Anyone kept their horse at the trainer's half the week?

[SugarCubes]

I recently moved my horses home (which has been amazing!) and with Covid the majority of our summer shows were postponed or cancelled, so I didn’t have a lot of pressure to keep my mare in a program. However, we have a lot of shows coming up this fall and winter and I’m wanting to keep her at my trainer’s half the week and bring her back home on the weekends - unless she’s showing. My thought was to haul her over on Tuesdays and take a lesson, let my trainer do a ride on her on Wednesdays, lesson Thursday, and bring her back home on Fridays.

My biggest reason for wanting to bring her home is for turnout. They go out all day, every day at my place and at my trainer’s there are no dry lots, so in the winter they may be in for a week or two at a time. My mare gets GRUMPY without turnout.

Does this seem like a reasonable plan? Do you think it would stress my mare out more than just staying at the trainer’s or would she get used to the routine? She’s a super laid-back, quiet mare so I don’t see her really caring either way but…?

Has anyone done something like this?

I realize I could just haul in for lessons, but that just doesn’t work well for me. The barn is over an hour away and by the time I pack up, load, haul, ride, drive home, unload, unpack, etc it’s eaten up most of my day. Much easier to have her there and just go ride.

[Calvincrowe]

I’ve never done it, but I’d think that if your mare settles well at new places, there’s a stall available, and good bio hazard/vaccine practices are in place, give it a whirl! I’d not want to haul in/haul out with that kind of commute! So draining on you and your horse! The big unknown is how your mare will handle it-- does she go on high alert at shows? Calling and unsettled or does she check it out, mellow out and get down to business? My mare would thrive on something like this I think as she takes what comes in stride and moves on.

You won’t know until you try. Maybe do it for a couple of weeks or a month and see how it goes!

[StormyDay]

One of my horses did three weeks of this sort of schedule. 4 days there, 3 home. She did fine. But she didn’t like other horses much so she didn’t care about leaving her friends.
Just make sure the hay and grain are the same so you aren’t switching feed on her all the time

[DIR]

I went through a year with a lot of business travel where I had one I wanted kept in work. I’d take her to the trainers the weeks I traveled and bring her home when I didn’t. I don’t think the horse viewed it any differently than going to a show and certainly appreciated the better turnout at home.
I will say that I did have to pay full board, full barn with waiting list, so was more than fair.

[Redlei44]

That kind of schedule still sounds exhausting to me, but if you think it’s the best available choice and your horse doesn’t seem stressed, then why not try? I agree that you should plan to pay full amount of board - even if your trainer offers a day rate, I imagine you’ll be close to break-even if your horse is there three days every week.

[SuzieQNutter]

Yes your horse will get used to it and view it as normal.

[Go_Fish]

I don’t like training a horse out of a trailer…it can cause a host of problems. If the horse is smart, they learn that hauling means work or something unpleasant. Not saying that all horses don’t cope well, but it can happen. One youngster I was hauling to work on cattle a couple of times a week started getting balky about loading and then a couple of weeks later she jumped in the feed bin of a two horse in-line trainer. Started boarding her and the problems stopped. You know your horse. If she starts getting reluctant to load or gets fidgety in the trailer, I might rethink boarding her.

[SugarCubes]

@Calvincrowe

I’ve never done it, but I’d think that if your mare settles well at new places, there’s a stall available, and good bio hazard/vaccine practices are in place, give it a whirl! I’d not want to haul in/haul out with that kind of commute! So draining on you and your horse! The big unknown is how your mare will handle it-- does she go on high alert at shows? Calling and unsettled or does she check it out, mellow out and get down to business? My mare would thrive on something like this I think as she takes what comes in stride and moves on.

You won’t know until you try. Maybe do it for a couple of weeks or a month and see how it goes!

Thank you!! She’s very quiet and laid back, hardly anything phases her so I think she’d settle into the routine quickly!

@StormyDay

One of my horses did three weeks of this sort of schedule. 4 days there, 3 home. She did fine. But she didn’t like other horses much so she didn’t care about leaving her friends.
Just make sure the hay and grain are the same so you aren’t switching feed on her all the time

Great to hear that it worked for your horse! Yes, I’m planning on providing her feed so we aren’t constantly switching back and forth! She’s the boss mare and is totally happy alone, at my trainer’s she goes out by herself, and at my house she’s pretty indifferent about her buddies.

@DIR

I went through a year with a lot of business travel where I had one I wanted kept in work. I’d take her to the trainers the weeks I traveled and bring her home when I didn’t. I don’t think the horse viewed it any differently than going to a show and certainly appreciated the better turnout at home.
I will say that I did have to pay full board, full barn with waiting list, so was more than fair.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Sounds like it worked really well for you

@Redlei44

That kind of schedule still sounds exhausting to me, but if you think it’s the best available choice and your horse doesn’t seem stressed, then why not try? I agree that you should plan to pay full amount of board - even if your trainer offers a day rate, I imagine you’ll be close to break-even if your horse is there three days every week.

LOL story of my life! It’ll be easier than hauling out, for sure

@Go Fish

I don’t like training a horse out of a trailer…it can cause a host of problems. If the horse is smart, they learn that hauling means work or something unpleasant. Not saying that all horses don’t cope well, but it can happen. One youngster I was hauling to work on cattle a couple of times a week started getting balky about loading and then a couple of weeks later she jumped in the feed bin of a two horse in-line trainer. Started boarding her and the problems stopped. You know your horse. If she starts getting reluctant to load or gets fidgety in the trailer, I might rethink boarding her.

That’s actually part of why I’d rather leave her half the week. She’s always loaded great, but after moving her home I took her to a schooling show, then to a lesson the following weekend. When I went to load her for our next lesson she wouldn’t get on the trailer…smart mare. So, I’ve had to work on loading with her for the past week! But, I have also discussed that possibility with my trainer and if the issue pops up I’ll just keep board her again.

[fordtraktor]

I think it sound feasible but I’d probably bring her home after the lesson on Thursday so I didn’t have to make another drive to the barn.

[hoopoe]

I would expect to potentially have to pay full board for this arrangement. keeping a stall open for you on those days means them sitting empty the other days

[SugarCubes]

@fordtraktor

I think it sound feasible but I’d probably bring her home after the lesson on Thursday so I didn’t have to make another drive to the barn.

Totally, either that or I’ll hack on Friday before hauling home

@hoopoe That part has already been worked out with my trainer ;)!

[EmilyM]

This sounds like a great idea to me

[DawgLady]

No different than going to a show. It’ll be fine!

[js]

@hoopoe

I would expect to potentially have to pay full board for this arrangement. keeping a stall open for you on those days means them sitting empty the other days

This; however, I might expect the trainer to actually use the stall for horses coming and going for a lesson or a day or two of training.

[SugarCubes]

@js

This; however, I might expect the trainer to actually use the stall for horses coming and going for a lesson or a day or two of training.

Yes, this part of the arrangement has already been worked out But yes, my trainer is at a large facility and even with the program full, the barn has an additional wing of stalls that are reserved for clinics, layovers, haul-ins, etc.

I’ve decided to start this next week, so we’ll see how it goes! I’m really thinking it’s the best of both worlds, being able to have her home part time but still being able to be in the program and stay competitive. My one concern is her willingness to load once she figures out the routine…but at least that’s something we can work on while at the trainer’s!