Wynn - 2016-02-06 1:30 PM I guess what I'm asking advise on is what kind of time frame do I inform the trainer and how do I say it? I'm a very non confrontational person and thought that I was being the "best customer" by always prepaying.

chicks2 - 2016-02-07 10:29 AM

It is nice to have an honest AND talented trainer. I had my colt in for a 30 day tune up. After a little over 2 weeks, he called and said 'Come get him, I can't even make him make a mistake'.

Now, I of course can help him make mistakes....HA!

mollibtexan - 2016-02-07 3:44 PM As a trainer I have a different point of view. What it comes down to is do you trust this person anymore? When you are dealing with babies sometimes it's good then bad then great. Bits a process. When we say haul we mean every other week. These babies can't be ran every weekend and hold together. If you no longer trust the trainers opinion or plan at the end of the month when you next bill is due go pick the horse up and say you just feel as though it's time for a change.

lonely va barrelxr - 2016-02-06 3:26 PM

 I have had a few bad trainer issues over the years.  My first one was long ago when I had a colt in with a cutting trainer.  He had the horse for 14 months.  I told the trainer that he needed to be hauled or sent home.  He said he would haul the horse.  One time the trainer was supposed to have hauled my horse I visited, with trailer, while he was gone.  Horse was in his stall.  Horse got loaded onto trailer and brought home.  Trainer owed me for another month and I never saw dollar one back.  

Second bad time was with a barrel trainer.  I sent multiple horses over many years.  Two were well trained and cared for.  The rest were not well trained.  I tried many times to explain that I didn't expect 1D from all the horses, but that if I wanted to pay for their training and make solid 3Ders that that was my choice.  The trainer obviously disagreed.  The last one he had was a Bully son.  He spent 9 months with the trainer and still couldn't trot a line to the 1st barrel.  I brought the colt home and then had a very long conversation firing the trainer.  IMO he owed me for all the untrained horses. 

Three years after the Bully colt, that the same trainer promised to make it all up to me training my DFP colt.  He swore, promised and pretty much begged for the chance.  Two months into training I visited.  The horse was in neglected condition.  I had handed cash to the trainer for his feet and they'd never been done and were dangerously long.  If his fronts looked like his rears it probably would have ended any performance career.  And the horse had dropped close to 200 pounds.  Needless to say the horse came home that day.  The fallout from that experience is extreme.  I have considered wrapping up my barrel racing and breeding program and going on and finding something that I can enjoy spending my money on.  I don't get how 'trainers' can do this kind of thing over and over again and the person who stands up and lets the world know that it has happened is the 'bad person.'  But that's how it is.  

Your good choices are:

Write off the $$'s and just go get your horse, or

Have a very serious talk with the trainer.

You could always do #2 first and then follow through with #1 if you don't get a response that makes you feel something will really change.  

SC Wrangler - 2016-02-07 4:56 PM


There is a lot to this opinion.  Even a very mature juvenile horse could be easily pushed too hard at this stage of the game.  Not like the BFA is next month.  There is a decent amount of time to bring the horse to peak before then without pushing so hard that they fall apart mentally and physically.   

pet dakitty - 2016-02-14 5:32 PM And the rest of the story...... horse was picked up.. Looked like crap (not skinny, but sure didn't look good) has bites, scratches hair missing on her body.. Looks like she had been turned out with some ill horses... Came to my house (long time friend of the owner) I saddled her up.. lunged her first not knowing her.. piddled around some and went to the barrel pattern... Had someone video it to send to owner.. after 11 months, entered and ran in the juvenile.. Owner was expecting the mare to work the pattern.. I loped to the first and the mare made zero attempt to turn it. Had zero brakes, not much of a handle... Owner (wynn) has been very ill after back surgery so unable to check on her horse this last year. Owner is just sick over wasting all that money. I do not claim to be anyone of importance but sure enough know what a barrel horse should do.. this mare was just drug around a barrel.. I told owner not to worry.. at least she's not blown up!! Just thankful I've got time and room to play with her.. If Wynn had left her there longer and got well and able to ride I'm sure (as is she) that she could have gotten hurt. Another story... a friend of mine was gifted a horse from her mothers old bloodlines.. gelding was sent off last summer for 4 months of "training" my friend had a heck of a time saddling this colt.. and then went put in the round pen to lunge he BUCKED harder than I've seen saddle broncs at the NFR!! I told her she had no business riding him alone at the barn.. had no stop what so ever.. no neck rein (even slowly) If he had bolted or spooked I don't think there would have been any way to not get hurt on him.... so back in Oct he went back to her mother and then to another trainer.. last night as we talked the light bulb came on!! This colt went to the same "trainer" as the barrel horse I picked up! the "new" trainer said the colt didn't ride like he had more than a couple of weeks.. at best. Im not bad mouthing... just stating the facts! I sure wouldn't recommend her!