The world of horse training seems so diverse...there's problem solving, colt starting, and more competitive events than you can shake a stick at! And then we have a gazillion breeds (granted, the handfull of common ones predominate). I have none but vague ideas of what I like or what I'd like to do! How am I ever to figure this out?

I probably sound green saying this since I have never experienced either but cutting and jumping appeal to me. It's doubtful the two are compatable. One is western, one is english, one is short stocky horses, one is tall lean horses. Likely horses like those are produced by two different types of trainers. And then there's travel considerations. Maybe I don't want to train horses for events at all, no, not if it means I see the highway more than I see my family. It's doubtful I could handle a life where I'm ever away from those I care about.

Assuming is usually bad but I'm going to go out on the proverbial limb an assume not all trainers travel, travel, and travel some more. And I will go out even further and assume these trainers make enough to live off of.

So, once one is reasonably certain horse training is for them, how can they narrow things down to find their niche in the training world?

To answer your question in one word: BACK.

The horse industry is hurting real bad and training is not exempted. I know of a lot of - good - trainers who have not seen a horse in a long time.

Making a living? If you charge $ 500 a month (plus feed) and work five horses it is not much of a living - don't forget the IRS. Then you need to figure in that you need a place to work - some acres, a barn, corrals, round pen and so on. That adds up to a lot of money real quick. Well you could work at a stable - but the trainers already there will not be to welcoming.

As far as what kind of training goes - it is hard to train in a field you are not good at yourself. Since you mentioned problem solving - I have done a lot of that. But I have been in the training profession all my life and have a degree in psychology - which helps.

In a different post you ask about books. I might argue against myself since I am writing a lot, but reading is just a start. Experience beats reading any time. I have learned most from other people who are good trainers. Lots of other people.

If this sounds kind of discouraging - then I got the point across.

Good luck!

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I was thinking about going to college to get an animal science degree and everything. You're saying I shouldn't even try? God, why did I come here and open my mouth.

Basically I guess what the world is telling me is "stop getting excited about anything because you'll never amount to anything, you'll always live with your parents, and when they die, you'll be homeless and noone willl care"

I have no further desire to be on a horse forum, goodbye

I was thinking about going to college to get an animal science degree and everything. Great go to school-You can never have to much knowledge.
You're saying I shouldn't even try? This pesimism will not help you, look at your glass half full and if/when you feel that someone has said you can't use that as motivation to prove them wrong. Although I didn't read that into what he was saying at all.

Basically I guess what the world is telling me is "stop getting excited about anything because you'll never amount to anything, you'll always live with your parents, and when they die, you'll be homeless and noone willl care"- I'm sorry if you are surrounded by negative, but you have not received that from anyone here, just reality
I have no further desire to be on a horse forum, goodbye- That would be a shame as many people here could offer you alot.
If you would like some honest although possibly not the pat on the back/go get um your looking for we are happy to help.

Two little girls looking at room full of horse poop, one sees nothing but poop, while the other starts digging for the pony.

Have you thought about going to a University with a Riding program. Now that Riding is an NAAC sport schools have been able to get funds from the Title 9 laws. Women Equestrians can often get scholarship money, from a few hundreds a semester to a Full Ride. They offer levels from advanced to Walk-Trot, Jumping and Western. There are also several breed associations and state horse associations that offer scholarship funds. You will be able to get to know what is involved in different jobs in the horse industry. From Trainers to Vet Tech's and everything inbetween. Retail shops, photographers, Message therapy, drug companies and jobs within the Breed Associations. All that and a College Education. So many schools now have good programs. Good Luck

I have a favorite quote, "Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness." I have been wondering what it is that makes an individual do what they do no matter what it is and I keep coming up with passion. There are no guarantees in life. If you study to be a brain surgeon you could get into an accident and lose your arms the day after you graduate Med school. Having said that, be smart. My parents insisted that if I follow a career in horses that I major in business, at least.

Horse training is a lot of natural talent and a bit of luck. Test the waters and know your market. If you want to make it at the top, you have to start at the bottom. Know why you want to do what you do, for some days that may be all you have. Horse training is a lot like art. You are projecting yourself in your work. You have to be strong and able to take flak from strangers, but also friends and family.

I can tell you personally, the longer you call what you do a job, that is what it becomes. Work. You get somewhat callused and maybe even a bit harsh, but it is to save the weak willed from making a bad turn. Horse training for a living is hard work and it is a life style. You have to be committed and willing to work overtime without pay. As you go, you have to be creative and fluid. Always learning and willing to try something new. You have to be able to identify the problem and present a solution to your clients no matter the discipline.

Go to college, there are plenty that offer equine classes. Get a degree in business or… Get a job working at a facility that offers your choice of work and live your dream. Get as much knowledge from as many people as you can and then when you are ready, you can specialize. You have to be a strong, determined, creative and full of dreams to make it as an entrepreneur. Follow your passion, follow your dream, be smart and keep a college degree in your back pocket as a safety net.

Speaking as someone who began a training business five years ago, GO FOR IT. The fact that you are inquiring means your mind is in the right place. One piece of advice, surround yourself with the best. Do it right the first time. My wife was Certified by Kenny Harlow's Training With Trust in just over a year. She has a BA in Kinesiology and Coaching from James Madison U. After certification, we ATTENDED AND PARTICIPATED in clinics with John Lyons, Josh Lyons, Colleen Kelly, and others. I have John Lyons cell phone number in my phone. Through the programs we are not just students, but friends with these people. As a result of the committment, which requires dedication and finances (which was a massive strain on us), Jamie has become a GREAT trainer. Going into our fifth year, we have an average of four client horses a month and at this point have maintained a 100% satisfaction rate!

Being a trainer is quite possible, but you can't do it with two day clinics and videoes. Would you go to a doctor that got his degree through correspondence? We now offer a certification program and are helping create young trainers. This style of training lends itself to your desires, as it is non-discipline specific. Horse behaviors are the same in every discipline, only the biomechanics of the event differs. A canter departure or a side pass is the same in Haute Ecole Dressage and Jumping as it is in Reining and Cutting.

Find someone to study with. Don't mess with anyone not CERTIFIED by a major trainer. Meet major trainers, attend their lessons personally. LEARN, COMMIT, and WORK, WORK, WORK. It is possible!

I am Certified in JL techniques and Accredited by Josh Lyons, so what I am going to say is without malice.

You can learn from all professionals. You either learn what works or what does not work. It is never a waste of time to learn from someone who is not Certified. I know of many excellent reining trainers that are not Certified that have training methods that fall right in line with what Lyons would do.

You need lots of common sense when dealing with horses and trainers. If it doesn't look right, study it before applying it.

Congrats on your accreditation. Not many folks can say that yet. My comment was not to say, "get certified." I was merely explaining to someone that visibly has an interest but little guidance that if you wish to enter this world, go straight to the best for your education. There are MANY programs that are not as they seem.

You sought out among the best in the biz, as did we. I was merely stating that she should do the same. Never did I say that she should learn from no one else.


Incidentally, you didn't attend Road to the Horse last year, did you? I was the guy that did the live acoustic work for John & Jody's intro ride. Nice to meet a like-minded trainer.

I find your being on both sides of the fence, confusing at best



Ok, I'm obviously cranky because of being snowed/iced in all weekend, but this new "fad" has bothered me for a while. I know this is what the modern/video trainer now teaches, but please bear in mind that it is only an opportunity for them to make money.

If you have access to one of these so called guru's. Have them explain where they give credit to what they know.
If they are as genuine as they claim to be, they should be willing to acknowledge, that they are using extremely old tried and true methods that have been widely accepted for many more years than this generation cares to recognize.
It was not sent to them by word of God, but stolen or lets say brought back to light from much better trainers than themselves. Take a detailed and interesting look at such classical horsemen as Xenophon, William Cavendish and Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere, Alois Podhajsky along with Irishman Dan Sullivan and American John Rarey, born in 1827.

Interesting enough none of these people are accredited with -well anybody.
And yet their work is still something widely and wisely sought after.

And in the fall at KHP we will be hosting the WEG and again strangely enough, none of those qualified riders are devote followers of any of these "credited" trainers.

Guess I just missed the boat.

Well it is too bad that the original poster is not interested in coming back as this is getting pretty interesting.

I chose JL because, as you allude Ltc4H, I was already heading that way. I had already chosen to read and study those that did not resort to harsh training equipment or methods to teach a horse a communication system.

I ended up picking JL as he also is a strong Christian and his ability to show what is going on with the horse to human relationship correlates with the human to God relationship. He also teaches everyone everything he does and everyone who applies his lessons the way he does will get the same results. After learning and applying his methods to numerous horses I have found it to be true that Everything he does works 100% of the time on 100% of the horses.

If you study JL enough, you will hear him say there is nothing new in horse training, but there are new ways of teaching it and putting things together that work. He himself is the one who says there are many methods that work as well as special bits, and rigging. But to remember the ends do not justify the means. He does say to try different techniques, but to test them with the following rules:

You can not get hurt, The horse cannot get hurt, The horse has to be calmer at the end of the lesson then at the beginning, and It needs to work 100% of the time on 100% of the horses. He encourages you to learn from others and if there is something you like, modify it, if needed, to work the way you want.

It is tough out there in the horse training world and just like any other venue, you have to find something that sets you apart and find a niche. I did not start following JL because I was a professional trainer, but because what he was teaching fell right into what I had been studying and it was awesome.

In fact, I take my hat off to all those who are succeeding out there on their own, but I guarantee they want their students and clients to follow them and spread the word to increase their business. Their students want them to get name recognition as well so the students can brag about learning from them as well.

It is business and when it comes down to it, it is the trainers ability to teach students and horses as well as their business abilities that make them who they are. You could train under the top trainers in the world, but if you can not pass that knowledge on, you will not do well. There are those that are great showman and lousy teachers and awesome teachers that are lousy showman.

We are all in the same boat, some using the same oars.

Boy oh boy, this really gets interesting.

Let me quote this "to teach students and horses as well as their business ability". Just for the sake of logic, you are saying you develop the horses business ability? It is just plain multilevel marketing what you are describing.

I can understand that you defend this approach - after all it costed you (according to the website) 18,000 bucks to get "certified". Nice chunk of change.

A sideline - you can enroll with the Center Of Effective Performance in Atlanta and for just $ 5,600 you can take the course in CRI and Module Development by Dr. Robert F. Mager. He is the most acclaimed author in training / human resources. I was one of his associates and implemented this method with the German Air Force, German Postal Service, Siemens, Phillips and so on. You cannot fool guys like these.

But let me quote what really sticks out to me: "it needs to work 100% of the time on 100% of the horses". This is about the most stupid statement I ever heard - and it kind of speaks for itself.

CRI is probably the best approach to training in the world. I have trained thousands of people according to these - sience based - principles. A course I designed for the German Postal Service had a total of 50,000 participants. And I have applied these same principles training hundreds of horses. But I would be just a damn liar, if I would claim it never fails. Not often, but it does.

This is a free country - you can spend your money on whatever you please.

But the fact is, there has been people - see Ltc4h - who knew a lot more about training horses - they were just not as greedy.

GC

A man is known by his words. I was defending your position. Sorry you are so angry.

What I spent on my 'schooling' was my college education (my college education would have been 60,000 in tuition only). I encourage all young aspiring horse trainers to get a 'real' college education. Funny thing is though, artists never listen to reason. That is why I had to pay for my education, my parents said no.

Sorry to so deeply offend you as I said I was on your side. It was interesting and a bit surprising, but then this is why I love training horses, they are the easy part. I am glad you are so successful with what you do and hope some day you will forgive my unintended offense.

BTW - The humans business ability, not the horses.' I suck at business, my husband is a genius so he takes care of that end, lucky me.

This is my second attempt at such a forum. In two posts, I managed to offend someone. The facts are simple. There are great trainers out there, and there always have been. That's clearly established. 'Nuff said.

The particular young lady was obviously confused and not well versed on what horse trainers do. Anyone with the amount of education you have should see that. Never did I say that uncertified people can't train. That would be silly.

I advised her to go to a certified trainer because you have someone standing behind you and serving as a model for everything you do. The certification IS applicable in a lawsuit. It is the name of a recognized master that stands behind you and states that you know what you are doing. When starting a business, name recognition is important. For example, Lazy JD's certification and accreiditation instantly lets me know that John's philosophy is something she believes in. Sight unseen, I would trust her with my horses, if both of those two are willing to endorse her.

If I insulted you as a trainer, I appologize. Never did I intend it. My advice was sound, and I would give the same advice to anyone that wishes to learn in this business. If that bothers you, I'm sorry.

P.S.- You made a comment in another thread about self promotion. It appears that you talk more about yourself than anyone here. I have an MEd, and have done more than I care to discuss. I have no interest in bragging about credentials or experience, my only intent was to help a young girl. Loosen up.