Sending your horse away to be schooled???

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Amber1012

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If your horse turns out to be abit too much work you:
A - are capable of doing yourself, or
B - have enough time to do

Should I send her away to be schooled? And to get rid of her bad habits? What are the chances she's going to come back and be ready for me to just get on and go? Is it as straight forward as that?

I really don't know what to do...
 
If you are capable of dealing with it and have the time why send her away? Or have you missed a bit out of your first sentence?

If you send her away to be schooled you need to spend at least some time riding her wherever she is being schooled so that they can sort you both out together. Expecting to take delivery of a perfect horse is unrealistic.
 
It can and does work. I agree with what JA says above. In addition you don't want them to create a horse that you can't ride afterwards. For example, my horse went to my instructor for a month while I was away over the summer. It worked perfectly as she just carried on riding him in line with our slow and steady training plan. What I didn't want her to do was bootcamp him and get him so fired up that he would have felt too much horse for me when I got on again. Sorry I'm having trouble explaining it, but hopefully you know what I mean. :)
 
I didnt have the nerve to xc school my green horse. I sent her off for a week to a recommended trainer who proceeded to beat her senseless over ditches and drains. She came home injured with welts. Needless to say I wont do that ever again. Its better to invest the money in lessons and invest time in her schooling
 
jemima*askin said:
If you are capable of dealing with it and have the time why send her away? Or have you missed a bit out of your first sentence?

If you send her away to be schooled you need to spend at least some time riding her wherever she is being schooled so that they can sort you both out together. Expecting to take delivery of a perfect horse is unrealistic.
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Ah yeah I missed some :-/ I am not capable nor do I have the time at the minute. I don't expect her to be perfect but It's been suggested afew times she needs to be properly schooled and needs to get rid of her bad habits so I thought if she went away for a while I could carry on from were they end once the basics are there. I'm undecided really but I don't have the knowledge or confidence to do it my self and wonder if we would both benefit from it.
 
nikicb said:
It can and does work. I agree with what JA says above. In addition you don't want them to create a horse that you can't ride afterwards. For example, my horse went to my instructor for a month while I was away over the summer. It worked perfectly as she just carried on riding him in line with our slow and steady training plan. What I didn't want her to do was bootcamp him and get him so fired up that he would have felt too much horse for me when I got on again. Sorry I'm having trouble explaining it, but hopefully you know what I mean. :)
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Yes, I know what you mean. That is my worry. Maybe it's just a case of finding the right person to do it and to understand my level of riding and what I am capable of myself so that I don't end up with something which is no good for me at all?
 
minimilton said:
I didnt have the nerve to xc school my green horse. I sent her off for a week to a recommended trainer who proceeded to beat her senseless over ditches and drains. She came home injured with welts. Needless to say I wont do that ever again. Its better to invest the money in lessons and invest time in her schooling
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This is also a worry to me. I know afew people with really well behaved horses who do everything they ask but they are that way because they are beaten whenever they dare to step out of line. Each to their own but that's not the way I like to see things being done at all and I can't bear to see it happen.
 
Stick to your guns Amber and find a sympathetic, firm but fair trainer. No good relationship ever came from beating a horse into submission!! Being firm and fair is another thing entirely. Be consistent and firm with your boundaries on the ground in the meantime. Expect politeness and respect for your space. Ask around for recommended instructors or watch lessons - you will soon get the "feel" of who is right fir you and your horse!
 
You can send the horse away but then what? If you sending it away you want lessons with the same trainer either whilst the horse is with them or when the horse comes back.
 
I sent my horse away to be schooled. It was a decision that I came to after a couple of years of false starts for various reasons and then in the depth of winter my mare got ill, I'd been ill, our facilities in winter weren't great and I felt that sending him away to have his schooling developed by someone with more time and experience would be the best option and would give me the time to get my mare back on form.

It didn't really work out. His behaviour got a lot worse; he'd always had that tendency but hadn't displayed it for over a year, possibly because I'd not asked much of him in that time. The trainer certainly didn't cause it but I think that the increasing workload and being asked to work harder brought it out. Maybe I asked for too much form her in such a short time. But whatever the cause, in hindsight I think it would have come out again eventually anyway.

When I went to start riding him at her yard, he had me off and that was a turning point. The trainer was very honest about the fact that I probably wasn't the right rider for him so he went to another yard to be sold (these people supposedly had more experience and a good reputation in finding the right homes for quirkier horses). He went there for an assessment week and the short story is that it was decided there was definitely a physical cause for his behaviour and he wasn't just quirky. At this stage I should add that he had had regular back/teeth/saddler/vet checks including right before he went away and no concerns were raised.

So now he's home and under vet care and there are some issues we need to look into but he keeps incurring minor injuries which stop us fully assessing the more subtle problems. I don't know whether I'll ever ride him again. Despite everything, I did love riding him and when he wasn't exhibiting his problem behaviour he was great. But if I can't find a physical reason then I won't have the nerve to get on again (there has to be something).

My advice would be to really research your chosen trainer and ask to see her working and meet her horses. My trainer said all the right things and also her yard was full of relaxed happy horses. My horse wears his heart on his sleeve and I honestly believe that if the trainer had been anything other than kind to him, i'd have seen it on his face (I went every week to see him while he was away).
 
Kaylum said:
You can send the horse away but then what? If you sending it away you want lessons with the same trainer either whilst the horse is with them or when the horse comes back.
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If I was to send her away I would want lessons with the trainer during and after also it's just a time thing to be able to consistently do it everyday at the minute.
 
Sending away for schooling definitely does have benefits - I would suggest finding a similar trainer who rides in your style (not phrased the best - sorry), eg. if you are a small female, don't send your horse away to be schooled by a strong male trainer. I agree with finding someone sympathetic, firm but fair. Also make sure you don't have the horse schooled to above your level or needs, as then you'll have another problem riding your horse when she returns. Have you thought about finding a really good instructor/professional in your area, and paying them to come and school your horse and do some work with her for you? That way you'd be able to see the methods used, and be able to keep the training consistent. You'd also be able to have some lessons yourself to gain confidence and experience?
 
I'd say yes definitely worth doing if you can find a reputable trainer you trust and whose style of riding you like thats close enough for you to have (maybe not immediately but at the appropriate point) some lessons on your horse with them whilst at their yard and continue lessons with trainer once home. Thats not to say sending away to a trainer far away doesnt work, just personally I think it can be more beneficial having one close enough to go ride/ have lessons when home :). Plus if close hopefully you can go & watch trainer ride and watch your horse progress :).
 
You could also get someone to come and ride your horse in its current setting. That way they hack or school in the environment that they will be in when they return to you, and you keep control. Plus it can work out less expensive, as you may only need them a couple of times a week.
 
I have had my horse professional schooled 3 times in last 2 years, just got him back 3 weeks ago after being with a SJer for 3 months. Every time he comes back he is fitter, better schooled and ready to go for me. Though I do spend the last two weeks before he is retuned getting lessons from professional who has been schooling him.

It worked for me, and has given my lad a good solid correct foundation of schooling since he was 4 years old, he is now 6. They have teached him basics and that way I know it's been done correctly, instead of me muddling along on my own and potentially spoiling a super horse.
 
This is what professional riders are for, surely? They do the job that you are not capable of doing, for whatever reason that is. It is, in my experience, IMPOSSIBLE to teach a horse something that you do not know. So go to a proper professional (there are many who term themselves so, who are NOT), and use what they've got to your advantage.
 
I have & would do again.

I sent my boy to my (then quite new) instructor's to be re-started. We'd had a few lessons at home, I'd visited her base twice, watched her in a clinic & spoke to other people who had used her to gain honest reviews before comitting.

We spoke at length about what I wanted from the experience & off he went! I visited a few times a week & had a series of 'handover' lessons before he came back. I have regular lessons with her now.

It did both my horse & I the world of good & I think he'll go back in the Spring for a follow up :)

Do your research; trust your instincts with finding the right trainer for you both & be realistic about the end result. My boy wasn't perfect when he came back & I've had to work super hard on me, but it was worth it .
 
Why dont you find someone that can come to you ride the horse and give you lessons with the horse, that way you progress together and you will get more confident and still have control over your horse.
 
I think I would yes. But that's because I know of at least two people who I'd trust to do it in a way that would hopefully produce a nice horse at the end of it. If I didn't know of them, I'd probably be more hesitant.

Someone once pointed out to me, sometimes you have to look at the cost of stuff and think can you afford NOT to do it. If you've spent money on a horse and want to get it going a short term bill could be well worth it for a lovely horse for years to come.
 
I sent my happy hack mare to my ex boyfriends sister for 'schooling' being only about 15 at the time and rather gullable I allowed the girl to take her on. My idea was that she would help me get to my goal and ride her as well so that she had someone experienced on her back to help teach her. Well as soon as she got to the yard I was band from.touching my horse, she was ridden in draw reins and her mouth sawed to pieces. My mare put up with this for about 2 weeks and then flipped, we couldn't catch her and I definitely couldn't ride her. Subsequently the girl got bronked off in the school and refused to ride her again. My girl came home and is now super sensitive in her mouth, if you half halt she gets worried and upset but luckily is back to her normal happy hack self and we are introducing bend work gradually to bring out her natural outline. In my opinion, its better for the owner to sort out a horses problems otherwise they will never truely be dealt with. Harsh but if you want a horse that is ready to go and that doesn't need too much of your time then perhaps that's what you should look for? Or perhaps try to find a sharer, this worked wonders for me, I now have someone who has more time and can give the pony what she needs when im not their and maybe in your case, a cheaper way of getting the horse re schooled. (obviously make sure you have a decent rider and maybe ask for references for proof of what they have done etc)

Good luck!! :-)
 
If you haven't got time now, will you have time after she comes back to carry on where your trainer left off? You may find you just end up at square one again and will have wasted a load of money on training her up.

Peraonally I would leave it until you find more time and invest in lessons this way as well you will also learn and it will develop you further as a rider.

Just my thoughts rightly or wrongly.
 
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