatly refuses and tries everything he can to get his son to give up what had been a nice hobby and study a degree at university.
José Daniel Martín Dockx plucks up the courage and, without his father’s approval and with his father’s estrangement, talks to Isidro Maldonado to work for him “without charging a penny”. This was perhaps the most difficult years for this young man, who worked hard for a year and a half, only to receive the reward of his know-how in dressage. After returning from military service, he managed to set up on his own with his father’s approval and little by little he began to ride “horses of a higher level”, to compete, obtaining titles such as runner-up in Spain in 2008 with “Delmonte” or Spanish Champion in 6 year old horses. This is how the possibility arose from the hand of the Spanish National Dressage Coach to travel to Florida to test the horse “Grandioso”, which has been “the one that has changed my life completely”.
After this beautiful “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, a promising future is on the horizon for José Daniel Martín Dockx, who undoubtedly deserves it. With the humility that characterizes him, the rider from Mijas says that now his goal is the next Spanish Young Horse Championships with “Delmonte” and “Vaquero” and then face the European Championships in Denmark in 2013. Of course, he dreams of returning to experience the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro but recognises that it is an arduously difficult undertaking for which the “stars have to align” so for the moment he is content, which is no mean feat, to continue enjoying the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” he experienced in London.