I see the term used frequently on here, and I’ve been around the board for a while but still don’t have a clear understanding of how one is defined as such. Is it personal career accomplishments? Show records of students currently coached? Who brings along the nicest prospects?
Obviously it could be a combination of all, but I’m wondering what your personal parameters are for BNT.
Big Name Trainer to me suggests name recognition outside of the immediate town trainer is in, at least to people in the discipline. Perhaps someone that does clinics or travels.
It is not to me an endorsement, it doesn’t mean excellent horseman or trainer I would recommend or any evaluation of this trainer over other comparable ones.
It is also a very loose term because obviously anyone can say well, I never heard of so-and-so. It may be a term that is often used generally but is less precise in application to individuals.
I am sure there is lots of room for debate over a lot of regional names if you wanted to debate whether a BNT has name recognition internationally or nationally or regionally, and whether my not knowing someones name is a sign that they are indeed obscure, or a sign that I am ignorant 
It isn’t really meant to be precise. It’s kind of tongue in cheek too.
Nationally known in their discipline.
Do you know who they are? Does everyone else know who they are? Do people talk about them (you see there name and photos constantly)? Do people line up for their clinics? Those are good indicators. The term BNT to me doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best (although many are obviously great)… it is more a term relating to how well known someone is.
The short version: people who have achieved Cher status. One name is enough.
Missy, Stacia, Andre, Leslie, Beezie, Margie, McLain… lots of horse show people will know who you mean.
Agree w/ MHM as well - someone says Andre or Stacia, I am guessing most who are familiar with BigEq would know precisely who they are. Similar with Margie, McLain, etc with the showjumping crowd. I also think “BNT” connotates not just name recognition but program recognition and the reputation of turning out winners.
In my mind, some of those are big name riders, but not BNT. I guess that depends on how trainer is defined, turning out great students, or bringing young horses along?
A rider in a different discipline would know the name. A rider on the other coast in your discipline could describe the trainer’s accomplishments.
You don’t think those individuals are training top horses and/or top riders? You bet they are or you wouldn’t know their names.
Laura Chapot
Max Amaya
Jessica Springsteen
Are all of them BNT? They all have recognizable names.
Laura & Max, yes. Do you not agree? Curious what your thought is behind why they would not be considered BNT.
Jessica - I believe she mainly has her (many) personal horses to train and compete and does not train/produce horses for others or have students that ride with her or do any clinics. That would not be considered a trainer (imo). That would be my same reasoning behind Georgina not being a BNT - but they are both very impressive and well known riders.
She’s drawing a distinction between defining the “T” as “person who trains other successful riders” and “person who is successful themselves as a rider.” Some of the people mentioned are much more known for their own accomplishments as a rider (Beezie) than for their ability to turn out other riders (Stacia). I use the terms BNT to refer to both but I suppose some people don’t mean “famous riders” but really “famous coaches” when they use the term BNT.
That seems like splitting hairs on the semantics to me. Beezie and Margie and McLain and their peers are certainly “training” the horses they ride, in addition to training customers. But potato/po-tah-to, I guess.
I forgot one I should have included in the one name Cher comparison. Liza with a Z! :lol:
This.
It’s just one of those things that has rolled around my head at 2am when I can’t sleep (see time this thread was started) 
It’s certainly not meant to a serious intense, conversation just meant to be lighthearted.
Seems the most common misuse of the term is not T or R but the BN part…because they aren’t B at all. How often does somebody come up with a name nobody has heard before or, as in a recent thread, mention the BN was conveniently better known someplace outside this country and the usual competition circles. That’s not a BNT or R.Now, they might be quite good, or not, but they aren’t a nationally known trainer/rider or an International superstar.
I find the interchangeable term of instructor and trainer to be weird. When I first started riding I used to always think instructor = rider and trainer = horse… but now I just tend to say trainer for everything. Tangent on 2am thoughts…
I’ve always thought of BNTs as being people-trainers or people-and-horse-trainers, not just horse-trainers.
And definitely to what someone else said above… does not mean they are the best in the business! But that they have a lot of clients and a reputation (whether it be good or bad).
I got the light heartedness of it, AliCat. Interesting to see what other people think!
Oh this too!
I ride with an “instructor” at a farm owned by someone else, so who’s name goes on an entry form at a horse show my “trainer”? Can your “trainer” be someone who you have never so much as taken a lesson with?
There was a thread about this not too long ago, I think - “trainer” vs. “coach” on entry blanks. Trainer is i think everyone’s go-to for who is teaching you and training your horse, but IIRC, that is technically a ‘coach’ and ‘trainer’ is the person responsible for the horse’s care and point person for horse at the show.
Ah, the tangled web we weave.
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