So you call yourself a horse trainer?

Something I love about where we live is that there is a big influence of farming and ranching. I think this really contributes to the love of all things equine in this area, one of the only drawbacks I have come across is that I find a lot of people calling themselves “trainers” Every time I pass a bulletin board in the feed store, or read the local farm classifieds there are a half dozen ads for people who want to train your horse. I have no problem with other trainers; I support anyone who I feel is a positive influence on the horse business. I also feel that people throw around the word trainer with little significance to what it really means. One problem with making a living as a trainer is that so many people want to work with horses that they will do it for almost free. I see ads that charge so little for training that it barely covers the cost of hay and I am forced to assume in that scenario you are getting what you pay for. I know that for a lot of these people being a trainer is a dream, but they still have to work full time jobs to pay their bills while they follow that dream. Unfortunately a person cannot work another job and then find the time to invest in a horse that is required, training isn’t something you can accomplish evenings and weekends. The performance potential of your horse cannot exceed the talent and ability of the trainer.
I have never been great about promoting myself I have always felt a pride in the quality of my horses and for me that is enough, but I find all of the so called trainers a little alarming. I think that there are a lot of them that could call them selves colt starters, they can get a horse under saddle, I also think if they work, study and compete for another ten years or so they could qualify as trainers but at this point they are not beyond the basics. There is over thirty years of breeding and standing world class stallions, showing and competing at a national level, building a full service equine facility, and training horses for every discipline that goes into me calling my self a trainer. I believe these other people have their heart in the right place but people who are really capable of getting your horse to a finished level are few and far between. I don’t want this to be perceived as an attempt to tell everyone to bring me their horse; in fact if you want me to recommend another trainer I will gladly do it I have the privilege of working and showing against some people that I feel are a real credit to our industry. I just want you as owners to really consider who you are trusting your horse with, I know when people shop for day care and preschool, they don’t look for the lowest price they look for the place they think their child will benefit the most from, they ask questions, and they check out qualifications, you owe at least that to your horses.
When we have a beautiful young horse that is just getting started that initial foundation that is laid is the most important time in that horses life. Every horse is unique and only through years of experience and continuing education can a person be ready to tackle whatever challenges that a horse may face. There are lots of people that offer the service of taking your horse from being unbroken to being under saddle, it is the next steps that are hard to handle, can they teach your horse to do a sliding stop, and do they know how to train a horse to do a flying lead change, how about rollbacks and spins? To they have the riding and training ability to not only do those things but help you to do them as well? I feel like I have earned the title of horse trainer, I can train your horse to do all of these things plus a lot more, and thanks to my background in education I can also help you accomplish these things as well. When you put your horse in training and you are hoping for a horse that you can compete on in working cow horse, reining, a horse your child will be safe and successful on or simply a trail horse that is second to none then I recommend you find yourself a real horse trainer. If your goal is simply to swing yourself into the saddle and not get bucked off, well then I have some ads for you to read in the paper.