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Firing my first client....?

“Trying” by whose standards?
Maybe they enjoy the little (by your standards) they do with their horses.
I have my horses at home & before Monster Auto Repair Bills, had my Dressage trainer coming every other week. She never rode my horses, trained from the ground even when I had horses who might have benefitted from a Pro ride (& me from watching that ride).

@beowulf just described me :sunglasses:

quote=“beowulf, post:7, topic:758464”]
If you are a trainer who does this part time and travels to people (versus a trainer at a showbarn that people come to) you may find the people you’ve described are your demographic. This is my demographic and, generalizing here, there are many adults out there who are perfectly fine having a lesson once or twice a month with no clear show goals or objectives…
[/quote]

Until above-mentioned bills sidelined my lessons, I was a steady source of income for some 10yrs.
Hope to get back to that place. :pray:

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The more you treat this side gig like a “ real” business, the better both you and your clients will do. Just because you travel and teach part time, that doesn’t mean either side should behave or expect any differently then they would in a full time situation.

Setting expectations with something in writing they sign regarding those mutual expectations along with regular “ goal setting and/ or progress” meetings rather then discussing such things in the ring or casually will go far in preventing situations like you are now in.

Be professional, do what a full time, higher priced trainer would do. Cant recommend making up stories to defend your choices, especially here where you sound like you are trying too hard to please them and they are taking advantage of you trying to be nice, like by telling you about breaking that mare instead of asking.

Much as we always say to clients their trainer is not their BFF, sometimes trainers need to also be reninded it’s a business relationship. Treating this side business more formally will help avoid situations like this.

Far as what to do here? Your time to train is limited and you need to expect a certain level of commitment, including a regular lesson or training ride schedule, even if its twice a month. The “ we can train the mare together” statement really doesn’t sound like a project thats going to be worth your while or further your business given the lack of commitment from them so far.

Its just not worth your time to continue with them. IMO. Its their horses, they may do as they choose with them and you should not develop your business around them.

Trainers are not the only ones who get annoyed with these people that never ride, don’t seem that interested, and yet collect new ones that need work. Every time I see that happen I want to tell them that there are dozens of elderly or unsound horses out there that need a nice place to live, love and feeding that don’t need riding that would be a great Pet for them to add to their collection. And bankroll. But can we NOT get something that needs manners and training and becomes a future auction risk because it has zero skills?

1 Like

That is exactly how I feel @Ruth0552, 100%. There are some people who seem to think that whatever training issues they have with their current horse can be fixed with a new, greener horse. Preferably a horse (like a “baby” horse, or an unbroken or unstarted horse) they don’t have to ride for years.

The memes about how “oh, I want ALL the horses” are cute, until people actually try to live them.