I have had some awful luck with horse trainers in the past years. The 2 previous trainers did not do what was asked, I don’t think one guy did anything!! :mad:
But I still took our 4yo to a trainer that has had a couple people recommend him. He is a young man that does know what he is talking about, but how do I really know he has put a true 30 days on my horse?
My plan was to leave the horse with him for 3 months so he will have a good foundation. I went out to his place the other day to check on the horse and pay half of the next months fee. One of his helpers rode the horse around and my horse did quite well although still appeared a bit nervous,but the horse has been a bit of a nervous guy anyway.The arena they rode in was too cloddy for them to do much to show anything. So I didn’t ask to see a canter or anything.
The horse looked like he has built up some muscle in his chest and shoulders, but his butt is still kinda thin.
So how do you check on your horse to make sure he is actually getting trained? How often do you go out to check on your horse? He is not that far away, but I don’t want to be a pest and I do stay pretty busy with the horses and animals still at home so I don’t go out hardly at all. Am I just throwing my money away again? The horse at least was carrying a rider pretty well. 
ask them to video tape on iphone or such some rides and email it to you?
It probably would have been better to work this stuff out ahead of time, but it’s never too late.
I think most people want to stay in the loop and monitor their horses’ progress, and also to maintain their existing rapport throughout the training process. Nothing at all wrong with that, and I don’t think you should feel like a “pest” at all.
I’d refrain from interfering with the guy’s own schedule, of course, but I can’t imagine a reputable trainer resenting calls or visits within reason - and if he did I’d be very wary.
You are, after all, the one paying the bills!
On the other hand, I wouldn’t love the idea of a youngster constantly working in crappy footing. Is this typical of the place, or was there something unusual going on that day?
If it’s close enough I’d go at least every other week. If I expected to take lessons while the horse is on training, once a week visits.
What is the trainer’s program. Do they have a lot of working students or assistants? If so then I would contact them about coming out to watch trainer school horse either once a week or every other week while in training. If the trainer doesn’t have a lot of working students or assistants then I’d ask about coming out to watch a training session every other week. Asking for a video is also a good idea…
I say a lot of working students or assistants because a couple of friends sent their horses to different barns w/ working students /assistants and it seems that at one place the "schooling turned out to be trainer giving lesson on horse w/ inexperienced WS, and another popped over to another trainers only to see another person riding her horse. If you pay a trainer to ride/train your horse I want their experience in the tack - not for my horse to be a lesson horse for their WS program. Having said that, I had another friend who sent her horse to a training barn but was told right up front that an assistant trainer and the trainer would be working with her horse.
The last few times I have had anyone work with a horse, they stayed at the farm where I boarded. The trainer did 2 rides per week with me in attendance.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t love the idea of a youngster constantly working in crappy footing. Is this typical of the place, or was there something unusual going on that day?[/QUOTE]
I don’t think they work him much in the arena, they have been riding him out in the open country to teach him footing. He is going to be a trail horse, no big plans for him as we aren’t full time riders. He has helped gather cattle, watched the activity at a branding, and just moved out in the open. At least that is what I have been told. (I am a bit reluctant to believe what I am told anymore)
There are no students or anything like that. It is a private barn where he takes in one or two horses for training and otherwise runs the ranch. This weekend he is going out of town to compete in a couple of rodeo events. His nephew and cousin work with him daily and they help with the training.
I have been told I am welcome out at any time. So maybe I should just go out there much more often.
An owner who does not visit, doesn’t ask for updates/videos of horse being trained, or doesn’t ask questions is giving a message that they don’t really care, IMHO. Whether or not it is conscious, the trainer may be getting the message that a ‘good enough’ result is all that is expected if the owner doesn’t stay as involved as possible. It is also a wonderful opportunity to get some lessons on the horse so you know what buttons have been installed!
A professional trainer should be documenting. There should be a daily schedule of which horses were ridden, by who, for how long. There should be notes on ride length, what was worked on, what were the results. There should be specific goals, both larger goals communicated with you and also a goal for each ride (although each ride won’t accomplish every goal).
A trainer may not want to share his/her actual notes as those may be use terms and even personal frustrations that aren’t necessary, and could be confusing to the owner. But there should certainly be something they can share with you about what is going on, specifically, right now, with your horse.
There should be regular progress reports to the paying customer, that is, the owner.
If a trainer isn’t doing all these things, there is very little you can do to keep up with progress. If that is not ok with you then don’t go to a trainer who doesn’t provide specific updates and documentation. Use someone who is more professional in how they run their operation. Especially if you do not know the trainer and haven’t used them before.
You need to be much, much more a presence in the training. You don’t always have to comment or ask questions. But any trainer should be ready to give you a few minutes each time you come out. It is part of professional customer relations.
I agree it would have been better to work this out in advance. I personally know of a trainer that would take horses in and never work them, but collect the money. There was always an “excuse” for why the horses hadn’t made progress like they should…but we knew that the horses had actually only been “worked” only 1-2 times in a full month of training board…for several months. :no: I don’t think that was the original intent, but she was in over her head…she was capable of training, she just didn’t get it done.
So, yes, I’d be asking for a weekly report of how many rides, and what they worked on…and would probably visit every other week. And a trainer that wouldn’t provide this kind of feedback would be the former trainer.
[QUOTE=mtngrl812;8680792]
I don’t think they work him much in the arena, they have been riding him out in the open country to teach him footing. He is going to be a trail horse, no big plans for him as we aren’t full time riders. He has helped gather cattle, watched the activity at a branding, and just moved out in the open. At least that is what I have been told. (I am a bit reluctant to believe what I am told anymore)[/QUOTE]
Okay. I think I have a better sense of things now. Thanks.
I have been told I am welcome out at any time. So maybe I should just go out there much more often.
Absolutely!
:yes:
I can totally understand skepticism in a person who’s been ripped off before, but if these people really have invited you to drop in “any time”, and you’re not far away, then the ball’s in your court at this point.
[QUOTE=gottagrey;8679374]
What is the trainer’s program. Do they have a lot of working students or assistants? If so then I would contact them about coming out to watch trainer school horse either once a week or every other week while in training. If the trainer doesn’t have a lot of working students or assistants then I’d ask about coming out to watch a training session every other week. Asking for a video is also a good idea…
I say a lot of working students or assistants because a couple of friends sent their horses to different barns w/ working students /assistants and it seems that at one place the "schooling turned out to be trainer giving lesson on horse w/ inexperienced WS, and another popped over to another trainers only to see another person riding her horse. If you pay a trainer to ride/train your horse I want their experience in the tack - not for my horse to be a lesson horse for their WS program. Having said that, I had another friend who sent her horse to a training barn but was told right up front that an assistant trainer and the trainer would be working with her horse.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I knew a “trainer” who “trained” by using the horse in her lesson program. Her butt was never in the saddle.
You really need to be diligent when looking for a trainer. I like to watch them work with different horses on different days before making a commitment. Then I like to watch them work with my horse on a regular basis…once a week at a minimum.
The first time I sent a horse to my Amish trainer, I visited 2 weeks after I left the horse. He had a log of what the horse had done each day. (Checking trap lines, rounding up cattle. For what’s going to be an ASB show horse-LOL!) Even though he is close, every couple of weeks was sufficient. No phone, so sometimes I’d catch him to see the horse work, sometimes not. Now when I send one I can drop one off and pick it up a month or 2 later without even checking on him. The last one was there for two months- I checked on him once. When I picked him up there was nobody around so I just left a check. With my show horse, I usually show up once a week to either ride or watch the horse work.
Customers definitely need a written version of the trainer’s program that includes how much riding is normal and WHO does the riding. These are very good points that if you are paying for the pro to ride, having someone else ride is not necessarily the same quality for the horse’s development.
There are programs that have assistants and WS who are as good or even better than the trainer. They just don’t have the trainer’s stature in the horse community, or perhaps the career goals, to train on their own. In those cases rides by assistants and WS may be a benefit.
But I would never assume that is the case. It is important to understand how the program works to know what you are getting.
If the man said to drop by anytime, DO it.
Cell phones have videos now. Request a short cell video from the back of the horse once a week, if it’s safe. Or some one can do a thirty second video of him on the horse…if he’s a solo operation, that may not happen . You can ask for this nicely without being accusational, more like a “it would make me so happy…”
Most trainers I know do not keep a daily diary of horse’s progress. Trainers at large barns who ride ten or more horses a day are typically not in that mode. I do think a weekly update would be reasonable. A short overview of the activities of the week. If the trainer is an Internet sort of guy.
Bet really, if he said stop by anytime, I don’t understand why you haven’t already done that more!
When my horse was in training for a month or two and worked 5 days a week the trainer said I want you here every day or at least as much as you can come out. No point in him doing all the work and handing the horse over when he was finished. He wanted me to be part of the process.
You said you live close, go visit lots!
[QUOTE=Kiwi19;8681201]
When my horse was in training for a month or two and worked 5 days a week the trainer said I want you here every day or at least as much as you can come out. No point in him doing all the work and handing the horse over when he was finished. He wanted me to be part of the process.
You said you live close, go visit lots![/QUOTE]
But heck, if I had that kinda time to spend, I’d train the critter myself! The point is to pay the trainer to do the hard work and you get to bring home a horse at the level of training you want to work with.
[QUOTE=Kiwi19;8681201]
When my horse was in training for a month or two and worked 5 days a week the trainer said I want you here every day or at least as much as you can come out. No point in him doing all the work and handing the horse over when he was finished. He wanted me to be part of the process.
You said you live close, go visit lots![/QUOTE]
That is my attitude entirely.
the rider needs to know how to ride the horse that is being trained for them. They must show up at least weekly or the horse is not accepted for training.
After my own experiences, and hearing horror stories from friends and online, I would not leave a horse in training anywhere, with anybody, unless I could be there almost daily. I have seen horses ridden by working students, with the trainer giving the student a lesson as training, I have seen horses ridden in draw reins by inexperienced riders, as training. I have seen older horses lunged as ‘training’. And have seen horses just not ridden at all hardly. In horse training, as in everything, it is buyer beware.
And to be fair, know there are many trainers who do ride/train as they advertise. But up to owner to be sure they are getting what they pay for…
