The place that I'm moving to in a few weeks (squeee!!) has a pretty fantastic training program. It's also reasonably priced. It's $500 (including board) for 5 hours a week of training for one month. That's $275 more than board each month. Part of me is contemplating signing Jaina up for a 60 day refresher course. I can also do 4 hours of training and 1 lesson a week (or any mix-match of lessons and training) for the same price.
Things I would want Jaina to learn are:
- Walk, jog, lope, willingly when asked for around the arena (improve her dead-sidedness)
- Improved transitions
- Improved headset and softness and suppleness, lower her neck a bit while riding
- Ability to ride out on the trails alone
The thing that worries me is that its a performance horse training facility, and I don't want Jaina to be a performance horse. I want her to stay a nice calm weekend-mount for me and keep her laid back personality. I don't want her to become hot.
I'm still trying to figure out if its even financially feasible. We'll have to see what March 1 brings! :)
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4 comments:
Sounds completely reasonable.
Although, I tend to just lean towards just doing lessons rather than having someone ride my horse as training. I figure they can teach me whatever they were intending to teach the horse. This of course makes things twice as hard and twice as long. BUT if you have a trainer who say no they want to spend there time riding your horse it's sorta a red flag.
Plus it may take longer, but to me it's mostly about the journey anyway.
New reader BTW... good luck!
I would agree with the prior post. I think your money would be better spent with you in the saddle. I don't ride my stallion Zing, but he has a rider that is like his owner. Any training they get is with her riding. It improves them both and she has the ultimate control over what she is willing to do. Have fun.
As for lessons vs. training, with my guy I've done both. I like having my trainer teach Jr. stuff, and THEN teach me how to ask him to do it. It is very satisfying to train something yourself (even if it's a baby-step) but it does take longer if you're not an experienced trainer. The time thing only bothers me because we do a little showing, and I tend to worry too much about "ruining" him which is silly.
I would set up an appointment with the trainers (are the trainers instructors, too, or do they specialize?) and discuss what your goals are and even what your concerns are (getting hot).
I'm curious why you think she'll get "hot" as a performance horse, though.
Oh, and MN girl, huh? Me too! I lived all over in MN from SE to Metro to NE to SW and played with horses in SW and Metro. You?
Hi SillyPony -
I don't actually live in Minnesota anymore :) I'm in San Diego now, I've been here since 2007. When I lived in MN, I lived in St. Paul and boarded at various facilities in the S Metro.
As far as 'getting hot' from training, I had that happen with a gelding of mine once. I sent him to training and hoped to fix his 'dead sidedness' and they fixed it alright - but WAY too far in the other direction. Any time I would even slightly cue him he would take off. He was a completely different horse when I got him back. I know that was an indication of bad training rather than performance horse training..but still, I'm worried.
I am going to stick with lessons at first and see how it goes. I can always mix in a "pro ride" now and then and have one of the trainers hop on her if needed. Lessons seem to be the way to go (both financially and for our relationship together).
Thanks all!
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