Advice for junior

[onlyTBmares]

You’re getting excellent advice. I spent many many years in your position and when I finally had the money to afford something nice it was so easy to move up to bigger jumps because I always rode anything I could swing a leg over, I rode as much as possible without stirrups and in my 2 point, and I studied all information available to me.

There is such good information available online these days. A clipmyhorse.tv subscription is a little pricey but has endless hours of clinics and horse shows to watch. I believe you get access to a lot of it with just a USEF membership though, so look at the details because that would be cheaper. Watch the every horse mastership clinic on repeat, watch the Beezie Madden flatwork demonstrations from the last several years over and over. The big FEI classes are fun to watch but I find there’s more to learn from watching some lower level open classes, where you can watch, for example, a good pro take a spooky horse around the 1.0m ring. In the junior/ammy classes you can often hear the trainers yelling from the in gate. All free lessons!

[findeight]

@PNWjumper

But I will also add that I don’t want someone to “train” my horses. I want someone who can maintain how they go and not influence the horses in any direction. And that is a skill set unto itself.

Amen sistah.

Any readers looking to pick up rides need to make a sign and hang it where they will see it every day. THAT is the skill set that can get you extra rides. Working with the horse as the trainer/owner requests.

Watch as many horses as you can and develop an eye for their body language so you can assess what you have that day for that ride. Hang around the schooling rings at shows, watch lessons at your barn, LEARN and remember. LISTEN and remember. Everything and anything. File it away in your brain. Only costs your time and willingness to watch, listen and learn. Beware it takes a long time and you never stop learning.

And if asking about extra rides, stress your willingness to follow owner/trainers direction, be on time and leave that horse and tack showring ready when you are done. Stress your eagerness to learn and willingness to adapt your riding to that horse that day the way that owner/trainer wants it ridden. Do not brag about your ability to ride bad horses, owner/trainer with a good horse needs a rider to stay out of it’s way, not stick a buck and possibly light up a horse with no intention of misbehaving by overusing leg and hand.

And say thank you, often. And for gosh sakes keep your mouth shut about anything negative or there will be no more rides😉

Reputation is everything in this business and horse people never forget. You are young and can build a good reputation over time.

[Mcl1]

First, I still think it would be beneficial to sit down with your trainer and discuss your goals. If your lease horse can do 2’6 at local shows, you should ask for specific guidance and direction on how to get there from where you are at currently.

However, ultimately I think that @findeight gave you great advice in terms of doing whatever you can to ride at a better barn. Maybe that means that once you can drive you get a non-horse related job to pay for lessons, or, ideally - you could find a higher level barn that would let you work off lessons.

At your current level, I would not approach barns with any suggestion of trying to do extra rides or “training” rides, I would really focus on getting lesson opportunities, and once trainers are comfortable with you, the extra rides usually follow suit. Also, if you are interested in showing - going along to be a groom at shows is great experience.

At your level you will learn so much more from good quality instruction on a horse who knows what it is doing - even if that means riding 1x a week vs. riding a green/problem horse without instruction 3x a week.

[findeight]

Need to caution here that the working off lessons by doing barn chores is far less common then in years past. Many reasons, some liability questions that could cost the barn big time bucks. Some related to past experience with well meaning young people who underestimate the time requirements and physical demands.

Keep in mind, in most barns, group lessons are going to start anywhere from $35ish to $75ish with private lessons starting where groups leave off. That is NOT including use of a horse and any tack or equipment supplied by the barn.

Thats a lot of mucking stalls, sweeping aisles, scrubbing water buckets and such. How many hours of barn work can you regularly devote to barn chores for each lesson? What rate is the barn willing to credit to your lessons? $10-15 an hour? Or something like 5 hours of work equals one lesson on a barn horse? Don’t forget many, if not most, barn chores are morning and early afternoon 7 days a week which does interfere with school hours.

Have to weigh that against non horse gigs like dog walking/sitting, cleaning other peoples houses, good old baby sitting where you can make more for the same amount of your time. When you get a little older you can get a part time server with tips job as I did. Easier and much more then I could make mucking.

Anyway, working off lesson costs at the barn is not much of an option any more with barn operating costs so very high. Plus …you do tend to get what you pay for instructor and horse quality wise.