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Horse Purchasing: Trainer and I disagree! What do I do?

Hunter/Jumper
#1

FYI: English is not my first language, it is my third! Sorry for communication inconsistencies.

Hi! I’m looking to buy a horse.

Requirements:

  • scope to jump 3’6
  • fully trained (lead changes, counter canter, etc)

My trainer wants me to buy a green appaloosa or a cow pony. She does not like warmbloods, and is not willing to look outside of our region for horses. Anytime I show her an ad, she immediately won’t look at it because its a warmblood. No offense to those horse breeds, they are beautiful but I dont think they are suited for the stuff I want to do exactly. I also 100% KNOW that I do not want a green horse. I am ok with a little green but it is hard for me to handle the off days sometimes and I know that I will not be an ideal rider for those types of horses. I am willing to travel even out of country (not ideal, but doable) and I will definitely go multiple states over to find my horse. My trainer only wants to look in a 2 hour radius around us, but there are not many options where I live.

I don’t know what to do because I really value her opinion and I want her to help me find a horse, but we have really different ideas of what we are looking for. I expressed my desires and goals but she still doesn’t understand. I am not a green rider and have been riding for 10 years, and I jump pretty high and do dressage and stuff like that. I dont know what to do with the whole buying horses thing!
please give me any advice!

1 Like
#2

I don’t understand this at all. Why would your trainer want you to buy a cow pony? Is this the same trainer you’re taking your jumping lessons from? It just seems to make no sense. But I know others with far more experience than I will weigh in.

44 Likes
#3

Yeah, I do jumping with my trainer. She just really likes cow ponies but we disagree about the breed because I want a warmblood but she doesn’t like warmbloods as much because she thinks they are too fragile.

#4

What type of riding and showing do you do with this trainer now?

What is the trainer’s business focused on? Does everyone have cow ponies doing cutting and reining work?

1 Like
#5

what are her reasons for wanting a cow pony? That seems to fly against your entire program. Not of course saying a cow pony can’t do that, but it is clearly not what you are looking for. Is there someone else you can look with? How set are you on this trainer?

3 Likes
#6

I do show jumping and equitation with my trainer. My trainer mainly does jumping but a lot of her clients have cow ponies.

#7

Her reasons are that they are sturdy and very versatile. They can do a lot of things in any discipline.
Yeah, I go to 2 barns, so I could definitely ask my 2nd trainer but she is so busy I feel bad!

#8

But it seems to me that it would be difficult to assess whether a cow pony has jumping ability, plus then it would need to be retrained for its new job. Might your trainer be looking on as an ATM?

6 Likes
#9

Why do you value her opinion when she is steering you in the opposite direction of what you’re trying to find? Why is she even pointing you to “cow ponies”, who are not at all bred for what you want to do? Sure, there are exceptions, and you shouldn’t turn down a QH or App due to breed, if they’re doing 3’6" or clearly show the ability to do so, and certainly they’re out there.

Even if you go on your own to buy a WB of choice, the fact that your trainer seems to have such a clear bias against them, isn’t going to bode well for her being your trainer with a WB.

For you, I wouldn’t get caught up in “must find a WB”. Sure, a WB, or TB, or similar, is going to be more likely to be on their way to doing what you want, just don’t rule out any off-breed who may be an outlier - you’re not in it to breed :slight_smile:

Good trainers don’t care about breed, beyond something like not helping you find a Hackney Pony if your goal is GP Jumpers :wink:

Thinking that WBs are fragile, or that cow ponies are automatically sturdy and versatile, shows a purposeful ignorance about breeds. Fragile horses don’t get bred for Olympic disciplines.

52 Likes
#10

When you say “cow pony” do you mean a stock breed like a quarter horse, or an actual horse trained to work cattle? These are two very, very different things.

There is a difference, in general, between warmbloods and stock breeds. Obviously you can find exceptions in each breed, but I think it’s fair that trainers have preferences. OP - have you ever ridden a warmblood? Is there a specific breed within the warmblood umbrella you’re looking for? Why do you need a warmblood? Is it possible your trainer is wanting more of a “QH” type attitude because they think that’ll be a better fit with your personality/lifestyle? You mention you do show jumping and jump “pretty high” - what level are you showing currently?

16 Likes
#11

If this is your goal and your trainer is pushing you to unsuitable horses, find a new trainer. They won’t get you where you want to go. They don’t have the skills or knowledge.

43 Likes
#12

What are the terms offered through Bank of Mom and Dad? Are you having a realistic discussion about your hypothetical horse, which is tens of thousands of dollars?

13 Likes
#13

This is the million-dollar question. Perhaps trainer is looking for a “cow pony” because a similar warmblood-type in OP’s budget might indeed be fragile by way of a bad vetting or a whole or quirk.

21 Likes
#14

I could be wrong, but it sounds like your trainer and your goals may be in misalignment. Does this trainer currently have a group of clients showing successfully in the 3’6" eq and jumpers? Have they done it themselves with success? Are they taking clients to the type of shows you hope to do (local versus AA?)
A trainer who is doing the above but dismisses warmbloods out of hand would be quite unusual. Warmbloods make up the vast majority of the horses at these levels, and any trainer who coaches at the level of your goals would know that to be competitive with an “off” breed would be very difficult, if not almost impossible for the average rider. That is not to say a nice TB or quarter horse cross should be completely off the table, but they would probably look more like a WB cross than a cow pony.

Before you go further horse shopping, I’d evaluate if you are in the right training program to reach your goals. Your trainer may be wonderful and very knowledgeable, but if you have specific goals you should be in a program that helps people reach those specific goals regularly. An all around trainer is very different than someone who specializes in eq and jumpers!

Look for someone with a bunch of 3’6" eq clients who are successful- that is how you will reach your goals, not with someone who dabbles in eq and jumpers. Once you find the right trainer they can help you find the right horse. If you try to find the horse before switching trainers it could be a big headache. But the right trainer finding the right horse will help you advance much faster!

18 Likes
#15

There seems to be a huge mismatch between your riding goals and your (main?) trainer.

  • what level are you competing at now?
  • what type of horses have you leased to compete at that level? Where they warmbloods or were they green stock horses? What was their lease fee per year? You can expect to spend 3-4x that fee amount. So a horse that cost $20,000 + board and training per year will sell at around $60,000
  • what is the budget of Mom & Dad (range is fine if you’re uncomfortable e.g. $40,000 to $60,000 USD)
  • why is this trainer your main trainer? I don’t know of ANY hunter/jumper/eq trainer that would suggest a green stock horse for a client
  • do you have other options of trainers in your area that align more with your riding goals?

You mention having a second trainer - what does this person think and why do you have 2 trainers?

I recommend not riding with this trainer and talking to your parents about a more appropriate trainer and program if cost allows.

11 Likes
#16

If you are looking for a Show Horse, you need to be in a successful Show Program. Such a program will be attending and will be competitive at the Shows you are interested in. I don’t advise that you spend $$ on the advice of a trainer that isn’t successful where you want to show. Having said that, does that describe your trainer? You don’t say what area you ride in or what type of shows you attend. In my area, a “Cow Pony” isn’t typically going to be the winner in the 3’6" Jumper and Equitation classes in either our Local or A rated shows. There are some smaller show series that might be different.

7 Likes
#17

There’s such a total disconnect between what you want and what your trainer thinks you should get that you need to figure out if this trainer is a good match for you. I’m surprised that your trainer wants to you get anything green given the experience you’ve described above, not only because you clearly want a horse that’s trained and with show experience (which I think is smart on your part), but because of the inevitable delay in getting a greenie ready to show. How many months/years would it take to get a greenie ready to show and would you be off at college by then?

Definitely talk to your second trainer! A trainer often gets a commission for helping you find a horse, so discuss that upfront; it also means that you shouldn’t “feel bad” for asking her about her services and fees.

11 Likes
#18

For the breeds its like quarter horses, draft crosses, Morgans, Arabians
I ride warmbloods really often and I enjoy them a lot. I’m not looking for a specific breed under the warmblood umbrella, maybe like a Swedish warmblood or something like that. I don’t love OTTB’s because I used to lease one and it was really hard, they are supper cute but I don’t know if I can handle it. I dont think my trainer thinks that the attitude of a QH is what is suitable for me. I enjoy riding snappy horses who are more on the hot side. I am REALLY ambitious and competitive, not super laid back. I jump around 3’3 which isn’t high but I would like to jump higher, I just need a horse capable of jumping higher than that. I used to show more but now since I dont have a lease or any opportunities to show I had to take a break. I really want to get back into consistently showing.

You bring up really good points! Thank you! I really appreciate it.

1 Like
#19

I appreciate everyone trying to give real advice here but from past incidences of juniors writing in here, they are less interested in hearing useful information and more interested in having their demands validated.

I don’t think the OP is really in a position to acquire a $50k horse, and if she trained at any level remotely close to this she would have trainers falling over themselves to sell her an expensive warmblood.

46 Likes
#20

Yes exactly!! I go to college in a little bit, I plan to take my horse with me but I want to show in my junior years because I won’t have money in college to spend on shows. It would take a long time to properly train a greenie which would be hard to wait!
thank you for the advice!

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