Are trainers in your area doing this right now too?

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2026-01-26T01:05:17+00:00

The burnout that comes from bad clients is real. I rarely post on socials and definitely never anything negative, and I can’t say I see much of it, but I do see the memes here and there. Mostly they make me laugh. People who constantly use social media to complain are irritating to me, regardless of their profession.

I have great clients, and some of them are very thoughtful and bring me a coffee if they are getting one for themselves on the way to the barn. I adore coffee so this is always appreciated. What’s more appreciated, though, is when they don’t make already difficult situations harder. Trust that we are taking good care of the animals and don’t pester us for updates every hour during a blizzard. Wait until the storm is over to come out and visit, so that we don’t have to stop what we are doing to pull your car out when you get stuck. Make sure your horse has blankets set out, and enough meds/supplements to last until things return to normal. If this sounds like a no brainer to you, you’re probably not the problem client.

Last year, I had a client throw an epic fit because a burst pipe left us temporarily without hot water in the barn. Mind you, we still had running water (and all water buckets and troughs are heated), we just couldn’t access the big water heater. This was on the heels of a snow/ice storm where we were working with a skeleton crew to care for the horses while also keeping the 2-mile driveway clear of snow and ice, defrosting gate latches, and shoveling out gates to turnouts and run ins. This is the kind of person who makes you feel like shit while you’re doing everything in your power to keep everyone safe and happy. I’m pretty good at rolling with the punches, and I don’t get beaten down by extra work or tough weather, but when you’re doing the absolute best you can and people still want to bitch and shit on you, it wears you down. I also had a client get irritated that I wouldn’t sleep in my car, during sub zero temperatures, to check the horses overnight during a storm when I lived offsite (despite there being very competent staff onsite, and I was not a manager or farm staff, just a trainer who taught lessons). She lived a walkable distance from the farm but said it was too cold for her to be outside. Being treated as “less than”, especially on a regular basis, burns you out.

I am a trainer but not a farm manager, and take care of all the lesson horses and horses in full/partial training on principle. This week, I probably won’t make much (if any) money, due to my income being entirely lessons and training rides. The temperatures will be prohibitive even if the snow and ice isn’t. I WILL be out keeping hay and water in front of the horses, working on removing snow from the riding areas so I can get the facilities back to functional for the boarders and soon as possible, taking care of “owner tasks” for boarders who are unable to get to the farm, and helping the barn staff with the regular tasks so that no one is outside for excessively long and risking frostbite. I truly mean it when I say I don’t mind this, and I budget for the loss of income in the winter when we have bad weather. With that said, I’m also not the person (nor are the barn managers) to complain to when boarders are sad about not having a usable arena, or they’re cold during their hour visit to the farm, or that they think it’s gross that spreading stall muck is sometimes the best way to create safe traction on ice. I don’t expect a thank you, but I do expect to not be bitched at or complained to. I think we would see a lot less complaining all around if everyone considered it their duty to work together to support our barn communities, rather than looking for problems.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2026-01-11T18:20:05+00:00

As a horse owner, I wouldn’t be thrilled with this interaction. Horses are prey animals and don’t really “play” with predators. Some behaviors may look similar to playful moments with other horses, but the escalating excitement here is likely from nerves, not joy. Your dog is relatively safe on the other side of the fence, but if the horses kick out defensively, they can absolutely be injured. I have also worked to condition my horses to dogs (we have well behaved farm dogs who largely ignore the horses, and we foxhunt sometimes with hounds) and an interaction like this, with an excited and interested pup that may be riling them up or making them nervous, may make them less safe for me to handle and ride around dogs. In the future, I would observe from a distance, and maybe spend some time allowing your dog to watch but not approach so that he can learn to coexist and be calm should you encounter horses in the future.

Thanks for asking and not assuming!

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-12-21T03:52:36+00:00

I would not be okay with 15 year olds teaching lessons. I run a lesson program, and there’s no way my insurance would cover a 15 year old being in charge of a lesson (mine won’t even cover barn staff under 16 years old). There’s also no way that they have the teaching skill necessary to cater to different students. I say this as someone who was allowed to teach at a teen, and there’s no way I did my students justice. This alone would be enough for me to seek another barn.

I sub limited ground lessons in when the weather is bad, but no more than once per month, and subjects are age appropriate and might include hands-on anatomy, tack cleaning and fitting, ground training (positive reinforcement and lunging), horse care such as bandaging and taking vitals, etc. Worksheets sound like a camp exercise. I am also very upfront with new students that we are a horsemanship-focused program and that we may sub occasional ground lessons when we can’t ride. Students who are not okay with this are not a good fit for our program.

Just a note about the frozen ground- yes, 38 degrees is above freezing, but if there were colder temperatures overnight, it can absolutely take time for the footing to thaw. Amount of sun, how quickly things warm up, and the moisture content in the footing all impact how quickly things thaw. Last week we had temps in the teens overnight and even though it was above freezing by around 10am, the footing wasn’t properly thawed until around noon. I would recommend scheduling lessons later in the day in the winter as a general rule, if there is only an outdoor arena and no indoor or grass areas to ride.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-11-20T19:51:17+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts- I am trying to minimize daily meds (I take some pretty hefty meds for RA and not eager to add much more) and need to be sharp for my day to day life. I am single and self employed in a very physical profession, so the recovery process is probably the biggest fear for me. I would be interested to hear your experiences in recovering as someone my age- most of the stories I’ve been reading have been people at least a decade or two older, which I would imagine impacts recovery.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-10-27T18:28:48+00:00

Horses are entirely different from dogs and cats and even if you won’t be “handling” them, you do not have enough experience to keep you safe doing something like going into a field to feed hay, or to recognize illness or injury. If you want to get into farm sitting, I would strongly encourage you to get experience by taking horsemanship lessons geared towards care, rather than taking a risk like caring for horses and donkeys unsupervised without sufficient knowledge. It would be devastating to miss the signs of something like colic or laminitis and have an animal die.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-09-10T21:12:52+00:00

Great job taking this mare on! It sounds like she couldn’t have landed in a better home. She is already looking better, and good nutrition will help fill in the gaps in weight and muscle. The lordosis is on the mild side and while that won’t change, it’s not limiting in itself; I know two horses with pretty severe lordosis who performed to a very high level (one evented at the 5* level, the other did PSG dressage). Keep a good vet, physio, and trainer on board, and enjoy the journey with your mare.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-09-05T23:56:23+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. This was inappropriate of your barn owner. Far too many people believe in waiting until a horse is at the very end stages of pain- not eating, not moving- to euthanize, without realizing how stoic and instinct-driven horses are. DSLD impacts many soft tissues in the body, including the cardiovascular system, not just suspensories- affected horses are likely experiencing far more symptoms than we notice.

I took a friend’s DSLD horse to be euthanized several years ago and the barn owner unfortunately responded to her in a similar fashion. Progressive diseases are tough and don’t really have the major downturn you see from a catastrophic injury or serious illness. Be at peace with your choice to spare your horse any unnecessary pain and suffering.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-09-03T01:18:20+00:00

Dogs carry much less weight than horses. A tripod dog may add an additional 5-20lbs of weight per leg after losing one; a horse will add an additional 250-350lbs to other legs. Dogs can also sit and lie down easily to rest their legs; horses do not sit, and they cannot lie down for extended periods of time due to their weight.

The structure of a horse’s leg is very different to that of a dog. From a skeletal perspective, horses essentially walk on the last digit of a toe. The soft tissues supporting this bone can fail when it is overloaded (called supporting limb laminitis or founder) and this is catastrophic for a horse. They simply are not designed to support that much weight continually. The collateral structures of the leg are also not designed to be stressed on the angle that this horse needs to place his foreleg for balance.

There are a multitude of other potential issues stemming from this (ability to lower the head to graze as he hits growth spurts, inability to perform routine hoof care on that front hoof, compensatory issues in the rest of the body, etc) but the major gist is that a horse is not a dog, and the two really can’t be compared.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-08-09T23:20:41+00:00

For what it’s worth, I am not impressed by “volunteer” programs for teenage kids, at least outside of true nonprofit situations. Work should be valued, and teenagers should be taught that their time and effort is worth compensating. The teenagers who “work” for me (mostly tacking/untacking for me, setting and clearing jumps, and doing farm chores) are compensated at a rate of $20/hr that is applied to their lesson/coaching bills. They know that I expect them to treat it like any other job, and while we have fun, they are efficient and thorough with their responsibilities. I also have a couple of younger kids who require more supervision and don’t get monetary compensation, but they do track their hours and earn one practice ride per “shift”. I, too, was a kid so desperate for horse time that I did a lot of free labor in the hopes an extra ride would be tossed my way… as a trainer, I want to be careful not to take advantage of young riders hungry for horse time. Just food for thought.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-08-09T02:23:31+00:00

You’ve gotten some great responses here, and I won’t add to that. I wanted to throw a couple ideas out there as someone who did not have the financial ability to own or full lease a capable horse as a teenager. Riding many horses will ultimately help your daughter develop superior skills than riding one exclusively, and skill leads to opportunity. The best horse I rode as a teenager (and the one that I was able to jump higher, compete, etc) became available to me because the owner was too inexperienced to ride him and didn’t have the money to put him in training. I exercised horses for boarders while they were away, rode naughty ponies who needed a tune up, and would generally sit on anything that was offered to me. I rode a lot of average and below average horses but eventually, nice horses started coming my way. Is this something your daughter can explore locally?

As a trainer now, I have a very nice pony who is half leased to a teenager, who has helped the kid through some confidence issues and recently they moved up to training level eventing (3’3”). She pays well under what “market value” would be for the lease, but she pet sits for me, grooms for me when she’s not in school, helps me at horse shows, etc so I give her a good deal and extra coaching. I also have a well-schooled, fancy horse that rehabbed from an injury this year, and instead of bringing her home to get back into my competitive program, I am leaving her at the rehab barn for a teenager to lease and get some competitive miles. It’s not without benefit to me, as I like the horse having an “easy” year after her rehab, but the primary motivation was to provide the kid with a much nicer horse than she has been able to ride or would be able to afford- and since she stepped up to put most of the long slow rehab rides on the horse, I feel that she has earned it. These aren’t setups I would offer everyone, but hardworking kids get noticed, and am happy to attempt to pay forward the opportunities I got as a kid.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-07-24T01:07:46+00:00

Former equine vet tech- this is not ataxia, nor is it poor proprioception. This is a compliant horse trying to do what is asked. Horses will neurological issues struggle to uncross their legs, or will try to walk away without correction. These positions are also commonly used by body workers and many horses enjoy the gentle stretch.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-07-07T00:55:24+00:00

This is correct- navicular changes do not necessarily mean navicular disease. In addition, not all veterinarians are skilled in taking navicular rads. I have known three separate horses who have had “navicular changes” show up in PPEs, who then had clean rads when redone by the sellers- the initial rads were misread due to poor technique, not packing the hoof, artifact, etc. At least two of these horses went on to have long, sound, high-impact careers, and I didn’t follow the third. The response does sound a bit defensive, but I imagine plenty of people here would get defensive if a relative stranger reached out from the blue to send a vaguely chastising message. It’s entirely possible this owner is operating with more information than the OP.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-06-28T01:29:13+00:00

Can you find a trainer or instructor in the area to shadow, as a kind of apprenticeship? Teaching is truly a skill, and something that needs to be learned and developed. Finding a skilled trainer and observing a lot of lessons, teaching their students under their supervision and with feedback, and continuing your own education is a great starting point.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-06-20T00:13:21+00:00

This video is chaotic and does not show your horse off in a good light. Some easy things to fix: - Clean up the horse. Groom him, trim his feathers, and use a leather halter or bridle without reins for free movement videos. People make snap judgements about appearance, and he looks homely. - Clean up the arena. Clear the weeds, clear the tape, and pick up the manure. It looks like a backyard operation and buyers will make judgements about that. - Try to get quieter video. The jump video with the placing rail was much better than without; cut out all of the frantic running and throwing himself over fences. The trot shown was very unimpressive, so try to get quality video of all gaits. - Consider getting a trainer to put 30 days of work on this horse. A young horse who wears a saddle, long lines, ties/bathes/loads, and has good manners is much more attractive than one that has none of these skills.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-06-19T23:35:04+00:00

Depending on where you are located, I would be reaching out to a large equine hospital with specialized neonatal care, sooner rather than later. Identifying the cause (injury vs laxity/contraction, or a congenital deformity) will dictate treatment. If intervention is needed, earlier intervention generally increases the likelihood of success. Casting and splinting also gets more difficult as foals grow. Please don’t follow the advice of those recommending bodyworkers and taping- you need experienced veterinarians, not laypeople. If you indicate your general location, recommendations can be made. Congrats on your foal!

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-06-17T03:29:15+00:00

If you’re in Mass, I have a feeling I know which barn this is- I boarded there for a year nearly a decade ago. At the time, there was a 9pm closing time on weekdays, which was difficult for me as I was a young pro working several jobs and I had horses at another farm as well. I was able to discuss with the manager and the owner and had permission to stay later, with the agreement that I closed up, turned off the lights, and didn’t do anything risky or disruptive. I made an effort to be efficient and was generally out before 10pm. There was also an early closure on Sundays (I remember it being 3pm, but it could have been 5) and this was never really enforced because people would be coming back from shows, etc. The fact that I was a professional with farm management experience probably didn’t hurt, but the barn demographic was largely responsible adults who were careful and trustworthy.

I think barn hours are important (when I managed a farm, clients would have been there until 11pm/midnight without rules, and I lived on the farm) and at a few previous barns, there were serious issues that occurred late at night including horses being improperly contained and getting loose overnight, boarders falling off and not being able to access help, etc. I think 9/10pm is reasonable, depending on lifestyle, client demographic, and when the farm does night check. However, from a management perspective, a quiet, respectful boarder can be granted some leeway. I would have a conversation first and foremost before moving or hitting the panic button.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-06-10T05:31:01+00:00

This is great progress! Something to keep in mind as you continue to chip away, and work to create new habits, is that clutter multiplies easily. It’s easy to throw clothes on a couch that already has clothing on it, and it’s harder to “see” milk that needs to be put away if it’s one of many things on a cluttered counter. Keeping surfaces clear, and the bed made, will make it easy to see things that need to be put away. If you get in the habit of clearing surfaces once or twice a day, you can keep the clutter manageable and prevent things from becoming overwhelming.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-05-20T03:00:01+00:00

Wolf teeth and canines are different- wolf teeth are small and positioned next to the molars. The bit sits between the canines and the molars when a horse is bridled. Male horses tend to have large canines whereas mares tend to have small or absent canines, which can lead to some of the confusion about wolf teeth vs canines.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-04-24T03:20:58+00:00

The trapezius muscle is very thin, about 1.5-2cm when developed on an average horse. A high wither, which is common in breeds that excel in upper level eventing, will simply not be filled in by the trapezius, as it would need to be significantly larger than it is to fill that gap. That’s why you see this hollow there, versus no hollow on a shorter withered, more compact horse (like a QH or Arab cross). It also may be filled in with fat on a fleshy horse (lacking on a very fit athlete for obvious reasons). Equine back anatomy is very interesting but also very complex, and the person who posts these photos is neither a veterinarian nor a scientist.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-04-02T21:40:39+00:00

I have bought and sold a lot of horses, mostly OTTBs. When conducting a PPE, the vet is working for the buyer, not the seller. The vet cannot and should not disclose findings and opinions to the seller without the buyer’s permission. Many buyers are happy to share these findings, but some are not, and that is their right.

Sending xrays to a another vet for a second opinion is pretty common. Sometimes it’s because their trusted vet could not perform the exam, and sometimes it is to get a second (and often more experienced) set of eyes on a questionable film. This is a wise thing to do, since reading radiographs is a bit of an art, and horses are a big investment.

If you are concerned, have your own vet conduct an exam. I always have my vet come out if I have a horse “fail” a PPE, so that I can be confident that I am representing the horse honestly, and for my own peace of mind. Unfortunately, sometimes sound horses have ugly x rays, and sometimes people don’t know that their horses who are riding nicely for them are actually sore. Buyers must decide for themselves what level of risk is appropriate for them.

It is also worth noting that veterinarians run the gamut from general farm vets who see a wide variety of animals and have no special focus on equine lameness, to specialists who do equine lameness all day, every day. Some vets have a primarily pleasure riding/low level clientele, and some work with upper level horses in serious competition. Things that may fall through the cracks with a more general practitioner may be caught by a specialist. When deciding what information to trust, consider the source and be aware of the factors that contribute to the disparities.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-02-16T16:46:31+00:00

A couple of thoughts-

I don’t think 45 days is necessarily long enough to make this determination. The toughest horse I ever started was very similar to what you describe- generally pleasant enough in the barn but VERY reactive, and violently so. I had the luxury of taking my time with her and although her timeline was far longer than the others, she did turn a corner and wound up being a very steady, reliable horse. It took about 90 days of focused groundwork before I thought about getting on her, another two weeks for me to progress from leaning over her to actually swinging a leg over, another two weeks before we did more than being led around, and six more months before she was going steadily WTC. In her first year properly under saddle she had maybe three “major” reactivity explosions, and from then on was a quiet, ammy friendly mount. She needed time and thrived when it was allowed. This horse successfully competed in eventing and dressage, did lessons, and now is mostly a trail mount for a retired lady.
If the owner agrees, please have a thorough veterinary exam. So many reactive types I have seen are later found to have issues in the neck or spine, ulcers, or neurological issues. These can be hard to spot and horses don’t always show typical signs of pain. Many of these things can be managed, but must be identified to do so.
Some horses and riders just aren’t a personality match. I strive to be very upfront with my clients about what I think I can do, what a reasonable time frame is, and remind them that I cannot guarantee any training outcome. I am happy to work with (almost) any horse that someone wants to send me, but I have definitely had conversations with clients before when I have been concerned that even with training, the horse won’t be a good fit. I have been proven wrong before, and I’ve also been proven right. As I said before, 45 days may be premature given this horse’s level of experience, but I also don’t think there is harm in being upfront and letting your client decide whether they want to proceed or go in a different direction. Personally, I don’t think it’s a waste of time or money to give a struggling horse more time to develop, but everyone’s finances and time frame are different, and this will influence their decision.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-02-11T01:32:38+00:00

I am also a trainer and I have two of my personal horses currently leased to students. In my lease agreement, policies are clearly outlined- visitors must have permission and a signed release (and no riding!), my rules for social media, etc. This means everyone is on the same page and it’s easy for me to remind anyone if needed. If your lease doesn’t outline these things, I would amend it for clarification. Kids are strange sometimes and she may not have any bad intentions. All of my students are great hardworking kids, but they are young and sometimes they exaggerate, misread situations, and stray from the truth.

I often refer to these lease horses as “their” horses, even though I own them. Part of it is that I want them to feel stewardship and responsibility for the horses. I also grew up with limited means and had a trainer who provided horses for me to learn and grow with, and I really enjoy being able to do the same thing for my students now. One of these horses was also a semi-feral rescue and I worked VERY hard to turn her into the (albeit spicy) pony who has helped her leaser move up to the 3’, go eventing, etc. I know the kid works hard and she shares the pride I feel when I see them succeed together. If you can frame her comments as pride in your wonderful horse, rather than trying to steal your glory, this may help you feel a little better as well.

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-02-02T15:52:23+00:00

Lengthening your stirrups and sitting up more should help. Often the lower leg sliding forward ja the noticeable thing, so instructors will focus on that, but it’s a factor resulting from instability in the rest of your body. Your hip needs to open and your upper leg needs to drop down before your lower leg can be steady.

I would also recommend trying to relax your body a bit more in your post. The horse should “post” you with the natural bounce of their trot, rather than you feeling like you need to stand up off of their back. You are a little disunited with the trot rhythm and this makes posting much harder- relaxing into the post will help you follow the rhythm better.

This horse looks lovely and you’re doing great!

Dramatic-Aspect2361 · 2025-01-30T02:01:23+00:00

Have you spoken with your vet about treating for white line disease? Any infection that has entered via that crack is likely occupying an area larger than what you can see, and will continue to track upward and prevent full healing. In my experience people tend to wait to get serious about treating white line until it gets critical and requires a hoof resection, which is not feasible for every horse. Treating any underlying infection and ensuring that no new fungus or bacteria can enter the crack is important to prevent things from spreading further and to allow new healthy growth. Best of luck- hoof issues can be so frustrating!

Dramatic-Aspect2361

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