Trainer being a bit "heavy handed" with my horse

[Deleted member 163966]

I'm not riding at the moment due to an injury (not horse related). I have been off for a few weeks now, and hopefully I will be back on board in around 4-6 weeks, but, meanwhile, I have been paying my trainer to ride/school my horse twice a week to keep it moving. Another friend, whose horse is on box rest at the moment, is also hacking out for me once or twice a week, so horse is staying nicely in work while I'm laid off.

A couple of days ago, my trainer rode in the school and I went up to the yard to watch, which I don't always do. The horse went very well - all's good. However, after the session, trainer was in the stable taking the horse's tack off. I had wandered off for a minute so was effectively out of sight, but - due to the quirky lay out of the stables - I could still see into my horse's stable from where I was standing (if that makes sense). Saddle was off and trainer was undoing the noseband, when horse turned its head slightly inwards towards the trainer's body, crowding her space a bit. Instead of just moving it back calmly, trainer smacked my horse sharply across its jaw with her hand to move it away. This caused the horse to throw its head up, turn its head away in the other direction and take a step backwards, not surprisingly, only for it to be yanked back harshly into line. I heard the trainer say something in a sharp tone about manners, so I went back to my stable. I don't think she knew I observed what had happened, but the incident made me feel very uncomfortable. Generally, I have found my horse to have decent manners in the stable and have never had an issue.

The trainer has an excellent reputation, but is also a livery at the yard and I don't want to rock any boats by "sacking" her or falling out, but I am pretty unhappy about what I saw, and I now have to wonder what happens when I'm not around! I would welcome thoughts from the H&H collective. Thank you.

 

[Clodagh]

Can you be there whenever she is working with your horse?

 

[Goldenstar]

Be there untack to your own horse .
Being injured sometimes means coping with the less than ideal .

 

[eahotson]

Very difficult. Could your horse become,sadly of course, a bit lame?

 

[Goldenstar]

The horse is better being kept ticking over .

 

[SantaVera]

Get rid of the trainer

 

[eahotson]

Get rid of the trainer

In an ideal world but she shares a livery yard with her.

 

[Barton Bounty]

As much as she is a good trainer, I wouldn’t have anyone touch my horse that wasn’t a kind person. If I caught anyone being remotely nasty to BB they would hit the deck!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would have had to say something at the time. "I would prefer you not to hit her head, I don't want a headshy horse". Then it would be up to the trainer what the next move was. As it is, I would make sure that you are there every time the trainer handles your horse in future.

 

[AmyMay]

I would have said something at the time too.

 

[Clodagh]

I would have wished I’d said something at the time, but in fact probably wouldn’t have done.

 

[Deleted member 163966]

Can you be there whenever she is working with your horse?

I have asked the trainer to let me know when she is riding in future so I can go and observe, but have not been able to tack up/untack due to my injury (arm!) so left her to do it herself. But, due to her schedules and my horse being "at home" as it were, she tends to fit my horse in around her other commitments and when she is riding her own.

 

[SusieT]

I would not let that person handle my horse again. It's a sign of rough handling . It's un necessary and unfair on the animal.

 

[ArklePig]

Depends on your horse obviously, and your expected recovery, but could you just say you're going to let him have a holiday/need to cut back on spending? If he wouldn't be difficult to bring back into work I'd so that and sack her off. I'd sack her off anyway tbh, but I appreciate you need to be sensitive about how you do it to not cause fall out. I would be absolutely fuming if someone treated one of my animals like that.

 

[hock]

Awkward yes. When you have to deal with many horses “manners” are very personal and more important because sorting a horse out on the ground when really you should just be schooling is time consuming. However I don’t think this was dealt with correctly by the professional unless you missed something else that had happened first, maybe. I’ll also say I see riders being dragged about? Their horse not standing for them to get on and can’t be left on the box etc but they would all class them as good to handle. I’d call that a nightmare and immediately work on that but in a consistent manner not thrashing them.
Bottom line, if they ride well I’d tack/un tack or at least not leave them alone.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Either get rid of trainer, and tell them why. Ideally you should have dealt with this immediately, however better late than never, you could find your horse's temperament permanently affected is she continues to abuse the horse.

Manners are fine, and if the horse went to bite her or similar I would understand it, what you describe is unnecessary and counterproductive in maintaining ground manners and the horse's respect of your space. If you can't face that in view of her being on the same yard then I would move the horse sooner rather than later. Sorry not ideal when you are laid up yourself but where there is a will for your horse's welfare you will find a way.

 

[scats]

I’m afraid I’d have said something at the time and I wouldn’t be letting someone with such a short fuse have anything to do with my horse, whether on board or on the ground.

 

[AWinter]

Just make up some excuse if you don’t want to confront her but do not let her touch your horse again, you are the only advocate he/she has, don’t let feeling awkward get in that way of that. I would’ve said something there and then, if I ever saw somebody treating my horse like that I’d be furious.

 

[Ratface]

I would definitely said something about it at the time, and she would never have had the opportunity to interact with my horse again!
I would find someone else to ride your horse, or give him a holiday until you can get back aboard. In my opinion, it's safer to re-fitten your horse when you can than deal with one that is anxious and head-shy.

 

[Cortez]

Are the trainers other horses headshy or nervous?

 

[Miss_Millie]

Would I pay someone to hit my cat, my dog or my child? Nope. I also wouldn't pay someone to hit my horse. Find a different trainer, don't give your hard earned money to an animal abuser.

 

[Glitter's fun]

This is a temporary situation.
She seems only to do it when she thinks she can't be seen.
You are feeling that it would be awkward to confront her directly.

Get one of those fake cctv cameras & put it in the stable. If she mentions it, say the horse seems more nervy & a bit head shy & you are worried that maybe someone else is interacting with it when you are away.

 

[wills_91]

I also would have had to speak up there and then. I wouldn't allow someone who hit my animal to continue working them. For me it's actually worse that you feel she wouldn't have done it in view of others.

 

[eahotson]

Are the trainers other horses headshy or nervous?

Good question

 

[Jango]

Are you sure your horse didn't go to bite her? If you could definitely see what was going in and you don't want to rock the boat I would just say you have had a change of circumstances and can't afford to have them ridden any more. Sneakily pay someone else to help your mate do stable jobs so they can ride your horse 3-4 times a week instead

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I wasn't there and I have no idea what happened - but just playing devil's advocate here: Sometimes 2 different people see in the same situation quite differently. I often used a hand to block a horse. So if their head swings into my space my hand goes up. If they then hit my hand, that's on them. But to someone else, it might look like I am hitting the horse in the face. I'm not. The horse is hitting my hand with it's head. And soon learns not to. No idea why she would jerk the head back, though, as I can't see why that would ever be a useful thing to do. But I was just wondering if you could have misiumderstood what you saw. Especially as trainers simply cannot afford for other people's horses to injure them, and often have a far higher expectation re respecting their personal space, than the avergae owner does. Lottie came to me very headshy, but has never objected to being blocked. Horses can tell the difference between an attacking and a defensive gesture even though they can look quite similar. Lottie is increasingly less headshy despire that fact that I always blocked her if she tried to swing her head towards me.

 

[YoLaTango]

I am v awkward about things like this too. But ultimately I would say smt. What I’d do…

I would ask trainer if she noticed anyone being rough w horse, especially around head as horse was becoming slightly headshy. If she admitted to smacking then I would say - Id prefer if you pushed head away unless horse was going to bite etc and that horse understood a push and would listen.

 

[ponynutz]

Say you would still like to untack/groom/tack up because you are missing being around your horse. Don't mention the rough handling to her but is there another livery you could ask to keep an eye if ever you're not down there? One you trust not to spread your opinion?

Give the news in what my mother rather effectively calls a 'shit sandwich'. Thank her for how brilliantly she's doing with your horse in the ridden work, deliver the news that you want to tack up/untack yourself, and then say something else that's nice.

 

[ponynutz]

I am v awkward about things like this too. But ultimately I would say smt. What I’d do…

I would ask trainer if she noticed anyone being rough w horse, especially around head as horse was becoming slightly headshy. If she admitted to smacking then I would say - Id prefer if you pushed head away unless horse was going to bite etc and that horse understood a push and would listen.

I also like this; doesn't accuse her just presents the eventuality of how she's behaving around the horse and lets her know you don't like it. She might clock what you're doing though...

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I am struggling here with all these suggestions how to improvise, tell half truths, make excuses etc. etc. for the fact that you witnessed someone abusing your horse in a manner that was not appropriate to the situation by a long chalk, and was not something you condone or feel at all happy about. Why should you need to proceed with subterfuge and hints at what happened?

I am afraid for me, when your horse is in a situation you can and should do something about you do not pussy foot about trying to keep others happy and feathers unruffled. It's all very well people saying are you sure exactly what you saw, you were sure enough and worried enough to post on here, that must tell you something if you are doubting the integrity of the trainer? One strike and your out in my book, that goes for inappropriate harsh handing and care of any animal, but in particular if it is one I own and am ultimately responsible for.

Tell the person concerned and the yard owner/manager exactly what you witnessed, clearly and in entirety and if that puts backs up and creates a backlash against you, it tells you all you need to know about what possibly is allowed to go on at this yard when you are not around to monitor your horse's welfare.

Edited to add what you describe is NOT blocking a horse trainer was undoing the noseband, when horse turned its head slightly inwards towards the trainer's body, crowding her space a bit. Instead of just moving it back calmly, trainer smacked my horse sharply across its jaw with her hand to move it away. This caused the horse to throw its head up, turn its head away in the other direction and take a step backwards, not surprisingly, only for it to be yanked back harshly into line.