Taken for a ride by a dressage trainer - sorry, rant coming up!

A few years ago i sent mine away for training as she was broken late, i'd had an op and I felt that it was a good idea. I have no issues with the people who took her, they were great, but dont feel i really got what i wanted because i chose the wrong people and didnt make my expectations clear.

Having had a horse schooled brilliantly years ago by an essentially unknown person I expected similar so was a bit disappointed but I felt i chose the wrong place. Dont get me wrong, she came back much better in many ways and was impeccably looked after but i chose the wrong people for the job I wanted doing and therefore didnt get what i wanted. Not their fault. Im not saying this was the case with OP.

I actually think it would be really helpful know about people who are really good at training horses as often these people are not big names because they concentrate on youngsters, often due to financial restraints and never hit the Big time.

ETA I paid £120 PW Plus Vat so came to £150
 
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ANY person, who takes money off me to do a job, I expect them to do the job correctly, no matter what they charge.

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However the amount they charge you will certainly indicate the amount of work they are going to be doing; same as any type of job really.
 
When I think of the b******s I sat on for less than that?!
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I actually think it would be really helpful know about people who are really good at training horses as often these people are not big names because they concentrate on youngsters, often due to financial restraints and never hit the Big time.


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I very much agree.
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Often, the ones that are not "known", can not charge as much as other "big" names as they need to draw clients and be competitive. It is not to say that there standard of work will be any less and often, you get a more satisfactory result from them than you will with some of the supposed pro's.
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All I will say, whether you are haemorrhaging money to pay for "pro" schooling or holding the reins a little tighter, you MUST check them out thoroughly- References, etc. See them in action. Visit when you are not expected.
 
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Visit when you are not expected.

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Probably one of the best pieces of advice I have seen on here in a while.
 
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When I think of the b******s I sat on for less than that?!
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hey - when I think of the b******s I sat on when I was paying them for the privilege! The Working Pupil's Suicide Rota we used to call it.
 
And me because I was 100% sure I knew who it was, but the money threw me!
When i was involved in this debacle, you understand, being the mere groom, I was not privy to the financial arrangements.
 
does the trainer you are talking about run a small stud?

I school horses for a living, and my clients are told they are always welcome to just drop in, and they dont need to call at all, unless they want to check I am there (as I ride for people off site too)

I would never dream of making out I was schooling a horse when really it was just stood in the field/stable, as I cant afford for my reputation to be ruined. It is such a shame that you had to experience this, and I hope it hasn't made you too wary of horsemen, as some of us are really genuine!
 
I've always been interested in the idea that a "big name" competitor is the best person to send a young horse to. By definition such people are otherwise occupied a lot of the time, often highly motivated to do things quickly, and inclined to favour situations which will lead to competitive opportunities. In my experience very competitive riders are often the LAST people who should be breaking horses or dealing with problems because those sorts of horses demand time and flexibility. I think the two skills - developing nice horses and winning a lot - CAN exist together but in my experience they often don't. Often when they do it's because the person limits what he/she takes on, which means it might not be the right situation for very many horses. Any horse that needs "special" care or has not succeeded in a "regular" setting may need a great deal more time and attention than the average "big time" trainer can spare.

In Canada many of the heavily competative trainers go to Florida in the winter and yet I know people who have sent horses to them for a winter's worth of schooling. . . . um, who's riding the horse?? Often the trainer would fly home once every couple of weeks to "supervise" but in between it was usually a groom or a working student riding the horse. Fine - maybe that person really was the best person to be doing the work - but then why pay for the name??? I never got it. And I got a lot of clients who had horses harmed and/or felt very screwed by those situations.

But it is a problem to know who to get if they're not in the ring. It takes a long time to build up a repuation by word of mouth and I have to say I've seen some very good people get fed up when they offered good rates for good service but continually felt they were losing out to people with higher competative profiles.

I should say I was very lucky - I was able to support myself pretty much entirely by training, without even teaching a great deal, other than working with the people I trained for. I had great, loyal owners, really nice horses (even the ones that maybe didn't look it at first
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), and great opportunities given to me by wonderful people. But when I think of the work I did, the time I put in, and the hairy situations I sometimes said "yes" to for the sake of building up my business . . . I don't know if I'd want to do it over.
 
If you live it the New Forest then it won't be who you think it is - he isn't in the league of Carl or Peter Storr although he has been to the Nationals (but not for a few years as he has now retired from competition) and always had a very good reputation before I realised I was being done! The last thing I want to do is blacken the name of genuine professionals who do train horses properly.
 
For those of you who are asking what I knew about this trainer before sending my horse there, I had used him with great success on another two horses about 5 years ago, he also was very helpful about the same time with the horse in question when we broke him about 3 years ago. I have known this guy for about 15 years in total going back to when pony club used to organise clinics for us which is why I am so disappointed that he has let his standards slip so dramatically. I know what people are saying I should have called everyday but professionals really do not appreciate being stalked!!! If you trust the trainer, speking to them a couple of times a week (in addition to actually getting to see your horse 2-3 times a week) which is how I usually work things should be sufficent. I was leaving messages for him asking him to call me about 4 times a week as it was! If you bombard them too much with phone calls then the trainer does not have the time to get on and WORK the horse. Also it is difficult to turn up unanounced when you are working 12 hours a day to finance the training & the girls finish on the yard for the night before you get home from work yourself.
 
For those of you who want to know what I was paying - yes it was 150 a week excluding VAT as now that he has retired from competition he normally only has 3 or 4 horses in at a time with the intention of spending more time with them! This was a 'discounted' rate he had offered me as I have know this guy for 15 years & used him to help me with my horses for the past 10 years. I had also agreed to my horse being kept on rubber matting which as you all know reduces the work involved with the livery side of things in a big way. If I had wanted shavings or straw then it would have been nearer 200 per week. Worming, shoes etc would all be extra. I agree 150 per week isn't top dollar for the likes of Carl and yes I paid about 60 a week more than that when I sent another horse to Talland, but when you only take home 300 per week 150 is enough. By the way, the 21 year old talent that is now sorting my poor horse out is only charging me 130 per week (excluding VAT at the moment) & is doing a fantastic job at that rate. Nick Lawson has won at the Nationals, is based in Gloucestershire, is genuinely hard working with a very good attitude & I cannot recommend him highly enough! My other horse, a complicated 8 year old is now being aimed at the Winter Nationals thanks to Nick and he is extremely good at training the owner/rider how to ride the horse in ways that really improve the horse's way of going.


For those of you who are interested, I don't rely on trainers to train my horses for me as I love training them myself - that is what dressage is all about. Sometimes however, you need the support from someone with more experience or different ideas that can help you find the result you are looking for. Also, somebody watching you on the ground in invaluable & my mum doesn't quite compare with the likes of Nick!
 
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