I did use sport boots to haul a two year old filly I had for a short while because she would step on herself. They worked well for the purpose and were far easier and quicker to put on and pull off. Whatever means you can think of to speed up your process and keep things as efficient as possible is key. I have hauled out to lesson most of my adult riding career interspersed with having someone come to me. The skills and manners horses learn with hauling out to lessons makes the stress of clinics and shows easier imo. My horses are often complimented on their trailer manners and show ground manners - all gained with mileage.
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When I’m hauling to a lesson, if I plan to ride in the lesson in some kind of leg boots, that’s what I haul them in.
I work full time and I think I’m the only person in Aiken who doesn’t have a flexible, WFH, non-horsey job (or at least it feels like that!) so finding a trainer can be challenging. Thankfully I’ve got one that is willing to come to my boarding barn in the evenings in the winter. Hopefully she’ll be able to come super early in the summer too. I found her through another trainer that I had worked with but because of where I was boarding, I was really just a bit out of her travel radius.
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Same here!
Asked for recommendations on COTH and got a few. Tried one out that really didn’t work, but got lucky that my trainer had an opening shortly after that.
My riding has improved immensely and I’ve been with her for almost a decade. She’ll come to you if you don’t board there and she has ship-ins. I think being flexible is helpful for students who all have their own crazy schedules.
I think I definitely I need to add ‘likes my horse’ to my list of trainer qualifications. I’m a short adult on a tall pony, and he’s a sweetheart, but we don’t always fit the mold of some barns. But honestly all I really want from a trainer is someone to holler at me when I’m inexplicably looking at the ground, or creeping into a chair seat, or doing any of the other bad habit things I pick up when I go without lessons for awhile.
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Do you have a place to ride at home? My friend had two mirrors put up in her arena and they were wonderful. I got to board at her barn so between the mirrors and one monthly clinic we both progressed, slowly, but it still was progress.
Unfortunately I don’t have anyplace to put mirrors at home. I usually ride in flat, open hay field type area. I do Pivo myself off and on, and it’s eye opening lol. But it’s hard without real time feedback…hehe maybe I could make my millions programming AI to recognize bad riding on video and spout pre-recorded corrections. German riding school teacher accent optional.
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Hey you laugh but that’s actually a great idea 
(the spouting of pre-recorded corrections). Sometimes I just needed a voice to say “lower the right hand” “don’t drop your chin” “remember to breathe!” etc 
Oh, this is me too! We’re actually just on the GA side, but I’ve been boarding in Aiken for years and totally agree it seems everything is set up for the full time equestrian crowd rather than those of us that work full time. I have been able to find a dressage trainer to take lessons with on Saturdays (through word of mouth), and continue to haul to clinics and lessons with my eventing trainer on weekends as well (met her also via word of mouth during grad school, and continue to haul to her because I and my horses like her so much). I’d love to find someone to come to our farm, but it’s even harder on the GA side - too many places for them to hit in Aiken without the extra drive 
At least it’s good practice for the baby horse to haul out to lessons.
RideIQ has at least one lesson like this, literally just repeated reminders lol
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I can see myself now, riding in circles thinking ‘how did it know’ 
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I swear my first year of learning huntseat was “arch your back” and “keep weight in your left heel”. I still have a terrible problem of roaching.
Do you have cell or Wi-Fi service? If you already use pivo lots of trainers will give lessons over it. They can control it so if it loses you you can help riding and they can fix the direction remotely.
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No cell service or Wifi at my home ‘riding area’ unfortunately, as it’s just a mown field and kind of far away from the house There is Wifi at the club arena I haul into regularly, but it’s open riding for all members so I never know if I’ll be there alone or have company. The Pivo seems to lose me when there’s more than one horse in the ring.
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I think if the instructor is using Guest Control, they can control it and follow you with relative ease. I know during my virtual lesson a sunbeam through the indoor confused my pivo for a minute and Lauren was easily able to correct it and follow me again.
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It’s pretty easy to shoot wifi hundreds of feet from your house - I do this myself as there is no service. I think there are a couple of threads on here about it. And yes, to second lunabear, the instructor can control it easily. People do this at warmups at very large shows, where pivo definitely gets lost!
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I didn’t know this about the Pivo, thank you!
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