Curious, what does needs to be in a program mean to most?
Does better with a regular schedule and routine. Does better with professional rides in between owner rides.
10 Likes
Is a pain in the a** if not kept in a strict work/prep schedule.
Just kidding…sort of.
21 Likes
Cannot be “forgotten” for days or weeks or months at a time and then walk out of his/her stall and be perfect. Performs better and is happier when their energy is directed in a positive way, oftentimes with trainer rides here and there if the owner does not have the necessary skills yet.
5 Likes
Could be a few things:
Needs consistent work - not the type that can sit for a few days and come out quiet and compliant for a kid
Needs pro rides - will take advantage of a kid/ammy if regular tune-ups aren’t provided
Not super easy/straightforward - regular lessons required to get the best out of the horse
Horses do better in work. If you don’t have the time and money for a horse. Get lessons instead. … or a push bike.
3 Likes
A horse that needs to be ridden regularly, and ridden regularly by someone who can actually train a horse–in other words, improve and correct the horse over the course of the ride–versus simply exercise the horse. Or at minimum, be ridden by a less experienced rider under the supervision of a trainer during a lesson.
At least for me, that’s a distinction between a horse who “needs to be in a program” versus a horse who just “needs to be kept in work.”
6 Likes
Needs a pro ride
5 Likes
This.
aka not the horse for me
2 Likes
This is a term usually added on to a description of a junior or ammie horse especially a younger one. It suggests the buyer should have a trainer on hand to problem solve as needed whether thats lessons or pro training rides.
It’s a way for a junior or ammie to get a hotter more competitive horse without getting into a load of trouble. Obviously there are ammies out there that can ride and train well enough to *be" the program but I don’t think this is aimed at them.
2 Likes
- Needs to be in consistent work
- Either needs a hyper competent amateur rider or an amateur with consistent professional guidance + professional training regularly (not a “trailer in 1x a month to lesson” horse - not even a “trailer in 1x/week” horse.)
This description I think tends to come up on “Young horse with basics who is a reasonable soul but needs consistent work and professional guidance”. An amateur could buy this horse and ride this horse, but an amateur shouldn’t be the one responsible for training the horse. A pro is scheduled to ride it once or twice a week, the horse is ridden 5/6 days a week, does not just sit. Probably reasonably high energy. It also can be a “horse is whatever age/training, probably reasonably-to-pretty fancy, but is not necessarily super forgiving of mistakes”. This horse can be ridden by an amateur with constant supervision who can redirect things when it’s going south. The professional may not so much need to “train” this horse as they are there to help keep the horse from going sour with a rider who is not necessarily up to the horse’s standards.
5 Likes
A horse that needs competent and experienced (pro-level, if not actual pro) rides and/or supervised lessons for owner 5-6 days per week in order to remain safe, well-behaved, and/or competitive. As others have mentioned, doesn’t remain so with multiple days off.
Reasons vary. Many young horses do best in one as a matter of getting a good foundation. Older or more experienced horses may need one because they’re hot, sensitive, quirky, or misbehaved in some way that needs management or correction - sullen and backwards, honest but forward, spooky stopper, dirty trickster, etc.
1 Like
It means the horse needs a full time professional care and training program - daily grooming attention, more complicated or involved feeding/medication routines, and a 5-6 day work schedule where a few of those rides come from a pro.
Possibly it is also more difficult to handle on the ground.
There are plenty of horses who do just fine on 2 or 3 rides a week as long as someone is feeding them a simple ration (ie, 2 scoops of one thing plus free choice hay) , cleaning their house, and turning them out. Rider can come out, knock the dirt off, have a nice ride, and know the horse will be fine the next few days getting his turnout and meals.
If you want to board outside a program and your new horse requires 1 scoop senior, one scoop pellets, 4 different Am supplements, medications, to be brought in for soaked denji lunch, dinner with the other 10 of the supplements, also a tube of gastroguard a day and two flakes of alfalfa at night check, must have full fly gear and boots for turnout, is clipped and must have an ever changing number of layers of blankets, wraps at night, ice boots after work, likes a walk on the treadmill instead of the paddock if the flies are bad, and is a little trickier to handle on the ground than a semi retired older lady who helps out at the local barn could bring out to the paddock, then you are going to need to hire your own staff to get all that done, or board somewhere who already has the staff, like …a program.
4 Likes
This is my interpretation. Most likely if I saw this in an ad, I would not consider the horse for my teen, because I would worry it could go off the rails if not kept in a strict, fairly intense full training program.
A horse of any age or experience level that requires professional management of its care and training to maintain rideability, sanity, and/or soundness.
3 Likes
It can refer to a wide range of types of horses. There are plenty of fantastic performance horses out there that aren’t able to maintain that level of performance without some level of consistency and maintenance via pro rides / pro supervision / skilled amateur rides. There also are great amateur horses out there that simply need a little bit of experienced management to make sure that they stay on track. And sometimes, that statement can be obliquely referring to a horse that is really difficult or high strung.
I would not avoid ads with this statement because sometimes it is used to weed out “backyard buyers” by stating an obvious disclaimer: if you buy this fabulous show horse and subject him or her to a bunch of ammie rides and an inconsistent schedule, you obviously are not going to get optimal results.
I think the best thing to do when faced with this statement is to ask the seller for details. A program can mean a lot of different things. Tell the seller what your program is and ask it it would be compatible for that particular horse or if you would need to expect to make other arrangements.
7 Likes
When I first read the OP’s question, I thought it was in reference to boarding – like you need to be in a program to be in the barn, in which case I’d take it to mean regular lessons or a training program. But if in regards to a horse in a sale ad, I am with those saying regular work and professional oversight.
To me needs to be in a program, means the rider has to have a plan, and stick to it. An organized program of work. not necessarily with an instructor, or educated rider, unless that is what the owner/rider needs as well.
In was surprising to me to realize how few riders know how to organize a ride or a training period to assure progression.
I’ve observed that it is only after a achieving a certain level of proficiency, sometimes more than once, that the rider realizes how to get there again, and again.
3 Likes
Very true.
Also ammies left alone will get nervous or even just lazy about working the horse correctly. I know adult dressage riders who just potter outside of lessons. Also ammies whose horse starts to get bottled up by lack of exercise and then they get nervous to ride or even handwalk down to turnout. Problems build up that would be solved by having a trainer on hand to get them back on track. I’ve certainly seen people end up selling their horse because they can’t stay safe at our self board barn.
The number of ammies here that can stick to a self directed training program with say a monthly or even weekly lesson is not high. I have some ability now but created alot of problems for myself in my first year. I should have insisted on more oversight from my trainer back then.
1 Like
^^^I think this is the best response you’ve received.
“Needs to be in a program” clearly means a pro should be directing the program. The horse is not the best fit for DIY or backyard types.
If it is a lease horse, this is gentle way of saying “If you aren’t working with a pro, you need not inquire, because the horse will only be leased out to an approved pro/program.”
4 Likes
