finding a horse trainer

[arabianequine]

double post

 

[arabianequine]

triple post connection giving me fits

 

[Hound]

I don't see the need for a specific 'Arabian trainer'. A horse is a horse is a horse as far as a good trainer is concerned. Would you go to a Labrador trainer or a Spaniel trainer for general obedience?

Something that may be making things harder is that a lot of horse trainers enjoy the horses but tire of the owners. I'm not saying you're tiresome, i'm saying that many horse trainers I know quit because they had enough of the people they had to deal with. Many want to do their thing by themselves, they've had enough of people paying them to train their horse then telling them how to do it. I understand this isn't ideal, someone needs to know how their horse was trained to do anything.

It does sound that you're afraid of her and she knows it. The problem is it's one thing to feel confident when you have someone there telling you what to do, but quite another once you're alone again. I would seriously consider the human/horse partnership before risking creating a problem.

 

[michickenwrangler]

The only reason I suggest an Arabian trainer is because 1. the Arabian horse association does have an online network setup 2. There exists a substantial amount of Arabian prejudice and many trainers that are accustomed to stock horses can or will not handle Arabians the way they need to be

Of course there are trainers out there that will do all breeds, but just to weed out the ones that think Arabs are nutbags, let the trainer know right away that you have a young Arabian.

Credentials--can mean anything or nothing. At the very least a trainer should be able to give you references and names/numbers of past clients. Equine management degrees are nice, as are show records and championships and awards but matter more for trainers who specialize. Talking to a trainer on the phone, visiting their facility or allowing them to visit yours if they will be training at your place and watching them work horses should give you an idea. Are the trainer's horses and other horses on the premise sound, mostly clean, well-fed, alert and relaxed? One skinny horse shouldn't raise an alarm, 12 would unless you can verify trainer's story about fostering them for a horse rescue. Are the fences in good repair? Is the barn safe? Is there an arena? Footing in the arena? Trail access? Again, just get to know the trainer and the place. Remember always, it is YOUR horse and if the trainer does something you don't like, ask for an explanation. If that doesn't satisfy you, trust your gut.

 

[Hound]

I agree, check out facilities and check out other horses. Someone who isn't even feeding the horses in their care properly most likely isn't handling them wonderfully. We went to collect a couple of horses for my FIL from a trainer when we happened to be in the area with a trailer. They looked like an ASPCA case, and I know they were not that way two months previously. So skinny you could see their spines, knee deep in crap (and this was the summer), saddle sores, galls and sored up mouths. Horses will lose weight when they first start training, just as us humans would, but the trainer needs to feed them a little more to compensate. They will return with a different physique, but if anyone ever returned a horse of mine in that state they better run for the hills.

 

[welsummerchicks]

How to tell if someone is going to be rough.

Well...at times, trainers DO have to be rough. But it is very brief, it has a point to it that the horse can understand, and most of all, it has an obvious way out that a horse understands that he can take. If YOU can't figure out what the point of it is, most likely, neither can the horse. Too, the person stops doing whatever he's doing, the SECOND the horse reacts properly. Most importantly, the trainer only uses a firm method when nothing else has worked. He goes for the least forceful method to start with.

It really, really is very difficult to predict just by talking to someone or watching them work an easy horse, who will be abusive or lose their temper. Of course a few people give themselves away, they look and act annoyed all the time, and are constantly slapping the horses and yelling at them. But not everyone does like that.

SOME folks just think horses NEED to be trained with rough methods -that's what they were taught, and they don't even think about it or question that there's a better way. In fact they think any other method is pretty funny. They aren't particularly mad when they do it, because to them, it's just NORMAL. To run a horse around til it's too exhausted to react, to shank the living bejaysus out of them til they stand there shaking and dripping, to whip him and make him run in circles if he won't stand still to be mounted. Or say, to, um...try to rope their back legs when they get loose, and take all the hair off their stifle and the inside of their hind leg so it's all raw and red, if you get my drift.

The BEST thing is to get references, and talk to customers. Asking at the local riding club meeting or horseman's activity, such as riding clinics or seminars, can help. Where horse people gather, there shall be talking, LOL.

There will always be someone who's mad at any trainer...but if EVERYONE is...well. Show results are good, but they aren't always everything. Some people won their shows on fully trained horses they bought, and don't really know how to start young horses. A person who actually trained his own horses and had modest success at shows, is often better than someone who did great, but never started a young horse.

An Arabian trainer? My suggestion would be absolutely not. Not if they are training for Arabian halter classes or most of the Arabian show classes.

A good horse trainer can work with any breed - Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Draft crosses, ponies and anything else. No one can really call themselves a trainer if they only get along with one breed - that's a rider, not a trainer.

Any trainer who immediately pipes up and screams, 'OH I HATE ARABIANS', they probably aren't the best choice. On the other hand, the trainer doesn't have to be in love with your breed or your horse to do his job very well.

My favorite choice of a young horse breaker/early handling is a couple of 3-day, or eventing, trainers in our area. Very unfussy, very logical, the horse can understand.

Another great choice is someone who works at a breeding farm(and likes it), and spends much of his time training babies to lead, be groomed and to stand for the farrier. Many breeding farms send their youngsters to sales and have a person(or persons!) who will prepare dozens or more a year for a sale.

I like how a lot of sport horse people handle young horses, too. Very tolerant and relaxed about 'normal young horse stuff', very unpicky, and quite often, very not-losing-the-temper, but still being firm when it is required.

 

[Sueg4332]

gLAD YOUR LOOKING FOR A TRAINER. sOUNDS LIKE YOUNG HORSE AND beginning horse person. (In my opinion makes a accident waiting to happen) A young horse learns bad habits quickly. Arabian have a lot of energy you must be able to channel it in the right direction.
Even if you find the right trainer. You must keep up with the training after your horse comes home. and once or twice a week wont get it with a young horse even with a good basic start.

I personally wont sell a young horse to novice people. the person get afraid of horses threw lack of experience, the horse ends up having a rough time too.

Get a good broke horse to learn on. Until you can handle it well. Older experience horses are great teachers. Work up to your young horse.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
See, that's the beauty of the AHA's mentor network and stable/discovery farm listings. They list what they are familiar with and what they do. Someone like me who boards didn't put "equine nutrition" as one of my strong points. Not to say that if she sees "halter" she should flee. For example, Bowland Arabians near me has Halter listed in their areas of expertise but they also breed Crabbet bloodlines and have produced several distance horses and won Nat'l Top Tens in a variety of disciplines.

Only a fairly small percentage of Arabian trainers specialize in halter. A high school friend of mine trains Arabian show horses, but her students also do high school equestrian team and trail ride.

Just check into it.

 

[welsummerchicks]

you're certainly entitled to your opinion and I respect your experience which certainly sounds very positive. I don't feel the Arabian organizations efforts tell the whole story.

My reaction is based on my very different experiences unfortunately, and not just with one Arabian trainer and not 'backyarders' but nationally ranked trainers. My experiences have not been at all positive in convincing me the majority of 'Arabian trainers' offer solid, practical, progressive, logical, training that is applicable to the average mostly DIY beginner. If anyone finds one, great, hang onto them with both hands, they do seem to be a rarity. Maybe not in other's experiences, but certainly in mine.

I have been completely appalled at what I've seen as far as nutrition as well, training and nutrition. All styles of riding have their various black eyes, of course. But the riding, in hand training I've seen over the years...it is very disturbing to see such a kind intelligent and beautiful animal put through that. I always feel it's ironic when someone says 'Arabians need special training as they don't tolerate abuse', what I've seen them put up with...not good. Not at all good. Myself I prefer to advise an all breed trainer who can work with anything and really LIKES the breed as well. Others may offer different advice due to different experiences.

 

[michickenwrangler]

In Michigan, I am familiar with many of the trainers and farms in the network and very few are National winners. Most are fairly "small time trainers" trying to get their name out there

Here are some results from the mentor network to give you an example

Approximate Distance from You: 27 miles
Years of experience with Arabians: More than 10 years
Areas of Specialty: - Arabian community (Local clubs and shows, etc.), Regional Activities (Trail riding, Open Shows, Fairs, etc.), Veterinary, Training, Instruction, Pedigrees, Sport Horse/ Hunter Pleasure, General, Amateur, Open Shows, All-Arabian Shows, Hunter/Jumper/Equitation, Dressage, Sport Horse In Hand, all Sport Horse Classes, What to look for/what to look out for, Pre-purchase evaluation, Evaluating Arabian conformation and type,


Farm Name: Mose Arabians
Approximate Distance from You: 37 miles
Years of experience with Arabians: More than 10 years
Areas of Specialty: - Attributes and history of the Arabian horse, Arabian community (Local clubs and shows, etc.), Regional Activities (Trail riding, Open Shows, Fairs, etc.), Breeding/Foaling, Instruction, Healthcare and Nutrition, Pedigrees, General, Amateur, Open Shows, All-Arabian Shows, Halter and Showmanship, English Classes, Western Classes, Hunter/Jumper/Equitation, Dressage, Sporthorse, What to look for/what to look out for, Pre-purchase evaluation, Evaluating Arabian conformation and type, Ride & Tie, Pyramid Society,


Teri A. Cox - Frankenmuth, MI United States

Contact by Phone: 517-652-8761
Contact by Email: [email protected]
Farm Name: Marigold Stable Inc.
Approximate Distance from You: 51 miles
Years of experience with Arabians: More than 10 years
Areas of Specialty: - Attributes and history of the Arabian horse, Arabian community (Local clubs and shows, etc.), Regional Activities (Trail riding, Open Shows, Fairs, etc.), Veterinary, Breeding/Foaling, Training, Instruction, Healthcare and Nutrition, Pedigrees, General, Amateur, Open Shows, All-Arabian Shows, English Classes, Western Classes, Hunter/Jumper/Equitation, Dressage, FEI Level Dressage, What to look for/what to look out for, Pre-purchase evaluation, Evaluating Arabian conformation and type, Judging suitability for Sport Horse performance, Competitive Trail, 4-H, Pony Clubs, Teach horses from 4 yrs up.,

Here's my results from my zip code for those interested. You can put in any zip code obviously.
http://www.arabianhorses.org/activities/MentorPrograms/MentorLocatorResults.asp

These programs are set up for amateurs, novices and people new to the Arabian breed. I know what the big trainers charge for board and training and most people could not afford it or would not pay for it. None of the big name trainers in Michigan like Mike and Terri Budd, Keith Krichke, Al Gruppen and the Rookers are on there. Tim Shea is for some reason.

It certainly won't hurt for the OP to look into it.