There’s a lot of assuming facts not in evidence here. For starters, posters are assuming bad or unhorsemanlike intent on the part of the trainer. And they’re assuming that additional work will be detrimental to the horse. Yes, COTH is full of threads about people being taken advantage of by trainers. But why assume this here with no other evidence? How do we know this isn’t in the best interest of the horse? Perhaps the horse has a low level stifle problem that benefits from low impact steady work, as is true of lots of older horses. Perhaps the trainer has a lesson student for the days the owner can’t ride.
Also, we don’t know what potential benefit was proposed to the owner without additional information. In similar situations, I have offered owners 1.) partial credit on board 2.) shoeing 3.) clipping or trimming 4.) additional lessons 5.) training rides on another horse 6.) hauling or 7.) nothing. Nothing was the correct trade when someone with a horse only suitable for advanced students said “Hey, I’m going to be on vacation. Can you have a couple of the better kids ride Trigger in lessons so he’s not a monster when I get back?” It all depended on the situation, the relative value to me and the relative value to the owner.
Excuse me but what sort of barn is this? Has she not invested in school horses? She uses boarder’s horses, which boarders keep tuned up?
Having boarder’s horses be occasionally used in lessons is pretty typical at good lesson barns; virtually all the ones I’ve with which I’ve been associated. It is usually a mutually beneficial relationship. A boarder’s horse is often an ideal half step up from a schoolie and a half step below a leased or purchased show horse, so an ideal way for advanced lesson students to get more horse experience. For boarders, it’s often a low cost or negative cost way to keep their horse in work and get professional eyes on it once in a while.
It’s clear from the responses in this thread that some posters have never been on the management, teaching and training side of horses and have never run a business.
All that said, if the OP felt that it was a demand to use her horse, not a request OR if she had the slightest suspicion someone might use the horse without permission OR if for whatever reason, she doesn’t trust this trainer’s judgement, I’d be the first person to say leave and don’t look back.
Despite the attention grabbing threads here on COTH, the vast majority of equine professionals are hard working people who are trying to do the best by the horses and their clients, all while paying the feed bill and keeping the lights on. No one goes into for the 401(k), the compensation or the career opportunities.
