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 Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | Since I am not a trainer, I have to use them occasionally for babies/tune ups/etc. What I've noticed over the years is that 1) rates have doubled and 2) 30 days no longer necessarily means 30 rides. For the trainers on here, if you are charging $600-800/month (i.e. 30 days), do you feel that you should get 30 rides in before sending the horse home, whether you have to keep the horse a week or 2 extra, or is it the new normal that you get whatever rides in you can in 30 days regardless of what you get accomplished with the horse? What is normal? (I ask this because I have a colt at a trainer and he's been there 5 weeks and had 10 rides, which seems somewhat under par when the rate is $800/month).
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Location: Philly | from personal experience over the past several years (including this year).
The trainers that seem to charge a little less and may be a little less well known will charge by the 30 ride rule and the trainers that know they will get horses no matter what will charge by the 30 day rule. For the latter you just have to weed through the ones that will ride them as much as possible. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
 
| I charge separately for the rides and the feed bill. I have to cover the feed, so they get charged for each day the horse is here. And then I charge for each actual ride. We occasionally send horses to the feed yard, and the guy that rides for us makes sure that we get the number of rides we asked for. He will however tell us if he thinks the horse needs to come home early or needs to stay longer.
Regardless of if they were charging by days or rides, I'd be wondering why my horse only had 10 rides in 5 weeks. I like to ride a minimum of 5 days a week, and on some of these younger ones that are getting shorter rides I'll go more days before giving them a break. But they really aren't doing much for your horse if he's being ridden that sporadically. If the weather is to blame, I can understand. And I know that sometimes life gets in the way, I've been there. But if they weren't ready to put the time into your horse they should have had you wait to send him to them. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
 
Location: Alberta | Just a thought, have you talked to the trainer about your concerns?
Just a general question (for anyone) doesn't anybody talk to their trainer and ASK questions when you drop the horse off as to what you expect and what the trainers plan will be....and get updates...to plan accordingly with each horse!?
I don't want it to come off as rude, but we see so many threads like this....I seriously want to know....
I never feel bad about shooting the trainer I use a text with an update, he is a great horseman and would straight out say horse needs to stay longer if he knows it's not to the point I need it to be at......
Edited by dream_chaser 2013-12-05 8:50 AM
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| dream_chaser - 2013-12-05 8:41 AM
Just a thought have you talked to the trainer about your concerns?
Just a general question (for anyone) doesn't anybody talk to their trainer and ASK questions when you drop the horse off as to what you expect and what the trainers plan will be....and get updates...to plan accordingly with each horse!?
Excellent points. |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | dream_chaser - 2013-12-05 8:41 AM
Just a thought, have you talked to the trainer about your concerns?
Just a general question (for anyone) doesn't anybody talk to their trainer and ASK questions when you drop the horse off as to what you expect and what the trainers plan will be....and get updates...to plan accordingly with each horse!?
I don't want it to come off as rude, but we see so many threads like this....I seriously want to know....
The weather was to blame for at least one week, and we are about to get hit again, so next week is probably a wash. I talk to her about once a week to see how he's progressing, and went and watched her ride him last weekend. When he wasn't to where I expected him to be after 5 weeks, she said he'd only had about 10 rides (which is what it looked like, if that). This is a trainer that I was essentially trying out because she's closer to my area. In comparison to the girl I normally use who moved, there really is no comparison so far because the previous trainer was a hand and would have them doing something the first week. I'm just left trying to decide if it's the horse or the trainer that's inhibiting the progress. She is claiming that she is having to start from scratch with him, and that his temperment is limiting the progress to date, but that once he decides to come around he'll be a really nice horse. She just doesn't want to push him or "get into a fight" with him. While I agree he needed more human interaction when I took him there, from what I could tell he was not a dangerous or ignorant horse, he was just a baby with a little hotter bloodline than I normally ride.
I do realize that they have to charge per day for feed/board, but it would seem that if you charge $800/month for 30 days, then that would include more than 10 rides for that $800. She says that she'll make the money work in the end to get him going, so we'll see. I try not to micromanage people, but I plan be more proactive than what I have been to date (I think the last trainer spoiled me a little, and I'll be going back to her in the spring for sure regardless of the drive). |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| My trainer has been training horses for me for 8 years. He puts 30 rides on, he includes the feed costs in his price which he is still on the cheaper end for the area. Most of the horses he sends home have more buttons and trained better then people who send to different trainers for two months.
Again in your situation I would be asking questions as I am not paying for a months feed when the horse has only been rode 5 times. The trainer better have a good excuse, and I still would object to paying.
I would suggest finding a different trainer ask for references, speak to people in your area and see who they use. The good trainers don't advertise they have to advertise as they have enough business |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I pay per ride, rather than paying for 30-90 days of being at the trainer and only having a certain # of rides. And my trainer comes to my place. |
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 Grandaughter of a Champion
Posts: 2956
Location: left field | We charge by the ride and then daily for feed. Then everyone is happy and all is fair. |
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 Always Off Topic
Posts: 6382
Location: ND | i think having to pay $450/month is pricey enough when i need a little catch up....usually ends up being about six weeks to get 30 rides on...things happen though and they are still boarding a horse so that doesn't bother me.....the situation described in this thread would lead to a serious conversation with the trainer and me though.... |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | I expect whatever was agreed to. I would not leave my horse with someone who only puts 10 rides on a horse in a month, though. The last time I had one in for training, she kept him 10 extra days. I offered to pay more for board, but since I had brought my own grain, she didn't charge me anything. |
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 Blaines and Beauty
Posts: 1431
| I put the full 30 rides on one, no matter if we have to keep the horse an extra week or two due to weather conditions, non-horse related functions we have to attend, etc. We charge $650 a month, and that is just for tune up, training on barrels, ranch work, etc., we do not break horses anymore. We supply feed and hay also for that price. It seems like you are getting duped to me. Did you have a contract or anything that you signed with the trainer? Or any information on a website? Most people will list somewhere what their training program is - like worked at least 5 days a week, how much they charge to take a horse to a show, etc. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 816
| 30 days, 6 days on 1 day off and I am covering all the feed. At the end of the month we'll sit down and discuss if the horse needs more time or is ready to be taken home. Every horse progresses differently. Anytime within the 30 days I encourage the owner to come watch and participate. |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | FlyinByU - 2013-12-05 9:33 AM
I put the full 30 rides on one, no matter if we have to keep the horse an extra week or two due to weather conditions, non-horse related functions we have to attend, etc. We charge $650 a month, and that is just for tune up, training on barrels, ranch work, etc., we do not break horses anymore. We supply feed and hay also for that price. It seems like you are getting duped to me. Did you have a contract or anything that you signed with the trainer? Or any information on a website? Most people will list somewhere what their training program is - like worked at least 5 days a week, how much they charge to take a horse to a show, etc.
No contract. An enforceable contract would be hard to draft when there are so many different variables in training a horse, and honestly, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise (except in sale situations where a lot of money is involved, I fully believe in CYA). Contracts are all well and good but they are just a piece of paper unless you go to court to enforce them and that costs a lot of money (usually more than the dispute is even over), and time and headache and the end result is uncertain except for extremely hard feelings on all sides. Reputation goes a long way in the horse world, and she seemed to have a good one, and probably still does to a lot of people in her expertise (which is not barrel horses).
We discussed the gameplan ahead of time (colt rider rides him 1-3 days, then she would take over), and I don't feel like I should be calling her every day and asking if she rode him and why or why not. This is yet another life learning experience, and I was just curious about what goes on elsewhere to make sure I wasn't way off base in being skeptical. At 30 days, I called and talked to her and she expressed that he was not where he needed to be, so I left him another week and then went and watched her ride him. I was not really happy with his progress, but I agreed to leave him another 2 weeks. She seemed to think he was right on the edge of coming around, so we'll see. Hopefully she will stick to her word and make the money relative to the rides/boarding expenses. If not, then she won't get any more business from me. Simple as that. |
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Expert
Posts: 1414
| awest - 2013-12-05 10:20 AM We charge by the ride and then daily for feed. Then everyone is happy and all is fair.
Same here. Works best for everyone. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | 10 rides in 5 weeks???? Before I tell you what I would have to say to your trainer, did you send this colt in knowing he was going to need a lot of handling and ground work before she could put the first ride on him? Or did you send him with a lot of that done and ready to go? There's a big difference if the colt wasn't even halter broke and she now has 10 rides on him in the first 5 weeks and if the colt had lots of ground training, maybe already been saddled, etc before he got there and she's only put 10 rides on. |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | BamaCanChaser - 2013-12-05 10:16 AM
10 rides in 5 weeks???? Before I tell you what I would have to say to your trainer, did you send this colt in knowing he was going to need a lot of handling and ground work before she could put the first ride on him? Or did you send him with a lot of that done and ready to go? There's a big difference if the colt wasn't even halter broke and she now has 10 rides on him in the first 5 weeks and if the colt had lots of ground training, maybe already been saddled, etc before he got there and she's only put 10 rides on.
I bought him as a 2 year old coming 3, and was told that he had had 30 days this spring. I took him straight from the seller's place (who is a friend of mine) where he had been kicked out for several months to the trainer. I told her that he supposedly had 30 days, but warned her when I dropped him off that her "30 days" and what this colt had in 30 days were probably not the same. And I was right on that part--what he had in his initial 30 days must have been just exposure to human beings and maybe being saddled a few times, maybe a couple of buck outs. So she informed me early that she was having to start him pretty much as if he were a fresh 2 with basic groundwork and handling. So I would expect that to take up the first week or 2. But he was not a wild mustang or completely devoid of human interaction, no. |
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Blaines and Beauty
Posts: 1431
| SoonerLawyer - 2013-12-05 10:09 AM
FlyinByU - 2013-12-05 9:33 AM
I put the full 30 rides on one, no matter if we have to keep the horse an extra week or two due to weather conditions, non-horse related functions we have to attend, etc. We charge $650 a month, and that is just for tune up, training on barrels, ranch work, etc., we do not break horses anymore. We supply feed and hay also for that price. It seems like you are getting duped to me. Did you have a contract or anything that you signed with the trainer? Or any information on a website? Most people will list somewhere what their training program is - like worked at least 5 days a week, how much they charge to take a horse to a show, etc.
No contract. An enforceable contract would be hard to draft when there are so many different variables in training a horse, and honestly, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise (except in sale situations where a lot of money is involved, I fully believe in CYA ). Contracts are all well and good but they are just a piece of paper unless you go to court to enforce them and that costs a lot of money (usually more than the dispute is even over ), and time and headache and the end result is uncertain except for extremely hard feelings on all sides. Reputation goes a long way in the horse world, and she seemed to have a good one, and probably still does to a lot of people in her expertise (which is not barrel horses ).
We discussed the gameplan ahead of time (colt rider rides him 1-3 days, then she would take over ), and I don't feel like I should be calling her every day and asking if she rode him and why or why not. This is yet another life learning experience, and I was just curious about what goes on elsewhere to make sure I wasn't way off base in being skeptical. At 30 days, I called and talked to her and she expressed that he was not where he needed to be, so I left him another week and then went and watched her ride him. I was not really happy with his progress, but I agreed to leave him another 2 weeks. She seemed to think he was right on the edge of coming around, so we'll see. Hopefully she will stick to her word and make the money relative to the rides/boarding expenses. If not, then she won't get any more business from me. Simple as that.
Did she have to do a lot of groundwork with the colt first or was he ready to get on and go? If she did several days of something like ground driving or something like that, I would understand. However, if he has been there five weeks, even if she had to ground drive him for a while and get him bit broke better, he should have had way more than just 10 rides. I agree, you shouldn't have to hover over her and see what day she has/hasn't rode the horse. I hope she sticks to her word also because right now, it just sounds like the horse should be much further along, especially for $800.
ETA: You just answered my questions while I was typing this...lol
Edited by FlyinByU 2013-12-05 10:31 AM
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt. |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM
In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt.
Thank you, that helps set some parameters, and that seems to be in line with what I'm getting from her thus far. |
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM
In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt.
Yes, an unstarted colt is going to need groundwork, and I consider that a "ride". But I tell the owner up front that 30 rides on an unstarted colt will likely be 5-10 days of ground work and 20-25 rides. And when it comes to starting colts, I know that some can be quite broncy, and well I'm not a bronc-stomper! So if I get to going with the horse and realize that I'm not going to be able to do the horse justice, I will have them get in contact with the cowboy that we send broncy colts to. |
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Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | Jenbabe - 2013-12-05 10:00 AM SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt. Yes, an unstarted colt is going to need groundwork, and I consider that a "ride". But I tell the owner up front that 30 rides on an unstarted colt will likely be 5-10 days of ground work and 20-25 rides. And when it comes to starting colts, I know that some can be quite broncy, and well I'm not a bronc-stomper! So if I get to going with the horse and realize that I'm not going to be able to do the horse justice, I will have them get in contact with the cowboy that we send broncy colts to.
Same here! :) I have gotten away from most of the colt starting but the few I do take for that part the owners know up front that if the horse is a bucker that it's going to have to go elsewhere. |
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Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | Jenbabe - 2013-12-05 11:00 AM SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt. Yes, an unstarted colt is going to need groundwork, and I consider that a "ride". But I tell the owner up front that 30 rides on an unstarted colt will likely be 5-10 days of ground work and 20-25 rides. And when it comes to starting colts, I know that some can be quite broncy, and well I'm not a bronc-stomper! So if I get to going with the horse and realize that I'm not going to be able to do the horse justice, I will have them get in contact with the cowboy that we send broncy colts to.
I think this is the key part. Setting the expectations from the get go. The OP should have never gotten there a month later and been surprised by how little the trainer had accomplished under saddle. |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | Jenbabe - 2013-12-05 11:00 AM
SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM
In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt.
Yes, an unstarted colt is going to need groundwork, and I consider that a "ride". But I tell the owner up front that 30 rides on an unstarted colt will likely be 5-10 days of ground work and 20-25 rides. And when it comes to starting colts, I know that some can be quite broncy, and well I'm not a bronc-stomper! So if I get to going with the horse and realize that I'm not going to be able to do the horse justice, I will have them get in contact with the cowboy that we send broncy colts to.
So far he's not broncy, otherwise I wouldn't even be messing with him. There are enough horses out there that don't buck to mess with one that prefers it. Apparently his issue is going backwards--that's his solution for any type of pressure, according to her. But, my concern is that going backwards will manifest into going over backwards, which I also want no part of. So if taking it slow prevents that issue from developing, I'm fine with it. |
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Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | SoonerLawyer - 2013-12-05 9:39 AM SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt. Thank you, that helps set some parameters, and that seems to be in line with what I'm getting from her thus far.
Biggest thing is just keep the communication open between you & the trainer. If they value their reputation they will make sure things turn out for you & your horse.
I had one horse this fall who due to the weather I gave up on & sent home 2 weeks early. We where getting so much rain that I was lucky to get 1-2 rides on her a week so it just wasn't worth it to me to keep feeding her when I couldn't even be somewhat consistent in rides. I sent her home (even though the customer had paid up front) with the understanding that she gets to come back in the spring for me to finish my rides on at no extra charge. Works out great for the customer as not only does she get the last 2 weeks of riding done but she gets a spring tune up at the same time! |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | SaraJean - 2013-12-05 11:14 AM
SoonerLawyer - 2013-12-05 9:39 AM SaraJean - 2013-12-05 10:36 AM In my barn 30 days means 30 rides/30 days of working the horse. It may not be 30 rides, especially if the horse is unstarted & needs a lot of ground work done. In some cases 30 days may only be 10 or so rides & it may mean 25 rides, it just depends on the individual colt. Because I do not have anywhere out of the weather to ride it can sometimes take me quite a while to get 30 days in, our ground is clay so if it rains it stays slippery for quit a while & I'm not willing to risk working a colt on slick ground & getting either of us hurt. Thank you, that helps set some parameters, and that seems to be in line with what I'm getting from her thus far.
I had one horse this fall who due to the weather I gave up on & sent home 2 weeks early. We where getting so much rain that I was lucky to get 1-2 rides on her a week so it just wasn't worth it to me to keep feeding her when I couldn't even be somewhat consistent in rides. I sent her home (even though the customer had paid up front) with the understanding that she gets to come back in the spring for me to finish my rides on at no extra charge. Works out great for the customer as not only does she get the last 2 weeks of riding done but she gets a spring tune up at the same time!
I just talked to her and she said he's made steady progress this week. So hopefully things will smooth out and he'll come along quickly now. I think he's a nice prospect even if he has turned into more of a project than I first anticipated. |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | I took my colt in earlier this year to be broke out as a 2.5yr old. He had been saddled, but is quirky. Guy was riding him on the 3rd day, then he was ridden 5 days a week for a month, as specified before I brought him there. His daughter rodeos so he would switch days, etc. $500, now $550 I think for 30days (22ish rides). He has an indoor so weather isn't an issue. |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Unless you know someone real well, I think it can be a bit of a gamble when selecting a trainer. All you can go by is word of mouth. You really have no way of knowing for sure that a trainer has done what he says he's done. That bugs the heck out of me, but I just have to rely on reputation and my gut feeling. If you send a colt away for 2-3 months and you can't really feel that much difference when you ride them again, something doesn't click. For the most part, I've been lucky and I haven't had to use trainers all that much, but I have had mixed results. One thing that I think is reassuring is getting an update. I don't think expecting an update once a week is asking too much. It only takes a few minutes. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 855
Location: Ok | JRC - 2013-12-05 9:39 AM 30 days, 6 days on 1 day off and I am covering all the feed. At the end of the month we'll sit down and discuss if the horse needs more time or is ready to be taken home. Every horse progresses differently. Anytime within the 30 days I encourage the owner to come watch and participate.
We do the same. If we lose time because of the weather we are honest and make it up to the client. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| Another thing to consider when taking your horse to the trainer....... The trainer may tell you the horse will be ridden 6 days a week but is that the trainer riding 6 days a week or their interns? I know a Reining/Cutting trainer that will ride a horse 3 days a week and her intern will ride the other 3 days a week. I dont think thats fair because you pay for the trainer's experience. The barrel horse trainer I take my horses to is awesome. I asked her what her interns do for her and she said they get the horses out, warm them up, and then the trainer will jump on the horse for an hour to train. Then her interns will cool down the horse and put them away...... I think thats a legitmate way to use interns. |
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 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | I will admit that my husband was on the higher end of prices when starting a horse. Those who saw the value in the experience and results- offered to pay more for him to continue riding. It honestly is not worth the little money people want to pay. He always attended clinics at least once a year to master his skills. He not only could train- he could win. Others could win on the horses he trained and they didnt have to be a pro to do so. All that being said- here is how in my mind we charged:
Quality hay, feed, bedding and turn out- with our time to inspect every detail of how much they pooped, how much they ate, bright eyes, soreness then add insurance and electric and water- ect....we valued that at $300 a month just for board ($10/day)
Then the riding or groudwork @ $500 or - $25 hour which was an hour per day- for 5 working days- two days off. That was our guideline. So that equaled the $800 he charged. Sometimes that was 20-30 rides, sometimes it was only 10- and often it was harder to start horses that had been handled improperly. Not all human contact is positive and it can take three times as long to gain their confidence to the point that he could succeed with them. Our customers understood that. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 816
| TurnLane - 2013-12-05 3:16 PM I will admit that my husband was on the higher end of prices when starting a horse. Those who saw the value in the experience and results- offered to pay more for him to continue riding. It honestly is not worth the little money people want to pay. He always attended clinics at least once a year to master his skills. He not only could train- he could win. Others could win on the horses he trained and they didnt have to be a pro to do so. All that being said- here is how in my mind we charged:
Quality hay, feed, bedding and turn out- with our time to inspect every detail of how much they pooped, how much they ate, bright eyes, soreness then add insurance and electric and water- ect....we valued that at $300 a month just for board ($10/day)
Then the riding or groudwork @ $500 or - $25 hour which was an hour per day- for 5 working days- two days off. That was our guideline. So that equaled the $800 he charged. Sometimes that was 20-30 rides, sometimes it was only 10- and often it was harder to start horses that had been handled improperly. Not all human contact is positive and it can take three times as long to gain their confidence to the point that he could succeed with them. Our customers understood that.
I think thats one of the biggest factors! But... it's our job as a trainer to keep the owner informed of progress or in some cases the lack of progress. |
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Location: Down South Mississippi | In my barn I chg on a per month basis. In other words in a four week period a horse will get 22-23 rides on them. They are ridden 5 days a wk with 2 days off. With unbroke colts I consider any initial ground work, ground driving, etc. as "rides." Sometimes we get on them the first day, sometimes not. If the weather or personal reasons get in the way I will hold the horses untill they get their fare 22-23 rides. If that takes 6 wks then thats what we do. Its not all that shocking to me that your colt has only 10 rides in 5 wks if it really needed to be started from scratch, perhaps it was way further behind than you were led to believe, and weather has gotten in the way. Your trainer will prbably make it up at the end. I do know of trainers that will chg per month regardless of how much time is spent in the saddle and I think that is very unfair! |
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Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | Thank you all for your insight. I tend to panic and doubt my decisions when my expectations aren't immediately in line with reality. But I think it will turn out fine. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 902
Location: Qld Australia | From your description of him, I would not be worried about the 10 rides especially if the weather has been off. If the ground is a bit wet and we would still ride older broke horses, a lot of the time you are better safe than sorry keeping a young one unridden. One slip is all it takes to turn a great one into something not so great.
We had one gelding last year that was halter broke, rugged handled since birth etc. The owners said he is so quiet he will only need a couple of weeks. WRONG. That horse had the worst personalty. He just could not cope with being broken in. Hubby ended up taking about 8 or 9 weeks on him he was that mentally fragile even though he did not seem like it prior to breaking him in. We only charged for the ridding and said they could pay us in hay rather than pay extra board. (We are still waiting for that hay mind you.)
The extra time was just what he needed and 3 months later he was quiet and relaxed enough for them to put their 9 yo daughter on as his permanent rider. (Not that I agreed with it at the time but not my horse/kid.)
Moral of the story (lol) so far from what you have said the trainer sounds spot on. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | Around here I was lucky to be getting $375/month because i'm a "nobody". I charged per month but constantly kept horses longer at no extra charge if i wasn't hapy with their progress. Most people around here expected dead broke horses at the end of 30-45 days. When they picked up a green horse some were less then impressed. Most colts left doing w/t/l, whoa, back up, trail riding, giving to the bit, and such. just needed more miles and didnt neck rein. I quit training. After having my name bashed around beccause they didnt have a dead broke horse in 20-30 rides i decided until i move its not worth the head ache. I also have a lot of very happy customers. One in partiicular brought me a never touched 15hh 2yr old filly. She went home halter broke with 8 rides on her.
I would DEFINITELY not be happy with 10 rides in 5 weeks if she didnt have to do tons of ground work. |
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![](<a href="http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z470/alicat0909/?action=view¤t=yellaandcalf.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1191.photobu) Heeler Hater
Posts: 3014
Location: Texas | I charge by the week $200-$300 a week depending on what the horse is in for. All horses are guarenteed 6 rides a week. We have an indoor arena so there is never an excusr for not riding one. My clients have all been happy with this system. If they are syort on cash one week I just charge $50 for boarding. They pay for what they can affordand their horses are well taken csre of in the mean time. |
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Regular
Posts: 57
Location: Wishing I was riding | When I took my boy in for a tuneup on his foundation, I paid $300 a montht for the trainer, and $235 for boarding at their facility. He spent 2 months there, but she only charged for a month and a half because she wasn't able to put all 60 rides on him in hat time. I told her exactly what I wanted for him, and she told me about how long it would take, and she was right on the money. She did lots of extra stuff with him. Around here, $400/$500 is about the going rate for a trainer with references. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | It irritates the crap out of me when you are paying for 30 days of riding, and you don't even get close to that. I knew a guy who charged people like 700 and month for "30 days of riding" and he wouldn't touch the horse for like a week at a time! He even rode one of my own for a discounted price. The guy was scared of the horse and hardly rode him. We definitely didn't get our monies worth! TERRIBLE!
When I trained colts, I was on the "30 day" schedule, and would guarantee at least 5 days a week of riding/training. I kept up with the weather and rode when I could. I kept logs of the horses progress and called/emailed the owners to give them updates! I always had happy customers, even though the pay was super low!
Now, I probably wouldn't do it again. I hated the risk of getting bucked off everyday (and I was a couple times!) I would much rather have my own and train them from the ground up. Or take in horses already broke, ride and pattern them and sell. But good luck!! I know how you feel, I really want to get into a horse business. But, it takes money to make money... and that I don't have! lol |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | Serious question : If you send a horse off with the intent of getting back a horse who is soft, confident, responsive and displays no nonsense and that is what you get, does it really matter if it was produced in 30 rides, or 3? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Consider how good the colt started is.......personally I've ridden colts that have had 120 days that were horrible. I have started 7 colts this year from scratch......mine at 10 rides were riding around awesome. It's about quality not quantity. |
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30 days vs. 30 rides