@Greysallday have you spoken to the trainer yet? Super curious about what their response is. I’ve never heard of something like this and I’m at a barn where we’re encouraged to ride as much as our schedules allow, alone or with friends!
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And perhaps OP would be happier in a barn like yours.
Have been in all kinds of barns, seen every kind of management, policies and procedures or lack thereof.
Regardless a chat with the BO/Trainer/BM is the best way to proceed. Try not to assume things are as they appear or what you think they are. ASK about it. And review your written contract.
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Agreed, I think this is pretty common in hunter/jumper barns. Most of our horses jump about a division height lower at home than at the show, save a few bigger jumps mixed in every once in a while. A typical schedule for a C/A hunter in our barn is two hacks/week with owner, two lessons containing jumping (1 usually with a specific focus and not coursework), the other a course, and a training ride which could include some jumps (5-6). The jump heights in the lessons would be 2’6 and under in the first lesson and about 2’9 max in the second, with most jumps at 2’6. At the same time, I looked at another barn a few years ago that is really focused on show results and they told me that typically a client rode her horse ONCE per week, and that any other riding is done on a school horse (if available) so that they could keep the show horses in top form. I thought this was insane. I am not sure how anyone could keep in riding shape this way!
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Wait…wut??? Owner rides his/her horse once per week, and the rest of the rides are professional? And that was their typical clientele? I have never heard of such a thing! Wonder if this is the type of super high end show farm where the clients don’t even live in the area?
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That is a good point about the high-end show farm where clients don’t live around the farm/can’t ride often. It certainly was high-end. I do think a lot of times the horses were not at the farm, because they were constantly showing, and so perhaps it seemed normal that owners would either 1) only ride their horse at horse shows (and otherwise not at all), or 2) when the horse was actually at home, they would only ride it once a week since they were used to not riding it much? Not sure, but wow!
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Yes, this is common in very high end programs. Often these riders/clients will have a “practice horse” that never shows that they lesson on and ride at home and ride the show horse sparingly. Trainer rides show horse. Keeps the show horse soundest and most turned up. I know, insane, but yes, it does exist.
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Anyways, OP, yes I used to board at a VERY strict program. You had to communicate every ride time outside of lessons - when you wanted to hack and for how long and in which ring (indoor or outdoor, we also had a grass hacking field too but I was nervous out there due to holes). Communication is key. Ask the BO/trainer simply how she wishes to get your schedule (weekly? Text the day before?) so you can give right of way to lessons if need be. Sometimes I had to come earlier or later than planned to accommodate a busy ring but communication will make it work!
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In certain sectors of the horse world, this is indeed the norm. And yes, it tends to be the really expensive training barns.
I am most familiar with the Morgan breed show world, where it happens that the owner jets in from someplace far away for a show, while the trainer brings their horse from someplace else far away. The owner just doesn’t spend much time with their horse at all. In some cases the owner is taking lessons at a different training barn in their area. And sometimes very wealthy owners live in big cities, while training barns tend to be in more rural areas.
It’s not a “lifestyle” I’d ever want, just as I’d never want to board at a barn that did not allow riding outside of lessons, or riding alone. Even when I had my mare in full training, one ride per week was not a lesson or training ride, just a chance for me to do something different with her, like ride her down the road. My last barn before I retired my mare had fabulous trails access, but 90% or more of the time, if I wanted to take advantage of that, I’d be going on my own. I used a GPS tracker that let DH know when I was heading out, and tracked my exact location. It’s not a fabulous solution, but it worked well enough… My mare was a great trail horse, within limits like… no cows. No goats. No pigs. And sheep were really dicey.
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I’m in a Facebook group that has riders from a very wide range of income spheres, and I remember one poster casually dropping the comment she never rode her horse outside of shows, “because why would I want to mess up what my trainer accomplished.”
Before people jump on me for “judging,” it’s not a question of that, it’s just that the reason I love horses and riding is, well, riding. As long as I’m not so craptastic I’m stressing out the horse or actively untraining the horse so the wheels fall off the bus, I’d rather be in the saddle, riding at a low level or not showing at all, than have that kind of relationship with my horse and trainer. But that’s why I’ve never dreamed of that setup.
I’m not adverse to ride times, though, given I’ve been at barns which have been so crowded in the areas where lessons aren’t going on in small indoors, it’s impossible to enjoy riding.
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Seems to me those places with the owners ride their own horse on a certain schedule and lesson on school horses other times might be a good way of generating a nice income stream for the trainer, which depending on the situation I’d be perfectly ok with or um no doesn’t work for me. I can see where you have an owner with a green horses so it makes perfectly good sense to lesson on more of a schoolmaster to keep that part of riding consistent. I wouldn’t be okay with it if I felt that I was not in control of my horse and/or that I was been looked at with $ signs.
Wow, well, I am not sure if I am judging, but I am at least astonished. If I am not feeling solid on my own at home without minimal necessary help, I’m not showing. AND, I need to ride consistently (4-6 days per week, ideally as much as possible, and ideally on more than just my horse) in order to feel fit and mentally confident enough to get around a course confidently and have fun. If I take a week off, I feel a bit behind the 8 ball.
I do appreciate pro ride “tune ups”, or pro rides when one cannot make it out to the barn… but as an athlete, I pride myself on being able to ride my own horse on my own merits. If I was merely showing up to ride a push button at shows that I was scared of “screwing up”, that would take the joy out of it for me. If I had a horse that needed that much prep, I would suspect it wasn’t the horse for me. I love riding, of course, but I also love the progress that I can own. It’s the journey, not the destination.
While us ammies are all probably scared of messing up our horses (myself included), unless things were going sideways in a major way, I would want to be the primary rider for my horse. And if things were going sideways, I would probably be looking for a better fit instead of relying on someone else to prep my horse to that extreme.
To each their own, but I see riding as a relationship between human and horse. And I see our partnership as a big part of my “success” as a rider. If I’m not part of that equation, why am I even doing this?
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On the flipside, I’m the opposite—I’m a big chicken on my horse at home and don’t usually jump him above 2’9" or so. Then at shows, have no problem turning and burning to win a jumper classic out of 30 horses. 
I can’t explain it, just how my brain works. So while you said you weren’t judging, just a reminder not to generalize that what works for you must work for everyone else. Now, I have multiple horses and get loads of saddle time, but I have zero problems with a well-kept amateur horse being appreciated by its owner primarily at shows, if that’s the goal.
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As i said, not judging. Just astonished. If that works for you and others, that’s great… but I am allowed to be astonished, right?
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Also, please tell me your secret for horse show mental skills! I used to be able to turn my nerves into steel, but don’t know I can anymore.
ETA: you do have multiple horses and loads of saddle time, and for me, that has made the difference. I don’t have multiple horses, but I do have the good fortune to ride others’ horses. And that has made me better O/F. And generally.
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I share a barn with a jumper program that operates as a satellite location for a trainer whose main facility is a few hours away. A rider/assistant keeps all the horses in work, the head trainer drives down on the same two days every week and clients ride with him on those mornings.
I’m still impressed that they got everyone on such a specific schedule but it’s a great setup for me - I know exactly when the barn will be busy, and the other 80% of the time it’s more or less me and their rider with the place to ourselves.
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Done it both ways and made it work but if you are concentrating on showing on a highly competitive level and career/family with young kids/ driving distance restrict your barn days to two or three a week max? You need the more managed type barn and pro rides
Also, consider the average Ammy perfect packer is likely early teens and does not need to seriously practice as much as Ammy needs to seriously practice so availability of suitable practice mounts is important. Found this true in any discipline.
Pick a barn centered on what you need for what you do with your horse. Don’t pick one centered on the opposite end of the spectrum and expect them to change their established policies and procedures.
There are barns all across that spectrum if you look carefully and are honest with them about your needs and expectations.
This thread seems to be swaying from one extreme to the other, there is middle ground between high powered show barns and more pleasure/ hobby oriented outfits. There will always be compromises but theres a limit in what to expect them to do to accommodate differing needs.
We all have a tendency to apply what we think and do to what everybody else thinks and does without considering our needs and experiences may be vastly different then theirs. Nobody is right or wrong, just different. Theres lots of space between serious show horses and strictly pleasure horses and room for everybody. Just not in the same barn.
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I used to trailer out all the time going for a solo trail ride. Just me, my dog, and my horse. Some of my favorite memories are of hitting the trails alone. The horses I have now are not big on trail riding either alone or in a group so we’ve curtailed that activity for now.
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I’ve been at several different barns and there is a wide variety of programs out there- you sometimes need to work a bit to find the one that suits you. One barn I was at had a core group of boarders, mostly juniors, who never rode outside of lessons. They were all doing the local hunters/equitation but none were particularly dedicated- most of their lessons consisted of chatting and a bit of flat and jump stuff. It seemed to work for all of them, but it was a little weird. But many H/J programs that have higher-level, year-round competition schedules are very highly regimented, where owners ride only under supervision, there are lots of pro rides, etc.
I’ve been boarding with an eventing trainer for the past 7-8 years or so, and while lessons always have priority in terms of other riders stay out of their way, they get the rail, etc., there aren’t any big limitations on when you can ride your horse (during normal business hours, which is like 8-8 or whatever). This works for me- at this point, with two horses to ride and a flexible but very full work schedule, I need to be able to get my boys ridden 5-6 days a week.
I also ride by myself most of the time. The BOs live on site, so there is always at least someone around, but they are not horsey people, There are plenty of days when I show up right when the morning staff is done with everything and I have to ride both horses by myself. I will hack them out alone, too, but try to not be stupid about it. My young one is a spookmeister and I don’t need to be whipped off his back in the middle of the woods by myself!
I think what we learn in all these responses is that every program/barn functions differently and you have to ask the questions and communicate with the owner/trainer. Especially when in the search for a barn/prior to moving in.
There is probably a decent or even “good” fit for your needs out there. Not every place is going to accommodate and a person just has to be realistic about that.
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Did the OP ever come back with an update?
