I’ve owned, bred, raised, worked with and been involved with quarter horses for over 10 years now and before that paint horses and before that a mixture of no particular breeds. I had my daughters involved in 4H and open shows when they were growing up. I got into breed shows when I owned paint horses and then quarter horses and starting showing at the AQHA breed shows.
After I started breeding and raising horses I really got more involved with professional horse trainers. I had young horses that needed to be trained, shown and sold for many years.
So I’ve built up a bunch of my own opinions on the horse training industry and things I like and dislike about horse trainers in particular. Not that you asked but I decided to share some of those rants and gratitude’s with you today….
Let’s start with the “rants” or said another way some of the things that drive me nuts about horse trainers.
These are in no particular order…just a general rant session..
My Trainer Rants
1.Trainers or worse yet trainers assistants lunging my horses
Now in general the horse is usually stalled if they are in training so lunging them is one of those good things to do to get them warmed up before the trainer or I ride. But allowing the horse to run wild on the lunge line, kick, buck, jerk on the lead rope, lope on the wrong lead and in general be out of control. This I hate. My thought has always been, if I have hold of my horse in any way, whether leading, lunging or standing I expect them to show respect and know they are under my leadership. This is not the time to do what they want to do. If I want to let them loose to do what they want to do then I let them loose. I don’t hold onto them or attempt to lunge them and still allow them to run wild. I always have to retrain my horse when I bring them home from a trainer who has allowed them free rein on the lunge line.
2. Advising and leading a client to buy a horse for the trainer not the rider/ owner.
I’ve had it happen to me and seen it happen over and over again. A trainer may want a horse in their program for them to show in a particular event. So they get a client to buy the horse supposedly for them…the client / owner when in reality the trainer is only looking out for their own professional best interest. They want a horse to show in a particular event for that year. This has nothing to do with what the owner may or may not want. Clearly not a trainer who is really working for their client. These type of trainers need some good business skills training.
3. Either not allowing or not wanting the owner to ride their own horse…because they will mess them up
You own the horse right, you bought and paid for the horse, you pay for the horses feed, board and training. But your trainer does not want you to ride the horse because you will mess him up. And when you do they go behind your back and talk about how you messed up your horse after they have trained him. Well here goes guys…too damm bad. You are training the horse for the owner not for you so the owner needs to learn how to ride the horse and if one or two rides is going to mess up the horse then you are sadly lacking as a trainer. And its you who needs to go back to trainer school. Oh I forgot most of you don’t bother to go to trainer school. You just decide you are going to be a trainer and put your shingle out for us non suspecting customers who don’t know you don’t really know how to train. ( a bit harsh perhaps, but quite true none the less)
Now to be fair there is a time period when a trainer is trying to get something done that you may need to allow them to work on your horse without you riding the horse. But give me a break….it doesn’t take a year or even six months to get there unless the horse is an unfit horse for an amateur owner to begin with. I’m usually the first person on my young horses. Then when its time to really get down to business I send them out to someone who can sit a buck if they need to.
4. Hearing but not listening to me the client and what I want out of the relationship
When I hire a trainer I tell them about how long I’ll be there. I know my budget and I know how long I plan for the horse to be in training. I never lead a trainer on, if I want to get the horse ready to show to sell, I tell them that and I also tell them how long and how much money I’m willing to put into this horse to get there. If I’m not sure whether I want to sell the horse or keep it for myself, I tell them that as well. I still tell them about how long I expect to have the horse in training. I am always totally honest and up front.
But I still have trainers who think they know my budget better than I do and who think I’m somehow at fault when it comes time for my horse to go home… however they sure aren’t willing to give away their training time.
I even had a trainer tell the other clients in the barn to not help me with my horse at the last show of the year because I was taking my horse home. Now this trainer knew all along that I planned to take the horse home after this show so it was no surprise. So how childish was this??? and do you really think I will ever take a horse back to this trainer when he has that kind of business ethics and poor customer service. Hardly!
5. Telling me what my goals should be with my horses
So this is a little one but a big one as well. I have horses because I love my horses. I also love working with my horses and I love most of the experiences with horses. For me its not just about showing a horse. It is about the process, the journey, the ride. Showing my horses is fun and even having my horses shown and watching as the proud parent is fun. But it is not the end all of horse ownership for me.
So if I have a really good horse and I want to play with my horse at home and never show this horse. He is after all my horse and it is my right to do with my horse as I choose as long as my horse is not harmed. So get off my back. Your goals as a horse trainer have nothing to do with my goals as a horse owner.
Wow I think I have wanted to say these things for years. And there is more but I’ll stop here.
Now I know this is a long post but my mama said you had to say something nice about people and there is a lot that is nice to be said about trainers so here goes.
My Trainer Gratitude’s:
1. Riding the buck out of my horse
I’m a decent rider but a cautious rider and I’m not sure I can push my horse through some of the phases they have to go through to become a fully trained horse. I appreciate the trainer who is willing to put their life and limb at risk to ride and train my horse for me.
And yes I am paying them for this service…but I work my own horses and I know how long it takes to ride and really work a horse so let me tell you…when you sit down and figure out how much a trainer makes an hour…wow…most of us would not even flip burgers for that amount.
The job of horse trainer has to be one of passion because its dangerous, clients expect immediate results and are extremely personally involved with the process and the pay is lousy.
2. Show my horse and get them used to all the scary things in the show pen
Having had young horses for years now, I know that it takes a lot to not only get the horse trained but then to take them out to various show pens to get them acclimated to all the scary things a horse sees in these new places.
The trainer is willing to take the horse around, deal with their fits of oh my gosh that thing is going to eat me and oh no you are not going to pass me on the rail. If the horse acts stupid then its the trainer who is on their backs not me. I appreciate their willingness to take it in stride and train my horse so that they are safe, sound and quiet for me to ride.
3. Act as my agent and help me sell my horse
I love all my horses and its always a hard thing for me to let go of any of them. But if you raise horses you can’t keep all of them…although I have tried. It’s very nice to have a trainer who will show your horse to their best ability, work with the potential buyer and handle a vet check and all the little things that come up in a horse sale.
4. Listen to my thought processes
Now for me this is huge. I think out loud…ask any of my children or husband. So I solve my problems and make my decisions by thinking out loud and talking with other people. Namely if it is about selling a horse, or working out a horse problem or how to do something with a horse, or making a decision which horse to sell or which one to keep –only because I bred them as a business to sell and must sell some…
What a royal pain it must be for a trainer who has a client like me…and I know for a fact there are many of you just like me out there…
It takes a good listener, a good communicator and a patient trainer to not only train your horse but put up with all the interactions with clients as well.
5. For being a good coach
The Olympics are going on right now in Vancouver , BC and if you look you’ll see that anyone who wants to compete at this top level has a coach. It’s no different in horses. No matter what your breed may if you to show at a top level you must have a coach. Even if you want to stay local and show open shows…there is nothing like having a coach to help you.
Your horse trainer coach can see things you can’t see, know when you are about to make a mistake and help you avoid them. They bolster my confidence because I will try harder and do more daring things when they are on the sidelines giving me instruction than I will if I’m riding by myself.
I appreciate the trainers patience as they work with me to help me improve my horsemanship skills. There is nothing like having a good trainer who is also a good coach to help you achieve your goals as a rider.
Wow this turned out to be a book…Okay I best be off.
Please feel free to comment, add your rants and your gratitude’s. Maybe we’ll turn it into a book. LOL
February 25, 2010
All About Horses and Horse Lovers