Choosing a Horse Trainer

When you select a professional horse trainer, you’re also choosing a business partner. To produce satisfactory results, finding the right match for you and your horse is essential.

What You Need in a Trainer

Defining your training goals is the first step to targeting your search. List all the reasons you want help from a professional trainer and whether your goals are short-term, medium-term, long-term or a combination of each.

Common training goals include:

• Starting a young horse under saddle.
• Solving a particular issue for horse and/or rider.
• Preparing a horse for competition or sale.
• Building and/or maintaining training and conditioning.
• Coaching a horse and rider team for competition.
• Improving a rider’s horsemanship skills.
• Learning a new skill or discipline.

While some trainers might welcome all breeds and disciplines, as a practical matter, every equine professional is better at some training tasks than others. By being specific in your goals, you can help target your search. For example, if you have a 2-year-old Quarter Horse you would like started under saddle and trained for cutting, you should seek a trainer who specializes in breaking and training young cutting horses. Similarly, if your child wants to compete in the medium pony division at local hunter shows, you should look for a trainer whose students compete successfully in that division.

Where Are They Located?

Although location should be a factor in selecting a trainer, the best trainer might not be closest to your home. If you’re looking for a trainer with unique skills — for example, competing at an

upper level in a specific discipline — you might have to travel a fair distance to work with one. However, the trainer should not be so far away you can’t travel there enough to accomplish your goals or that the time and money spent traveling to the trainer outweigh the benefits.

Training and Boarding Rates

The cost of training and full board varies widely, depending on geographic area, breed, discipline and the trainer’s prominence in their field.

Choose a trainer whose rates are well within your means, keeping additional costs such as deworming, vaccinations, shoeing and competition fees in mind. Your horse might also have to stay with a trainer longer than you had anticipated, and you don’t want the training cost to be such a financial hardship you can’t afford to maintain your horse’s training or compete with your horse.

Starting Your Search

In the United States, nearly anyone can call themselves a professional horse trainer, regardless of qualifications (or lack thereof). Unlike many European countries, the U.S. has no mandatory licensing procedure, certification process or even regulation for horse trainers. With just a few exceptions, breed and discipline associations exercise very little oversight of their professional members.

Often, a professional membership card in a breed or discipline association only means the cardholder doesn’t qualify to compete as an amateur (i.e., they receive compensation for showing, training or giving lessons). A few other organizations purport to offer “certification,” but too often, such designations represent little more than the purchase of a certificate, providing no actual measure of a trainer’s skills and experience. Some well-known clinicians offer affiliate programs, but such endorsements do not necessarily mean the affiliated trainer has completed extensive education with the clinician or even met the clinician in person.

Even university equestrian science degree programs vary widely in their curricula. Consequently, there is no single reliable measurement of a trainer’s skills and experience, making careful screening of potential candidates essential.

Finding the right trainer is much like finding the right horse. The most talented trainers often don’t have to advertise; therefore, word of mouth is frequently the best source of leads. When you’re ready to begin your search, discuss your training goals with your horse industry contacts, and ask for referrals.

Visit equine social media groups or online forums dedicated to your geographic region, breed or discipline. Search the archives to see if others have posted recommendations for the type of trainer you seek and, if not, post an inquiry requesting information. Check to see if your breed or discipline association maintains a directory of professionals. During this process, you will probably find that certain names crop up repeatedly.

If your training goals include competition, you should attend events as a spectator and pay close attention to what you see in the show arenas, barns and warmup areas. Note the horses and competitors performing well and which trainers work with them. Observe the trainers’ (and clients’) style and demeanor to evaluate how they might match up with you and your horse.If you see a trainer engaging in what you consider abusive or otherwise unprofessional behavior, discreetly inquire to find out who that trainer is so you can cross them off your list. Upon identifying a trainer you like, locate their stall area and obtain their contact information. While you might be able to meet trainers who interest you, remember they’ll be focused on the event at hand and, therefore, it might be best to contact them after the event is over.

Narrowing the Field

Trainers’ websites and social media profiles can yield a wealth of information about their clientele, competition records and business practices. For example, reviewing photos and videos of the trainer, their clients and their horses can help you determine whether you and your horse would be a good fit with that trainer’s program. Some trainers even post price lists and downloadable contracts on their websites.

Next, contact the trainers on your shortlist. Because trainers are typically working horses all day long, they might not respond immediately. When you contact prospective trainers, clearly but briefly explain who you are and your training needs. If a personal contact recommended the trainer, mention that. The more clearly and concisely you communicate, the more likely the trainer will respond promptly.

Some trainers might not respond to you in a reasonable amount of time (or at all), and you can cross them off your list. If a trainer doesn’t respond when you’re a prospective customer, you probably won’t get a prompt response after you’ve hired them. However, if you’ve reached out over social media and haven’t heard back, try calling and texting instead. Many trainers have unmonitored social media pages. ​

When the trainer responds, politely ask them what you need to know. You might find Equine Legal Solutions’  What to Ask a Prospective Trainer questionnaire helpful.

Visiting the Training Barn

Once you’ve narrowed your search to a few trainers, make appointments to visit their facilities. Allow yourself plenty of time — do not expect to visit more than two facilities in one day. If possible, make arrangements to see the trainer (or, if the trainer’s assistant will be doing the primary work on your horse, ask to see the assistant) work a horse of similar age and training level as yours and/or observe a lesson given to a person of your approximate competitive level. If the trainer doesn’t want to let you watch them work a horse or teach a lesson, you should cross them off your list, because a reputable trainer should be more than happy to show you how they work.

When you arrive at the barn, remember trainers ride multiple horses every day and are usually on a schedule, so try to be on time. Note how you are greeted at the barn — do you have to find someone to locate and introduce you to the trainer, or is your arrival anticipated? Do you feel welcome or like you’re interrupting the trainer’s and/or barn staff’s day?

Walking through the barns, take a look at the horses. The stalls should be clean, bright and airy. Each horse should have clean water. The horses should have shiny hair coats and be well groomed and in good physical condition. If the barn blankets in winter, the horses should be wear reasonably clean blankets during appropriate temperatures (e.g., no heavy blankets on warm days). Their feet should also be in good condition.

Do the horses appear curious and approach the stall fronts with ears forward, or do they hang at the back of the stall, lunge at the bars or flatten their ears at your approach?

Barn aisles and work areas should be fairly tidy and free of obstacles. Turnouts and pastures should be safely fenced and reasonably free of mud. Arenas and other facilities should be suitable for the type of training done at the facility. Take a peek in the tack room—do you see any equipment you wouldn’t want used on your horse?

When you observe the trainer working a horse, note the equipment they are using and whether you feel comfortable with how they are using it. At the start of the session, if the trainer doesn’t tell you, ask a few questions to determine when the horse came in for training, what its level of training was when it arrived and what the trainer’s goals are for that particular horse. You can then better evaluate whether the horse’s performance that day fairly represents what you would expect under those circumstances.

If your goal is to find a trainer who will coach you and your horse, closely evaluate the trainer’s approach in light of your personal preferences. For example, if you like to receive a lot of feedback, you might prefer an outgoing and talkative trainer. You might like an encouraging and approachable trainer if you are somewhat timid. If you need help getting motivated, you might prefer a trainer with a strong presence. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to clients you see at the barn and ask them questions about their experiences in the trainer’s program.

Get and Check References

Once you have narrowed the list of potential trainers to just a few names, it’s time to check their references, at least informally. First, determine whether the trainer is currently in good standing with your breed or discipline association and if they have a disciplinary record. Be aware, though, that most breed and discipline associations will release only current (and not historical) information, so the fact the trainer is presently in good standing doesn’t mean they have always been in good standing. Next, talk to your contacts in the industry — tell them you are thinking about taking your horse to Trainer A, and ask whether they have any feedback. Don’t forget to ask your vet and farrier — as equine professionals, they are often very familiar with all the barns in the area and can provide you with valuable information. Do an internet search of the trainer’s name, and see what comes up.

Hiring a Trainer

Once you have selected a trainer, it’s time to finalize your arrangements. If your horse will be staying at the trainer’s facility, schedule a time and date to drop your horse off, and ask what tack and supplies you need to bring. Be sure to label all your horse’s items with your and your horse’s names.

Your Contract With Your Trainer

Ask for and read a copy of the trainer’s contract and, if applicable, the boarding facility’s contract. If the contract doesn’t include all the expected terms based on your conversations with the trainer, ask to incorporate the missing items. If your trainer doesn’t have a contract, ask them for one that reflects your discussed terms. Without a contract memorializing your agreement, it might be later unclear what was actually agreed upon, and you will have great difficulty proving what your agreement was in case of a dispute. For example, if you agree to pay show fees but do not discuss them in advance with your trainer, you might be unpleasantly surprised when you receive your first bill following a horse show. Equine Legal Solutions offers professional training contract packages.

Working With Your Trainer

At the outset of the relationship, be sure to understand exactly what is expected of you. For example, does the trainer anticipate you’ll come to their facility once a week to take lessons on your horse? At the same time, be sure your trainer understands exactly what you expect of them, and encourage them to be frank with you if they feel your goals are not realistic or otherwise need adjustment.

Your trainer should send you a bill at the end of each month. Most trainers bill in advance, so if you receive an invoice at the end of April or early May, it will generally include training and board for May and miscellaneous expenses incurred in April. You should receive an itemized bill for costs other than board and training. If you’re unsure about a bill, the time to ask is when you receive it, not months later.

Even if you aren’t expecting to take lessons while your horse is in training, visiting at least once a month will give you a good idea of how your horse is progressing. Because your trainer has a busy schedule, you should call before visiting to ensure the trainer will be there and available to talk to you. Ask in advance to see the trainer work your horse during your visit.

Encourage your trainer to be upfront with you in their assessment of your horse’s ability and training progress. Remember that every horse is an individual, and you might need to adjust the length of time your horse spends with the trainer, your competition goals or both. If you’re disappointed in your horse’s progress, don’t be afraid to ask your trainer why the horse isn’t progressing as quickly as you would like.

While it might be a crushing blow to hear your horse isn’t going to be the superstar you had hoped, your trainer will be doing you a huge favor if they tell you that before you spend thousands in training and show fees. And, of course, if you’re pleased with your horse’s progress, be sure to give praise where it is due!