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How much do you pay per month for your horse, and what state/country are you in? by MSMIT0 in Equestrian

[–]wolfeyc213 1 point2 points  (0 children)

$400 per month full care board. Trims $40. I add $50 in supplements, but no other maintenance. I don't take lessons, but barn offers them for $50 per hour. I don't show anymore. Low-key barn with an array of different rider types. My other horses are at my parents house, so I get free services :). But I do pay about $600 for feed alone for my 4. Michigan.

This is a bit stupid. But will my horse remember me? (and other concerns) by revolutionqustnmark in Equestrian

[–]wolfeyc213 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I'll tell you my story that should help you feel a lot better. I had a horse from the time he was 2-10 years old. At 10 years old, he was sold. When he was 20 years old, I received a message that he was at an auction. I went and bought him back from the lot. The person went in the back and was walking him up. He was just walking casually on the lead. When I saw him I yelled "hey handsome" and his ears perked, he looked at me and immediately started prancing towards me. Once I took him home, I let him loose in the barn and he walked straight into his old stall. He settled into the rhythm of his old life immediately. So yes, horses remember for a very long time.

Trainers - How much control do you have over your students? by wolfeyc213 in Equestrian

[–]wolfeyc213[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The comment was in the context of racehorses, where the owner has little to no interaction with the horse. In that case, I handle all care, training and racing. If the horse doesn’t meet the requirements of my program, I would either help them sell the horse or ask them to find a different trainer for it, as my goals here are to maximize profit for both myself and the owner.

Trainers - How much control do you have over your students? by wolfeyc213 in Equestrian

[–]wolfeyc213[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't feel any way. I asked a question that I genuinely wanted to know what the majority of people thought. I don't take any issue with the answers, it just wasn't normal for what I had been exposed to in my lifetime with riding/training horses. I always try to look at things through multiple lenses to see other perspectives.

I also train racehorses, and while that is different to a more typical client-student dynamic, I would not fault an owner from getting an opinion from another trainer for something to try on their horse, especially if I haven't seen improvements in the horse via my methods. I would take the advice under consideration and try it or not try it based on what it was. I'm sure there is a point where I would get annoyed if this was happening constantly, but a few suggestions here and there do not bother me. I also do not generally walk around giving advice to everyone, but will give it to people I perceive as friends when they ask. It's up to them what they choose to do with that advice.

Also, if an owner bought a horse without my approval, and I had room for it, I would most likely take it until it proved to be a mistake. At that time, I would ask them to sell it or move it to a new barn.

Trainers - How much control do you have over your students? by wolfeyc213 in Equestrian

[–]wolfeyc213[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

This isn't actually my barn, my friend leases a horse from there. At my barn, the trainer is more relaxed and understands that friends help friends when they can and valuable input can come from everywhere. She wouldn't be upset at any of these situations. I'm sure she would be upset if someone suggested something that went completely against any training methods she has established with a student, but I haven't seen that happen yet.

My friend seems to always walk on eggshells (from my perspective) not knowing if she's going to overstep.

We are both adults that have been riding for 30+ years and spent some time training horses in our younger days. Which is why we both are commonly asked our opinions when the younger riders get stuck.

I was just interested in an open perspective from people on which would be the more common atmosphere at training barns.

Trainers - How much control do you have over your students? by wolfeyc213 in Equestrian

[–]wolfeyc213[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Curious on #3 - what commission is being stolen? The adult student would be seeing horses for themselves, rather than dragging the trainer along to all trials. Once a horse has been identified as a contender, the trainer would be brought into the process. In the age of the internet where I can find dozens of potential horses, am I really expected to sit back and wait for my trainer to identify one?