Question- Which Horse Training Online Videos Would You Like to See?

I hope you’re having a great summer. Summer seems to have finally arrived here in the northwest. It’s nice to spend more time outdoors with our horses. By this time you should have gotten two emails at least from me and have seen two Free Videos from Mark Shaffer. I got some feedback that one of the videos was hard to hear. I’m sorry about that. Live video feeds can sometimes be that way. I’ll try to make sure the future videos are a bit louder. I also got some feedback from one person that they could not see the videos at all. If you have any issue then be sure to download the current version of Adobe Flash and that should take care of the problem. Now I have a question for you. I am busy working with Professional Horse Trainers to bring you more online video horse training in workshop format. I’d like to provide what you want so please let me know which type of training you would most like to see from the following list. Western Pleasure Western Riding Horsemanship Showmanship Lunge Line Trail Hunter Under Saddle Please just send me an email at railandpatternhorse@gmail.com and tell me your top 2 or 3 types of online horse training you’d like to see. Or you can go to my blog post and give me some feedback as well. This is the link to my blog post : HorseTrain

Horse Training with a Professional Horse Trainer [ Video]

Pros and Cons of Your Horse in Full Time Horse Training with a Professional Horse Trainer

In my previous post I listed three methods of  horse training and improving your horsemanship skills.

The 3 methods to Get Your Horse Trained:

1. Send them to a Professional Horse Trainer for Full Time Training
2. Train Your Own Horse
3. Combination Method >>>Work with a Professional Horse Trainer on a Part Time Basis and Train Your Own Horse on a Part Time Basis

Today I want to cover the Pros and Cons of Method One; Your  Horse in Full Time with a Professional Horse Trainer:

Here’s what it looks like when your horse is with a professional trainer:

• • Your horse trainer rides your horse a set number of days per week
    
  • You set an appointment to see, ride, and watch the trainer ride
    
  • The trainer coaches you how to ride your horse
    
  • The trainer tell you which events to ride your horse in
    
  • The trainer tells you when your horse is ready for you to ride
    
  • The trainer tells you when your horse is ready to show
    
  • The trainer tells you if the horse is suitable for you

Your Horse in Training: Things to Like or Pros>>>

• 1. Trainer coaches you on how to ride
     
  2. Trainer fixes your horse’s problems
     
  3. Trainer gets your horse ready for you to ride
     
  4. Gives you a safe environment to ride and learn in
     
  5. Provides a social environment
     
  6. Trainer helps you make decisions
     
  7. Trainer can bring you along at your speed
     
  8. Trainer does most of the work for you

Your Horse in Training: Cons

Full-time board and training is expensive

Trainer trains the way they want the horse to go

Trainer bonds with your horse

You don’t get the feeling of achievement and satisfaction

No matter how well trained your horse is, when you get your horse home:

You must still learn how to ride your horse yourself; each horse is different with different personalities and different needs.

Many horse trainers have their specific program

Trainers don’t change their program to fit the horse

Trainers change the horse to fit into their program

You lose control of your horse

The horse trainer makes the decisions

You can’t see your horse on your timetable

You can’t learn how to ride once a week

There is no substitute for time in the saddle

The only way to achieve harmony and connection with your horse- spend time with him on and off his back – no one can do that for you!

Things to consider when making your decision:

• • Your short term and long term goals
  • Olympic competitors have a trainer/coach
  • World show competitors have a trainer/coach
  • Your budget
  • Your ability to let go of control to the trainer
  • There is no right or wrong – its just what fits for you
  • You can always change to another method

Do you prefer Video? I go over this method in this video>>>

Train Your Horse 3 Methods to Horsetraining [Video]

Get Your Horse Trained…3 Methods

With over 25 years in the Horse Industry I’ve seen 3 main methods used to get your horse trained.

Buying an already trained horse is not on this list. Let me explain why: First of all no horse is ever 100% trained. They need continual training and reminding of how to perform just like you and I need continual practice and exercise in anything in which we want to excel.

Second: I’ve purchased many horses that are supposedly trained only to get them home and find out they didn’t know nearly what I thought they should. Therefore they needed to be trained to my way of wanting a horse trained.

Not to say that you shouldn’t buy a trained horse, just remember that a trained horse is a subjective term. And even with the best of training, every horse needs continual training and work to stay in tune.

The 3 methods to Get Your Horse Trained:

1. Send them to a Professional Horse Trainer for Full Time Training
2. Train Your Own Horse
3. Combination Method >>>Work with a Professional Horse Trainer on a Part Time Basis and Train Your Own Horse on a Part Time Basis

I’ll cover each of these Methods in more detail in upcoming posts. Until then>>>

Take the Reins to Your Success

Great Webcast coming up on Rehabilitating the Lame Horse

Hi all- I just heard about a Free webcast coming up on Lame Horse Rehabilitating. Michigan State University does some really good webcasts. Be sure and sign up early for this.

http://myhorseuniversity.com/resources/emails/March_2010/Rehabilitating

See the information and links below.

Rehabilitating the Lame Horse
Narelle Stubbs :: Michigan State University
March 23, 2010 | 7 EDT | Learn More

This webcast will explain how rehabilitation and physical therapy principles can be applied to the horse with respect to lameness, loss of performance, performance enhancement, injury prevention and principles of conditioning. Exercise based rehabilitation techniques, including mobilization and dynamic core muscle exercises, and how these can be applied to your horse will also be discussed. This information will be presented to you from an evidence based perspective and highlight some of the current research in this field taking place at the McPhail Equine performance center at MSU.

Narelle StubbsPresenter Information
Narelle Stubbs is a visiting research associate at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Narelle is a Physiotherapist, University of Sydney Australia graduate and is completing her PhD candidature requirements at the University of Queensland in Australia. Since 1998, Narelle has been the Official Australian Equestrian Team Physiotherapist, treating both horse and rider in many forms of equitation at the World Equestrian Games (1998, 2002, 2006) and the Olympics (2000, 2004 and 2008).

5 Horse Trainer Rants and 5 Gratitudes

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

AQHA Horse Lovers and Dressage Lovers Unite

Take a look at the following link to find out about how AQHA is adding Dressage to the AQHA shows:

http://www.aqha.com/news/2010PressReleases/01252010dressage.html

AQHA Welcomes Dressage as an Official Class
American Quarter Horse Journal The American Quarter Horse Journal, January 25, 2010 – Dressage is now an official AQHA class – one in which you can earn AQHA points, qualify for AQHA …

Horses Don’t Lie

In his book Horses Don’t Lie Chris Irwin has this to say about how we affect our horses behaviors.

“In other sports, if you’re not having your best day, it doesn’t bother your equipment. Your golf clubs don’t care if you slice and your surfboard doesn’t care if you fall off.

Horses, however, care intensely. Remember, they’re counting on us to provide clearly consistent leadership-we are the ones who are supposed to know what we’re doing. So when they sense a wobbly, unbalanced, on-the-edge-of-control rider it troubles them. It shakes their trust and leads them to rebel against what they are being asked to do. And as typically seen, here’s where all sorts of horse behavior problems begin.”

Often when our horse is acting up we just assume it’s him who is having a bad day when in reality most of the time we need to take a look at ourselves first before we lay the responsibility on our horse. While this isn’t always easy to remember when we ask our horse for a nice slow lope and he goes into an out of control canter we’d do well to check in with ourselves first before we discipline our horse.

Horses are Being Abandoned

Horses Abandoned Due to the Economy « On The Scene « FOXNews.com
By Claudia Cowan
Across the nation, a staggering number of horses are winding up at animal shelters, either relinquished by their owners, or seized by animal protection officers. At the SPCA in Monterey County, they’re seeing a 5-fold increase – 20 …
On The Scene – http://onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com/

AQHA Video with Alex Ross and Mike Moser

I just watched this AQHA Video with Alex Ross and Mike Moser and its an outstanding video. These two show you the difference in movement of a good western pleasure mover, why and how their conformation affects their movement and then go on to show us some not so good movement. It is very well done and very clear. I highly recommend you get a copy for your library.

You can find it here on the AQHA site. They don’t really make it too easy to find and had I not rented it and watched it I would not readily buy it. But trust me this is a great video and whether you have a quarter horse or another breed, if you want to ride in the western pleasure class this is well worth your while.

http://www.aqhastore.com/store/product/7049/DVD-S%26S-WESTERN-PLEASURE-HORSE/

Your Horse Can Read Your Thoughts

Well that’s not exactly right. Your horse can’t read your thoughts but he can and does read the energy in your thoughts.

It goes like this. Each and every thought you have carries emotional energy with it. This energy begins at your subconscious level. As your sub conscious mind has a feeling, thought or sense  emotional energy is already attaching itself to it.

It it this energy that communicates with your horse. Before you ever even think of giving a physical or verbal command your horse is already responding to this sub conscious energy.

Think of it like water that is beginning to boil for your cup of coffee. The water is hot long before you actually hear or see it begin to boil. So if you try to touch the water, you can still get burned.  ( I know, not such a great example, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment.)

Your training for the show pen begins in your sub conscious mind first!

If you want your western pleasure horse to move slowly and correctly then your subconscious mind needs to do the work before your body gets in the picture.

Zips Chocolate Chip and Chips Hot Chocolate Stallions

Ann Meyers who owns Zips Chocolate Chip and Chips Hot Chocolate will share tips and strategies on breeding your horse the first week of December.

She will also share information about her stallions to help you in choosing the next sire of your champion foal.

Look for upcoming details for this great opportunity in a tele-seminar.

Horse Trainers Perspective on Client Satisfaction

Over lunch at a recent horse show with Northwest trainer, Jerry Pelikan our conversation as you might expect went to the client and trainer relationship and the need for satisfaction on both sides.

Jerry shared with me his view on the relationship and what works for him so I asked him to share it with you all.

From Jerry Pelikan:

“I can better serve the client if I know what motivates them: a Goal or a Relationship.  It also helps the owner get what they are really looking for from the trainer/owner relationship if they have a clear vision of their own expectations.

Goal oriented clients typically are very driven and focused on a reaching a particular goal or achievement. They understand the sacrifices that their ‘master plan’ may entail. For instance it could mean investing in a horse that’s more suitable for them in reaching their goal. Or it may mean aggressive show schedules, with the travel and expense this includes.

Often times mutually-agreed upon decisions have to be made, without much regard for feelings. This may also mean the trainer is required to push the horse and the person. This person is very ‘business-like’ in their approach.

On the other hand, the relationship-driven client typically has an emotional investment in their particular horse. They will adapt their goals to accommodate their horses’ talents…maybe they change to a discipline in which their horse is better-suited and therefore more competitive, so that everyone is happy.

In my experience, these types of clients enjoy a much more ‘hands on’ approach and thrive on being involved and doing some of the work themselves.  These folks typically enjoy bonding with their horse on a deep level.  The payoff is much more ‘internal’ for them, and it’s all about feelings and emotions, both theirs and their horses.

As a trainer, I try to avoid making any judgments on my client’s motivation.

But, in order for me to help my clients get the satisfaction they desire, it’s beneficial and necessary for me to understand what they’re looking for and their true goals.

Each individual type of person requires their own unique approach and overall program. As the trainer of both horse and rider it’s necessary for me to vary my game plan to meet the unique needs of my clients. Client satisfaction to one most likely is not client satisfaction to the other. I can’t achieve client satisfaction unless I know what that means to each individual person. ”

Jerry Pelikan
Performance Matters

I think Jerry is right on here. What about you?

Sit Deep in The Saddle

Have you been told to sit deep in the saddle and try as you might you can’t figure out what they mean? <--more--> I have! So this week when my trainer told me to sit deep in the saddle and I felt like I was dropping my butt down as deep as I could…I asked the question.

Now just what do you mean when you say sit deep in the saddle? How do I do that?

His answer; when you bring your shoulders back it automatically puts your butt deeper in your saddle. Well you know I had never thought of it like that. So I tried it! And it worked.

Sometimes we just need to hear things in a new way for them to sink in.

Midwest

Professional Horse Trainers in the Midwest.

Horse Trainers contact us to advertise in this space.

Southeast

Professional Horse Trainers in the Southeast coming soon.

Horse Trainers contact us to advertise in this space.

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