Get the most out of your training $$$

I'm going to step outside the showmanship arena for this post and speak a little bit of how you can stretch your training $$$. This is the time of year where we see a FLOOD of horses come through our doors, some come for a 30 day refresher course, some come for a specific problem, some come for basic break out and some come for the whole package.

1st TALK with your trainer about YOUR expectations, if you expect a "never been saddled" 2 y.o. to be safe for your 9 y.o. child to show in 90 days you may have to readjust your expectations.

2nd WHY is your horse there? Are you having a specific problem? Nothing is more frustrating to a trainer than finding out after the fact that when you ask Trigger to lope off, Trigger has a bucking fit "each and every" time. Anytime your horse does something dangerous to another human being is a "need to know" thing for your trainer when you drop the horse off. There are exercises and methods trainers use that doesn't involve actually stepping into a potentially dangerous situation.

Let me touch on "break out" horses for a moment...this is where a little work at home will save you BIG $$$ at the trainers!

Break Out Horses
Everytime a human touches a horse the horse is learning...so if you never correct your horse for trotting ahead of you, not knowing a human's boundries etc...it's learning that it can step on you, run over you, etc... So, you take this animal to your trainer and after 30 days wonder why your horse just NOW first being saddled? Well the trainer had to TAKE THE TIME to teach your horse some basics that it was sorely missing BEFORE it could be introduced to the saddle. Here's some basics your horse SHOULD know before you load it for break out (and to save you big $$$, because less time teaching these means more time on their backs!)

• How to be caught and haltered
• How to lead without running over/into or away from the handler
• How to lunge
• Sack out (just putting a sheet or blanket on daily helps with this)
• How to stand tied
• How to stand for the farrier quietly (non-drugged)
• Introduced to baths
• Introduced to clippers
• Basic respect for humans
• How to stand in the stall while the stall is being cleaned

These are things that can all be done at home that take about 30 days to get a handle on. I will say that they horses that have been shown lunge line the prior year always seem to make easier break out horses...why? They are used to commotion, they are used to being prepped for the show pen, they've been sacked out with sheets/slinky hoods, etc... they are typically ahead of the game.

Also know that breaking out and showing a 2 y.o. is basically a poop shoot. You have to take into consideration growth patterns and the horses mental maturity. I had a 2 y.o. that didn't really get everything together until it was 4 and still made a better 5 y.o. SOME horses are just not able to get it all together in their youth. A lot of people also see trainers year after year show these young horses to top placings, what most do not understand is that that is horse #21 that year and the rest were discarded (for lack of better word...like put back in pasture), that was the best of the best out of how many is any ones guess. So it really does take a "special" horse. Now most people I know don't have pastures and pastures of 2 y.o.'s they have ONE horse... so they must work within that horse's parameter and work with their trainer.

Tune Up Horses

So your horse is an old "campaigner", you show on a shoestring, but want a great start to your show season, so you want to send your horse to your trainer for 30 days... How can YOU save $$$? Make sure your horse is not a marshmallow when you send it...exercise it 5 days/week for at least a month before you send it. The hardest thing on a horse is going from strictly pasture life to being worked 6 days/week. Your trainer isn't going to be getting the best from your horse when he's fighting exhaustion and/or soreness because your horse is out of shape. So take 1/2 hour at home each day for 30 days and beef up your marshmallow!

How to be a Better Client

Listen to what your trainer is telling you about your horse, take the good AND the bad. If you sent your horse for western pleasure training and your trainer says your horse isn't cut out to be a western pleasure horse, then it's doubtful it's going to make at another trainer's (although I'm sure they would be happy to take your $$$). Listen to WHY it's not going to be a western pleasure horse (or whatever your class choice), you can then make some decisions, change the horse's job, sell, whatever, but LISTEN...

TRUST your trainer. So many times clients cannot get out of their own way. I've done XXX this way and why isn't it working? Many times it's because they are doing it wrong...trust the trainer until they have proven to be "untrustworthy". Just because you've done it YOUR way for so long, doesn't necesarrily make it the "right" way. There is a reason you sent your horse to the trainer, take the time to trust the trainer and their training methods.

Obey the trainer's rules. If they tell you don't come by for the 1st 30 days, don't call on day 14 and say I want to see my horse go around. There's a reason, you're probably not going to see a whole lot of progress at day 14...the first 30 days to those that don't actively train horses are very boring and don't seem rewarding, like you're not getting your $$$'s worth, when in actuality are the most crucial.

Pay your bill on time. Seems like a simple thing. Most trainers make less then minimum wage for a living. Your check could mean paying the hay or grain guys (or even groceries for your trainer!). I know if we have a horse in a stall and we are short on time that day, and it's bill hasn't been paid, it's not going to get as much time and attention as those that have their bills paid on time, EVERY time.

Don't be a gossip monger and put your nose in everyone's business. We typically move drama queens/kings on, it's not good for barn moral overall if there is someone that is constantly creating drama. Horse showing is hard enough without internal turmoil created by a drama queen.

Remember that your trainer has a "life" too and horse training is a "job" for him/her and not a hobby, so they may not share in your excitement if you call at 10 p.m. at night...LOL... remember to respect their days off too. A burn out trainer is not good for anyone, you, your horse, and those around them. Trainer's need non-client, non-horse times too.

And lastly, KNOW that trainers talk with each other. I think clients often forget that when they bad mouth their last trainer to their NEW trainer, it does get back to the old trainer. Don't burn your bridges. I'm not saying if you had problems with the old trainer NOT to bring them up with the NEW trainer, just do so factually. Trainers also know which clients are slow to pay, which ones create drama and which ones trainer hop. While a new trainer may take your $$$, know they keep a close eye on "problem clients" and will be the first to tell other trainers about their idiosyncrasies if they leave on a bad note.

Ok, I'm putting my showmanship cap back on now, and there's your trainer "insight" for the day. LOL