Would you find a different trainer?

[Bubblewrap]

My story is similar to yours OP, I'm reschooling my newish horse, was having lesson with a locally well known trainer who everyone rates and you have to book ahead to get a slot. After a while I realised I wasn't happy when I came out of our lessons and my horse seemed confused. It wasn't working. She told us we would struggle to improve and was disinterested in what I was trying to achieve. I was recommended another trainer, cheaper and I had never heard of Her. The difference is unbelievable, first lesson she asked how much time and patience I had got as she wanted to go back to the beginning! So 5 months on we are working at novice and getting fab Prelim scores. I absolutely love my lessons and so does my horse! He is so confident now in other aspects of his life as well. Nothing is forced and each week we add a little bit more on, nothing is rushed we wait until he understands what we are after. The new trainer texts me when we go out competing and wants to know how things went, she reads my sheets and watches any videos. Best thing I did last year was change, just a shame I wasted a year and a lot of money with the other instructor.

 

[Rlister89]

I would consider myself a soft rider and that makes me wonder if I should actually be doing more and I'm taking him too slowly. I got him as a forever horse and to bring on while my other one begins to do less as he gets older, so I don't feel a pressure that by a certain age he must be doing a certain level but maybe this is also a bad thing.

Hacking he works very nicely. When asked he will soften and come down and it's not a fight, I'm not sawing away by any means, but I can feel the bit and influence it and although not consistent, he feels much stronger like this than he did a few months ago. In the arena he is not quite as soft and I feel it is down to lack of balance, but if you ask him to soften he understands and wil comply, albeit a few steps and his nose is back out, but its not up and out. However as soon as she suggests and we try and apply more pressure, he does tense, head comes up and is more backwards thinking, which I think is where her argument comes from, however she is aware (or I have told her) that he is not always like that but she thinks if I don't win the argument when he does tense up then it's not something that is going to be easier to do when he gets older. At the moment when this does happen currently, head up and tense, I would ask for a tiny bit of inside flexion and as soon as he responds positively I would reward by releasing the pressure, and a quick pat on the neck, before maintaining a soft contact again and asking for a bit more. She doesn't see this as me 'winning' and thinks I should continue aplying more pressure until it is obvious that he has almost submitted to me.

He is still a baby, i feel, but she does a lot of the age classes and i think she looks at him in a completely different way. I've had some recommendations of others in the area so going to try and book a lesson with a few different ones to see if I can see the difference between teaching styles

 

[Goldenstar]

I find threads like this difficult to comment on because it so difficult to give advice without seeing the horse and the rider.
It's not possible to say when you release the rein when you ask for the flexion that you are doing doing this too quickly and throwing the contact at the horse .
What exercises does she leave you doing with the horse between sessions this for me is the mark of a good trainer they leave you clear what you are trying to achieve and the exercises that will help you get there .
I know it's HHO fashion to yell that any trainer who tells you take a contact and try to ride the horse through to it is a horse abusing rolkur monger but these things are usually more nuanced than that .
I think it's a good idea to go to some other trainers and see if you click with anyone else and get some new eyes on him .

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I'm not saying there doesn't need to be contact I'm saying a trainer who wants to "battle" and suggests draw reins does not have enough tools in their tool box and is resorting to force. This can't be a good thing for the horse in the long term.

 

[blitznbobs]

I'm not anti contact. Contact (in English style riding) is absolutely essential and I agree with golden star that you have to influence the neck then release to let the horse know what you want but I can't see how draw reins help thus in anyway ... The only time I have ever used draw reins was when I had to hack out a horse for a girl who used to run for home when you turned round... It was a short term fix to stop this dangerous behaviour but never for 'getting the horses head in the right place.' If the quarters and shoulders are in the right place the head and neck will follow

 

[Rlister89]

Thank for the replies, it's hard to explain it and I have no videos of the lessons, but she hasn't given us clear exercises for between the lessons, just advised to do what we have been doing in lessons but more like 'carry on' rather than anything specific.
I've booked to take him to someone else next weekend so will see how we find them!

 

[blitznbobs]

Tbh even if the trainer is spot on it sounds like you have no faith in them so it's never going to work anyway...