spinoff....is your horse groomed and tacked for you?

[Mango20]

I have never had a horse groomed and tacked up for me in 40+ years of riding. I started at a farm that taught grooming and tacking and expected you to do it as soon as possible. I’m sure I had lots of help when I started at 6 years old, but I know for sure I was easily doing it all myself by 10 because I rode a horse that would lift his head too high for me, so I had to go through an elaborate ritual of tying him short, climbing up on the door, putting the bridle on over the halter, then undoing the cheek pieces one at a time to get the halter off from under the bridle.

I did work at a high end dressage barn where most horses were investments in full training with only the trainer. There were a few owners who came to ride, and we were expected to have their horse groomed, tacked and waiting for their lesson. We also tacked up for the trainer, since she rode one right after another. However, there were two local older ladies who didn’t want that, and would spend quite a lot of time grooming and tacking up before riding, because I think they just liked to spend the time with their horses.

[JLR1]

I’m definitely a hands-on owner and can’t imagine not grooming and tacking up my horse. I actually love doing it and would feel part of the horse ownership experience would be missing if it was done for me. I can understand though that people with limited time may really need a groom.

[Arelle]

Mine is tacked up and ready to go when I arrive, though I haven’t been online all weekend so not sure what this is a spinoff of. :lol:

It’s not that I am incapable - I have seven horses at my house that I groom and tack up by myself during the week. I drive three hours to my show barn every other weekend… usually by the time I arrive, all of my trainers local clients are already riding and I’m grabbing my horse from his stall and running to the arena.

I usually spend the night and then tack him up myself on Sunday.

Or, like yesterday, I arrived while my trainer was working a naughty three year old – I gave her a chain for the lunge line he was trying to run away with, pulled a couple horses in from their turn out, lunged my horse, and by the time I was ready to go she was done with the three year old and we got started.

It’s all about team work.

[Ladylexie]

My trainer (grooms) do all the tacking because they like to make the final check on tack placement. They are responsible for his well being and complete training routine at home at shows or during shipping to a show.

[cutter99]

@Ladylexie

My trainer (grooms) do all the tacking because they like to make the final check on tack placement. They are responsible for his well being and complete training routine at home at shows or during shipping to a show.

I have ridden with some highly respected trainers over the years, but sorry, in the end the owner is responsible for the horse’s well being. At least in MY world and at least for MY horses!

[NoSuchPerson]

Not since I was a teen in the early-mid 70’s.

However, back then, the Saturday morning lesson mill was a lot more common, where there would be 4 or 5 hour-long lessons scheduled back to back. School horses were left tacked up in crossties for students to claim when they arrived for their lesson and horses worked multiple lessons during the morning.

[Ladylexie]

@cutter99

I have ridden with some highly respected trainers over the years, but sorry, in the end the owner is responsible for the horse’s well being. At least in MY world and at least for MY horses!

As an owner I trust my trainer and thankfully I don’t need to micro manage. if I have a concern I will address it but since I’m only at the barn once or twice a week I need to have utmost trust on my choice of trainer .

[JenEM]

As a kid, lesson horses were often already tacked up, until it was known that we were able to do that one our own. So usually the walk-trot lessoners were tacked up already, much beyond early beginner lessons were expected to do for themselves. I’ve only boarded in one place that offered the service, and mine was tacked up a few times for me while on full training. It felt very odd to me, as I like doing that myself. I understand how it would be helpful for someone on a tight schedule, and a necessity for a trainer with multiple horses to ride.

Doing for myself does make me appreciate it more when I have helping hands at a show

[Ladylexie]

@JenEM

As a kid, lesson horses were often already tacked up, until it was known that we were able to do that one our own. So usually the walk-trot lessoners were tacked up already, much beyond early beginner lessons were expected to do for themselves. I’ve only boarded in one place that offered the service, and mine was tacked up a few times for me while on full training. It felt very odd to me, as I like doing that myself. I understand how it would be helpful for someone on a tight schedule, and a necessity for a trainer with multiple horses to ride.

Doing for myself does make me appreciate it more when I have helping hands at a show

So true!

[Denali6298]

@cutter99

I have ridden with some highly respected trainers over the years, but sorry, in the end the owner is responsible for the horse’s well being. At least in MY world and at least for MY horses!

I think this is a discipline thing. It’s like one barn I briefly boarded at told me I couldn’t go to shows on my own.

[PinkMoscato]

ALOT of girls at my barn have grooms or the trainer they ride with has a groom which will groom/tack up your ride before you need to hop on. Then they take them again the moment you hop off, rinse them and turn them out before going back to the stall. Then again I do live in Southern California where things can be a little prestigious depending on where you board.

I on the the other hand do not have a groom and I do everything myself (other than the occasional mom who helps me groom)

[atr]

If trainer does a training ride because I’m not around, her groom grooms, tacks and then cleans my tack afterwards, which is a bit of a luxury as she does an incredibly thorough job of it!.

Otherwise, no. I do it all myself. But there are days when I’ve got a lesson and I’m running late from work when I wish I could avail myself of the service, though.

[Mango20]

This time of year, with all the mud and shedding, I would happily give up the grooming job to someone else! I think I’d still want to tack up, though. Alas, this is not an option in my backyard barn.

[GoodTimes]

As a beginner I was supervised or would have an adult lift a saddle above my head, or to bridle a less than willing pony.
During my later junior years my coach used me as a mini pro on his young hunters. I always groomed and tacked my own horse, then my mom would put him away while my coaches girlfriend would tack and untack several sale horses for me to ride. On the weekends I did it all myself.
As a young adult I worked as a groom and BM. Usually it was only the trainer, and a couple working ammies who had us get horses ready.

Now I just ride my own and I do everything myself. Not many people care about someone else’s horse and equipment as much as you care about your own.

[toady123]

I’ve always tacked up myself except when I lived overseas where a groom doing it was standard and expected. I do enjoy doing it when I have time, but I have to say it was a nice when I was rushing late on a weekday night to just be able to get on and enjoy. I’d usually untack and groom myself just to hang out. I wished I could afford that luxury here!!

[ASB_Stars]

It is an ASB show barn thing. As someone who grew up this way, I will say that is can be lovely. However, we also told the trainer that we liked taking care of our horses ourselves, when we were there, and we did.

The trainer can check the equipment prior to you getting on- no reason to get crazy with that. I also “jogged” one of my horses quite a bit, and therefore put his harness on- a great learning experience.

In retrospect, I realize how much control all of this gave the trainer, and how dependent it makes the owners on them. It also takes the happy out of owning a horse, for me. I have no interest in showing up long enough to feed them a few peppermints, get on and off, and fraternize with the other clients. The experience, for me, was always about the relationship with the horses.

Some years back, a trainer I have known all of my life would ask me to drop by their show barn, and I would step up on a couple, while I was there. Those horses weren’t mine, and I didn’t get them ready, or put them up. And it still felt weird.

[Ladylexie]

@ASB Stars

It is an ASB show barn thing. As someone who grew up this way, I will say that is can be lovely. However, we also told the trainer that we liked taking care of our horses ourselves, when we were there, and we did.

The trainer can check the equipment prior to you getting on- no reason to get crazy with that. I also “jogged” one of my horses quite a bit, and therefore put his harness on- a great learning experience.

In retrospect, I realize how much control all of this gave the trainer, and how dependent it makes the owners on them. It also takes the happy out of owning a horse, for me. I have no interest in showing up long enough to feed them a few peppermints, get on and off, and fraternize with the other clients. The experience, for me, was always about the relationship with the horses.

Some years back, a trainer I have known all of my life would ask me to drop by their show barn, and I would step up on a couple, while I was there. Those horses weren’t mine, and I didn’t get them ready, or put them up. And it still felt weird.

True…I’m one of the few owners that takes there horses out for grass after a lesson when the weather permits. I was at a barn once where some of the customers had absolutely no clue how to tack up there own horses or even put a halter on there horse.

[Training_Cupid]

My chauffeur coordinates with my groom so we pull up right as my immaculate horse is led into the arena, and then chef has a healthy snack ready for me when I get home.
Nope, just me.

[furlong47]

Have always done it all myself, with the rare exception sometimes when I travel and take a ride somewhere with a trail string. Even with those, I have found a few of the places that do individual/small group/advanced rides (don’t stick you in with a huge group of strangers at a walk) sometimes were willing to let me groom and tack. It feels very strange to me to just roll up and get on the horse, especially if I’m standing there uselessly watching someone else’s staff do the work :lol:

My initial riding experience was at summer camp and in a privately owned barn where I worked to ride for a long time. I was many, many years in the horse world before I even learned that such a thing existed as a barn where someone else grooms and tacks for you and a trainer micromanages your horse’s care.

[Peggy]

Do grooming, tacking, untacking, hosing/cleaning up myself, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Grooms will put my horse away if I have to leave before he dries after being hosed off, but that’s an option I rarely exercise. If I ride a horse that belongs to someone else and that horse has full groom service, yes I take advantage of it.