All Hail the Trainers

I hired a new assistant today at the barn. The girl who was here when I started just got a full time management position at a farm in New York and tomorrow will be her last day. She was really good and I’ll miss her, but that’s the horse industry for you – the doors are always revolving.

The owner came down and we watched the new assistant ride. She is young (only nineteen) but surprisingly mature and well spoken for her age. Her background is in “natural horsemanship” which the owner liked. I immediately thought of long white wands and dancing carrot sticks and Pat Parelli chasing a horse with a blue tarp, so I have to admit I didn’t expect much when the girl got on to ride Day, a sweet, very well trained connemara throughbred mare. Again, I was pleasantly surprised.

She didn’t do anything special with Day. She didn’t even ride her with any contact, but stayed on the buckle and very light through her hands for the twenty minutes or so that she rode. As the owner pointed out her back was a little arched (a symptom of being watched, I believe) but her hands were steady, her leg was quiet, and Day happily did what was asked of her at the walk, trot, and canter. The owner was very impressed. I was just happy the girl agreed to ride with a saddle and bridle.

I think there are about as many different opinions on how to train horses as they are stupid horse trainers. Speaking of horse trainers, stupid or otherwise, here are The Top Five Horse Trainers (please note that these are terribly exaggerated, and are for amusement purposes only):

1) The Classical Dressage Trainer: This trainer is most likely from Germany. She speaks with a thick accent and gestures with her hands a lot. Any horse that is not a warmblood is beneath her notice. When you take a lesson with her she often ends up riding your horse more than you do, muttering in her native language and collecting, collecting, collecting.

2) The Hunter Trainer: This trainer is almost always a native of the States. He or she is obsessed with position. “Pick you butt up out of the saddle!” is their favorite quote. They believe riding without stirrups is the key to life. Your horse must remain in a frame at all times and George Morris will come knocking on your door if your horse’s knees aren’t glued together of the fences. Or if you forget to wear your Tailored Sportsman’s.

3) The Jumper Trainer: This trainer got kicked out of the hunter ring for going too fast. “Jump high or go home” is their motto. They don’t know the meaning of the word No. They eat crazy off the track thoroughbred’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If your horse isn’t in a pelham they aren’t jumping high enough.

4) The Horse Whisperer: This trainer is the hippy of horse trainers. They don’t use a saddle. They spit on bridles. They are one with the horse and the horse is one with them. Every time the horse licks its lips they are having a revelation. It may appear to the casual observer that flicking a white wand in the air and shaking a lead rope isn’t communicating anything to the horse, but they are learning.

5) The Event Trainer: This trainer has nerves of steel. After all, they think it is fun to jump horses over immovable objects at break neck speed. When your horse takes off with you at a dead gallop and you are screaming for help, the event trainer isn’t ruffled. They know your horse is just going for a “little run.” Event horses are the ones that didn’t make it in the dressage or jumper ring, because they are “special.”

Stereotypes are abundant in the horse world. After all, what is the first thing you think of when someone says they do natural horsemanship? Or dressage? Or jumping? I know something comes to mind, and it isn’t always the truth.

I don’t belong to any one discipline. I ride dressage, but I am not a dressage rider. I show Darwin in hunter flat classes, but we are not hunters. I jump, but I am not a jumper. I do ground work with both of my horses on a daily basis, but I do not whisper to them. Perhaps my training style will develop overtime. Maybe I just haven’t found my “niche” yet. Or maybe, just maybe, horses don’t need to be trained in only one style. Perhaps they would benefit from taking dressage lessons AND doing a natural horsemanship clinic (the horror!). I guess if someone were to ask me how I train horses, I would sum up my philosophy in a few sentences:

I think your horse should always be respectful of you, and this comes from being consistent, whether you are grooming, doing groundwork, or riding. You are not your horse’s friend, but neither are you their herd leader. Horses aren’t stupid. They know that you are not a horse. Be firm, never cruel. Teach them things they can understand and remember in short, simple sessions. The release of pressure is its own reward. Horses do not understand anger and impatience. And above all… always end on a good note (my mom taught me that).