We have PLENTY of horses…we need more riders!
May 16 2011
I had a very interesting conversation today with someone who has really been doing a bang-up job of promoting horse events. He observed that nobody is going to get excited and spend money unless they’re getting their social needs met by the horse activity, and I thought that was such a good point that I wanted to talk about it here — but I also want to expand upon it and talk about what can all do (or not do) to grow the horse industry in these tough economic times. We all want to see more people get involved with horses and be good homes for them. Getting new people into the equestrian sports is everybody’s concern, whether you breed, show, train, or just love horses. Those of us doing this for a career need the customers, and the rest of us want to see more homes so that fewer horses slip through the cracks. If we show, we want to see more competitors so that classes are bigger and when we do win, they’re worth more points. If we do other horse events, we want to make sure there’s a big enough turnout that the events can afford to keep happening. And in this economy, that has been quite the challenge! But things are looking brighter — I do believe we’re finally in recovery — so how do we jump on this opportunity and draw people into horses? Here are my thoughts and I’d love to hear all of yours. 1. Riding has to be FUN. Very few people are so driven that they want to ride with a harsh, demanding (but talented) instructor anymore. Most people know that the Olympics will not be seeing them, except as a spectator (Katie Price, you aren’t going to be competing there, ever…face it, sunshine) and they just want to improve their skills in the interests of safety and having more fun and doing a little better at whatever thing they do compete in. So for god’s sake, instructors, STOP BEING ASSHATS. If you’re impatient and you can’t hold your temper watching beginner mistakes, stop teaching! If you teach, you should have a smile on your face every time a lesson client walks in. You need to have a fridge stocked with drinks and have a barn party once in a while. Think about going to your favorite hair salon — how they greet you, ask about your life, and offer you a cold drink. Don’t you love that? Of course you do. We all do. Now apply that to your riding lesson customers and, odds are, you will soon find you don’t even have to advertise to get new clients. And yes, while you have to correct people in lessons, you can do it without being a jerk. There is never any excuse to belittle, demean, harass or snap at your lesson customers. Grow the fuck up and act like a professional. Explain what they are doing wrong and politely explain how to correct it — that’s what you are being paid for. No one needs anyone to help them feel worse about themselves. You are NOT being employed to lower anyone’s self-esteem so stop throwing that in on the deal! We all know you ride great, that’s why you’re the trainer. Now STFU and be nice to the less talented people — ’cause they are your bread and butter. If everybody rode like you, no one would need you.
(Pic from Rosebowl Riders — this looks like a FUN group!) And when you have a lot of kids riding with you, stop making everything serious all the time. Have a costume day. Have a day where you just play games. I do not care if you are an A-circuit barn and every horse is a five-figure horse, it WILL NOT screw up their training to play musical sacks and egg and spoon. Remember, when the kid stops having fun and decides to give up horses and do something else, the parents stop writing checks to you. Do you want your checks going to the Paintball place? No? Then make your barn the fun barn that every kid wants to ride at. 2. Stop overmounting your clients. No one wants to ride if it’s scary. Being overmounted is scary. Whatever you’re teaching, or even if you’re not an instructor but are merely teaching a friend or family member to ride or letting them ride with you, make sure that they are mounted on something appropriate to their riding level that they are likely to have a good experience with. Those good or bad experiences can make or break a riding career. When you scare someone off of horses, they put zero dollars into the horse industry and they will never be a home for a horse. 3. Got a barn bitch? Kick him/her out. Seriously. I know a barn that is super strict about this and, as a result, it is one of my favorite barns ever. You are either a nice person who pays on time and behaves in a friendly and polite way to other boarders, or you are evicted. Your choice. Great policy — and boy does it cut down on drama, because the occasional eviction puts people who are Borderline Bitch on notice that they’d better not cross the line. You have to have a nice enough barn that boarding there is highly desirable to do this, but if you do, it works great! 4. People want to feel good about themselves and their horses are an extension of their own ego. If you are a trainer, please avoid telling people their horse is shit. You can, of course, be honest about the fact that the horse is not going to do the job they want it to do, and most people will be fine with having you point out conformational flaws and similar things that make the horse physically not right for the job, but simply saying the horse is an idiot is not going to go over well (yet I hear trainers say it!) The owner loves their horse. The best way to deal with it is to say, “I know you want to event, but Buster is built like a cowhorse so he’s more suitable for something like team penning. If you want to learn to do what Buster’s likely to excel at, I can recommend a trainer who does that. Otherwise, you may want to think about a second or a different horse to pursue eventing with.” (By the way, I LOVE it when trainers refer business to other trainers. It shows such a nice, mature attitude and a lack of insecurity, and it makes me think more highly of the trainer who referred over the client.) 5. There are subtle ways to create a social, friendly and fun atmosphere in a barn. At the barn, have the radio going, have a lounge or designated area for people to “hang out” with a fridge and microwave, and get into the habit of winding up the evening sitting around having a drink (certainly can be non-alcoholic) with whatever customers are left and just shooting the breeze. That half hour or hour creates loyalty and the desire to stay with you as a trainer. Everybody wants to steal your business, but it is hard to steal a customer who considers you a trusted friend. 6. And be a trusted friend. Do what you say you are going to do. Do what the customer asks (even if you think it’s silly). It’s fine to CHARGE extra for special services but it’s not okay not to DO special services because you have arrogantly decided they are silly or unnecessary. Again, run your business like a business. If you asked for no mustard at McDonald’s and they ignored you, you’d be pissed. OK, so please show us all that you can be as responsible as you expect a minimum wage, fast food employee to be. If Client A wants her horse’s fly mask on at 8 AM every morning — do it. Charge extra if you wish. But do it, and do it cheerfully. 7. Please stop selling people lame shit that you know is lame. OMG, this one thing scares SO many people off of horses and riding. Just stop. Yes, they should all be vet checking but when you are a professional and I see that you sold a horse who has navicular disease and heaves to someone for a lot of money, I blame YOU. You are the professional — you knew, and your actions are shitty and hurt the entire industry. 8. Riders: Please stop going to rental horse places, having a bad experience and then deciding all horses are crazy. All horses are not crazy. Getting on a low end horse you know nothing about when you have absolutely no idea how to steer or stop past what you saw in a John Wayne movie, and taking it out in the open on trails is plenty of proof for me that you are crazy. There is only one reasonably safe way to learn to ride, and that is in an enclosed arena on an experienced lesson horse, with a safety conscious instructor. Do things the right way — no one wants to see you hurt and/or scared off of horses. We want to see you love riding, love horses, and eventually become an owner. 9. People love pictures and video of themselves riding and competing. It is such an easy way to make your customers happy, and in these days of digital media, it’s virtually free once you buy the camera. Horsepeople at all levels of experience and all ages absolutely love to send their horsey pics around the web, show everybody at work, etc. They will love you if you get some great pictures they can use! And, of course, video helps them learn to ride more effectively. 10. I saw a marketing suggestion about having a Customer of the Month and I thought it was a great idea. Why not? If you have 20 kids taking lessons with you, feature a different one every month and (with their parents’ permission) put them on your web site and Facebook and talk a little about the kid, their horse (if any), their accomplishments so far and their goals. Give them a free riding lesson as a prize, or any kind of gift that they will enjoy. It is also a great way to encourage a student of any age that is having a tough time, whether due to horse loss or just riding challenges, and make sure they feel loved, appreciated, and wanted at your barn. Those are my thoughts — what are yours? What are the most valuable things you’ve learned about customer retention and turning people from casual riders into addicts? Ooops, did I say addicts…well…but…it’s for a good cause, right? All the horses having homes! Yay!
In other news… You may remember Darlene as I broke her story initially on this blog:
You Can’t Always Judge a Book by its Cover Fortunately, a lot of concerned citizens who kept turning Darlene in despite threats of retaliation and Pierce County Animal Control worked together to get a much-deserved conviction in this case. Read the news story…boy, she is WAY detached from reality. It is too bad, as she had some nice horses at one time.
I have put this mare up before from Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue, but she just went to her first mini-event last week at the last minute and look how great she did! I LOVE this mare. LOVE her. And one of you needs to adopt her and post updates about how she is doing. Her adoption fee is only $2,000 — for a horse that is already doing this much, in Maryland. This is a Ferrari in a rescue horse suit and I trust that one of you will have the good common sense to snatch her up and decorate your room with ribbons!
172 comments to “We have PLENTY of horses…we need more riders!”
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The biggest reason I have stayed with my first and only barn – my trainer. She never yells (unless you are about to die), lessons are always positive (even when you think you suck) and she always finds something to build on. She has more horse knowledge than most and is perfectly willing to pass it on – want to learn how to put on standing wraps – she will show you; how to give a shot – she will teach you. At the beginning of every lesson, she will ask what YOU want to work on. Have you run into a problem during your rides prior to the lesson? Let’s fix it or improve on it. She will incorporate your request into her planned lesson. If you are scared to do something – she will help you work through it in a safe environment, calmly – even if you know that your fear is silly.
She will not allow her lesson students to be over mounted. Students may ask to ride this horse or that horse – but the answer is no if they are not a good match skill/horse wise.
We have a social group – we have an area under some trees where we gather to swap stories, share a beverage or just chill out. The adults go out for dinner or other things (we watched the Derby at a local sports bar in hats decorated with roses) – in short, we all like one another and keep drama out.
In return, my trainer has boarders that will clean stalls, fix boards, do whatever we can to help out around the farm.
Just as important – all our horses are happy and well taken care of!
At shows, I have seen and heard lots of trainers screaming at their customers – kids. They are screaming because they are standing either in the middle of the warm up ring or on the side of the schooling area – and they are verbally abusive. Why some parent hasn’t done something is beyond me. Riding is supposed to be fun – as you said, the majority of us are not going to ride in the Olympics – most of us will probably never make it to an A show – so why the abuse?
“In return, my trainer has boarders that will clean stalls, fix boards, do whatever we can to help out around the farm.”
I’m glad you posted that — it’s so true! Be nice to your clients and they will be nice to you.
OT- kind of…
Speaking of plenty of horses, I have an Arabian x Standardbred mare that I am looking to rehome and I have her listed for sale on a local classifieds site.
She’s 17, sound, healthy, and mostly sane. I say mostly because she’s very buddy sour but can be pushed out alone, I just haven’t had time to work on her issues lately.
I overpriced her some trying to weed out random asshats that won’t be able to afford her, but what is the best way to make sure that she gets a good home?
With a horse like that, I’d strongly consider boarding her while you advertise her. This will break her bond to her friends and she’ll be on her best behavior, which will definitely help her get a good home. Plus, you’ll have facilities to show her to people that you probably don’t have at home.
Here’s what I do: google the person’s name (enclosed in quotes), google the person’s phone number (again, encased in quotes), check for them on pet-abuse.com and your county court web site if they allow name searches. And don’t be afraid to ask around a bit to see if the person’s name is known in your local horse community. If they ride with a trainer, find out who.
Put her on sites like Dreamhorse and Equinehits – more likely to attract real horsepeople and not impulse buyers than your local classifieds. Does she have any show experience? What does she do? You might want to call up some local 4-H leaders and fill them in that she is available.
And get good pictures – take a hundred til you get some good ones. Clean, basically clipped (bridle path, fetlocks) – some riding pictures and either a conformation picture or a cute face picture.
I used the google idea on a potential purchaser this spring and it worked great. In my case, the lady described herself as an intermediate rider looking for a young barrel horse to bring along as her other barrel horse was getting older. It turned out that the gal holds state and national speed records in various games and wins lots of money in 4D barrel races. I was even able to view pictures of her gaming so I could see that she sat her horse well, used lateral work even at speed, and her horse looked healthy and happy. This gave me confidence in her as an owner and rider. It’s tough to judge a person by what they tell you about themselves as there is such a range among descriptions such as “advanced beginner.” Many people overstate their level but I felt this lady was very conservative in rating herself! My 4yr old gelding now has a great home with the lady and her 17yr old sound and sane barrel horse!
Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate the feedback.
I had been thinking about taking my mare to a professional trainer for a 30 day refresher and advertise her while she was there and keeping her if she didn’t sell in the 30 days and I’m glad to see I was leaning in the right direction there.
I’ve had her almost 2 years and she’s only been a trail horse here, and her previous 2 owners only trail rode her, but I believe she was a kids horse at one point not too long ago. Other then that she’s got nothing going for her but that she’s a pretty bay.
A refresher would probably help her a GREAT deal. In fact, someone at the trainer’s barn might fall in love with her!
Thanks for the tips. I’m trying to rehome a serviceably sound freebee without going the Craiglist ‘come & get ‘er’ route. Pretty tough in this market, people looking for ‘free’ horses are looking for ready-made, bomb proof 100% sound horses–yeah, right! But occasionally they can find them, cause people get desperate to unload.
Now, you have hit on one of my favorite topics! You missed one, IMNHO (in my never humble opinion), Instructors, have your horses trained, these are lesson horses, not rental hack horses! I had to fire one trainer who refused to school the lesson horses occassionally. Her logic? “These are beginner horses, they will get confused with someone trying to ride them properly.” Hello? Aren’t we trying to get the beginners to ride properly? I have been known to give lessons on my good show horses, because I knew that if the student cued properly, horse would respond properly. Now, those were carefully chosen horses and students, of course, but my point stands. A retired show horse often makes a great lesson horse, not an old hack horse as a lesson horse.
Back when I was giving beginner lessons, which I hated, BTW, one of the nicest compliments I ever got from a parent was “You make it such a positive experience, like YOU are having fun!” I guess there is a little bit of an actor in all of us. But for a beginner, just getting old Dobbin to jog can be an accomplishment worthy of gushing praise.
Let them have fun, they keep coming back, and they may just buy old Dobbin off of you, and you can move another horse up into the lesson string.
The fact that someone thought you loved giving beginner lessons when you didn’t is what professionalism is all about.
Totally agree! One of the local stables closer to the city, all of the lessoner horses are kids old fancy show ponies/galloways/hacks (big dollars horses). It’s kind of like semi retirement for them, they may not be up for the show circuit anymore but they can still pack around a kid for a lesson (and they love it!). The horses still maintain there pampered lifestyle too, the lady takes great care of them, all the horses are ‘donated’ to them (all are leased, just becomes an alternative to putting them in a paddock)! My friend retired her old show pony to them last month. He’s about 23yo, won supreme champions everywhere but this last year he’s had a really bad problem with foundering. He foundered badly at the beginning of last year and he was given a year to show some signs of improvement, just made it this year. He’s also insulin resistant so his diet is a major issue and he gets perfectly cared for and just packs a few kids around.
I’ve got to say while I too hate doing beginners lessons, some of the kids and parents made it enjoyable and well worth while! I always made everything a game. What 7yo wants to learn how to ride doing figure of 8′s and transitions, games used to mask skill learning really well! Always love getting chocolates at xmas and easter from the kids
Good point! When I was younger, I had an instructor who would pick up some fresh off the track TB’s at an auction. As soon as they got to the barn, they were an instant lesson horse with no time off. On the first ride, she would say things like “see if he will jump that” while pointing at a 3′ wall. I still can’t believe I made it through that alive! Her students would be flying around the arena at mock 10 hanging on for dear life…..and she’s telling them to JUMP!
H/J people sometimes make me NUTS the way they will throw a green horse at a big fence like that.
X’s. X’s. X’s. I don’t want to see a horse the first time out jump anything bigger than a SMALL x, like the center is 6 inches off the ground. Are you TRYING to fry its brain/lame it up?
I totally agree! My only requirement for a young horse learning to jump is that they get from one side of the fence to the other, rider still on board. So I want that crossrail to be so little that if the horse stops in front of it, I can still make him/her walk over it, right there from that stand still. It usually only takes a couple of times and they start to go, “Oh, you want me to go OVER it, okay!”
I had a wonderful trainer as a kid that made me spend months doing ground poles, ground poles, ground poles with my pony. When we were finally allowed to jump, everything was just a breeze… and we won tons of ribbons, to prove it! “Brick by brick,” should be every horse trainer’s motto.
That wasn’t in Maryland by any chance, was it? I used to ride at a place that would buy horses from auctions and put kids on them the next day.
glad i’m not the only one who grew up with a batsh*t h/j trainer. she would do the same exact thing, right off the track and into lessons. my “favorite” track horse was a mare named pixie. i knew it was going to be bad as soon as my trainer gave me advice to canter… dig your knuckles into her neck, get your butt out the saddle and DON’T MOVE! hahaha i should have known better. after our quick (!!!) canter around the ring i was told to jump a pretty basic, 2″, 3 stride line. well… pixie and i got over the jumps in one piece. we may have turned 2 foot high jumps into 4 foot high jumps, and a 3 stride into a ONE stride, but we lived. after i managed to get her to stop, i got off. i was told this horse was an ex-eventer. my trainer promptly told my father (since i was only 13 at the time) that she had just pulled the mare off the track earlier that morning. thank god i was already out of saddle by then and didn’t hear her!
trainers over horsing and lying to their clients have been on of my biggest problems in finding a great trainer. i’m currently trainer-less after my previous instructor decided to lecture me about my trail horse’s hooves. i had just purchased him that month, and his feet were cracked and chipped. he had seen my farrier once already, but horrible cracks just don’t go away in one month, it’s impossible. she said things along the line of “not caring properly for my horse” and “being a negligent owner”. after we survived that month’s board, i moved him to a new stable. 6 months later you would never be able to tell that his feet were ever cracked or chipped, but i was really upset when she told me i was treating my horse poorly. she also got extremely angry when i purchased this horse. she told me i was trying to lie and hide it from her. first off, i purchased him as a trail horse, not a hunter/jumper. i was getting too tense and wound up in the show ring and i thought a nice quiet trail horse would help me remember why i loved riding. and also, i don’t understand how posting photos and info about the horse i got on my facebook is considered “hiding it”. she was (and is still) my facebook friend. she could see every post, photo, and update. i do not understand how this is going behind someone’s back. or why it is even any of her business. i’m educated enough to purchase my own horse without a trainer’s help. plus, i knew she would spout on and on about his faults. he has crappy conformation, had poor feet, and was over weight when i went to purchase him, but he got whipped into shape and is easily doing the trails i ask him too, and the occasional dressage and flatwork. i never wanted him to be an A circuit hunter.
i feel like most of the trainers i’ve run into really have character flaws. either being too proud to admit their faults, or to realize (and improve!) their clients/students faults and fears. i would love it if i ever found a trainer that could encompass everything in your list!
Quoting Burdfour:
“You missed one, IMNHO (in my never humble opinion), Instructors, have your horses trained, these are lesson horses, not rental hack horses! I had to fire one trainer who refused to school the lesson horses occasionally.”
AMEN! A few years back I started taking lessons again (didn’t own a horse, just wanted to ride) and just as I felt that I got into my groove and made good progress, suddenly it really seemed as though the only thing she ever put me on were dead-heads, idiots, or lead-legs who refused to move. It is very frustrating to do a lesson for extending the trot on board a horse who WON’T TROT or who rattles around the ring completely unfocused. There were several excellent horses at her barn and I thought at first it was just that my skill level must be too low to get into the better horses, but on the other hand, it seemed like I was on a different horse every few lessons…
One day after I’d been there a few mos. I was riding warm-up having trouble getting the horse to do something small like a turn on the forehand, and she said to me “He can’t do that very well yet, he doesn’t know anything…”
Suddenly I realized that I was, unbeknownst to me, paying her to ride all her recently acquired client horses for her, before they started their actual training!
I was so pissed I didn’t go back after that.
I had the same thing happen. I found a really nice trainer that seemed knowledgeable. What I really liked is that she had numerous old (lame) rescues and lesson horses that she cared for. She really did love the horses. But after a few months I wasn’t learning as much as I would have liked because I spend all my time schooling her greenies. Granted, they were rescued. But I was paying her. What raised a big red flag was when she started pushing for me to lease a boarder’s 3yo Arab filly. So I pay $300 a month for the privilege of training someone else’s horse?… hmmmm. I’m training green horses now for a rescue and I don’t even have to pay them. What a deal! This may sound silly, but the final straw was when she started making me ride with big fat lead ropes instead of reins. When I said I preferred regular sized reins, she told me that’s I need to use the reins Parelli uses. Holy crap. It was apparent that she was a Parelliaphile from the start but I was willing to deal until things started to get irrational. I wish her the best, but there are better trainers for my money. My next trainer was the best, most talented instructor I’v ever had. But she was so flaky that she kept forgetting about my lessons and no showing. After that happened several times I threw in the towel with her too. I was sad about that, I could have learned a lot from her (if she ever showed up). So I have no horse and no trainer to take lessons from:( At least I get some horsey-time when I volunteer at the rescue (over an hour away…).
Yes!!! Same thing happened to me with that trainer. I really clicked with one of her newbie horses (when I didn’t have any idea I was being used to help school them). She told me he was for sale–for $15,000 (which about made me drop my teeth). When I said I would never be in that price range, even if I was looking (which I wasn’t), her suggestion was that I lease him at $375/mo. But I wasn’t looking to buy or lease anything, so I passed on him.
The next week’s lesson was the day in the arena when I realized I was being used and left. It really stuck in my craw that she thought she’d get paid twice on the same horse—a portion of the $375/mo from me with the lease, and $700/mo from the owner who still had him there for training. She’d have me to do the majority of the wet saddle pad work on him, AND with the lease I would be responsible for his vet bills and shoeing. Such a deal!!!
I had always shown up on time, confirmed each lesson the week before, paid in cash before each lesson, groomed and tacked up myself, mucked the occasional stall, etc.—and that’s how I got treated. Still can’t believe it took me so long to realize I was being walked all over. Argh!
This is sort of related, as it is about getting people interested in horses and becoming better riders. When we moved to our town, I got my daughter to join our local 4H horse program. I thought it would be a great confidence builder, and a fun way for her (and me) to meet people. It was a disaster. If your family wasn’t in 4H back two generations, it seemed, they ignored you. Everyone already knew everyone and they had traded horses and experiences for years. I tried to start conversations, only to have people walk away to talk to a friend. My daughter also felt unwelcome, so we finished out one year and left. I know it’s easier to talk to your own friends than to make the effort to welcome newcomers, but it could have made a huge difference for us. We still have horses, but my daughter is indifferent to them.
ARGH, I hate that clique thing!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve seen it happen, too, with leaders sometimes the worst offenders.
Our county has I think …. um… 5 or 6 horse & pony clubs. Each one is a little different – one is drill team, one is strictly trail, one is mostly kids who show WP in the larger circuits/AQHA/APHA …. etc.
It also depends on the leaders and volunteers.
Horsepeople can be incredibly cliquish and breed/discipline-centric, and if you have an “unusual” breed, or ride an obscure (for that area) discipline, you will find it a lot harder to make friends, unfortunately.
Heres my little story about first getting into the horse world….
I’ve been riding horses since I was 8 and when I was 16 I decided I wanted to take it further than just leisurely trail rides and event. I’m from a small town area where Western events are the only events offered and I was fine with that as I had always ridden in a Western saddle. I didnt have the money to invest in a pleasure horse or a trainer for that matter but, I had a close family friend who was and is still an amazing team roper and was happy to teach me team roping for no cost because he was excited to see more youth getting into the horse world. I loved it! So much that I invested in a nice horse that knew the sport and had been trained to track a calf like it was second nature. When my first rodeo came around though, it was horrid. People were so rude, if you werent in it to win it and hadnt been in it for years you werent worth their time. My trainer and now partner in team roping introduced me to the GOOD people though and I met some amazing decent people. Sadly enough, theres not enough people in it for the fun anymore-its all about winning and “breeding” new winning riders. Boy, was everyone surprised when on my 3rd rodeo we placed 2nd. I have now moved onto barrel racing and I find that the girls that do barrels are MUCH worse. Team roping is laid back, you have many partners in one night to hopefully place and literally everybody wants to have a go with everyone. The barrel girls are rude, snobby, and only care about what brand name their shirts and saddle pads are….
Then when I moved to college I joined my schools equestrian team, an all English riding team. I didnt know the difference between a paddock boot and half chaps. But my trainer is so sweet and nice, I have learned so much and Im actually good at it. I noticed that no matter where you go or what saddle you are riding in, theres going to be those same people who want nothing to do with a newbie. It was my two amazing trainers that helped me make good friends and showed me the ropes so I would move up. I love both barrel racing and show jumping, they both give me these unbelievable highs. I just ignore the snobby people and when new girls come in, try to teach them to weed out the people who only dream of gold and not of good friends so they will stay in the horse world as well….
Im now also looking for a nice show jumping buddy, if anyone knows of any horse rescues in or around Missouri, I am much more excited by the thought of giving a OTTB or a “hopeless cause” a second chance and second job but, havent found any decent rescues around here. Most of them are backyard rescues with no idea of the difference between a freaking pastern and a forelock-seriously.
Amen, Haffie. And you must be riding something besides a QH. I raise Caspians and tied to get the local 4H’s involved, but because my breed isn’t QH and doesn’t do WP I couldn’t get get any interest.
I personnally don’t enjoy showing because of the rules and expenses. Why do I have spend hundreds for a hunt outfit to show in hunter halter. I’m trying to promote my breed not stage a fashion show.
Dude, that is what ebay and craigslist are for!
Or you go to tack swaps – I got a FABULOUSLY made teeny tiny wool hunt coat for my little girl for $5 this spring, and new jodhpur boots for her for $14.95, and a buckle-back headstall for $5, and a new riser pad for $2. And someone *gave* me some jodhpurs.
It is also super stockhorse centric in my county, but if you cross the state line into Ohio, you will find much more diversity. Also we have a teeny tiny Pony Club presence, but I’ve seen kids quit that because it’s “too hard.” Really, sometimes you can hardly get kids to learn the parts of the damn horse.
I definitely agree when it comes to having a NICE instructor. At the barn where I used to take lessons when I was maybe 12-14 years old, there were three different instructors. Some of their students were showing and did some pretty intense training, but most of us were regular kids who just wanted to ride a pony once a week. But two of the instructors were full-time bitches, yelling at students for the teeniest mistake. The third was nice at first, but I distinctly remember one lesson where we were jumping, and one of the other girls was absolutely terrified. She really really did not want to jump, she didn’t feel like she was ready for it. This instructor just stood there, cigarette in hand, screaming at the poor girl to quit being such a wimp and jump the goddamn thing already, stop crying like a giant baby, etc etc. Finally the girl gave in, and even though she was jerking on his mouth and clinging to him for dear life, this absolutely angelic pony jumped it anyway, and immediately slowed down afterwards, just standing there while she got off (she’d been pitched forward onto his neck when he jumped) and sat down on the ground bawling her eyes out. The instructor had nothing kind to say, just yelled at her some more for her bad form over the jump and for making such a big fuss. I left pretty much right after that, and last I heard, that girl has stopped riding. Don’t know if it’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
I agree on the overmounting thing as well… there was another barn pretty close by, it was a boarding barn with some gorgeous horses and they did lessons on the side. Awesome instructor, she really knew her stuff, although I was rather surprised that her daughter, who was teaching my younger sister to ride, already had her cantering just a few lessons in while she was still posting with her hands up somewhere near her chin…. but I was 14 and just assumed that she knew what she was doing. Anyway, one lesson they put me up on this monstrously tall grey mare, might’ve been a TB, who was pretty strong and very sensitive. The instructor actually warmed her up for me, to work out any nastiness she might have saved up for the day, apparently. I was actually praised and told that the mare really seemed to like me (no pinned ears and she stopped cranking her tail every stride), but I think that was because I was too afraid of her to touch her mouth in the slightest unless it was absolutely necessary (my current instructor actually tells me to tighten my rein, because I’ve developed such a loose light hand after that grey mare). One day, big grey mare spooks, takes off through the arena, and stops right before the gate at the end, I was convinced she was going to jump it. I did manage to stay on, but I was way too afraid of her to ride her anymore after that. After that I was put up on a big pony, a piebald cob who was incredibly sweet and well-mannered. He was, however, only four years old, though he acted much older. I remember the day when I was told “This is a really nice pony who is very well-trained, and the way you ride you’re ruining all his training!” I always wondered why she put me up on a four year old if it was obvious I couldn’t handle it yet….
I LOVE the barn I’m at now. I moved out of the country, and after having had several bad barn experiences I was pretty much ready to quit. (The only place I ever actually enjoyed riding was with my neighbor, who first taught me how to ride in her backyard, we’d play redlight-greenlight on her adorable little Welsh gelding). I did decide to check out the local barn here though, and I’ve caught the horse bug all over again. Everyone is really friendly, a lot of students there all the time and some regulars who know everyone by name and always take time to greet them. They have a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, which is strictly enforced. There’s a weekly daycamp sort of thing for little kids, 3-7 years mostly, where they’re taught how to act safely in a barn and around horses, get to brush the littlest ponies and do group activities. Recently they cut pictures out of horse magazines and made posters all over the barn with captions about being nice, not fighting, and treating the horses kindly. My instructor is a saint, she knows exactly when you need a pat and some encouragement, and when you need to get your backside into gear with some sharp criticism. I’m not afraid of big or sensitive horses anymore, I don’t freak out anymore if a horse gets grumbly about doing work, and last week was actually the first time in years that I’ve been able to jump with a smidgen of confidence. I’m the youngest in my group (I’m 18, the others are all 35+), but the others treat me equally; same with the 70-year old man in our group. The youth section leaders host barn sleepover parties, and back when the barn was able to get extra funding from the city, they hosted a horse festival, with clinics and show classes for people who were “into” horses, and jousting tournaments, pony/wagon rides through the woods, archery practice, etc for everyone else. They also had demonstrations, Icelandics showing off their stuff and Western riders (not at all as common here as in the States) and a top local dressage rider performing Kür to the tunes of Queen. I could go on all day, I seriously could, but anyway, this barn is amazing, so many people of so many ages, and it’s really just a “plain old lesson barn” but they do great things which make it seem like so much more. [/ramble]
Unfortunately, some of the comments you’ve quoted are all too common. I never understand why people pay for abuse. Lessons are not cheap – if you are not being treated respectfully, don’t return. There is a lot of competition for your business, so hunt around ’til you find a trainer that you love!
Well, in some cases…my parents forced me to ride under a hideously abusive trainer or not ride for my entire childhood and teenaged years. THEY thought she was great and that *I* was the problem because I was always overly emotional anyway and she got my father convinced that beating a horse didn’t hurt it because ‘they have such thick skins’.
As a teenager and through college (I rode there during vacations) I started trying to change things. Ended with that trainer never speaking to me again. I know I should have just gone somewhere else, but it was still ride there or not ride.
“*I* was the problem because I was always overly emotional anyway”
Oh ouch. I got that when I was a child too. The emphasis there is CHILD – as in, not mature, still developing emotional regulation and self control and can’t meet the standards of adulthood. Blaming a child for being ‘overly emotional’ is like blaming a horse for being high strung or a dog for being anxious. The creature’s reactions might be all out of proportion to the situation, but it’s their nature, you work with it, and hopefully they learn a better way as time goes on. If you shrug and say “well, it’s their fault if they can’t get along”, it gets *worse*, not better. IMHO, people who say crap like that are really just making excuses for lazy and/or harsh parenting.
I’m so sorry it came down to a choice between an abusive trainer or no horses. That sucks.
I think it’s a lot easier as an adult to simply go find another, better trainer. But with kids, lots of times the parents just drop their kids off at the barn, and the kids are too shy to speak up or simply don’t know any better. That was my experience, anyway.
My first instructor as a kid (age 7 to 12) was a total bitch. Screamed all the time at us… One time she thought my horse wasn’t going fast enough, and, tired of screaming “KICK HIM!!! KICK HIM!!!” at me with no result, she picked up a ground pole and proceeded to chase us around the ring with it and whack the horse on the butt with it. That particular gelding was a saint of a horse, but most of the horses and ponies we rode should NOT have been school horses. Probably the only reason I was not seriously hurt was because her horses were likely too tired due to being overworked, often doing many lessons a day back-to-back. But I sure did a lot of falling off and distinctly remember plenty of stampedes around the arena during group lessons. I do have a scar on my arm where one particularly nasty “school horse” took a huge bite out of it because I jerked on his lead rope when he was trying to drag my friend off to eat grass by the barn (that same horse would chase you when you went to get him in his paddock, try to kick you, and was generally a nasty piece of work). I cannot say enough bad things about that place. It really upsets me that she has been and is still so many kids’ first experience with riding. I’m sure she has turned off more than her fair share of potential future horse owners.
I LOVED my last coach that I found as an adult returning to riding after many years away. She meets your list very well. I actually ended up buying the last horse I rode in lessons with her (as did many of her other students with their mounts). Unfortunately life changed, I moved, and now I don’t take lessons with her anymore. But she will always be the benchmark I measure any future trainers against and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone in that area.
Ooh, I have to admit I resemble that remark about a rider ruining a horse with her riding. It can be very painful for an instructor who has worked hard to get a horse she cares about going decently to be told by the owner that the horse is going into lessons with beginner riders who will wreck it. Still – it’s unprofessional to mention it – after all, it’s not your horse or your job to say who gets to ride it – and it’s not really the rider’s fault for being put on a horse that’s inappropriate to their current level – shouldn’t have said it and I did get reamed for it later! Just wanted to give you some perspective on the other side of the story – sometimes the things that don’t make sense to you as the end consumer happen because there are kinks in the chain of command higher up.
It’s also very possible the person who put you on that pony didn’t want to at all but was forced to because there were no better choices available. If there are three school horses suited to your skill level and four people in the class, the “best” rider is going to get overmounted. Typically whoever is teaching the beginners/intermediates is not the “big name” trainer who runs the program or the owner of the place, but is stuck following someone else’s rules about how many students are in a class.
Also, the typical beginner’s instructor may have next to no teaching experience and no instruction in teaching skills and is probably there because she was a talented RIDER, not a talented TEACHER. I was put in charge of my first beginners’ class when I was 12 years old! Looking at the situation from the perspective of an adult, that was INSANE. Teaching several young children and giving a beginner a good start is one of the harder jobs to do, not the easy ones. But all too often it gets shunted off on whoever is at the low end of the totem pole.
None of this is offered as an excuse – there is no excuse for a bad program – just explaining how these things sometimes happen.
I started teaching beginners at 15. I think I got pretty good at it when I was 19 or 20, but obviously I was not a rockstar trainer at 15. But you know, you can pay 15 year olds $1.50 out of the $12 lesson — that’s why I was doing it!
OT – Fugs this is a question for you…
How did you know you TB was going blind? I had quiet suspicions my OTTB was losing his eyesight, had the vet check him and everything – no tumors, cateracts, or cloudy eyes; reacts so he does HAVE vision. The vet told me he can only test that there IS vision, but can’t determine the level or if there is decreasing vision. He’s been getting worse and now my trainer made the comment she wondered if he was losing his vision, which made my fears all the more solid. So how did you know when your mare was going blind? I have limited anecdotal evidence: he’s getting more and more spooky, he doesn’t get over “new” things quickly (i.e. new jumps that were put into the arena have been scary for over a week even we we get over them the ride the day before), things that have been there forever are now getting scary, and although it’s not everything, he has started running into stuff (he steps on top of ground poles, he ran into the bleachers once when we were talking past them (had plenty of room, didn’t spook into them – he just ran into them when walking past them) and he once walked face first into the wooden fence of the riding arena). It’s like he doesn’t see things until he’s right on top of them. If he is losing his vision, I would have to put him down because he IS so reactive, I’m afraid he’d be dangerous. And it doesn’t seem fair to him – his world seems to be getting scarier for him.
But how do you know that’s what’s happening?
Yours is certainly showing signs that could be vision loss. The vet can tell you pretty quickly – just get him looked at.
Hon, she said the vet already checked him, and said he couldn’t tell.
Sorry – moderating comments before coffee will do that. OK, second opinion. How can the vet not tell? My vets always could tell me right away by looking in the eyes.
@ ClydesdaleSocks: Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary in New Hampshire is home to many disabled critters – dogs, cats and horses. The two people who run the Sanctuary are extremely well-versed in working with horses who are visually impaired. They have resources that you might not find elsewhere. I would recommend you email them directly if you have any concerns about your horse’s eyesight. Even though they are extremely busy folk, I have always gotten a response from them. http://www.rollingdogranch.org/ takes you to their website.
Take him to a veterinary opthalmologist. They can tell what’s going on.
My old paso was put down almost 2 years ago because of failing vision. He did exactly what your guy is doing, with the added benefit of panic moments where he would see motion, and then throw himself around, breaking halters, leadropes, and fences. I took him to the university and they were able to determine that his vision was decreasing. He could still see, but they described it like he was looking through one of those shower windows, all blurry and distorted. I had him put down two weeks after that.
Your horse does show signs of vision problems. I would not jump to any rash decisions, though. Loss of vision in horses is not as catastrophic as one might expect. I worked at a vet clinic with many eye cases that adjusted just fine, plus I trained a horse with severe loss of vision who was wonderful. He was a lunatic as a yearling before anyone knew what was going on (was also completely unhandled). Once his problem was known, everyone made sure that he knew where they were and what was going on around him, and became much happier. I then broke him to ride and he was super great… one of the best horses I have ever started. I would show that horse any day. We all made accomidations such as letting him know when we are approaching, keeping a little bit of contact on his lead rope when leading, and only turning him out with other horses.. never alone.
Hey Fugly, thanks for the shout out and link to Rose Bowl Riders in Pasadena, CA. We *are* a fun group, and both of our instructors qualify as good ones by your criteria. My OTTB and I, as well as the many RBR members who ride rescued horses, really appreciate the good work you do.
Betsy Coles
Web Admin, Rose Bowl Riders
I’m surprised no one has mentioned affordability.
When I was a kid, practically all my friends and neighbors had one or two horses. It wasn’t necessarily a cheap hobby but it was affordable. Zoning wasn’t as strict so most people could toss up a pasture out back and keep their horse at home, hay was very cheap (we got ours for 50 cents a bale, picking it up in the field), etc. Show entry was reasonable, lessons were reasonable, even boarding was fairly easy to find at an affordable rate.
Costs have skyrocketed. I pay close to $500 a month to board and a bale of decent grass hay is around $12. Lessons aren’t cheap, show entries are ridiculous and even a rental on a string horse for an hour’s walk around a trail is a good $40 -$50. Don’t even get me started on vet and farrier bills.
You have to be dedicated to commit to the amount of money it costs to keep and ride horses – it has become a very expensive hobby. And until that changes (which I don’t see happening), it’s going to be hard to convince newbies (and especially their parents) that it’s worth it.
Seriously?
Well, I live in a very unexciting part of the country, but $500 would get you a stall at a REALLY nice H/J/D show barn.
$250 – $300 for a stall at a nice WP barn with indoor arena.
I paid $90 this spring for my horse to get his shots & sheath cleaned (Yeah, I know… but it was only $20, which included a shot of ace to try and make him drop, and I wanted it evaluated anyway, since I’d never seen him drop to pee. Now that he’s on a big pasture 24/7, he DOES drop. I feel bad for making him live with low-level constant stress for a year… Oh well.). Of course he was there to do several horses so the farm call was split up….
But we’ve got no ocean or mountains, or much in the way of jobs, either.
I totally agree with affordability. I grew up riding for a A circuit hunter barn, which I couldn’t really afford, but my trainer bent over backwards to find me things to ride and lease. My parents have always done as much as they could, and my trainer knew that and there was mutual appreciation for it. I was allowed to work off lessons/leasing/horse show fees by cleaning stalls, grooming for her at shows, etc. It was really a gift in a lot of ways, because I learned a TON. Plus, we were only allowed to do it if we kept our grades up, an often annoying requirement but looking back I’m absolutely sure it made me keep up with my school work. Making a high level of riding on SAFE, well trained horses available to kids who can’t necessarily afford it is something I think all barns should strive for- who is going to work harder for you than someone who has to prove themselves?
Affordability is the #1 reason I don’t ride anymore and I don’t think I’ll be able to ride or own horses anytime in the future. In my area, finding jobs working with horses are few and far between if you don’t have friends in the business. Even finding jobs to work off lessons are hard to find.
Unfortunately, this will probably never change.
Affordability is a big issue here too. Prices sound pretty on par with where you live in terms of board, feed, and lessons. The bigger show barns here are $650+ a month and that doesn’t include lessons or training.
I give up a lot of other things to be able to own my own horse. I WISH I could afford a trainer/coach, but that would be another $200 a month just for 4 lessons.
If you hook your clients kids on horses and taking lessons you have your next generation to your business.
I have one to add… please be kind to your adult beginners, and understand that we don’t learn the same way or at the same pace as your younger riders. Not all of us had the luxury of being around horses all the time as kids and for a lot of us it’s been a lifelong dream to learn to ride- we just got a late start! I was at a barn that was great in most ways except for a low number of adult riders. The adult & teen group lessons were occasionally mixed due to scheduling limitations (older riders have jobs and school!) and it was just awful- it’s not fun to be out-ridden by snotty 13 year olds who expect you to be better simply because you’ve got a few years on them age-wise, and it was impossible for the instructor to balance activities for all the students. I’ve since found a different instructor who has done more work with adults, and have been having much more fun!!! (though unfortunately I’m off horses for a while due to a serious ankle injury (non horse related)- have to walk and drive before I’m allowed to sit on a horse again. But, God willing, will make it happen eventually!)
I think trainers need to be sensible to the fact that not only do people of different ages learn at a different pace, but every rider is different. Some have a natural talent and others need to work a little harder or more often to learn the same exercise. A good trainer should value all his clients no matter what their level is and know their limits.
I’ve had two trainers so far and I’ve been very lucky with both of them. They were patient with me in the beginning when I had zero experience on horse riding and now have gotten a little more strict, as I’ve reached intermediate level so I’m expected to make less mistakes. It doesn’t mean that I’ll be called an idiot when I make mistakes, but I’ll be told straight away when I’m doing something wrong and how to fix. My trainer will even get up on the horse herself and demonstrate what needs to be done, if we are having trouble with a particular exercise. And yes, they could both do mix adult and children/teen lessons and balance the activities for each student’s personal level or abilities.
I know that having a bad trainer would not have been enough to end my obsession *cough* love for horses, but I’m sure I would not have learned so much in two years I have been riding.
Amen! What adults lack in fearlessness, flexibility and coordination we make up for in disposable income. Any barn serious about making money needs to find ways to cater to middle-aged beginners and re-riders. There is nothing like a horse to help you deal with “empty nest” syndrome.
You’re very right, wolfsong, and I absolutely agree. I think that adult riders who have open minds and are willing to think outside their comfort zone are the best ones to teach, far better than kids, and especially teenagers. But I think there’s also the flip side that I bet you’ve run into. I am sick and tired of adult riders who are beginners trying to tell ME, the instructor, what to do, or are arguing with me? Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you can’t sit back and learn something new. Then there are the I Can’ts…I can’t keep my heels down, I can’t hold the reins like that, I can’t sit up straight. If you can’t do it, then why are you riding in the first place? Overall, a good instructor is out to keep you safe, and therefore you need to listen and not be constantly on the defensive or be ready to “throw in the reins” so to speak if you hear something you don’t like. We all have to eat some humble pie when it comes to horses, because a horse MAKES you be honest with yourself and everything around you.
How about NO DOGS? I used to ride at a barn that was pretty awesome in most ways, but one boarder would bring their ill behaved dog with them and let it run around. Nothing like a psycho jack russel, it used to jump up and try to bite any horse who dared to hang his head over the half door and they thought it was cute. The same dog would charge into the ring as you were riding a course and stand at the other side of the fence yapping, either freaking out a spooky horse or making you pull up-nothing like teaching your horse to stop in front of a fence! I jumped off once, went and found them and told them I am not pulling up anymore so they better get their dumb dog out of the ring before we landed on it-but I’m a big meanie
The same dog would charge out of the car when they pulled up at whoever was riding in the ring, snapping and yapping around a greenie’s heels and making the ride so much more interesting. This is also for the dogs safety, my old Thoro-loosa (hehe) once kicked a dogs jaw almost clean off when it went after her in the paddock. Some horses will go after a dog and she’d do a great wild stallion impression, snakey neck and all, trying to grab them by the scruff and toss them out of her domain (yes, a Boss Bitch mare big time).
I like dogs, some just hang out and are no problem at all, but making the rule apply to all would be more fair and give the owners of the dognoxious ones nothing to whine about if it’s a blanket barn policy.
The same for little kids, bringing little kids to a barn and not watching them is a pet peeve of mine. The other people are there to work with their horses, not babysit because you’re riding and the kid has wandered down the barn aisle. Not only is it unfair to others but it is also unsafe for the child. When I’m bent over picking out a front hoof and look up to see your toddler behind the not-so-quiet horse I’m working with, or even better said child runs screaming up the aisle waving a lunge whip or noisy toy…..someone is gonna get hurt. Parents should be required to supervise their kids, bring someone who can watch them, or leave them home with a sitter. No one wants to see a child kicked or trampled no matter who’s at fault.
AMEN on the point about the little kids!!!
Bad parenting makes me insane. I was driving the horse trailer the other day – and mind you, it is not a SMALL trailer. It is a big honking 12 horse. I was coming down a very curvy driveway and was going to have to swing super wide not to take out a tree, and here is this lady with a kid in her stroller and her toddler tagging behind about 30 feet back of her. I stop and tell her to please grab her child, and she’s like OH HE’S FINE. HE’LL STAY THERE.
My head exploded but I said, well, I would feel much better if you took his hand because I have to drive where he’s standing to make the corner. So she grudgingly did it.
WTF LADY! I am trying NOT to run over your kid, and you act like I’m putting you out because you have to waddle your butt back and grab him?
Makes me NUTS and you see this crap all the time. I had a kid RUN up and GRAB a horse by the back leg before I could stop him – thank god it was a super quiet middle aged polo pony – and the parents totally did not get that their kid could have died. I also once came around the side of the trailer at polo and a toddler was UNDERNEATH one of my mares. Again, it was very thankfully one of the quiet ones. Where was mommy? Up at the field, not watching at all. Why do these people get pregnant? It boggles my mind…
I had to fire my long time vet because she kept bringing her toddler on farm calls. It was fine at first because she had an assistant that would sit in the truck with the baby, but I guess she felt that as soon as the child could walk it could fend for its self. Or maybe her vet tech got tired of babysitting. Whatever the case, I hope nothing horrible has happened to that child.
I’d have fired her too. Please, you’re a vet, you can’t afford child care? Come on…
That story is seriously sending shivers down my spine.
Really?!?!?!?! You want to put your toddler up against a monster horse trailer with upteen blind spots, and see who wins? You can assure me that a 3-4 year old, won’t get scared by the noise and make a run for mommy, or try to grab a toad that hops in the way, or even just slip on the grass.
We were in a parade with our Minis and during one of the pauses, a kid ran out of the crowd, hugged poor Blackjack around the RUMP and ran back into the crowd. Fortunately all Jack did was goose a bit. He could have killed that kid….
What a lucky parent to have encountered someone like you that has trained her horses to have manners and deal with the unexpected, huh?
Amazing…
As with the small children, it’s kinda Dog Mom 101 not to go putting the dog in a situation that’s going to get him killed, ya know, and yet… When I was a kid out on the trail at the long-lost Monterey Riding Stables off Beverly Blvd., a little yappy dog of just the type you describe came out of nowhere from the bushes snapping at the horses’ ankles, with the predictable result that one of them kicked him to kingdom come. This was at least 50 years ago, but as you see the memory is vivid enough that I’d never put dog or horse in that position.
Wolfsong,
Make sure you get good physical therapy and tell your therapist that you are a rider. It will help. I broke my ankle 16 years ago and was not offered therapy. 6 surgeries later I am going through PT for the first time. I wish my doctor had offered it 16 years ago! I can get my heels down further after 2 months of PT than I have been able to since the accident. Mine was horse related.
Good to know!!! I have a plate and two pins in my ankle thanks to a car accident, and I have had some worries about range of motion that might affect riding (heel doesn’t so much want to go down… at all). I haven’t been allowed to start real PT yet but should be able to soon, and the doctor is optimistic about getting more range of motion back once some pins are removed. We’ll see. People with far worse injuries and disabilities than mine seem to ride so I’m hoping I can get back to it in some capacity.
You just made my whole day! I’m in physical therapy school and I can’t wait to get my hands on some riders when I graduate. Back pain, forward head, tight shoulders, we can fix it all! A friend of mine had an ankle sprain and only had about 10 degrees of dorsiflexion- she thought she would NEVER be able to keep her heel down again. A few months of PT and voila, she’s got more range than she did before! Hmm maybe I’ll be able to pay off my board or lessons by fixing little things like this for clients and trainers some day.
Forgot to add, once I was harnassing a Percheron, with her teammate tied up down the aisle. Unbeknownst to me a woman came into the barn and went upstairs, leaving her toddler to roam around. I can’t see over a draft horse and had no clue he was there, until a sheet of corrugated came off the barn roof (they were working on it at the time) and hit the ground. The horse I was harnessing was ok, but the other draft started to panic and I heard a child screaming as I ran over. He was under the horse as it danced around trying to pull back, let me tell you it freaked me right out. I ran under the horse and pulled him out, getting a few good shots on the way, scooped him to the side and got the horse under control. Talk about adreneline. The stupid woman just shrugged, the kid was ok so what was the problem and why was I yelling at her?
Two lessons here, IF you are leaving your kid in a barn even for five minutes tell someone! Second, NOTHING is bombproof, even old drafts can have a spaz attack (but you know this) and are no place for a child to hang out under.
I drive a carriage in a major city. I was stopped at a red light one day and some people came up on the sidewalk and were taking pictures of my horse. The light turned green, so I told my horse to walk. She ignored me, so I told her to walk again. She took a small step forward, then one of the ladies that was taking pictures started screaming and ran in front of her and grabbed her toddler out from FUCKING UNDERNEATH MY HORSE!!! She then proceeded to scream at me for almost running her child over. Sorry, I can’t see small children who are standing underneath my horse…
During Christmas, we go out to a small town where they shut down the streets to traffic and everyone walks around in the streets, and it never fails, I have to literally run into people with my horse to get them out of my way. I’m talking multiple times a night. Then they get mad at me… “I didn’t hear you yelling! You need to yell louder!” So I went out and bought a bicycle horn, which resulted in “Well I didn’t know you were honking at me! You need to start yelling or something!” :facepalm:
Both years that we’ve done this thing at Christmas, I’ve also had to deal with women who start screaming at me because their children almost got stepped on when they ran out in front of my horse. One of them got mad and complained to the event organizers when I told her that my horse stopped instead of stepping on her child, so she should be happy and thank me for having such a well behaved horse. I think what really pissed her off was me telling her that I can’t control her child, so I’ll just worry about my horse and she needs to worry about her kid.
The best part about any barn is the atmosphere. I spend a lot of money on my hobby, and I want to enjoy myself. How much more fun is it to look forward to riding with friends and having a quick chat? I want to be with a group of people who share my enthusiasm, who I can bounce ideas/concerns off of. It makes getting off the couch to come out and work my horse so much easier!
We laugh, have fun, share failure and success stories. I freely give up my Saturday mornings to clean stalls, pick rocks, hay, or cut down burrs for nothing more than a cup of coffee and idle chit chat. LOL
I don’t want to pay to go somewhere full of bitchy people talking about how everyone else sucks and stuff is constantly “borrowed”. I love that those people are quickly bounced out of my current barn, they poison the environment.
I love my current trainer, the first thing she asks me at the start of every lesson is how my week’s riding went. What did I have challenges with, and what do I want to work on. She then works that into the lesson plan. I love how positive she is about my successes, I am hard enough on myself, and she knows I don’t need anyone else’s help beating myself up. When my progress seems to stall or my horse seems to be going backwards, she brings out an earlier video and reminds me how far we’ve come. It encourages me to keep at it, she may come up with a different approach, and I find soon enough we’re moving forward again.
The same goes for local horse-clubs. It doesn’t all have to be about showing – sometimes you just like to sit around with other horse-people and talk about horses! I brought this up to the “Northern division” of our Arabian Horse club and this March we offered a “Movie Night” which was not only free to the participants (and open to the public) but did not cost our club anything due to the use of a community room!
Several new people came to the event and even ended up participating in a “Ride-a-Class” clinic we held the following month to introduce people to popular classes at the shows. The clinic, while having a low turnout, was a huge hit! We hope to add some BBQ’s and group trail rides this summer. Winter time will have more movies and maybe some other social events.
shows, trainers and clubs all need to ask themselves “What are we offering our exhibitors/clients/members for their time and $$? Why should they spend their time/$$ with us instead of XYZ?” If people don’t feel they are getting a good value, they’ll spend their time and money elsewhere.
and STOP CHARGING AN ARM AND A LEG TO AUDIT EVENTS!!!! $20 if you include a lunch, no more!!
OMG. What a great idea!!
I wish there was an adult saddle club in my area – I’d totally endorse that.
For folks who have always wanted to get into horses but didn’t know where to start: host a movie night with a Q & A in the winter, and offer vouchers for “one free lesson,” or a mini horse expo with a couple of vendors & local clubs, and demonstrations, and a “meet & greet & ride” for newbies (helmets provided)….
Really, good marketing isn’t rocket science. It’s about fun. Horses ARE fun. Horsepeople can be really fun.
We got a horse for our daughter about three years ago, a non-Quarter horse breed. It was and still is the best thing we could have done for her and have never regretted it. I do have one caveat to that however, it is the other horse people that suck, big difference. Love the horse, working with horse people in whatever discipline I could do without. In fact, I have a saying regarding horse people, present company on this board totally excepted, of course, that the biggest horses’ asses are not the horses themselves, it’s the owners of the horses.
Like I said previously, we got a non-Quarter horse and OMG, you would think we are the antichrist for having done so, or we did it just to be unique and different, whatever. Other horse people feel free to offer their opinion, usually negative, on my daughter’s horse right in front of her, like anyone asked for it, like they’re somehow experts on the breed, more than what we ourselves know about the breed, and believe me, the majority are not and in fact, just show their ignorance.
I agree with what someone previously said about the cliques in the horse world. Especially, the gamers. At least around here, these girls at these shows all run around acting like they’re all that and just the best riders ‘cuz they can abuse their horses and scare the bejesus out of them to get them to go. I get a kick out of it, how invariably it’s the gamers that make appearances in the Bad Riding Journal and they all do the same things and they all look totally ridiculous.
Another thing that could be done to make at least horse shows more friendly to vastly greater numbers of people, is at least at open shows where there is potential that you are going to get other breeds and not just QH, paints, Appaloosas, Arabians, etc., is like dog show judges, horse show judges should know the breeds and not just the common ones mentioned. I know at our big state “champ” show, I swear every judge, and there were many, had their hand in some way in the QH industry. How fair is that? Not at all.
Talking about trainers that they s/b tactful in telling someone their horse may not be suited for a particular discipline, I guess my feeling on that is that I’ve never yet met a trainer that I would take what they say at face value to begin with and in fact, most of ours have been oblivious and just need to buy a clue, maybe with the money they make on giving lessons. My daughter is currently working with an English riding instructor ($40 for half hour lesson), as she wants to head into dressage. Well, this trainer told us basically that our horse (and a couple clinicians said he was a good mover) would never amount to anything but being a local yocal regular at the dressage shows, that if anyone good showed up, our horse could never beat them, despite the fact that our horse outdoes any of her dressage trained school lesson horses, and even her boarders’ horses in his lateral work. He can sidepass, pivot on the forehand, and the backhand, shoulder in, leg yield circles around some of her horses, all with no instruction yet from her. Needless to say, I’m not buying it, because after all, aren’t all horses capable of doing dressage? It’s about the training and my daughter’s horse is very trainable and easygoing. But, no she has a few professional people with WB’s and cannot see anything else being capable of dressage. Yeah, we’ll be shopping around for a different instructor, one with a more open mind and greater knowledge.
Sorry I digressed so much, but hey, there’s a lot that needs fixin’ in the horse world.
Your daughter should go on out there and show her horse in dressage. Will she win over a big money horse? Maybe not. But she’s going to learn a lot and she might surprise EVERYBODY with how her horse does. I have seen all sorts of funny looking rescue horses come out of dressage shows with a ribbon…especially on a windy day when the high dollar horses are bouncing around the rafters because the arena made noise!
I am a QH/Paint horse owner and I do have to agree with your point about the open horseshows where you said the judge should be educated in different breeds. I see time and time again, the typey QHs and Paints beating the Arabs and I say the same thing to myself. Open shows should be inclusive to all people and all types of horses. An Arab doesn’t move like a QH or a TB but does that mean they wouldn’t be the best choice in a WP class? I am sure it gets very discouraging.
They get around that around here at open shows by offering “saddle type” WP & halter, which usually gets judged pathetically. Sad.
Also sad, whenever I see TBs or Arabs or Welsh Cobs or Morgans or ANYTHING not obviously AQHA/APHA peanut roller puppy paw seesawing rider in Hunter Under Saddle at these open shows, actually moving like a HUNTER, they’ll rarely place.
Yeah, you need a new trainer. ASAP.
I’ve also noticed something with the local QH crowd: often they mistrust people who aren’t “country.” Seriously.
Unless you’ve got a fancy horse, fancy tack and such, and your trainer is “in.”
Growing up, I began taking lessons from a women after begging my mom for months (my best friend was taking lessons there too). The woman, Michelle, taught me so much- she was my idol. She was nice but could be harsh in a lesson, something that made me *almost* quit when I was 8- until I decided to man up and keep riding. The greatest thing she taught me, and the rest of the kids, was humility. Several of the girls were bratty little snots (in their own clique) with their own horses, fancy breeches and shiny boots. I was there with my (no joke) hiking boots and pink barbie bicycle helmet (It was round like a riding helmet), but the girls got harshly reprimanded if they ever made fun of me. A two years later, I was there in my breeches, velvet helmet and Ariat paddock boots and sneered a bit at a girl from my school, who told me quite proudly that she had ridden a whole 10 minutes. Though I knew it was her second time riding, I puffed up my chest and commented that IIII had ridden over 30 minutes. My instructor, right then and there, told me off and made me apologize. I never forgot that lesson.
Unfortunately, about a year later… my instructor committed suicide. I was beyond horrified, shocked and depressed. Yet after a year of hating horses and riding in general, I was convinced by the same friend (and her family) to start riding again. They had me try out a girl’s mare at a new barn, the place they switched to. I had no idea at the time, but the mare had an old injury (but was comfortable and sound for flat riding according to several vets) and could not pick up her right lead at the canter. I rode this mare, Nicki in a lesson with this trainer who for about 15 minutes, was screaming at me, having me beat the mare with my crop and kicking her over and over, trying to get her to canter on the right lead. I was almost sobbing, terrified, and nearly gave up on riding for the rest of my life. Luckily, the owner of the horse got to the barn and yelled at the idiot trainer, and got her fired soon after (this trainer was known to kick horses in the ribs while girthing them up, etc.) I decided to lease the mare after all (without any lessons), and soon fell in love with horses again.
I totally agree. I am an instructor and I make sure that my lessons are fun, which is very easy for me because I LOVE to teach. I believe that you learn more through laughing at your mistakes than by being beat over the head with what you did wrong. I have been told by several of my students that they love my teaching style and that just makes my day. I do not have much of a show record, so it is hard sometimes to get people to give you a chance as a trainer, but honestly, people skills and a talent for explaining the situation is a lot more valuable for an instructor than a ribbon on the wall. I have recently relocated to the PNW and I am having one heck of a time getting people to give me chance. Good thing I am also a bit stubborn
OK, maybe a bit off-topic, but remind of the rules for avoiding being the barn bitch! I know I’m not, but I AM a bit of a . . . uh . . . stable management snob. So I have a hard time accepting when things aren’t quite up to my standards.
Can fugly readers give me advice on how to:
a) accept imperfection
b) exercise tact even when things aren’t perfect
Random example: swallowing the urge to give a friendly mini-lecture on the importance of warm up when a rider rushes right into working their horse with no warm up.
Seems to me that sometimes being nice to the other riders / boarders is the same as being mean to their horses!
Oh lord…you and I need to have a drink. I am constantly biting my tongue at stuff like that.
Ultimately, you can’t tell other people how to ride their horse. When the horse comes up lame, and it will, you can use a tactfully indirect method like saying, gee, I had a horse with that problem, and I started walking her the first 15 and last 15 minutes of every ride and it helped a lot!
And I don’t know what to tell you, I’m never happy with other peoples’ barn management…I’m a do it yourselfer for sure. If I’m on full care, I clean after them, and scrub my own buckets anyway.
at first I thought you meant, have a drink, you won’t be so uptight about your fellow riders
I suppose biting my tongue or becoming the barn bitch are my only options . . . that and really having a drink.
LOL nope I meant, have a drink with me and let’s bitch about the idiots that we have to watch ride without saying anything!
I boarded for a year at a WP barn, so I got a LOT of practice biting my tongue.
I continually remind myself that I’m not perfect, either. Also, the people who rode there were VERY nice, and the moms and teenage girls were very cool about offering to watch my ADHD daughter while I rode, a very welcome gesture.
Now, if it was a matter of safety or imminent horse injury, like… Hey! I see your horse is missing a shoe! that was usually well-received. But unless someone asks, or there’s money involved, you just have to shut up.
I’m much happier at my new barn. It’s just a little family place, with knowledgeable barn owners, ample safe space for my kid (and people who love to grandparent her), giant turnout, much cheaper… totally offsets the lack of indoor arena. Plus it’s not busy, so my nieces can come out too and we can mess with some other kid-safe horses on the property.
I ride at Rose Bowl Riders and really like it–there a reason there is a waiting list to get a stall there. My trainer there always finds something positive to say during each lesson, and I appreciate that, especially on those days when I know she had to work to find it. Teaching adult beginners really is different from teaching kids, and I think she gets that. On the abusive trainer issue: part of training people in any new activity sometimes means that you must push them out of their comfort zone so they can progress, but IMO professionals do that without being abusive.
Reasons I left a previous lesson barn: Third to last straw: during a particularly frustrating lesson I asked my instructor, “I don’t understand why this is happening–what am I doing wrong?” She wrinkled her nose and said, “Everything!” OK, maybe true, but not helpful. Second to last straw: I trotted through the corner so I was facing her, and saw her say, “Sit up–heels down” while texting–she wasn’t even looking at me! This was a 30 min. private lesson. Last straw: trainer and one of the other employees standing together in the arena commenting between themselves about my poor leg/seat/something position, while I am cooling the horse out after my lesson. Helloooo, I’m right here. Again, probably accurate, but *that’s why I’m taking lessons!!*
When I read these stories I think thank God I don’t have to board and thank God that I don’t need a coach or a trainer. I really doubt the demand for horses will return. Hopefully all the over-breeding will abate. There just aren’t enough people that can give a horse a home and I just can’t see that changing.
Wow, that comment really made me see your anti-competition comments in a new light.
There is no person on this planet who does not NEED a coach. Even professionals go to clinics, have trainers and continue to learn, anyone who does not continue to educate themselves is not a professional in my opinion (professional not in the sense of “I charge money for the things I do” but in the sense of knowing what they are doing and doing their thing well lol). Heck, even those guys in the Olympics have coaches!
There is always room for improvement and I am quite amazed that you call people on this blog “close minded” when this is the attitude you have to your own riding… Does not need a coach my………
I agree with your post five thousand percent!
BlackJack, I’m sure you already had your opinions regarding my horse show statements. But here is a news flash for you, first just because I don’t hire a coach or a trainer doesn’t mean that I don’t continue learning. In fact, the so called professional trainers around here don’t have even close to the expertise that I have – so what good would they do me. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t attend a clinic from time to time. There are lots of ways to learn: reading, DVDs none of these involve a coach/trainer. Finally, I don’t know what you’re getting at with your professionalism comment but there really is no such thing as a horse professional.
Cathy, you are very interesting. First we hear that horse shows are no place for someone to feel good about themselves or their horse. Next there is a story about horse show abuse and a call from you to attend so that the abuse will stop. I still think this is irrational. Next we need to find ways to get more people into horses so that people will start spending some money. We need to make things fun and we need make things inclusive. So far I don’t follow you – you contradict yourself in just a few days and a few blogs. Next you start inviting people to have a drink with you so that you can bash/gossip about other people. Isn’t that also contributing to a negative environment. I agree with another poster in that there are so many things wrong with the horse world and it will never change. Furthermore, the economy is still very fragile so I think that the majority of people have a lot of other things on their minds other than where to get a horse riding lesson.
Fun and inclusive ISN’T contradictory with shows being a serious place to increase your horse’s value and show who has worked hardest on their riding and achieved excellence.
Sooo… I’m going to be a snot but… what are the chances that our patty here is Pat Parellie or at least a wanna-be???
Doesn’t that seem just like an add for his stupid dvd’s and gimmics, “…You don’t need a trainer, just buy my books, buy my DVD’s and this suuuper duuupper excercise ball… You too can be the next great….”
Sorry, but there is a HUGE difference between watching and reading about how to do something and actually physically doing it. Having someone there to watch and critique what you are doing is also valuable because you can’t see what your doing wrong, or even right, while you ride. Yes you could video yourself and self-critique later but that can’t compare to the instant feed back you get from a live trainer. I went years without a trainer and when I finally went out and found one, I learned more in those first 6 months than I had in all the time was alone with my books. My trainer was awsome! She did make it fun, she was proffesional, she always kept her cool, taught me little extra tid-bits about care on the side and did whatever she could to boost our confidence and keep us interrested in riding. Of course you have to actually be willing to LISTEN to someone who is trying to teach you, if you can’t do that then no one will be able to teach you anything…
Proffesionals in the horse business; trainers, coaches, clinicians, farriers, grooms, breeders, rescuers, shippers, traders, tack makers, chiropractors, accupunturists, massage therepists, nutritionalists, vets, denists, saddle fitters, photographers, writers.. man what DON’T we pay people to do?
Parrellie side note… Did anyone else see the pic of him in the may eddition of the AQHA “America’s Horse” magazine?? check pg 31 if you missed it… He had that stupid ball on top of his colt… the last time I saw eyes bugging out like that they belonged to a very, VERY angery mother cow guarding her newborn calf.
“In fact, the so called professional trainers around here don’t have even close to the expertise that I have – so what good would they do me.”
LOLOL. In my experience, I have found a direct correlation between how much someone claims to know and how little they actually DO know. The greatest horsemen/horsewomen I have ever met are also the most humble. It’s like the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t actually know.
But wait- you can learn how to ride by watching DVDs and reading books? Nifty. Do the DVDs also magically watch you, and point out flaws that you are unaware of?
C’mon, even the best riders in the world still take lessons from each other. And occasionally they also compete. You know, at horse shows. And their horses don’t end up in the Enumclaw kill pen. Oh, the horrors!
“LOLOL. In my experience, I have found a direct correlation between how much someone claims to know and how little they actually DO know.”
I agree, those people who claim to know the most usually need instruction the most. Those who proclaim themselves to be doig great without instructor and who are “educating themselves from books and DVDs” usually don’t have the experience and knowledge needed to recognize the mistakes they make.
I am kind of getting the impression that “patty” got laughed out of the ring at a few shows and has thus decided that all shows are evil and promote horse cruelty…..
It also does seem to be typical to the Parelli crowd to not got to shows because they can’t control their horses/their riding is less than proficient and to “educate themselves” from books and DVDs. Gimmicks like carrot sticks also seem to make up for a lot of lack of know-how….
Of course that doesn’t mean that “patty” is necessarily a Parelli follower, I am just saying that she seems to comply with my stereotypical view of that crowd lol
If you are a parent of a horse lover….be a nice parent! I just spent the weekend at the WAHSET State Finals and listened to great kids get bawled out for little imperfections, they’ve made it to State for heaven’s sake…they are among the best, are a jumble of nerves and there is ALWAYS something good you could say!!! Thankfully there are also very good parents who cheer on everyone and try to counteract the negative parents and applaud their kiddo for them.
this is OT, but very important for all horse owners. While this news release deals with horses in Colorado, I just got off the phone with a veterinarian at CSU that said there is a case of a horse being at Washington State for some type of surery (ortho?) and 4 days later having to be euthanized due to EHV-1. Please check with your veterinarian to determine the best course of action for your horses!
media release
Colorado Department of Agriculture http://www.colorado.gov/ag
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2011
Contact: Christi Lightcap, (303) 239-4190, Christi.lightcap@ag.state.co.us
Equine Herpesvirus Confirmed in Two Colorado Horses
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Colorado Department of Agriculture is investigating two confirmed cases of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) within the state. Two quarantines have been placed on two Weld County premises.
One horse was euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with the disease and the second horse is currently under observation in a biosecure location.
“The Department is taking quick and appropriate actions to control and mitigate this disease,” said State Veterinarian, Dr. Keith Roehr. “We will continue to trace the movement of these horses and those horses they came into contact with in order to protect Colorado’s equine industry.”
Both diagnosed horses had recently attended the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah. The Colorado Department of Agriculture is working with the Utah State Veterinarian to investigate the location as a point of interest for the infection.
EHV-1 is not transmissible to people; it can be a serious disease of horses that can cause respiratory, neurologic disease and death. The most common way for EHV-1 to spread is by direct horse-to-horse contact. The virus can also spread through the air, contaminated equipment, clothing and hands.
Symptoms include fever, decreased coordination, nasal discharge, urine dribbling, loss of tail tone, hind limb weakness, leaning against a wall or fence to maintain balance, lethargy, and the inability to rise. While there is no cure, the symptoms of the disease may be treatable.
I absolutely love this blog and I agree with most of these statements- you’re not going to stick around if you’re not enjoying yourself. But I do have to say that I don’t agree that renting trail-string horses is a bad idea. I know it’s been mentioned a couple times on the blog, but I’ve seen and been to many different operations- they’re not all bad, and it can be done right. They don’t all mistreat the horses, and for the most part, people enjoy themselves. I’m not opposed to it- I think it’s a good way for someone who has absolutely no introduction to horses (and isn’t interested in it enough/doesn’t have the money to take lessons) to get some horse experience while having a good time.
Now the places that let you just take the horse and go- that’s wrong. but with a guide and well-fed, happy horses, it can be fun.
But that’s just my 2 cents. I love this blog, I just hate seeing this topic come up, as it usually has a negative connotation.
I’ve just met SO many folks who had wrecks…
Knowing how reactive horses can be, I think your chance of not having a bad accident is decreased greatly by having an arena fence around you. There are so many hazards in the open if the horse gets scared, and then you have the barn sour issue. I taught a lady years ago who’d had a rental horse run into an electric fence with her and fall down, getting them both tangled up in the fence and repeatedly shocked. You know, that just doesn’t happen in the arena…
In high school I used to work at a trail place as a guide. The owner cared nothing for the health of the horses and would try to force us to saddle up horses with sores and lameness. One of the horses they put kids on because he “won’t run off” had navicular and was seriously lame. He wouldn’t run off because it hurt so bad to walk. I would take the ones with saddle sores out bareback. I would also doctor wounds and refuse to take out anyone not sound. I wasn’t well liked there. There was a old appy that was pretty safe that we did put kids/beginners on. One time I was with another guide working a big group. I was taking up the rear of the line. something spooked the appy and he spun and tried to gallop back to the barn with a kid clinging to his back. I managed to grab a rein as he ran by and stopped him. Close call. Anything can happen anytime and if you don’t know what to do you can get in deep trouble real quick. We would give some quick instruction before we left the paddock but that is no substitute for lessons. I finally quit that place because I hated how the horses were treated and couldn’t be a part of it. It was hard to leave because I was the only one there that took good care of the horses and I felt like I was abandoning them. In retrospect I should have reported them, I was a dumb kid. But that placed closed down long ago. I believe there’s a special place for people that put $$ over animal or human welfare.
Don’t feel bad, I grew up at the same sort of place and also was young, dumb and didn’t know I could have done something about it. Though given that it was the 70′s, I probably couldn’t have done much. People just don’t appreciate how far we’ve come.
And I agree that some of these places are horrible. I have a similar story in that I also worked as a trail guide all throughout high school (some of college as well, I loved that place). Our horses were worked hard, but no more than a horse in training of any “real” discipline. We kept our horses well-fed (some were hard to keep the weight OFF), horses that were lame were never ridden until they were sound again, and if any horse had sores, someone was going to get in trouble because we were super careful about correct tack fitting. We had an amazing vet, and every horse had proper farrier care. Sure, some horses didn’t like their job. In that case, we found that horse a private home. All of us employees (manager included) loved and cared for the horses. Each other, well, that’s another story. Sure accidents happen. We didn’t have many, and luckily they weren’t too serious. But that’s why you sign a liability waiver- it’s not the safest way to spend 30 bucks.
I’ve seen some horrible horse rental places- horses too skinny, trail guides not paying attention- but this is a business that can be done right, and many times is. I just want people to know that there ARE good places out there. I worked at one and have been to several other great places.
I agree that it’s possible to do right. I’ve just seen so many bad ones that I’d be too afraid to patronize one without being sure they are being run well and humanely. Maybe I should start a business… But I have a feeling to do it right there might not be much profit. There are some riding vacations i’d love to take but it’s hard to know who is good and who isn’t. I’m not talking about skinnies, bad feet, etc. Those things are obvious. The place I worked the horses we in good weight and had farrier care. There were no immediate red flags unless you spent some time there and saw the attitude of the owner and how he responded to the horses needs. He wanted them saddled and out making him $$ regardless of their condition. How was the client to know there was a big sore under that girth? Or that the POA is slow because he is 30 years old and his cushings and heaves aren’t making him feel so great on this 90 degree day? I showed up one day and the POA was gone. I was told he died over night from drinking contaminated water. wtf. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a world wide review site so we all could know if that riding vacation in Iceland or VT or Ireland is advisable?
I have had several experiences with horse trekking/rental places here in NZ, but not all of them have been bad. Even so, there are some shocking places out there.
One place in particular sticks in my mind. 100 or so horses, most underweight, not wormed, not groomed, no hoof care, huge stock saddles that didn’t fit, belly-deep mud… This place had 2 and 3 year olds doing full day treks, no food or water during the day. Beginners were riding these young horses (green broke, maybe a month worth of riding?) up and down huge clay hills, sliding the whole way. This place would ask the beginners if they wanted to go for a canter (usually in a downhill section of mud with hidden rocks..), usually the whole lot would bolt off and you’d end up with someone on the ground… I’ve seen a couple of horses almost fall off the edge of a cliff from this sort of carry on. I got taken there with my step-grandmother about a year ago (had no idea that we were going there, if I had known I would have refused…) and luckily they seemed to have cleaned up their act. The horses looked about the right weight, their feet were okay and the gear seemed to fit a bit better. Sadly it wasn’t so, I got given a darling of a horse, nice and quiet (probably just tired…), the guide was riding the father of my first (disaster) horse, a little ‘pretty coloured’ standardbred/arab cross with fugly conformation. The guides stallion bolted, my horse bolted… Luckily I have been riding a few years so I managed to spin my horse around (on wet clay -.-), but had I been a beginner? Could have ended very badly. Never again.
At the same time, I have had several good experiences too. Nicely bred, well trained and conditioned, well groomed with clean well fitting tack. Friendly guides with experience, and safe riding trails with good views.
Again, they’re not all bad – but beware of the bad places out there.
Ugh! Darlene wilson is going to continue to wreak havoc on those poor horses! Do the pychos ever cease to amaze?
I have to agree about the instructors, what you said about being positive and being professional, but friendly. I would like to add too, if you are an instructor ONLY, don’t pretend to be a trainer and vice versa. Not all trainers are instructors(nor should they be) and not all instructors are trainers(nor should they be) If you are one or the other, make some good liaisons with your other half so you can offer recommendations to your customers.
The next can of worms I will open up is SHOWS – local open shows run by local horse clubs. This can include 4H.
If you are running the show. BE FRIENDLY!!! When people come to your show booth and mention they are NEW here…or this is their first show…take the time to be nice, accommodating and give them some pointers that will make their day go smoothly(in the end this will also help make your day go smoothly). Let them know you are willing to help them with questions, or the paperwork. This goes a long way to making them want to stay involved and perhaps even bring them into your club. My daughter and I went to observe our first IBHA show (I have a filly we are considering showing). I watched and then went to the show booth with my questions…OMG…this gal was a wonderful resource. She wrote things down for me, and answered all my questions pleasantly. Did not once treat me as though I was a moron. I would certainly go there and show based on my experience.
If you are an instructor taking your students to a show, please prepare them AND yourself. Practice what could happen, take them on a field trip to see a show – whatever type it might be. Countless times in the show booth bewildered students will come and say, “my trainer sent up here to get in a class” – not knowing what class, not with an entry card, not knowing who the tab is under, essentially not prepared to answer any of the questions I am going to have to ask them. This upsets them, makes the office work harder and I am sure frustrates the trainer when the student goes back and says they aren’t entered. If you and your students are prepared you look like a trainer/instructor other people would want to take lessons from – you will be your own best advertising. Granted, things happen, but being organized and prepared sure makes you look professional, knowledgeable and responsible – 3 things we all look for in a trainer/instructor.
I totally agree, horse people can either be the biggest advocates/ambassadors for horses and show people how much you gain from your horsey experiences or they can be the worst….and I have seen LOTS of worst, so when I see some best I really take notice.
IBHA and ABRA are SO DAMN NICE…I hope the Big Yellow Money Vacuum comes sound again, I’ll go show him just for the hell of it, even if I suck, because those shows are so much fun and the people are all SO DAMN NICE.
I very much agree with the be friendly part. Growing up I had shown fairly regularly at a larger local open show series. They were okay- not mean, but not super nice. Then two summer’s ago I had my adult debut, at another local series. It was too far from my old barn to be considered, and it was smaller but the lady I was schooling for went there because she liked the attitude more. I can see why! I was able to register and get my number in under 5 minutes, as opposed to the 15+ it would take elsewhere because the ladies in the office were just so helpful! And when I had thought they made the announcement that they were opening up the ring to school but wasn’t sure- the gate keeper was helpful and funny! I wasn’t sure if it was actually open because all I saw was junior riders in there so I asked him if it was really open- at this point I didn’t realize that adult classes have 1/3 of the riders of junior classes- so he laughed and said “Go on in- you are being judged at the walk!” I have horrible show nerves and this was the one show that I didn’t rip someone’s head off.
Re: five figure horses and games. I’ve played ride-a-buck against a USET member at a fun show before. Not riding her “real” horse but schooling greenies locally. She didn’t win, either! Talk about your bragging rights, some 12 year old gets to brag that she beat an Olympic medalist!
Great article, although you can’t overlook the snob factor – some people WANT to be mistreated, because being part of an exclusive club is what gives them a charge so they aren’t interested in a place that is nice to everyone. The same reason waiters give shitty service in some exclusive restaurants. But in general, the places that do this are not hurting for money and probably not reading articles about how to improve business.
Great points all! I’m a big fan of #3 personally – I’ve worked and ridden at barns where everyone else would hide or go quiet when a particular boarder showed up because no one wanted to deal with her nastiness. I love my current barn, but I admit I’d love it a lot more if two particular people weren’t in evidence. I can understand not being a chatty person, but if someone says hello to you as they’re coming in the barn, would you not feel compelled to say hello back? I can’t count the number of times my greetings have been sniffed at. Makes me feel sorry for ‘em; anyone that antisocial can’t be happy.
ANYWAY. Unrelated, but I have a question for fugly readers.
I’m currently looking to take on a second horse, and I’m looking specifically for something older that needs a semi-retirement, but can be sound enough to take my novice husband on a trail with me once or twice a week. Some maintenance is fine (arthritis/heaves etc.), will be doted on! References provided obviously.
However the ideal situation would be one in which we can start out with something like a six month lease to ensure its a good fit. Happy to foot all the bills, provide updates and have the owner down for visits – whatever it would take to make the owner feel comfortable. I know how nerve wracking it can be to place an older horse, and want to make sure the owner also feels its a good fit.
I have gotten some responses, but I’m finding people have placed pricetags on their horses that don’t really fit with my understanding of the market. I had one offer of a horse going blind (no explanation as to what’s causing it, prognosis, treatment etc.), who’s ‘foundered a few times’, and looks IR to me with a $2500 pricetag.
REALLY?
Does anyone have some suggestions as to where (or how) I could advertise for an older lady or gent and NOT get responses like that?
Tell me where you are and I will put you in touch with a good, HONEST rescue.
Well I MAY have found a suitable horse (a friend is looking for a semi-retirement for her 19 year old tb mare), but if you can vouch for any rescues in Ontario I’d love to know which ones! From what I’ve seen/read, the folks at the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society seem to do good work, and Longrun looks good too.
The others I’ve contacted before however, just gave me bad vibes (didn’t answer pertinent health questions about their horses, flaked out on appointments, changed the adoption fee about four times etc. etc. etc.).
I like Heaven Can Wait Equine Rescue but I could see her being bad about returning calls and stuff, she’s pretty busy…but she has done very good work and gotten a lot of auction/kill pen horses into great homes.
That surprises me actually.
Last march I was in contact with HCW about a horse with intermittent soundness issues that had all the visual hallmarks of an IR horse, and from the background they’d written up, a history of the symptoms. I could not get an answer one way or the other as to whether or not he’d been tested, or any other medical questions I asked. Then, his adoption fee went up about four times in the two weeks I tried to get her on the phone. I finally set up a day to come see him via email (which involved my husband taking a day off work to come with me), only to have her send me an email that morning saying it was no longer possible. No reason given, just ‘not possible’. She also confessed in one email that he’d gone lame again because she’d switched his hay (I assume without testing it – no questions were answered on that subject either).
I wound up going to look at a horse for lease by a private owner who was perfect, so maybe it was fate!
Still, it was a very frustrating experience, and while it may not be the case I certainly wasn’t given the best impression.
Heaven Can Wait is the real deal and has been around for quite a while, haven’t heard bad, but mostly I’ve just donated stuff to them. Likewise, with LongRun, the people seem really solid from the limited interaction I’ve had with them, but of course that’s OTTB only.
Being nice is important but don’t be afraid to give constructive criticism. I tried out one instructor who ended up just giving me directions and no feed back. So the whole lesson I was left wondering what I could do to improve, what I was doing wrong, and I was actually doing well because all she said was “Good, now do x.” I now drive 1.5 hours each way to ride with an instructor I love. She gives great feedback, isn’t afraid to make me work my butt of, but is quick to tell how I’ve improved and ask if I could feel the difference that time etc. If anyone near Dunstable, MA is looking for lessons Rosewood Farm is amazing. She also takes great care of her horses, the one I ride is in his twenties and you’d never guess it looking at him. All the horses are happy and healthy.
I am giving myself a pat on the back, whether it is deserved or not, because I got my husband into riding as an adult and he is going to his first AA Jumper show this week. Practically everyone who sees him out taking lessons with me knocks on their head and asks aloud why they didn’t think to get their husband interested in horses. It makes it so much more fun when you can share a sport that you love. I go to the MLS Soccer games and I took up skiing as an adult. My husband learned to ride when we were engaged and truly enjoys it now. We even went on a riding vacation in Ireland together. We share each other’s hobbies because, in my opinion, that is part of a good marriage.
Also, one of my husband’s co-worker’s came out just this last Saturday to watch us ride. He is also interested in taking up riding and is encouraged by my husband’s success. I won’t push too hard, but I think it is great that adults who have never seriously ridden before are willing to get out and try riding. I love my barn and their instructors, so it is easy for me to give referrals without worrying that someone might have a bad experience. It helps that my barn actually has show quality lesson horses that are big enough to give full sized men lessons on! I tried a number of years ago to find a barn where my husband could ride and none of them had large enough lesson horses. It was quite a disheartening experience.
Sometimes I feel that riding has become too centered on women and it may be suffering as a result. I am all for equality amongst the sexes and things get out of balance when we promote stereotypes about how little girls love horses and women love horses more than their husbands/boyfriends/fiances etc. Sexist stereotypes tick me off when it comes to cars and such, so why would I participate in the same sort of stereotypes when it comes to men taking up riding. I guess that just turned into a mini rant that I didn’t realize was in me. I am just trying to say that I do see problems for the horse industry in the future if it becomes too women centric.
Well, certain disciplines are more equal…polo is about half and half these days. I see about 50/50 at team sorting and team penning. The english stuff…dressage, hunters, jumpers…does tend to be mostly women.
(in THIS country.)
Oooooooo this is a good topic on which to post something I’ve been debating posting for a while.
I rode as a child. My parents had (at least some) means and I was a horse-crazy kid, so I got lessons. I rode English and Western at various times/barns, though I tended to prefer English, and I did little school shows as both. Typical kids fare. Some barns were good, some were in between, and one was very very bad (emergency dismount of the mare when the stallion got out bad – more than the final straw, never saw that crazy woman again).
I’ve fallen various times, always got back on. I was probably not the best rider but I was reasonably confident at the time. It’s probably been about 10 years since I had my last lesson as a kid, maybe a little less. Probably 10 years since the last really good lesson with the instructor I actually enjoyed.
Since then, I’ve only rode as a ‘one-time’ thing, sometimes on vacation trail-rides (usually at the behest of others), or some family friends own a little bed and breakfast setup where they do trail rides. I took a free polo lesson as well.
My problem is: when I get back up on a horse now I am insanely nervous. Like, I still know things about riding from my childhood, but I am scared to apply any of them, and I can’t decide why. Is it just not knowing the horse I’m riding? Somehow knowing that the outfits I’m riding at aren’t the best (some were def. not)? I mean, I didn’t have a bad fall I never recovered from or anything like that. And I’ve taken people with me who’ve never really ridden before and most of them aren’t as nervous as me, the person who’s at least experienced it before (though I wouldn’t really call myself ‘experienced’, especially with this fear). It’s really paralyzing and I don’t want to do any of things I was once comfortable with on a horse (my work as a kid wasn’t that extensive but I could at least trot without fear).
How do I get over it? Is it even possible? I would really love to find a barn where I can take some lessons but I guess I really need somewhere that can help me get over this. Or should I just start over as a rank beginner? Will a good instructor work with fear?
In DFW (Texas) if anyone has anything so specific as a stable recommendation, but really just some advice/reassurance (especially if you’ve ever been similar) would be lovely.
It is absolutely normal OMG I’M AN ADULT fear syndrome. I have it, I know a zillion people who have it. How much you can ride/train despite it depends on a number of factors. You have to look at it like an age-related handicap that you have to work around, and you do have to find a kind, patient trainer who won’t treat you like a loser when you’re scared. I hope someone here can suggest someone good!
I’m actually younger than you and others reading my comment may think, pretty early 20s, but I think you actually (possibly inadvertently) brought up a good point with handicap…. I’ve had two major leg/ankle surgeries since I quit riding (and some other sports) and am generally out of shape. So even if I’m not consciously focusing on it fear of getting hurt is probably at least a small part of it.
Even though I don’t really focus on the falling off/getting hurt. It’s more just not really feeling comfortable or like I have any real control other than the mercy of the seasoned schoolmaster/string horse who prefers to plod c:
It is nice to hear that I’m not alone though. I felt a bit insane when I got up on a horse with a timid friend who’d literally never been within 10 feet of a saddle and she was less nervous/uncomfortable than I was.
I’m terrified of riding anymore, too. Haven’t ridden in about four years. My Arab passed away ten years ago, and I just haven’t been comfortable on anyone else. Had a beautiful, green TWH mare for about two years- rode her THREE times. It was like sitting on a mountain. She scared me and she didn’t do anything wrong!
if you’re interested in trying Miniature horse driving, you’re more’n welcome to come out and try my guys. I’m in Springtown, 25 miles NW of Fort Worth. Email me if you’re interested!
At 43 I am back in the saddle. I haven’t been on a horse in years but my husband and I purchased a 7 yr. old paint gelding and a 16 yr. old tb mare last year. We have our horses at home and so don’t have the issues of being in a professional barn situation, so there is no trainer on staff to help with the fear factor of being a re-rider. My mare is doing an awesome job of teaching me that riding is still fun. We move at the same pace, slow and easy. She is a retired brood mare who just adores being loved on, and is happy to do easy walk, trots in the paddock. My confidence is growing with every outing because she is happy and content. Some days I just brush and cuddle her, others we go for rides in the fields, but nothing out of our comfort zones…yet! Summer may come yet and I just might canter her. No one is forcing the issue so its slow and easy all the way. Enjoy yourself Wombatish, and take lots of deep breaths when you feel the nerves starting to bubble up.
I have this issue also. If you were in the Austin area the barn owner where I board works with lots of people with the same issue. She also offers cowgirl weekends where she works with all levels. http://flyingmtexas.com/
My barn (that I own, so I am probably biased) is a fun place to be. We’re focused on adult novices, and we work to incorporate what the students want. Recently, I have been seeing a lot of SCA (Society for Creative Anacronism – basically medieval enthusiasts) riders who do not own horses, but would love to become involved in the SCA games (including jousting). I’ve also started to have a trend to larger male riders.
We do a few things to make horses a reality for our clients: I keep costs down, and I train according to their goals, not mine. Most of our riding students (I train the horses, my mother trains the humans) have no interest in showing, so we let them slide on the “pretty” things. So what if your hands are tilted a bit? So long as it’s safe, we won’t scream about it. This makes the riders happy, because they don’t feel the pressure to be perfect, just SAFE. Interestingly, we do work them up to the start of show quality riding, but because it’s not stressed, they never feel the anxiety of failure.
I also keep the costs as low as possible. Adult novice riding lessons for $25/lesson, and leasing horses for as little as $100/month. Why do I do this? Because in my area it’s CHEAPER to buy and board a horse you found on craig’s list then it is to get quality instruction (and we all know how fast that will get some one out of horses!). While we focus on novice level only, if we can get the basics of safety set in the rider’s mind, then most times when we refer them on to a more advanced trainer they are willing to continue learning. The thing I hear over and over is “I can afford the horse, but I can’t afford to LEARN”. Oddly, my lower prices are making me more money then my friends at high dollar barns. I also offer something to my boarding clients that shocks them: If they are doing the work to train their own horse, I will gladly stay in the area and offer advice… free. All they have to do is ask (since no one wants to have some one out there saying “you’re doing it wrong).
And to keep it “fun” we offer “pony parties”. This is where friends of the farm are welcome to come out and ride. There’s no “lesson” going on, but yet every one offers advice to every one else. They LOVE it when they catch me doing something wrong and can point it out (and I love the help since I can’t see myself). Our riding students can come out and practice, our boarders have a chance to ride with others, and I get to play with one of my pet horses and enjoy saddle time that is not work. The price for this? FREE. We do it every weekend. Oddly, the play days have made my lesson horses MUCH happier too, and means I have to do less schooling on them, so in man hours, it’s saving me money.
Also, when my clients are ready to purchase their own horse, I offer to come advise them… again for free. Guess where the horses end up boarded? Guess where they go when they need a month of tune up training? Guess how much easier it is to convince the client that the fire breathing dragon is NOT the horse for them?
As a business owner it costs me less to give away a few services then it does to pay for advertising. I write off the free services as advertising costs (which it is) and I enjoy that for myself and my clients it ends up as a win-win situation.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I got back into horses a few years ago, and local barns are nothing like I remember as a teenager growing up. As an adult in California in my 40s, I found a place to ride on recommendation. I liked the instructor, but the barn culture was just bizarre. I left when my instructor left, followed her to a barn she rented, and agreed to a monthly lease on a horse. I took lessons 2-3x/month, did a weekly morning feeding for her, put in TONS of sweat equity (I can’t stand dirty stalls, and she had too many horses/too few students, so I was buying shavings and supplements for my leased horse, plus picking out stalls and paddocks for the other eight horses when I was there.) I suggested she book group lessons (3 or 4 students) but she insisted she could only teach privately (so she was limited as to the number of lesson slots available– think kids and afternoons, no indoor arena or lighting, so by November the available hours for kids who are in school really diminish. I do bookkeeping, and I could see the numbers weren’t going to add up. She put out a brochure for boarding, then changed it, changed it again, changed it AGAIN (always with increasing prices, and we’re talking four increases in six months). All the while I was out there 4-5x/week, mucking and feeding.
But I’m not 14 years old, I don’t want to show, I just want to ride AND at the time I was working 50+ hours/week. The straw that broke the camel’s back came one February– I was working at an accounting office, and I simply did not have the time to book a weekly riding lesson on top of the lease. This instructor called me in the evening and had a meltdown. She wanted to half the lease for the same price, and insisted that I guarantee a lesson a week as part of the lease agreement. What a deal!
And I said no. I am a pretty good rider. While I agree that everyone needs an outside eye looking at them occasionally, I was not interested in weekly lessons. I did not have time for weekly lessons. I was already putting in a lot of time taking care of HER horses, plus handing her a lease check every month for the horse. I participated in one jump clinic, but honestly, I never did quite understand why we had to have a special clinic for jumping (I grew up riding hunters and doing horse trials, and we jumped in our on-going lessons.) I did not participate in the weekly “fun rides” because I did not see the need, on top of a lease and lessons, to pay her additional money to ride in the ring right there with other people.
I understand teaching and training is a business. I do not understand business people who have no business plan, and do not understand how to offer value. The whole thing left a really bad taste in my mouth.
Another thing you need is a supportive family.
This means your husband, wife and children need to be on board with your profession. I pay good money for the attention of my trainer. That means that your kid does not get your undivided attention at a show Mrs Trainer.. I am your client and spent thousands of dollars with you training to bring my horse to the futurity.. your kid made us late.. I got no warm up .. basically arrived on show grounds.. throw saddle on and enter pen.. NOT COOL.
This also means that Mr. Trainer’s wife doesn’t have to shoot every female client dagger eyes.. make snide comments etc.. We do want your husband’s attention.. to our riding and our horses that is.. We DON”T want HIM..lol. So cut the jelousy act out. You make us feel unwelcome at the barn.. we will stop shelling out our money for his services. That is what pays your mortgage by the way.
Oh and Husband of trainer 3.. you should know what you got when you married her.. the lions share of her lessons are going to be after school and work. So.. dreams of coming home to a hot meal on the stove at 6 pm on the dot were pretty unrealistic. You bitching at her.. making her rush through a lesson only pisses off the client. Shut up and make yourself a sandwich.. or better yet, make her a hot meal since she has been up since 7 feeding, mucking, training and teaching all day and hasn’t had anything but a carrot and an apple.
I had another trainer who “loved” my horse.. had so much potential.. but when I wanted progress updates.. the horse wasn’t “getting” it.. when I would talk about taking the horse out of training.. the horse all of a sudden was making progress. Once or twice you believe it.. after a while.. not so much.
Any wonder I “took” my horses and went home? I was spending a ton of money each month.. and it just was not fun anymore. I figured that I would rather spend that money on something my husband and I could enjoy together.. I do miss riding more.. and having social times at the barn.. but it seemed each trainer had some “issue” I had to deal with.
“This also means that Mr. Trainer’s wife doesn’t have to shoot every female client dagger eyes.. make snide comments etc.. We do want your husband’s attention.. to our riding and our horses that is.. We DON”T want HIM..lol. So cut the jelousy act out. You make us feel unwelcome at the barn.. we will stop shelling out our money for his services. That is what pays your mortgage by the way.”
Oh boy, that is so true. And most of these super jealous women are jealous over men that are NOT Brad Pitt.
Just attended a driving clinic sponsored by the Freisian Horse Assoc…Bill Long clinician. So we had a top notch facility, indoor big enough to drive in, good sponsor, internationally ranked instructor/judge, very reasonable fees ($150), only $40 audit fee, advertised full page in state magazine……one of the best clinics I’ve done.
Problem ? Poor attendance. Barely filled the slots and few auditors. Consensus ?…economy.
Another bummer….the facility is heading toward foreclosure. It has been well run, lots of weekend shows, people love to show there but show attendance has been down big time, boarding numbers are dropping. It’s been for sale but go to a bank and ask for $$ to buy a stable, ain’t going to happen.
This place was doing it right. Waiting list to board. Manager/trainer on site. Lots of nice features…2nd indoor for warm up, separate barns for show stabling. Lessons for about anything. You had to book a couple of years ahead for a week end show. John Lyon, Pat Parelli, Chris Cox, Craig Cameron and many others did clinics there. But as the economy slowed so did everything with horses and it hasn’t improved.
So at least around Wisconsin your going to be lucky to survive unless you are near the wealthy pockets.
For myself I’m cutting most of my road trips…good Lord it was $100 to gas up my diesel truck…choke !!
We had boarders a few years ago that came to us after a “trainer” sold them TWO horses with navicular. All three people were beginners and she put the most timid on the quarter horse and the entire lesson consisted of “spur spur spur!!!”…. only problem was that he was trained to stop with spur pressure. She refused to ride after that. When they came to us (I’d guess about a year after buying their two), my trainer helped her find a horse that was actually suitable for her (she said she wanted grey, NOT gaited, gelding) and what she found her was a BLACK, gaited mare. haha, but she was completely gentle and suitable for her. So this woman and her adult daughter both took lessons learning to ride and also learning the basics about being around horses. They hadn’t learned any of it. My trainer even helped them with managing the two with navicular; both left more sound than they came.
They have since left because they bought their own farm about a mile away and now have purchased another gaited mare from the trainer I work for and she is always the person they call whenever they have a question or want her opinion on something they are doing.
At 17, I loved my harsh, demanding instructor. She was in her mid-60s, had trained under an Olympic-level coach, and could still at her age post without stirrups. I admired the hell out of her and she helped my riding (and my ex-barrel-horse-turned-hunter) more in 3 months than a previous instructor had in 2 years. But then, I was horse crazy from birth and I always wanted to be a better rider than I’d been the week before.
Now that I’m older and have ridden my share of rank horses…I recognize the need to find an instructor that’s got a gentler technique to help me and my current “project” both learn to relax and recall some of those things that came so easy as a fearless teenager.
I also wish the “horse community” in general was more open to newcomers – some of our local shows are so much like a high school clique, few newcomers feel welcome enough to stick around more than one show. For crying out loud, if someone shows up and pays their fees, make them feel like they belong, regardless of the quality of their horse or their boots. And even better, offer to help them out if they look a little lost!
“6. And be a trusted friend.” This is the only thing I disagree with. A BO or BM can be friendly but when friendship enters the sandbox, bad things can happen. Friendship before business and the guilt that goes with it. Another is the BO/BM being your friend until something happens. Where does the friendship go? Out of the playground gate fast. I speak from experience.
I recently got my mare out of, what I thought, was a great boarding situation. She was well fed, on a huge pasture, and seemingly happy. I had a round of bad luck last year healthwise and didn’t go to the barn often. I made the trip for the farrier the end of the 3rd week of August 2010. It had been 3 weeks since I had been out. What I found was my mare with very nasty wire cuts on the front of her right hind. 6 wraps in all. Turned out the BO knew the mare had gotten into the fence as soon as it happened. Another boarder had seen it happen and contacted the BO right away. #1 She never checked on the mare. #2 She never called me. I estimated 2 week old jury and the vet said 10 days to 2 weeks. She now has scars but is fine otherwise. Here is a pic, if it works for me. 2 bad cuts and 4 that are hard to see.
This woman acted the part of friend for the 2 years I was there. I even paid my board a year in advance. We got into it, I moved my mare. I have emails from her stating it is not her job to check the horses for injuries. She was well aware of my health issues (which resulted in surgery in September).
At my new barn, I have had the business vs friendship vs friendly to the BO and she agrees with me. My mare is happy, healthy, and extremely well cared for. I have helped her out on occasion because she is that good with the line.
I don’t think your situation went bad because you were friendly to her though…I think an irresponsible person is an irresponsible person. I would bet she’d have done the same to any boarder.
I understand what you’re saying for sure. I’m on the other end. I have a long-time friend who’s bose boarded her horse with me for more than a year now. Before she brought him here, I told her it’s business first, friendship out the window. I don’t think she honestly thought I’d stick to that but I’ve handed her invoices with late fees on them more than once and I now have a standing policy that her horse does not get farriered unless the cash is here before hand. I LOVE my boarders, they’re great girls and very good friends but they ALL know that business is business. If anything is *abnormal* with their horses, they get calls and are expected to be here to care and make decisions for their own animals. I’m glad to HELP when I’m able to, but I have a job, family and I like to think I have a life sometimes too. I also have a policy that every boarder must be here to work their horses at least once a week in the warm months or they’re out to pasture. Of course extrenuating circumstances come up, I completely understand that, but I also will not be a dumping ground for people’s animals either.
Hope your mare has healed well (and you too!) Best wishes for good things at your new facility!
First I have to say I love your policy of needing to come once each week to work the horse(s). I think I might steal that. Every client I’ve had a problem with is the one that dumps their horse here for months, shows up and decides the horse is not being kept well enough.
Second, I think there’s a lot of confusion about the line between business and friendship. There’s no reason you can’t have both, and you’re dead on when you mention handing a friend a bill with late fees. You wouldn’t go see your friend working at McDonalds, and expect them to give you a free meal every day, so why would you expect the stable owner to pay for the privilege of keeping your horse(s)? On the flip side, there’s no reason why you can’t talk to your Stable Owner about non horse related things, and share a pleasant ride occasionally, or meet after work to do fun non barn things.
I make sure all of my clients understand that my stable is my JOB, and it pays my bills and feeds my family. Just as they wouldn’t risk their income and risk their family’s well being, neither will I, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be social with them.
I had the same thing happen. I went out of town for a week, left my horse in the care of two “friends,” and came home to this:
It happened about halfway through the trip, and they didn’t tell me until the day before we got back. They poured hydrogen peroxide on it and bandaged it, then left her in the stall for the rest of the week. They said they called the vet and the vet said that there was nothing he could do to treat it. Yea, sure.
On a lighter note, she’s doing fine now. She’s the one that I was having the issues with where she would kick and rear. She’s at a reining trainer now and he’s in love with her, and vice versa. He said she gets upset if he works other horses instead of her. The bad news is, I now have a horse that knows more than I do.
I’ve been looking for a trainer here in southern WI for a couple of months, and I thought I had found one in Rachel Rauls-Gullickson of Rio. Unfortunately, after dealing with her for a little bit, and hearing from one of my friends, I have this to add to Fugly’s list of “how to be a good horse professional” tips:
1) Return phone calls!
2) Answer ALL my questions; I realize I have a lot of them, but I’m entrusting you with my horse and big check. Also, answer then professionally! When you don’t spell things correctly, capitalize or use correct grammar, and in general make no sense, I automatically label you dumb, lazy, unprofessional or all three.
3) Do NOT post an open invitation on Facebook telling people to come and drink then ride at your barn. If you want to get a little buzzed yourself and ride your own horse, confident in your own skills (or at least your own insurance coverage), then fine– but allowing random people to drink and ride 1,000 pound prey animals is utterly irresponsible.
4) Be CLEAR about what you’ll do for a certain price and stick with it. Yes, there’s a difference in the time it takes to break an unhandled wild-as-a-march-hare colt and a 6 year old with all the groundwork done. Evaluate the horse first, quote a price and don’t come back weeks later to say the owner needs to pay for two more months. Ditto the same concept for lessons, and pretty much any service.
5) Your website should say something, really pretty much anything, about your training style and accomplishments, prices, etc. It should not be a sloppy gallery of unlabeled picture. It should not say, “For more information, go look at my Facebook,” especially if your Facebook also does not have that information.
6) Do NOT put a horse on a supplement/drug without asking the owner!
#3 – you drink AFTER you ride, and you don’t drink much if you don’t live at the barn. You can have fun responsibly!
#6 – Oh yeah, I HATE that sort of shit. I would go ballistic over stuff like that.
I should add that the woman I am speaking of in the prior post was always acting like my best friend. I kept the business line there and very glad I did. She has since ran my name through the mud for what she failed to take care of properly.
I think instructors/barn owners should have integrity first and foremost.
- don’t treat clients differently depending on how much you like them. No pick of the fields for the people who shmooze most. Assign schoolhorses to clients according to what they can learn: everybody gets a favorite now and again, people who love unpopular horses are luckier than most, but they’re assigned to ride the popular horses, too, and the riders who love the popular horses get to ride the ones they dislike. Instructor decides, no trading, no favours. (Also, no underexercised horses while others get ridden into the ground. Seen *that* and it was heartbreaking.)
- If something breaks, fix it. If at all possible, make it better, don’t just restore a status quo
- show horse-sense, or listen to the people who have it: volunteer to provide facilities. Boarders *love* to find mounting blocks, useful hoses, better storage facilities etc. Even if you’re a dairy farmer at heart, pass bad bales of hay to a cow-farming neighbour and reseed your lush pastures with sparse pony grass instead of dairy rocket fuel. Everybody wants to board at the barn that volunteers to provide a safe environment.
- be a champion for horses. Don’t accept abuse on your facility, don’t allow riders to treat your schoolies harshly or trash-talk them, Boarders will have to provide food, farriery, or vetinary services to their horses or they’ll be ex-boarders. Riders who regularly overface or mistreat their horses will be shown the door. The rest of folks will breathe more easily, and children won’t learn that it’s normal to have horses that bleed from bit or spur, are deliberately ridden into obstacles, or run around the round pen for hours.
And the other thing I’d like to say is ‘don’t mollycoddle your clients’. They don’t want to be shouted at, they want to enjoy themselves, but if you’re afraid to make corrections because that would drive them away, or if you think you can only ever say nice things about them, you’ll end mostly with clients who want to be sweet-talked. The ones that want to learn will go elsewhere. Honest encouragement doesn’t drive many people away, and the ones that are driven away are probably not a great loss. Telling riders they’re doing great when those riders *know* they’re not is offputting, too – if we wanted someone to tell us ‘yes, great, you’re wonderful’ we could get our friends, not a $$/h riding instructor.
“Yeah Momma” (quote from song I am listening to). Right on the money
While I agree with most of what you’re talking about, here are the things that I think are borderline.
“If you teach, you should have a smile on your face every time a lesson client walks in. You need to have a fridge stocked with drinks and have a barn party once in a while.” And the part about sitting around and shooting the breeze after lessons.
This is a FINE line to walk. I have found that I can’t be too friendly with students. Asking about their day and such is a recipe for disaster. Once I get too casual, then the whole instructor/student relationship falls apart. They don’t see me as someone who can instruct them, and they try to take control of the situation. I don’t want to be a hard ass, and I ALWAYS praise riders when I can see they’re working hard. But some people can’t separate Instructor from Friend. Plus, we really need to censor ourselves as instructors when we have these casual get togethers. One wrong slip and it’s all over. For instance, you might casually quip that you didn’t think Joe Schmoe down the road who is a trainer did a very good job with getting a horse into a trailer when you saw him at the last show, and suddenly you’re the bitch trainer who likes to badmouth other trainers to make herself look better. I’ve seen it happen to good trainers, and it’s sad. I find that the gossip and emotional drama that happens with most training and boarding stables will override the horse/human relationship every time.
“You can, of course, be honest about the fact that the horse is not going to do the job they want it to do, and most people will be fine with having you point out conformational flaws and similar things that make the horse physically not right for the job.”
I have NEVER been successful at this. I have lost clients when I’ve told them that the horse won’t be ready for the show coming up, but we will be ready for the one after that. I find that most people want to hear what they want to hear, so they will go find someone who will tell them what they want to hear. The sad part is, my most recent student that “fired” me because I knew the horse needed to go a different direction to be successful went to another trainer, and now her horse looks far worse than he did when I was changing things up. She didn’t do well at the last A-list show because of it, and they didn’t show at the following show after that. So maybe they learned their lesson, but I doubt it.
I do agree with everything else you said, though, especially about axing the barn bitch! It might be the mentality of riders out here that I’m having issues with, though. I find that most people ride the trails and don’t want to show, and that’s fine, of course. But they ride gaited horses and because they didn’t learn how to ride correctly their gaited horse no longer gaits. When I explain to them the work that will be involved to get them to gait correctly and in a relaxed frame, the majority of the people don’t want to do the work to change things. They only wanted a quick fix, so they’ll go somewhere else to find it. Or they want to get it fixed in 30 days and only spend $100…well, the issues go on and on and on.
So overall, I don’t instruct anymore, but I am happy to help people with their gaited horses when they ask. I don’t charge money, and therefore I can pick and choose who I help, so I make sure to only help the good ones that ARE going to be an asset to the horse industry!
You know, the problem is that the MOST abusive trainers (to horses) are often the MOST FUN people to hang around. They are the ones who put that smile on their face, and yes, they do tell the client what they want to hear. That is why people stay with them, convinced that David Douchebag is just a great, stand-up guy, despite the crap he’s doing to their horse.
The only defense is for the non-abusive, good people to be just as friendly. And really, don’t all trainers talk shit about other trainers? Many times it’s deserved. I just heard that at a recent Pinto show, people were tying up their horses overnight and depriving them of water to try to slow them down the next day. That DESERVES to be talked about. WTF seriously…
Oh yeah, I TOTALLY agree. I’m just talking about if a casual comment goes awry. Abusive trainers get what they deserve, which is hopefully run out of town and out of business. But I have a friend who’s a wonderful trainer who lost nearly all her business due to another training casually saying they didn’t like how she would tie a horse up for an hour or so to teach them patience. The horse was always tied at a tie ring and in the shade and was offered water throughout the time it was standing there while she worked around the place cleaning or riding another horse or whatever, always with that horse in sight. The casual comment went through the grapevine and turned into how she would tie a horse up and leave it for 9 hours in the hot sun and would leave the property and come back later, and she would throw rocks at it if it even began to make a move. It was so sad, especially that all of these people who had worked with her for years allowed a complete stranger’s comment to affect them so much they left. But she really is happier now–all the people who left were folks she would have occasional problems with here and there anyway. Now she no longer boards but just takes in horses for training and runs trail rides with her students and friends.
So anyway, that’s what I was talking about. But you have a great post here overall–it’s great stuff. I just sometimes I think I need to change breeds…gaited horse people can be SO STUPID sometimes!
And if you love horses but are afraid of them, try Minis. Not the backyard ill-mannered monsters from Craigslist, but find a breeder that will help you choose one and mentor you. We sold several to people, then helped them learn to show, lent equipment, trailered their horses, even lent our own showhorses to learn and show with. We refused to sell one gelding to a young girl (he was too skittish and would NOT make a good pet) and instead sold her a different one who taught her to show and have a good time. We taught her to drive my gelding and she went all the way to Nationals with him, even placing in her classes. She finally aged out of the youth classes and went to college, so we lost our youth handler and she’s too busy with school and work to play with us much anymore. Now we need another youth to mentor…
Two of the best times I had at a show was offering an older man the chance to drive my gelding after the show was done for the day. He drove, then his son drove, then his D-I-L drove, then HE got back in and drove some more. And at Nationals several years ago I offered a lady the chance to drive Sunny. We walked down to the warm up arena and once inside I clicked to him and he jogged off. The lady was like “Oh, my! Oh, my! Oh, my!” Another lady was longing her horse and said “First time driving, huh?” She ended up buying a very expensive driving mare AND all her equipment from a very good friend of ours. (She’da bought Sunny but HE isn’t for sale!)
And we all have FUN doing it! Many of the Mini shows have exhibitor parties on Saturday night, most of the showers are friendly and helpful, even the trainers are, too. Reduced entry fees for youth and amateurs. Pizza parties at Nationals.
Love your topic and it’s been coming up a LOT lately at our Arabian club meetings (wonder why?…)
This year I picked up an on-line craigslist ad from a girl who wants to come and ride once in a while. Teenager, has ridden for 7 years so she knooooows how to ride, has her own saddle afterall, and can’t afford her own horse. I contacted her and arranged for her (and parents!) to come out and see my quaint little farm and a little arab mare. They were a blast, super nice people. Even gave her dad my show mare to ride! Maybe I can have a positive influince on her riding career and horse ownership.
Before I had horses, someone took the time for this horse-crazed kid, my family couldn’t afford a horse or regular riding lessons. Someone let me ride their horse for cool out, brush them, talk horses, brought me to a show! I really feel that I owe that back, I should pay it forward. I’m now an FEI-level dressage rider with a super fancy schmancy stud prospect with warmblood pedigree and blah blah blah but he’s NO better than the $200 one-eyed pony I got for my daughter, in fact he’s got a heck of a lot to live up to there.
We have fun, doesn’t matter what kind of horse you have, back-yard bred had the gramma and only ride for pleasure, serious competition, jumpers, western, dressage and everything in between. We have fun, I love having my boarders (and very good friends) here! And not taking yourself too seriously is the most important rule
OT, but in the unlikely case anyone in Michigan is looking to take something in (perhaps while getting rid of a dog kennel?), this poor little Craigslist guy sure looks in dire need of a home and a bit of a ventral trim… Hopefully before he gets that first ride.
http://annarbor.craigslist.org/grd/2383483574.html
Here’s the ad copy; there’s a photo at the link. (or here’s the link for image, if that can be inserted:
)
2 year old stud! Gonna Be HOT! – $300 (Weiser)
Date: 2011-05-16, 12:32AM EDT
Reply to: sale-by8va-2383483574@craigslist.org
Roscow. 2 yearold buckskin stud. Currently in training and doing great. Will be having his first ride this week. Nice, easy going guy. Black mane and tail, black muzzle. Tan legs. Nice head. Ready to go in any direction. Would trade for chainlink dog kennel and/or? . Asking $300 make offer. Please txt or call for more info. iI dont check my email often.
208-550-4474
OT, but maybe you could post an alert? There is a confirmed EHV-1 outbreak tied to a cutting horse event in Utah. Horses from numerous states attended and I think there have been confirmed cases in 6 states now. Here is some info from Horse.com and the alert from the California Dept. of Food and Ag:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18253
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/equine_herpes_virus.html
I think it is incumbent on those of us who have and know horses to make people feel welcome and share our knowledge. The eyerolls over “Oh, you have a horse? Can I ride it some time?” or, worse yet, over a newcomer’s ignorance are doing nothing to win people over. The person who just asked to ride your speshul, luvs-only-you $40k warmblood might have wanted to ride all their life and just never got the chance. Say no, Sparkles isn’t a beginner’s horse, but I know a great instructor who could get you started. As my mother says, you shouldn’t feel superior because you’ve had more opportunities to learn than someone else. That goes for the “I always wanted a horse, and I just got one for $500 on Craigslist” owners, too. Yeah, there are some genuine, irredeemable, harmful ignoramuses out there, but there are also a significant number of people who are willing to learn and want to do the best for their animals. If I see someone doing something stupid, I try to find a nice way to point it out. Snarking at the owner isn’t going to help the horse, and who knows? Maybe, with a little kind advice (the sort that many of us were lucky to get when we were fourteen rather than forty), Miss “Wild horses never need their feet trimmed” can be a responsible owner.
I agree. You can actually tell pretty quickly if a newbie is receptive to learning the right things, or not. I love the kind that WANT to learn. The other kind, well, you know what I think of them. Although I am fairly sure NO newbie is as dangerous as someone who’s been doing it WRONG for 30 years and is convinced they are right…Darlene Wilson, classic example.
I remember my first lesson. My mother bought a series of them from someone she’d never met. Well, I was put up on this HUGE gelding and sent off. The “instructor” stood at one end of an arena that had other horses and riders not involved in the lesson. As I went around the ring, she would yell instructions to me… half of which I couldn’t hear.
End result? My horse took off and almost collided with another horse. I had no clue what to watch for… no clue that the horse was going to take off… no clue what to do. Of course it was at the opposite end of the arena so the instructor had no hope of getting to me in time to assist. Fortunately, I kept my seat and no harm was done, but I sure was scared. I was horse crazy enough to not let it scare me off.
I still shudder at what might have happened…
I am actually just posting to ask what kind of a distance most of you would consider driving to access hors facilities and trainers and some other input on facilities and services.
I own a property around 30 km out of a small town and am contemplating building a fully inclosed indoor arena. As far as I am aware there are no covered arenas in my small town/the general area or at least none that are accessible to the public so I was wondering if those of you who live in small towns and don’t have your own facilities would consider driving 30 km each way to use an indoor arena?
How far would you travel to go to a lesson, group or single?
I realize that 30 km are probably way too much for anyone who’d like to see their horse every day to board at. What about training? A friend of mine has been professionally (i.e. for a set wage) breaking horses (even though she is only 20 years old, she does a very good job in my opinion, she went to college for a year for horse husbandry and colt-breaking in particular and I have seen her work and find she is one of the few “professionals” out here who will not deliver you a quivering wreck after 30 days of breaking but simply a green horse who is finding his confidence with a rider on his back, she also has quite a few clients even though she doesn’t do colt breaking full-time, so her customers seem to agree as well) and would like to move out here with me to conduct her breaking, rather than renting facilities at a riding school about an hour away as she is now. In the future I would also consider hiring a qualified riding instructor for English Disciplines (my friend already has a few minor qualifications in that department but probably not enough to make her worth a half-hour drive from town just for a lesson unless she is starting your horse lol), depending on demand (Western is not so widely spread in my area, so maybe later lol)
So, would those of you who would board a horse at a trainer’s place find 30 km out of town too far? Obviously the facilities would be accessible to owners who want to visit and take lessons with their horses. We are not currently intending on giving lessons to the general public unless they have their own horse to bring. At present I own only two horses and run no other livestock on about 200-odd cleared acres and 440-odd forested acres (the uncleared terrain is very hilly so cross-country tracks and pleasure trails would definitely we a possibility, only 5 acres a year are permitted to be cleared, other than around fence lines)
What kind of facilities would you expect to make it worth the long travel distance?
In general I am interested in what people like in their barns?
Indoor wash bays with hot and cold water?
What size stalls?
Automatic waterers or buckets?
Would you utilize a rugging service?
Paddocks attached to stalls as well as turnout?
What type of fencing do you prefer? Timber, steel pipe, horse netting, electric?
Do you like the idea of two horses that get along well sharing a large stall and paddock as well as turnout?
I really cannot condone stall-only boarding, so I will insist on turn out. If for any reason a horse absolutely CAN NOT be turned out with other horses I would like at least contact over a solid barrier to be available and turn-out, even if solitary, is still a must.
Horses on stall rest are a different issue altogether obviously.
etc etc
What about people facilities?
Showers and change rooms as well as toilets?
Maybe a café-style lounge for people to hang out and have drinks/coffee/whatever in? Do you prefer a staffed bar or vending machines?
What about sleeping options? Would you consider staying over night in a granny flat if you had a long distance to travel to see your horse while it is in training?
Viewing lounge attached to the indoor arena?
Anything else?
What else do you like in a facility? Do you expect sealed roads or is some dirt ok? What surface do you prefer on your arena floor? How would you like to see trailer parking set up?
Also, what do you expect from a retirement facility? Is field boarding with shelter and several feedings a day sufficient or would you like your retiree’s to be stabled? Do you want regular exercise for them (I’m assuming retiree’s would be sound, anything that is not at least pasture sound really needs to be put down humanely), even if it is just 30 minutes in a hot walker a day or are do you prefer for them to just sit in the pasture and be contend? What kind of staff would you like to attend your oldies? Regular vet checks or just grooms and trainers checking them over once a day? Any other preferences? (I would love for some input from you Cathy as I know you have several pasture puffs enjoying their retirement at your expense lol)
I really hope for a lot of input here as options are very limited in my area and I am hoping a lot of people would avail themselves of our services if we offer worthwhile facilities and training options so I appreciate any and all comments. (I live in rural NSW, Australia, for those of you who are interested. Pretty much right between Orange and Dubbo) A lot of things I would like to build for myself anyways, but an additional income from others utilizing my facilities would of course be more than welcome lol
Thanks in advance everybody!
it may be different in australia, but I live in a rural area, and still drive more then 30km to my current barn, and I do visit daily when I am home. In fact, I probably drive close to 50km to the barn one way, and have in the past boarded even further from home. I know of many people who live in the nearest big city who board 100km away – grated these people do not ride daily, but they are generally there 3-4x a week at least!
I drive 20 miles, or 32.18 km according to Google, to the place I board at. The drive isn’t too bad because it’s mostly highway or open roads, not slow “through town” driving.
I don’t expect super fancy–I mostly expect clean, well-kept and SAFE.
I don’t like automatic waterers. When they work, they’re great. When they break, they are HELL. You can’t tell how much water the horse is drinking (unless it has a measuring thing on it, and not all of them do), they’re harder to keep clean IMO, and the whole “electricity + water” thing throws me off. The barn I work at has a lot of auto-waterers, and there are a few that have chronic zapping problems. A bunch of parts got replaced, they keep running tests and trying different things, the darn thing is just awful. A plastic water bucket is simple–there is no float to get stuck causing the waterer to overflow, there is no thermostat that can go haywire, there is no electricity running to it.
For stalls I’d like 12×12 at least. I’d prefer wood shavings for bedding, but I would also be okay with straw if it was cleaned every day.
A heated washstall is nice but not a necessity. We don’t have one at the place I board at, so we just get really good at grooming to make up for it.
Paddocks attached to the stalls along with regular turnout is another added bonus but isn’t necessary (for me, anyway). If I had something young that tended to get real hot from being in, then I might be more interested in that setup. My horse is an old fart who is content to stand and eat all day.
I like electric, wood (or wood PLUS electric) and small square fencing. Basically anything safe and well-maintained.
I don’t want two horses sharing a stall. I want to be 100% sure that my horse is getting to eat all of his grain and all of his supplements instead of sharing them with a buddy.
As far as boarding goes, I’m not super picky. An indoor is a MUST, as well as safety and regular turnout on GOOD PASTURE (not a dirt lot) with at least one buddy. Other than that, I’m flexible.
For people facilities, I want a tack room with room to put my stuff. That’s about it. I don’t need a lounge or a place to shower or sleep. I don’t want to board with anyone who has sticky fingers, either.
Oh yeah I forgot–I would only consider full board with a stall. Not interested in self-care or pasture board at all. I’d be alright with supplying my own hay/feed, but if I don’t have to that’s always fine (the barn I board at now provides ALL that stuff–it’s fantastic).
Okay, 30 km is what, 18 miles? I think the driving distance depends on the country you are in, and the city. I live in California and 18 miles is nothing for a one-way trip to do a fun hobby, depending on the time of day and the freeway, but if I were you, I would ask around locally, or at least say what country you are in so that you can get input from those living in your area. I’m sure it also depends on the road conditions, traffic and whether people drive or use public transportation.
As for your specific questions about facilities, you might want to look at the fuglyblog archives. There was a recent post about what people liked about their boarding facility, and there have been others with many comments that will answer most of your questions — but again, it all depends on the area you are in, the population size of your nearby city, etc. Where I live, indoor arenas are uncommon because the weather is mild; covered arenas are more common at the fancy places. But in states with cold weather or lots of rain, an indoor arena can easily be a deciding factor for a boarder.
My opinion regarding your facility and services is that More is Better. Yes to rugging services, paddocks, wash racks with warm water, turnout time, grooming services, and personal tack rooms. Yes to nice bathrooms, showers, lounge area, kitchen. Pipe fences are my personal favorite but any safe and sturdy fencing is fine with me. If you can afford it, add it. As to services like worming, rugging, grooming, and haltering and attending horses for vet and farrier visits which I would summarize as “Services,” just be businesslike about it. Offer the services and charge what you need to charge to make money. Also, check out what the competition offers. Is it customary in your area to worm the horses free, as part of the board fees? If so, do it for free.
I will add that since you are asking a business question, you might want to talk to the Small Business Administration or its equivalent to get info on demographics/services. They may have statistics that will help you decide how big/fancy to make your place. They can also advise you how to do a business plan, including designing a marketing survey tailored to your area, and/or making an interest list. But you will notice from some of the readers’ comments on this post that the barns with waiting lists not only have great facilities and services but a special atmosphere that gives them a certain cachet.
I absolutely adore my agistment facility. The paddocks are clean and good size, the feed is great, fantastic fencing, you have a large range of options from self care in a group paddock to full care in a stable. Lovely arena, great trails nearby and of course a communal tack and feed shed. Communal can be off putting, but at this place, you can leave a $5000 saddle there and you know it won’t be stolen. The agistment owner leaves biscuits and stuff for tea and coffee in the tack shed, which is a lovely gesture, and above all, she herself is a lovely person!! More than happy to help you out with anything. My instructor is also fantastic. She tells you what you’re dong wrong, but without insulting you and shows you how to fix it. My mare and I have improved so much since I started the lessons.
Such a big contrast to the place I used to agist. Won’t go into detail, but basically it was crap, the lady was a psychopath who hoarded horses and never looked after them. Horrible place
I can’t read the rest right now, but I can totally vouch for point 1, make it fun. When I showed as a junior exhibitor, even in the a-circuit on 5 figure horses, we would have a group lesson once a week and take the second half to do some fun horsemanship activity. Around the world, horse swap, ride with your eyes closed while your friends direct you (completely supervised and helmeted 0.o) It all really keeps your clients coming back. We lost a few kids when everyone got older and moved up a divison and we had to buckle down and train 24/7, some of them just stopped having fun
I think the whole befriending your Barn Manager or Trainer is a sticky issue. I think my barn owner is great and enjoy hanging out with her socially. I do think that her professionalism has become a bit lax towards me in light of our friendship. I still pay the same $50 per hour lesson that all the other boarders do, , but my BO/Trainer will invarialbly spend at least a third of that time on the phone with her family while I “warm up”. I like to maximize my lessons by getting to the barn early and having my horse tacked stretched and warmed up before the lesson begins. I’ve been riding for a decade and it wastes my time and money for her to ignore me while I trot on a loose rein. The worse is when she leaves during a lesson to help or chat with other more lucrative boarders in the barn aisleways. (I pasture board but some boarders here have three pluse horses in full care and take multiple lessons a week). I understand she needs to answer the barn phone or might need to step out and check a girth for a newbie, but the 20+ minutes of being ignored are really starting to get to me. I’ve tried casually bringing it up, but she dismisses it as her friend or family member was having a crisis and she needed to talk them down. I’ve even tried switching my lesson time to duing the day when she had less distractions, but she still texted for the bulk of the lesson. I’ve found that I get more direct instruction when I take a group lesson with the high dollar boarders. (somehow the phone nevers comes out then). I love her attitude and instruction style. She has patiently helped me work through my riding issues and tune up my craigslist diamond in the rough horses, but I still think a little professional boundary might be nice. I would never think of sending my board check late just because we are friends. I know I could leave but she always does right by my horses and seems to have a special patience for my destructive grouchy gelding.
Not post related, but had to let you know about a breeder who appears to be extoring money from a rescue organization. See Facebook under The Second Race (stallion post) then look at Blue Mound Quarter Horses, sales page 4. They are trying to rescue him now, but this breeder needs to be “outed” for pulling this kind of stunt!
The Second Race people seem to think I’m the anti-Christ for outing racehorse trainers and owners who dump horses. So I am SURE they want to protect these particular asshats too…right? Or is there a different standard for QH people? That sound was me snorting and rolling my eyes.
You hit the nail on the head, but unfortunately it was after I had donated. So I pressed for a follow-up after he was “saved” and was told they did not resort to “snarky” commentary. I disagreed and said that standing up to an extortionist was the only way to keep this from happening again, otherwise my donation was helping to reward their behavior which I did not realize was the intent of the funds being raised and was disappointed to hear that was the case. Their reply was to refund my donation.
So I guess that’s that. Lesson learned….
No big deal…I just know the history there. But good for them for at least refunding your donation, that was the right thing to do.
I don’t understand…..I looked at the TB on the BMQ site, and saw a healthy looking horse for sale. Don’t really understand why a racing stallion was the “barn mascot” for a paint and quarter breeder, but to each his own. Didn’t find the info on the facebook page you alluded to…..what’s up?
OK, replying to myself here, since no “edit” button. OK, I found it on their wall…but Second Race says he won 130K, and BMQ says 75K, and SR is stirring up the slaughter pot….who are we critizing here? I am just confusesd.
I love this thread! I have two things I wanted to mention – I started off my riding 15 years ago at a horse camp that taught us the science of horses and then took us riding, yep, I was a science geek then too. From there I moved to my friends english show barn where I used some fairly well behaved lesson horses, besides one, a morgan gelding who was on loan to the stables while his owner toured europe. My trainer had me ride him first, after he had a bit of adjusting, she had not seen or rode him before that point and looking back (in regards to the earlier comment about too many riders, not enough horses) I think that could be the case. She mentioned during the lesson that he was a piss rocket, and he definitely was (the horses I handle now are far worse) when your 13-14 riding something that doesn’t mind brakes… its a bit scary. Just like now, I enjoyed the challenge, and my trainer kept me on him. At some point, a horse rammed me into a fence, and I injured my crap knee. I took off for a while and moved to a really close barn, using the money my grandmother gave me when she passed on, I had about 7 years of english hunt seat and dressage training under my belt at this point. Old habits die hard, and for some unholy reason, trainers cant decide on the right way to ride, so obviously, all my prior training was crap and wrong, and at one point she said to me. “Are you F&^&^$ing retarded? do it the right way” Oh, instead of listening to her, I just rode around the arena ignoring all her comments until the end of the lesson. Then left and never came back. It felt ashamed that I wasted my grandmothers money like that – but it taught me very important things about finding trainers. After that I went and volunteered with therapy riding for about three years – I didn’t get to ride as often but I got to see how positive horse riding can be on someone. The girl I worked with started petrified of horses and now we are going over ground poles and trotting and its wonderful. Years later, filled with leasing and riding various horses, and gaining buckets of experience that if I listed it would be a mile long. With the moral being, once I broke away from trainers I learned more. At 25, I am now an accomplished exercise rider (trained english, self taught western) and working with a wide variety of horses every week, its a dream come true. This year, I wanted to learn more, and try to jump, but there was no way that I was going to attempt this alone without a proper instructor. So I found a wonderful woman that was able to teach me a crash course (minus injuries) in jumping while i was back from college for winter, in about 3 weeks. She respected that I knew how to ride, didn’t try to change my ways, and she taught me loads I would have never learned before, and is still a reference for me now when I grab video of myself with various clients horses and she tells me what I can do to better myself.
Now, the tables have turned and I am the one teaching children at a summer camp program. Besides therapy riding and taking a few friends out on trail rides, I haven’t taught. I am SEEKING THE HELP OF YOU – out there in this vast fugly world. I would like advice on good teaching methods and things I should keep in mind when working with kids. (have no fear, they hired someone that actually knows how to work with horses and kids…) They hired me because of my ability to ride and train, along with my past experience with children with disabilities, and the knowledge of the area. The program is fantastic, IMHO, kids start at 7 and ride in the arena until they are 13 or so, then from 14-16 they can ride out on the trails. Starting with a foundation and moving onto the exciting part. However, this isnt a horse camp lesson sort of deal, the focus is to have fun, and not worry about poor riding form. We have lots of games planned, but I just would like to know more, from people out there that have been in programs like this, or taught programs what the best way to go about doing it.
FYI, I just wrote this instead of studying for my massive final in oh, 10 mins. Best choice ever!
How about some stable management games?
Examples:
Fastest person to correctly put a dismantled bridle back together
Guess the height and color of some of the horses (I do think one of the few GOOD things the bad trainer did for me is teach me to *accurately* assess a horse’s height…I’m seldom more than an inch off whilst qualified instructors around me are trying to say 13.2 ponies are fifteen hands).
You can make a game out of grooming and tacking up, too.
(However, please don’t do the ‘halter a pony blindfold’. No KIDDING she had us do that. No pony is going to stay quiet if poked in the eye…)
Those are WONDERFUL ideas!
fadeoak. Having a hard time with my computer. email me at kidznhorses@frontier.com. I teach children and have lots of stories and ideas
I lucked out as an 8-year-old – my mom managed to find a wonderful instructor on the first try. I stayed for almost 11 years, only leaving because she was closing the barn due to the asshole landlord. Even then, she sent out an email to all of her clients with recommendations for different barns with trainers that she approved of, and I ended up riding at the first place on her list (though I’m really only there during the summer – the barn closing conveniently coincided with the beginning of my freshman year of college).
). My instructor was the perfect fit for me – very nice and willing to explain not only how to get what I was asking for, but why the way to properly ask would work. She enrolled in continuing education and was always excited to teach us a new concept she’d been exposed to. However, she wasn’t afraid to scream at me if that’s what I needed (and I did need it at times, I tend to get stuck in my own head).
She was the best instructor I could have asked for – she put me on the longe line for several lessons and I didn’t come off until I could post without my hands at my chin. As the years went on, I progressed as much as one can taking once-a-week lessons and at 15 ended up doing a half-lease on one of the boarder horses whose owner went to college (the same college I’m at now
I have always been the person who needs to talk it out, which some instructors find annoying or disrespectful or irrelevant, but she was always there to bounce ideas off of or tweak how I was thinking about things. She knew my tolerance for frustration was very low and taught me that there’s nothing wrong with lowering the fences. She broke me out of my comfort zone. There was once a time where jump heights concerned me greatly – her oft-used line was “Would I ask you to do this if I thought you couldn’t?”, or sometimes “Just see how far you can get and we’ll take it from there”. Because we had established such a bond, I could always count on her assessment to be right and it gave me the confidence to just go ahead and do it. Now, whenever I feel the anxiety, I decide to just try it and see how it goes. 9.5 times out of 10, it works just fine and I make it through, this time with more confidence in myself and my abilities. I have learned since my time with this instructor that my instincts are actually quite good (even if my equitation at times is lacking).
This woman was, and still is my second mom. We still keep in touch, swap stories, and she offers me sage advice on whatever is going on in my life. Our dynamic has shifted a little since she no longer is primarily my teacher, but she will always be my instructor in my mind, though I have since moved on.
here’s something to add:
even grown-ups like games!
Back when my coach had a barn full of schoolies and I could actually take group lessons as a rule during the week leading up to a major holiday was “games week” including prizes. I was always a member of the older teens/adults lessons (i’m 27 now, but have been with this coach since I was 17). We were always asked the week before if we wanted to play games, and the answer was always a resounding YES!
There are some games that are less suatable for 40-something women (IE. sack races) but doing a command class, ride-a-buck, potato-and-spoon, and command classes are fun for all of us. Besides, ride-a-buck is amazing training for sitting trot.
Another thing about my coach – she’s VERY careful to not speak about anything political. She teaches at 4 or 5 different barns in the area, and could be a major roumour-spreader if she wanted to be. She’s very careful to not say anything negative unless specifcally asked (like in a situation where you were considering moving a horse to a barn she knows has a problem). She’s interested in our lives, but is generally pretty closed-mouthed about her own at least untill you get to know her better. My relationship with her has proceded to more of a friend status over the years, so I’m more privy to what’s going on with her these days – but it was not always that way.
She’s another one of those “if she’s yelling, you’re about to die” coaches. Always very positive, and great with us less-then-stellar adults, as well as beginner children. I remember years ago she had a little student that was ony 4 years old. Normally she did’nt take clients under the age of 8 – but the mother begged her, so the little girl got 4 years of half hour longe line lessons and loved EVERY minute of it
I’m so glad you decided to bring this up!
A year ago, I left a very bad situation. I was working with my then-green hunt seat mare with a trainer who was very verbally abusive,and I left most of my lessons in tears (I was actually happy when we got rained out). I was constantly overfaced. This person pushed me waaaaaay beyond my comfort zone, which made me nervous, which made the horse MORE nervous, and on and on… If she did get on my horse, she would yank and spur until the horse was a nervous wreck. On top of that, there were the harsh bits and draw reins. The times my mare was left with her head tied around for hours at a time, or tied up all night (to make her tired and manageable, you know…). The insistance that I beat on the poor horse myself to teach it some manners. She lost a lot of weight and was diagnosed with ulcers.
I finally had enough of abusing my mare for the sake of the breed shows and found the most amazing trainer!! She has the most patience with horses that I have ever seen. She actually pets them and gives them treats
My horse gets grass turnout every day. No harsh bits or training gizmos. And she actually RIDES the horse. It has taken a year of slow, consistent work to undo all of the damage, but my mare is now so calm that most people don’t recognize her (even the trainer I bought her from!). And the best part? Not only is she still doing the HUS, but she’s also turned out to have talent in the Western Pleasure and is a Showmanship machine, too! I may be the only person showing at the APHA shows in a low-port correction Western and a smooth snaffle English! Just doing our part to prove that you don’t have to abuse them to do the big breed shows 
The clients all get along, we hang out and have drinks together at the end of the show day, we laugh a lot and help each other out. It’s just SO nice to enjoy riding and (especially) showing again!!!
I don’t want you to have to out yourself, but I sure would LOVE to know the name of your current trainer! Email me if you don’t mind, resqtb@yahoo.com — it’s so hard for people to find a breed show trainer that doesn’t suck, so I like to be able to pass along the good names.
AHHHHHHH I so so agree!!! Just got done with a clinic that was awful and 2 others that were bad for 4H children.
None of the instructors could deal with kids, were rude and short tempered. My group of kids just said “We aren’t learning anything and we aren’t having FUN” so we left.
POEPLE WHO TEACH CHILDREN Please understand that 1. kids want to keep moving and not listen to you rattle on and on and on using words they don’t understand. 2. They want to have fun. They are in this because they love horses. They are not in school where they HAVE to do this. 3. Be positive. Yelling at them that they are on the wrong lead and not explaining to them what to do to correct it is useless. 4. have some humour and loosen up. watch people who are successful with kids to learn. I would write more but my computer is not keeping pace with my typing and this is driving me nuts. but YES, fugly, this is agreat topic
Please print these rules and post them in EVERY tack shop. I’ve worked for so many barns… and this is a resounding theme that’s lacking. The days of snobby prissy “english” riders are OVER!!! Stick with the times!!!
A lot of parents didn’t like “games” day at summer camp because it wasn’t “proper”, but guess what… the kids want to come back.
Along the lines of the barn bitch…. how do you handle the barn stalker/loony? I’m at a lovely barn with a trainer that I adore who has done wonderful things for me and my horse. I’m a nice person so I say hi to everyone at least, or make nice conversation when it’s appropriate. This has caused one boarder to ‘latch on’ so to speak. I won’t get into details, but there’s been one ups (everything I do/have had happen/want to do she’s done/had happen/wants to do as well… but with super added drama!) breakdowns, crying, verbal attacks online, driving of other people crazy, lies, embellished stories, rumor spreading and the most appalling…. I’m certified a certain something in the equine industry, based at and with clients at my barn, It’s been a lifelong dream so to speak and this not long after achieving it and starting work/getting clients, person announced to me that they wanted to get certification too, work for free to start, and they’d be my ‘partner’ and would we could refer clients to each other. And now I’ve been told this person, who has absolutely no training and could thus possibly injure or do damage, has started bugging my clients to let her do work on their horses saying that she’s completed her training (I’m not even sure it’s been started yet and for sure won’t be complete for a few months after the hands on course). This from someone who claims to call me ‘good friend’ and who already had several career options started and lined up on their plate. Now my wonderful trainer is starting to lose her nerve because this person mopes around with her all day if I’m not there and barrages her with medical stuff, personal problems, whines about riding, begs to work on her horses (who area already my clients), and so now neither of us can have a nice peaceful time at the barn. It’s a nice barn except for this one person and the huge amount of baggage and drama and sensationalism they bring. It’s like my SO said…. everyone else has learned to ignore this person except you and now they’re latched onto your life. And now with my work and this conflict that is arising, I don’t know what to do!
BTW, I’m not saying that this person can’t work in the same industry just because I do, but it’s a pretty shitty thing to do when you tell a person that you’ve achieved your lifelong dream of doing whatever and you’ll be based at your barn and are getting clients and it’s wonderful because this is your occupation now and it’s how you pay for your beloved horse and a week later they announce that they are going to do the same thing and I hope you aren’t upset. It’s like if you opened a coffee shop and your good friend decided that it was so cool they’d do the same exact thing, and they go and rent the space next door and open a coffee shop right next to yours and then uses sneak tactics to get your clients to move to their shop.
I agree so much with this. I personally will always come back to horses, no matter how scared I get or what injuries I receive, but I have had long periods of “having a break.” I had a trainer who would NOT listen to me, and screamed at me if I asked a question. Her horses, thankfully, were absolutely wonderful (but she didn’t train them, someone else did) and I trusted my mount very much. However, I was into hunter/jumper at the time and she decided I needed to move into just jumpers even though I kept saying I didn’t want to, that I didn’t feel comfortable. If I said I didn’t want to take a jump, she would raise it and refuse to let me dismount until I took it. Looking back I should have just got off and left, but I was very young, around 14, and I was scared of her. Eventually she made me take a jump that was five feet, and I told my mom, “never again.” I quit riding for YEARS after that. I came back but I have yet to jump anything higher than a cross rail since then, and I ride strictly Dressage. I have my own horse now, so I don’t need to worry about being over-mounted or anything thankfully.
My trainer, however, is Gods gift to horses, I swear! If she told me to jump off a cliff I probably would
She’s extremely humble and I can tell that she honestly adores my horse and cares about him. There was a tornado near my barn once and I was stuck in my basement frantically worrying about him. My trainer (who lives off property of my barn) called me and said she drove up and checked on him for me and that he was safe. After that experience I could never switch to anyone else. My horse adores her, and if he hears her car pulling up he tries to go see her.
I’m rambling at this point, but the difference between those trainers could not be more pronounced. The first one now has about three clients left, and my current trainer has to turn down clients daily because she is over booked. She even had offers to work over seas in Germany with some big name riders but she stayed here to be near her family. She is extremely talented, but what puts her above the rest is her personality and the fact that she will stay and teach you how to do something like, for instance, how to put on Western tack, after your lesson is over and just chat without asking for more money.
How do I promote myself as an instructor? I am new to the area (new to ppl since I have been gone for over 13 years) and most of my contacts are no longer feesable since they are out of state.
I go to ppls house and teach them on thier horses on thier farms or at the places were they board thier horses. I am essentially a Free Lancer. I charge minimal considering the economy and the competition at 35$ an hour with minimal gas milage. They still have to sign liability forms. I dont have any clients right now and I just run out of ideas on how to promote myself. I have taught WP, Hunt seat, and Gaited (as in TWH) pleasure. How do I get my name out there without using the stupid Craigslist way (keeps asking for my phone number to give me a code and I have dial up internet at home and am on the phone when I use my internet service which is slower than molasses on a cold morning and cannot get the code due to cant be off the phone when I get it. GRRRRrrrrr.
Any one have any suggestions?????
I love this list. Number two is what almost caused me to quit riding. I’d also like to add two more.
1. Instructors, teach your students what they want to be taught. If you mostly teach jumping but you have a student who wants to ride on the flat, respect that. Talk to them about what they do and do not feel comfortable with. If you’re teaching a student an exercise, explain what it is meant to teach them. I have one friend who wants to ride on the flat but was concerned when his instructor had him go over trot poles because he thought that she was trying to push him into jumping. If you don’t feel like you’re the best instructor for what they want to do, admit it. It’ll be better in the long run.
2. PARENTS. If you do not know anything about horses, don’t pretend you do, LEARN. Never pretend you know more than your child’s instructor. Don’t take all the fun out of riding for your kid. Don’t pressure them into showing if they don’t want to. Give them time to do their own thing.
My mom rode horses a lot when she was younger so she thinks she knows a lot more than she does. If there was a problem with my first horse, the first thing she did was take me off and try to fix it herself. Then when the problem was “fixed” she would hand the horse back to me with no explanation of how she solved the problem or what I was supposed to do if it happened again. She was always trying to do what she thought was what won. (If peanut-rollers were still in fashion, she would’ve tried to turn my horse into one. I always hated the slow, jerky jogs and lopes but she was constantly trying to get my horse to that point. Thankfully my horse had the jog almost down, but the lope was never and would never have been WP slow).
There was one day when I was riding in the arena and she was talking with someone in the observation room. I was supposed to be practicing getting my horse into a slow jog with a low headset. After awhile, both my horse and I were starting to get bored so I asked her to stretch out into a posting trot so that we could relax for a minute. My mom left her conversation, burst into the room, and started yelling that I was supposed to be trying to get her to slow down and you can’t post in a western saddle. It wasn’t until after I was done riding that she let me explain.