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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
| I want to get back into training horses professionally. When I was younger I trained full time right out of high school for about a year. I quit to get an education. With the economy taking a plunge I figured I needed something to fall back on if horses didn't work. Now I have a job in my education field but am completely miserable. Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, good benefits and lots of paid time off. BUT I sit at a desk all day and have an hour commute one way. I want to start training part time and eventually grow to full time while training and selling my own. Anyone have any tips, tricks, or experiences they can share?
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Expert
Posts: 1488
 
| 3KissHit - 2013-12-06 4:53 PM
I want to get back into training horses professionally. When I was younger I trained full time right out of high school for about a year. I quit to get an education. With the economy taking a plunge I figured I needed something to fall back on if horses didn't work. Now I have a job in my education field but am completely miserable. Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, good benefits and lots of paid time off. BUT I sit at a desk all day and have an hour commute one way. I want to start training part time and eventually grow to full time while training and selling my own. Anyone have any tips, tricks, or experiences they can share?
win
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Honestly I wouldn't quit your day job, as training for other people can be very frustrating, there is liability issues, and some people are never satisfied.
Speaking with the trainer who starts all my horses, he says there are people who call him daily for updates, people who stop in without calling ahead and wanting to see their horse rode. He does have a open door policy.
For barrel horses there are not many who have made a life time career out of it in comparison to how many barrel race.
When training your own, then you have to factor in farrier, feed, and vet costs into your bills. If you buy the horse as a 2 yr old futurity it when it is 4 years old you would have to get over 20,000 to break even not even considering your wage, and how much it costs to buy that horse.
You would also have to win as someone else said, as the trainer name is important to some people and that is how some people can get 300000 for their horses.
If you really want to start get the best bred horse you can.
If you want to train other peoples horses, start winning and keep your prices low until you get your name established | |
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 Always Off Topic
Posts: 6382
Location: ND | DD2012 - 2013-12-06 4:57 PM 3KissHit - 2013-12-06 4:53 PM I want to get back into training horses professionally. When I was younger I trained full time right out of high school for about a year. I quit to get an education. With the economy taking a plunge I figured I needed something to fall back on if horses didn't work. Now I have a job in my education field but am completely miserable. Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, good benefits and lots of paid time off. BUT I sit at a desk all day and have an hour commute one way. I want to start training part time and eventually grow to full time while training and selling my own. Anyone have any tips, tricks, or experiences they can share? win
oil would be better | |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
 
| Before I had kids(5 years ago) I bought barely broke horses to resell after a year or so of training and made some really good money doing what I loved. Now my kids are starting school and I'd love to do that again but nowdays I just don't see enough money in horses to risk getting any kind of vet bill....the profit margin is just not there and if you get one vet bill it might cost you more than the horse is worth. If you train for other people the business might be better but there only seems to be a small fraction of the people sending their horses to trainers compared to 5 years ago. The horse economy is just really poor around here it seems. | |
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 The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | As others have stated, there are many things to consider. The most important in my opinion is a strong business plan, i.e. developing a business plan determining what your operation costs will be, how much you must charge to cover your fixed costs of operation plus a profit. You must figure in not only your costs for operating you training business, but costs to pay for your insurance (business liability, etc. and medical / disability insurance for yourself, plus being able to put aside money into savings for your retirement and emergincies. You really should sit down with a CPA and work out a business plan before you "step off". It would save you from stress down the road.... and it would also be a comfort to your clients if you establish yourself as a "professional" not only as a horsewoman, but in also your business manner of how you handle your day-to-day operations. I can tell you that I would much rather do business with a trainer who has their act together financially than not.... one who keeps a clean, tidy barn, pastures, and keeps their own bills paid -- that assures me they are not skimping on horse care by cutting corners. When you see fences falling down, sloppy stalls, low-quality feed, no hay..... worn-out truck, etc., it really makes you wonder about their ability and commitment. And as someone else said, you may want to keep your day job for awhile until you are established. | |
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| 3KissHit - 2013-12-06 4:53 PM
I want to get back into training horses professionally. When I was younger I trained full time right out of high school for about a year. I quit to get an education. With the economy taking a plunge I figured I needed something to fall back on if horses didn't work. Now I have a job in my education field but am completely miserable. Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, good benefits and lots of paid time off. BUT I sit at a desk all day and have an hour commute one way. I want to start training part time and eventually grow to full time while training and selling my own. Anyone have any tips, tricks, or experiences they can share?
Sounds like the perfect job to start out training part time until your training net pay is equal or greater than the salary from your job.
The long hours and exhaustion will tell you how bad you want to be a trainer.
Where are you located and what kind of training do you want to do?? Putting a pattern or tuning up seasoned horses is over loaded with "trainers" wanting to do the easy stuff ... in my area we are totally lacking in colt starters that are honest and will not starve or seriously mistreat your horses!!!
Whatever your salary is now ... double it ... that is how much you would need to gross per month to come close to bringing home the same money or 2.5X it since all of your taxes will double since you are self employed. I also hope you have an indoor arena and good free help so weather and upkeeping a place would NOT interfere with the amount of time you could be training on a horse.
Being self employed and totally supporting yourself is a lot lonelier than people with jobs thinks it is ... you are constantly dealing with horse or owner problems...... You have to tend to today's business and constantly be filling your book for future business with clients that will pay on time and not be a time consuming ordeal that gets you put behind bars... lol...
You are now a grownup and not the kid still living at home training on a few horses for spending money ... you will be expected by everyone to run a business in a sound manner and be humble to the most outrageous people you have ever met ...
If your only job complaint is being miserable of sitting on your can all day... then you better keep the job .... the complaint section when self employed will multiply as more demands are placed on you by each of your clients and horses to produce them a winner in 10 days or less ... lol ...
Get yourself setup as a part time trainer with affordable training facilities and be honest with your net training income and how much play time you have working the two jobs .. and then make a decision ...
I will even give you a gal to copycat that has so many irons in the fire you wonder why she is not a physical and mental wreck but has that calm assured likeable positive demeanor that has made her successful along with long hours on the road and taking care horses, sponsorships and daily business..... FALLON TAYLOR!!
GOOD LUCK AND THE BEST TO YA!!
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Pig-Bear Dog Lover
| Just be honest I think that's the main thing. That and try your best to produce great results so you'll have repeat customers. Start out with low rates and when you get a lot of brags and over joyed customers raise your prices gradually. | |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| If the economy gets bad the first thing that people are going to cut out are extra expenses on horses. That would include a trainer. | |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | BARRELHORSE USA - 2013-12-06 7:51 PM
3KissHit - 2013-12-06 4:53 PM
I want to get back into training horses professionally. When I was younger I trained full time right out of high school for about a year. I quit to get an education. With the economy taking a plunge I figured I needed something to fall back on if horses didn't work. Now I have a job in my education field but am completely miserable. Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, good benefits and lots of paid time off. BUT I sit at a desk all day and have an hour commute one way. I want to start training part time and eventually grow to full time while training and selling my own. Anyone have any tips, tricks, or experiences they can share?
Sounds like the perfect job to start out training part time until your training net pay is equal or greater than the salary from your job.
The long hours and exhaustion will tell you how bad you want to be a trainer.
Where are you located and what kind of training do you want to do?? Putting a pattern or tuning up seasoned horses is over loaded with "trainers" wanting to do the easy stuff ... in my area we are totally lacking in colt starters that are honest and will not starve or seriously mistreat your horses!!!
Whatever your salary is now ... double it ... that is how much you would need to gross per month to come close to bringing home the same money or 2.5X it since all of your taxes will double since you are self employed. I also hope you have an indoor arena and good free help so weather and upkeeping a place would NOT interfere with the amount of time you could be training on a horse.
Being self employed and totally supporting yourself is a lot lonelier than people with jobs thinks it is ... you are constantly dealing with horse or owner problems...... You have to tend to today's business and constantly be filling your book for future business with clients that will pay on time and not be a time consuming ordeal that gets you put behind bars... lol...
You are now a grownup and not the kid still living at home training on a few horses for spending money ... you will be expected by everyone to run a business in a sound manner and be humble to the most outrageous people you have ever met ...
If your only job complaint is being miserable of sitting on your can all day... then you better keep the job .... the complaint section when self employed will multiply as more demands are placed on you by each of your clients and horses to produce them a winner in 10 days or less ... lol ...
Get yourself setup as a part time trainer with affordable training facilities and be honest with your net training income and how much play time you have working the two jobs .. and then make a decision ...
I will even give you a gal to copycat that has so many irons in the fire you wonder why she is not a physical and mental wreck but has that calm assured likeable positive demeanor that has made her successful along with long hours on the road and taking care horses, sponsorships and daily business..... FALLON TAYLOR!!
GOOD LUCK AND THE BEST TO YA!!
THIS!!
My husband and I own/operate/kill ourselves over two businesses (logging and livestock).
You will work 27 hours per day, 9 days per week, 13 months out of the year.
And don't forget to hire a spectacular accountant and an insurance agent to do your taxes, payroll, and make sure your schmidt is in line.
And a secretary, and a maid, and a private chef. Oh whoops, those are me.
Self employment is rewarding, sure, but gosh darn it is hard. You never get to "leave work at the office", no vacation days, no holiday bonuses, and you can't even dream of calling in sick.
I love what I do, I'm too bossy and stubborn to work for anyone else, but it's not for everyone - especially if you have, and enjoy automatic payday deposits :) | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 902
Location: Qld Australia | With the economy as it is - DO NOT give up that job. As someone else said, first to go are the luxuries and this means the horse/trainer.
My hubby and I have trained horses for clients for a long time and I can tell you, if I knew then what I know now, I would have stuck with riding our own super bred horses and sold them for a lot of money instead of riding someone else's trash and be expected to turn it into a world beater in 4 weeks.
The horses, even the trash ones are the best part of being a trainer. We have had people owe thousands, others turn up any old time and expect their horse to be ridden even if they have already been ridden that day. Plenty pull the pin mere weeks out from futurities due to finances and you cannot blame them. The list goes on and on.
Clinics on the other hand may be a way to go. In saying that though, you better be winning on something to attract clients. We absolutely love helping people and get so much enjoyment out of clients winning but being a horse trainer in no picnic no matter what anyone says. | |
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| DD2012 is correct. Get a good horse and start competing in whatever. It's interesting that people seem to assume that the winners train their own horses. I've got a friend who has trained for years and turns out really nice barrel horses. But she is usually riding the colts and lets her husband, daughter and now grand daughter ride the finished horses. It's amazing to me that people cannot see that she is riding the colts and is the one keeping her husband and daughter mounted on very nice horses. People are always asking her husband or daughter about training. Another trainer I know had a nice more she wanted futurityed, but as she was getting older, she got a girl to jockey the horse for her. It is unbelievable that everyone thinks the gal that jockeyed was the one who trained the mare. There are so many people taking credit for training when they didn't. You have to be ready to really sell yourself to overcome that.
Don't quit that good job just yet. Good luck. | |
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 Arriving at the last minute!
Posts: 5148
Location: Kansas | I trained pretty much my whole life. You can't be picky when starting out. I would take anything in and do a lot of horses for not a lot of money at first. Now as I have gotten older I get to be more picky and I don't ride near as many. I usually have a few of my own I start and finish to go futurity and then I sell them and that is my gravy money to hold me over. I also supplement my income by selling a few products. Another way I make a little extra money is selling a horse hear or there on commission. I was a single parent at one time making ends meet with no help from an X spouse so it can be done! You just have to watch your money and most of all DO THE WORK! If you have happy customers and keep them in the know of how the horse is doing on a weekly basis and video the horses, you will soon have a great reputation!! Always have people sign a contract stating you are taking care of the horse and if something happens your not responsible and will get it the care it needs...something to that effect. Just cover yourself on fees also in the contract. Good Luck! | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1430
Location: Montana | It sounds to me like you are on the right track. You know better than to quit your day job and you are asking for advice.
We raise horses and don't break our own colts and I could write a book about bad trainer stories. All of my friends who are breeders and not trainers could write their own volumes of that book. It's a profession that frankly appeals to people too sloppy and lazy to hold down jobs working for someone else. If you aren't one of those people, you have the potential to do well. Get rich? Probably not.
I've had jobs I've loved and had jobs I've hated and having a job you hate is really awful. Life truly is too short not to try to get yourself out of that job and into something you'll love. You just have to be smart about it.
Someone else asked this too - what's the niche you are aiming for? Starting colts? Finishing barrel horses? If it's the later, yes, you do indeed need to win. But when I'm looking for someone to start a colt, I actually don't like to see someone who is really focused on competing because I know they aren't home all the time and they aren't prioritizing my colts. I've even learned, the hard way, not to take my straight racebred colts to reining or cutting trainers - same problem. They don't get the most attention. I'm not saying you have to pick your niche today - but you have to be thinking about it and have it established before you make the transition to full time.
If I was to pick one word to describe the reason most trainers I see (and my fellow breeders too) see as the cause of dissatisfaction with trainers it would be "unbusinesslike." Anyone in business HAS to think about their customer's perspective. I can't keep writing you checks for you to not add value to my colts. That's tough in today's market. But it's my bottom line. If you think only about what you are making per hour and don't consider the value you are or are not adding to my horse . . . it's not a sustainable relationship.
On the other hand, if you are businesslike and work hard and are honest, you will find breeders out there who will do a lot to help you get started. Look for, cultivate and maintain those relationships. Ask them how it is working on their end and adjust. As an example, I have one breeder friend who would make a wonderful client for a colt starter. He raises a lot of very nice colts and is good to get along with. What he wants from a trainer is a log of activity. A sentence or two about each day would do the trick. Can he find that? Nope.
And as others have mentioned, get yourself a good accountant and a good insurance agent. You'll need both. One of the leading indicators of business failure is a lack of professional advice. And if you don't know QuickBooks and Excel, go learn them because you'll have to be your own bookkeeper. | |
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 Wishing on a star
Posts: 7935
Location: Where if you don't like the weather...wait 5 mins! | I have just put myself out there to do what I used to do and have found that some things never change. Have your big girl panties on. Because as I said....some things NEVER change. | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
| Thanks for the advice everyone. I absolutely appreciate it. I DO NOT plan on quitting my job. I want to get into it part time. I know that it is 120% hard work. Previously working for the large ranch I found that out right away. But I also know training was the most rewarding job I ever held. I kick myself often for leaving.
I specialize in Colt starting and foundation training. I am of course a barrel racer, and am a decent jockey, but haven't ran at the top in a few years. I've started, patterned, competed on and sold a few of my own but they weren't athletic enough to be anymore then a 3D horse, I of course kept anything that ran faster. I know to get ahead you sometimes need to sell your best. But I hope that competing on the better ones would get my name out there.
Currently my fiancee and I are in his "starter home" that's in town. No land. My horses are on my parents property and have been for years. We are attempting to finish the basement, put the house on the market and look for a new place that HOPEFULLY has accommodations for horses.
I am HOPING that instead of getting a part time job as a cleaner, or bartender (and being even more miserable) I could start training again for extra money to jump start or house hunting adventure.
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | 3KissHit - 2013-12-07 9:20 PM Thanks for the advice everyone. I absolutely appreciate it. I DO NOT plan on quitting my job. I want to get into it part time. I know that it is 120% hard work. Previously working for the large ranch I found that out right away. But I also know training was the most rewarding job I ever held. I kick myself often for leaving. I specialize in Colt starting and foundation training. I am of course a barrel racer, and am a decent jockey, but haven't ran at the top in a few years. I've started, patterned, competed on and sold a few of my own but they weren't athletic enough to be anymore then a 3D horse, I of course kept anything that ran faster. I know to get ahead you sometimes need to sell your best. But I hope that competing on the better ones would get my name out there. Currently my fiancee and I are in his "starter home" that's in town. No land. My horses are on my parents property and have been for years. We are attempting to finish the basement, put the house on the market and look for a new place that HOPEFULLY has accommodations for horses. I am HOPING that instead of getting a part time job as a cleaner, or bartender (and being even more miserable) I could start training again for extra money to jump start or house hunting adventure.
first you have to train and compete and promote your skills.. start small .. its takes a few years to get a good clientele and get your name out there. | |
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| ausranch - 2013-12-07 9:11 AM It sounds to me like you are on the right track. You know better than to quit your day job and you are asking for advice. We raise horses and don't break our own colts and I could write a book about bad trainer stories. All of my friends who are breeders and not trainers could write their own volumes of that book. It's a profession that frankly appeals to people too sloppy and lazy to hold down jobs working for someone else. If you aren't one of those people, you have the potential to do well. Get rich? Probably not. I've had jobs I've loved and had jobs I've hated and having a job you hate is really awful. Life truly is too short not to try to get yourself out of that job and into something you'll love. You just have to be smart about it. Someone else asked this too - what's the niche you are aiming for? Starting colts? Finishing barrel horses? If it's the later, yes, you do indeed need to win. But when I'm looking for someone to start a colt, I actually don't like to see someone who is really focused on competing because I know they aren't home all the time and they aren't prioritizing my colts. I've even learned, the hard way, not to take my straight racebred colts to reining or cutting trainers - same problem. They don't get the most attention. I'm not saying you have to pick your niche today - but you have to be thinking about it and have it established before you make the transition to full time. If I was to pick one word to describe the reason most trainers I see (and my fellow breeders too) see as the cause of dissatisfaction with trainers it would be "unbusinesslike." Anyone in business HAS to think about their customer's perspective. I can't keep writing you checks for you to not add value to my colts. That's tough in today's market. But it's my bottom line. If you think only about what you are making per hour and don't consider the value you are or are not adding to my horse . . . it's not a sustainable relationship. On the other hand, if you are businesslike and work hard and are honest, you will find breeders out there who will do a lot to help you get started. Look for, cultivate and maintain those relationships. Ask them how it is working on their end and adjust. As an example, I have one breeder friend who would make a wonderful client for a colt starter. He raises a lot of very nice colts and is good to get along with. What he wants from a trainer is a log of activity. A sentence or two about each day would do the trick. Can he find that? Nope. And as others have mentioned, get yourself a good accountant and a good insurance agent. You'll need both. One of the leading indicators of business failure is a lack of professional advice. And if you don't know QuickBooks and Excel, go learn them because you'll have to be your own bookkeeper.
VERY WELL SAID AND SO TRUE ON STARTING COLTS ... | |
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Starting a horse business. Suggestions, tips, and stories?