I grew up pretty independent. As a kid, my mom and I did a lot on our own. We were in boarding facilities with farm vets, farriers, and trainers, but the trainers were there to help us and teach us “the ropes” so we did not look out of place in public, but not actually do some of this work for us. Sometimes their advice was a little stronger, like “you will make sure you pull that mane better so you get better braids next time, right??” But the onus was on us to make sure our turnout and riding fell within their standards. I am sure we could have paid them to do the work for us, but it was not expected that we did.
Flash forward a few … uh decades … and my fellow barn members now rely heavily on the trainer’s staff to do things like teach the horse basic manners, clip it, groom it, ride it, prepare it for the shows, etc. I was working as groom during that transition. In my experience, it was a case of turnout/ training expectations increasing exponentially and the skill/ willingness/ time to put into the turnout/ training was not there. It was easier for all parties to have the trainer’s staff do the work. It has now become so ingrained in the culture that when a more independent person comes in, it is almost considered a nuisance to not have control over that horse. It is expected that they pay for services like mane pulling and get the ok from trainer on what color polo wraps are worn on a given day (jk, but sometimes it looks like it). Personally, I can’t believe the trainer doesn’t get annoyed with everyone relying on them for answers before they do anything. But I do understand why it is way easier to have everyone on the trainer’s program from a logistics and standard of care/ turnout point of view.
As I look at my fellow barn members, I see that most of them have had 99% positive experiences during their horse-owning history in programs like this and it works for them on a variety of levels. They also have been “brought up” with this style of management.
If you and your trainer can come to an agreement that makes you both comfortable about the amount of involvement you have and your ability to meet their standards of turnout/care, I wish you both luck. If you think you will be continually clashing, save yourself the heartache and find a place where you can be as independent as you like.
:yes: