Becoming a Trainer

[Ponderosa Starr]

I have a LONG way to go before I can remotely think about becoming a trainer.. However, I am curious how do you become one? I have read many wonderful posts from so many members here who obviously know their horse sence - and it amazes me at what they can tell us.. I would love to know and understand half as much as some of you all know.. How do you do it?

[gbarmranch]

Years of experience - and not all of them good - riding every horse you can, and trying to work with those trainers you respect.. Read, try, and modify...

A good trainer also realizes that everytime they think they have horses figured out, one will come along to prove them wrong

[Jaxie]

Ride a lot and watch trainers that use methods that you think you would like to try. Read up on all of the horse facts that you POSSIBLY can.. I started doing this when I was 7, and I can still tell you silly little things about the vascular groove... also spend a lot of time reading about different types of training.

Start training your own horse, and work on the ground a LOT more, then eventually work on friends' horses until you build up a good reputation..

[BornToRide]

I only wish I could be as good as the Gbars and Snickers of this world. . . .


I just keep telling myself that one day I will be.

[gbarmranch]

Originally Posted by BornToRide

I only wish I could be as good as the Gbars and Snickers of this world. . . .


I just keep telling myself that one day I will be.

I don't know if it is so much as being good, as just having been lucky enough to have survived my mistakes I can't speak for Snickers, but I assume it is the same - and many of us have been around horses for years, and years, and years....

You have lots of folks to learn from on here - Riccoman, Divinemisselle, Diamond Y, eieio, etc.. Too many to list...

[BornToRide]

Yep! I suppose it just takes time, Gbar. One day I WILL get there.

You and Snickers are the first two that came to mind.

But as you stated, there are SOOOO many on this forum. That's why I love it here.

[eieio]

I just started reading everything I could from everyone. I spent me childhood and sometimes in adulthood with a book in one hand and the reins in the other. I also watch other trainers and try to learn from something every trainer and good rider I see. Find one thing that makes them special, wonderful, different. If a horse is not doing what it is supposed to be wrong and I try to see why.

Gbar is right no one has the right answer all the time. In fact of my three horses tonight, my tried and true backing method is not reaching one of the brains (worked fine on the other two). So I tried the back up backing method, no avail. So I tried the back up, back up, backing method and again, nadda!

Well, I got frustrated and the horse was getting mad, so we did something she does well and stopped. No biggie!

So I am about to go to bed and think of all those weird old backing methods I have seen or used and try to match one or two to her personality. She will get it, eventually!

If you sit down and watch, like if I go to the horseshow, I watch the warm up pen it is amazing the stuff you learn good or bad!

[wildcat180]

While I am far from being a trainer, the one thing I would suggest is to learn to read horses as individuals. You'll find that what works for one won't work for another and, to me, a good trainer is willing to adapt to the differences and adjust their training method.

[ricoman]

Read everything you can, ride as many horses as you can and listen with both ears open. Ask questions often. Every horse learns differently so use methods that fit the horse. Remember that there is no substitute for ground work that developes the horse mentally, physically and emotionally. Take your time, be patient but persistant.

most importantly though, you'll never know everything so let your horse help educate you!

[Horselady44]

Im a certified trainer. I got certified though MHTA. Minnisota Horse Training Academy. Its a wonderful class. It only takes 3 weeks. The results you see are amazing. You bring your own horse. Its just a all around amazing program with instant results. You can visit their website. And if you have any questions just ask me. www.mnhorsetrainingacademy.com

[Faceman]

What does it take to become a horse trainer? That's a rather loaded question, because there is no benchmark - anyone can call themselves a trainer. And, there are different types of trainers and different types of training, from basic groundwork and breaking to jumping, racing, and finesse dressage movements.

Horse training, as any other profession, is a skill that requires years of education and experience. Some trainers are good, some are not. Some are qualified, some are not. Some have a good knowledge base, and some don't know squat.

In my opinion, a good general all around trainer should have the following skill sets:

1. A reasonably thorough foundation in biology, and anatomy and physiology to provide an understanding of muscoskeletal functions, physcial stress points, physiological strengths and weaknesses, diet responses, and a host of other variables to consider when training a horse.

2. A reasonably thorough understanding of "horse psychology" - beyond just knowing that a horse is a herd and flight animal. It takes years of study and intense observation to really understand the psychology of a horse.

3. Patience - Most "trainers" make the mistake of trying to teach too much too quickly, and not building the correct foundation. Think of your own education. First you learn to count. Then add and subtract. Then multiply and divide. Then algebra. Then calculus. If you try to learn calculus without the proper foundation, you will fail. It's no different with a horse - worse, in fact, as they are not as intelligent as we, although I must admit some horses are assuredly smarter than some trainers I have encountered.

4. Technical expertise - You can't train a horse to tie if you don't know what tieing is, nor can you train a horse to race if you don't know the nuances. The extreme example is dressage. You have to have the technical expertise to know what the end objective is.

5. Interpersonal skills - Many trainers feel the worse part about training horses is that horses have owners. Owners can be extremely demanding, obnoxious, cheap, abusive, and not have a clue how much time, effort, and expertise it takes to train a horse - or in many cases "untrain" a horse and then start from scratch.

6. Experience - I know it's like trying to get a job - how do you get a job with no experience and how do you get experience without a job. But the fact remains that there is really no substitute for experience. Horses come in all sizes and temperaments - some have vices, bad habits, poor training that has to be redone, attitudes, abusive backgrounds, neglected backgrounds, mental and physical trauma histories...the list goes on and on. No one can be exposed to every possibility of course, but those trainers that have largely "been there, done that" are much more able to identify critical parameters and adjust their training methods accordingly.

7. Flexibility and open mindedness - Sorry, but with horse training, one size does not fit all - despite what the Clinton Andersons and Parellis of the world are selling. A good trainer is flexible and open minded, and customizes his or her training methods to fit the horse - NOT try to fit the horse to his or her training method.

8. A love of horses. To train a horse, you must be able to communicate with and "connect" with that horse. Seems like a simple concept I know, but you might be surprised how many "trainers" have a deep rooted disdain for horses. These "trainers" are usually evidenced by their "cowboy" methods - methods which are proven to be the least productive.

9. Empathy - You must be able to cast aside your traditional thought processes and literally "think like a horse". If you are going to communicate, that is the only option, because the horse certainly can't think like a human. You must learn how to move, learn how to speak with body movements, learn how to read what the horse is "thinking", and learn how to motivate him to do what YOU want him to do.

Sorry - writing another book here. There are other skill sets needed of course, but these are a few important ones (at least in my opinion).

Some of these skills can be picked up through either formal or informal education, experience, observation - whatever method works best for you.

Just remember - for every 100 horse trainers, there are maybe 4 or 5 that really know what they are doing. And remember, you can't become a horse trainer overnight, or by taking a couple of classes. As with any profession, it takes many years of work and study to master...

[NHIceGSD]

How could you say anything after that post?

Well said.... well said.

[snickers]

Cant add much as well.

You can do an apprentanceship under a trainer in your area. You can also go to school as suggested.

Read, DVD's and a lot of hands on.

[wildcat180]

A three week course would pretty much just give you the basics. IMO, 3 weeks is not nearly enough to be considered a "certified trainer". (No offense inteded.) Considering how many years it takes to learn the different things that different horses can teach you, there's no way all that can be covered, in thorough detail, in three weeks. A good start, certainly. But by no means would I ever take a horse to someone that says, "I just got certified by such and such school", only to find out they were only there for a three week course. Three years? Yeah, I'd consider them...

I've read up on many different training methods, talked to many different people about how they'd do something, and absorbed as much as I could in the last year and half and I still have a TON to learn.

[Faceman]

I just wanted to add - just in case anyone misunderstands - I do NOT consider myself a horse trainer...

Yes, I have most of the skill sets, but I do NOT have the technical expertise - I only train mine through what I term "greenbroke on trails". I am not a good rider - that's not where my interest lies - so I don't know all the riding nuances to train them for, nor do I show, and I can barely spell dressage, much less know anything about it...

[Range]

And, you'll do all the work and have all the knowledge in the world and ONE horse will throw you for a loop - you will have to re-learn everything according to that ONE horse!

[gbarmranch]

Well said Face - Patience is the most overlooked aspect of training a horse - and I think most of us would agree that we are not "trainers" in the truest sense of the word - I can no way do what some of the folks I greatly admire can do...

BUT I think many of us have a achieved a workable and somewhat adaquate understanding of how a horse thinks and communicates. Training any animal is basically learning another language - with equines, the ability to make the horse understand what you are asking him or her to do, as well as the ability to do so in a manner that fits their personallity and experience level, and (to me of utmost importance) - the ability to be able to read what a horse is telling you in response.... That is not something you learn over a few weeks or months - it is a lifetime of study...and one any true horseperson will tell you that they never feel they completely master...

[muttduck]

Originally Posted by ricoman

Read everything you can, ride as many horses as you can and listen with both ears open. Ask questions often. Every horse learns differently so use methods that fit the horse. Remember that there is no substitute for ground work that developes the horse mentally, physically and emotionally. Take your time, be patient but persistant.

most importantly though, you'll never know everything so let your horse help educate you!

I will only ditto the advice from Ricoman,
since she does an incredible job with training.
She's my go-to if I have a question.

[Crazy4paints]

Originally Posted by wildcat180

A three week course would pretty much just give you the basics. IMO, 3 weeks is not nearly enough to be considered a "certified trainer". (No offense inteded.) Considering how many years it takes to learn the different things that different horses can teach you, there's no way all that can be covered, in thorough detail, in three weeks. A good start, certainly. But by no means would I ever take a horse to someone that says, "I just got certified by such and such school", only to find out they were only there for a three week course. Three years? Yeah, I'd consider them...

I've read up on many different training methods, talked to many different people about how they'd do something, and absorbed as much as I could in the last year and half and I still have a TON to learn.

Being accredited by a school is a good thing, being "certfied" means you have the knowledge and understanding of the courses that were offered,and passed them. So one day,(hopefully) you will be able to apply what you have learned to your horses. I do not think they were trying to say they were the "know-it-all" trainer ready for anything. I believe they were merely suggesting a nice place to go learn and recieve some skill.

[wildcat180]

I realize that, which is why I said it was a good start. HOWEVER...I know way too many people who think those certifications, whether in horse training or whatever, make them experts.

And any trainer, or teacher, who says something like this about themselves "is an excellent horse trainer and can teach any horse to do anything physically possible while making it look like a breeze. He is a natural horseman" wouldn't have my confidence and goes against the idea that every horse is an individual and should be treated as such. No one trainer can train every horse. Personality conflicts, training method "disagreements" and things like that need to be taken into consideration. I'd walk away from anyone that said they could train any horse brought to them.

My horse Leila went through three "trainers" who swore they could train her. Yup. I'm sure they thought they were God's gift to the horse world when they were diving for dirt to avoid the charging hooves that were coming. All three said she was untrainable and dangerous. Funny thing is, because I allow her to be herself and don't force her to MY will, I've gotten farther with her than any of those trainers ever could. Why? Because I LISTEN to her. She has never showed any signs of being dangerous with me because we found a way to work together.