It took years for Pignon to gain Templado's confidence. In the book "Templado: A Star at Liberty," Pignon explains. "We were still new to liberty training, believing that if we were simply kind to the horses, everything would be fine. But Templado's obvious distress under his rebellious exterior led us to think about new ways of working. We felt it was impossible to get through to his deep suffering by traditional teaching. Up to then, we had been too focused on a horse and rider relationship based on our own personal experience and on bits and pieces of systematized riding techniques. I don't mean this to reflect in any way on this sort of approach, which usually works well. A great number of top level riders have proved and are still proving that one can do good, efficient work based on both horse and rider knowing and remaining in their place."

"But with Templado, this wasn't enough," Pignon continues. "He was too rebellious. He saw his freedom as too important to be sacrificed in some codified, hierarchical relationship…he forgave me nothing. The slightest error, the slightest faux pas on my part, and I was made to pay dear. He immediately put up the barriers and made me understand that I had burnt my bridges.

Templado made us think in a constructive way which never veered into an unhealthy fixation. I think that is what saved us. It has to be said that we didn't have the time. What with working our performance horses and organizing our tours, we had other things to do than get ourselves into a state over him. It is quite probable that, if we had worked with Templado with a definite objective in mind and within a specific time limit, the pressure and the need for a quick result would have made us take a different approach. We would have taken more risks, which would have made us make more mistakes. But in our case, we were happy just to follow the clues he gave us, to take the time to understand them and leave him enough time to accept us in his environment. In time, Templado (a name which Pignon and Delgado point out with amusement means "moderate") the former freedom-fighter Templado came to be the liberty star of the internationally-celebrated Pignon/Delgado performances, for love of his humans.

To this day, Templado dislikes being ridden but he does enjoy liberty work, so that is what he does. He clearly adores Pignon. I don't demand, I request, Pignon says. This is a collaboration of equals.
[Templado & Fred performance at Del Mar, California]

Magali Delgado will tell you proudly that her parents, Pierre and Joëlle Delgado, have dedicated their lives to raising these intelligent, sensitive Lusitano horses that show a rare willingness to connect with and engage with humans.

At an early age she began training with some of Europe's finest riding masters, and distinguished herself in competition at the Grand Prix level and also in haute école.

Having this impressive background provided preparation for Delgado to pursue her dream of communicating with horses at an ever-higher level, as she and Pignon moved the performance horses from the family farm to create a stable of their own.
[Magali & Dao backstage at Glendale]

Here they developed not only new shows but ever more perfect communication with horses, based on the language of horses themselves, and mutual trust and respect.

And Latourelle has chosen well in his equestrian directors and their equine colleagues. This theme of freedom unites the different acts and weaves around and through the entire performance, allowing the ancient horse archetype that in the language of Jungian psychology symbolizes liberation, movement and emotion, to act on our unconscious mind. The image of the white horse, the color of the new moon, signifying victory and success, of good prevailing over evil, evokes a vague, distant memory. Even Cavalia-goers who don’t know horses will find their gentleness, grace and power beautiful and compelling, and ultimately mysterious. When the glorious Templado makes his entrance, knee-length mane blowing around his body as he prances and cavorts with Pignon, the audience as a whole sighs at the lovely sight of this proud stallion eagerly running to his human friend, of free will.
[Actress Daryl Hannah and Templado on the red carpet at the Santa Monica opening]

The liberty acts in the production feature a number of the Delgado-Pignon Lusitano stallions; all the Delgado horses are full or half-brothers. Using only hand commands, body language and gentle words Pignon leads the three white liberty stallions, Templado, Fausto and Aétès in fanciful routines that look like play, and they are play. Horses and man chase each other in choreographed figures, the horses completely free of tack, Pignon occasionally holding a delicate strand of mane to subtly hint to a horse to stay close, or a slim wand to indicate direction or movement.
[from left, Templado, Fasto, Aetes]

Finally they all lie down together in an incredible display of serenity.
[Fasto]