Do you fit your own or send them to a trainer?

[little lady]

Trying to do some planning ahead for next year. I am wanting to lightly show my yearling-Cowboy. How many fit your own-pros/cons and how many send to a trainer-pros/cons. Thanks!

 

[dannigirl]

We do all our own work. The only actual part of getting them ready that we do not do is trim their hooves. We have someone better capable than us do that part. We have had a trainer in the past, but found that we could do the job nearly as well if not better cause we know what we want our horses to look like. Also, the joy of knowing you won with a horse that you did all yourself from first choosing that horse to standing in the winner's spot is truly priceless.

Good luck and have a great time.

 

[justjinx]

We do our own conditioning also. good way to bond with your horse and learn its quirks. jennifer

 

[Sandee]

Trying to do some planning ahead for next year. I am wanting to lightly show my yearling-Cowboy. How many fit your own-pros/cons and how many send to a trainer-pros/cons. Thanks!

It really depends on how much time you have and how much you know about feed, exercise, etc. to get them "in shape" AND how badly you want to place in the ribbons. Obviously someone who has shown and had horses for a while is better equipped to prepare a horse for showing. If you're a person who has very little time to work with your horse and still wants to place at the shows then the trainer is the way to go.

I have always done my own, until last year. I had one with a trainer. The one with the trainer was more physically fit than the ones that I prepared because it's what the man does for a living while I have to balance my time between family, housework, and how I feel at my age. My horses are never really READY to show in the spring but look much better by fall. This guy with the trainer went out and took the driving Championship at his first show in MAY!

You have to decide what you want and what you are capable of doing.

 

[HGFarm]

I do my own, always have. I must say, and this is just my personal opinion, I have not always liked the way I have seen horses treated or worked at various trainers farms. I also like the satisfaction of doing it myself.

 

[Mominis]

I went to your site and looked at Cowboy, he's really nice! I think, unless you really know your stuff, you should send him out. He could really do something in the ring and you could use every advantage you could get, especially for your future herd sire, JMHO. But, check around and make sure you are getting the absolute best trainer you can possibly get. Not just one who wins, but one who is a good horseman.

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

We do our own training and conditioning, the only thing we do not do is the farrier work. I do the grooming, prep work and Scott works the horses both miniatures and our ponies and drives the truck and trailer. We do everything together and it does work better that way instead of us trying to both show the horses, now I am the one getting greasy and I rather be the groom anyway.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I do all of my conditioning and farrier work myself. I find it way more rewarding than using a trainer but it is a lot more work. As others have said you need to have the time to do it yourself. My only time I would justify using a trainer is sending a horse for driving training so that it is done right but I would still want to show the horse myself.

 

[~Lisa~]

It depends on what your goals for the show ring are and how much time and money you want to put into reaching them.

yearlings can be very hard to fit and some people work from home and are able to work horses during the day ect.

There are advantages to doing it yourself as well as advantages to having a trainer show for you.

Please do not feel less of a horseman if you opt to go the route of a trainer. I have shown and conditioned myself and the horses did ok pulling top tens and I have had someone else show my horses and they did much better. Personally I do not enjoy being in the ring that much anymore and if I did not have my kid as my handler or had a stallion I wanted heavily promoted.. you can bet a trainer would be the way to go for me

 

[targetsmom]

First of all, Cowboy is gorgeous, and he will still be gorgeous whether he gets into the show ring or not.

We have never sent our horses to a trainer, but have thought about it a lot. When we bought one of our first minis as a weanling from a well-known trainer, we could have left her with him and maybe had a World Champion like so many of her siblings. But we wanted her in our backyard where we could let her be a horse and train her for other things too. We have shown her at Pinto shows where we have been pretty successful, and have the satisfaction of having done it all ourselves. So we never regretted our decision.

So, a lot depends on what your overall goal is: If what you want is a World or National Champion, I would guess that it would be much cheaper and easier to just buy one.

Do you want the satisfaction of doing the work yourself?

Do you want to let your horse be out of your sight and influence?

Do you think that having a great show record will boost the price of Cowboy's foals? His stud fee??? Or other wise make you money down the road?

Do you just want "bragging rights?" And I not suggesting there is anything wrong with that - just trying to help you decide what to do.

Do you want to get into the show ring and learn so that you will gain experience for showing Cowboy's foals? There IS a learning curve, so you might want to think about this as a long term investment.

We have a similar dilemma now with our yearling stallion, Max. While co-owned this year he was shown quite successfully until he colicked and had surgery in July. He is now ours again, and (we hope) recovering from the surgery. He already showed such potential - and let me tell you it is QUITE a thrill for a Level 1 Amateur to win Champion or Supreme over World Champion horses shown by much more experienced handlers - but we have no idea if he can handle the stress of training and showing again. It will be enough for us if he is healthy and can become our future herd sire.

Good luck with him, whatever you decide.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

How many fit your own-pros/cons and how many send to a trainer-pros/cons. Thanks!

I fit my own and take lessons with a trainer to improve my skills and those of my horses.

Pros:

-You get to bond with your horse, which for me is what it's all about.

-Any ribbon you earn is your OWN, no one else's.

-You can be sure of the care the horse is receiving and the way they are being handled

Cons:

-It is a lot of work and time

-You may not have the facilities the trainer would, like a roundpen or treadmill or covered arena

-Amateurs rarely have the experience fitting a horse that a professional does and therefore may not prepare the horse as well.

Sending them to a trainer can be a good option for many people and I have little doubt a trainer would do a better job fitting the horse to win than I can, but I've seen too many unhappy horses in training and am unwilling to take the chance. Trainers are getting paid to produce a winner whereas my goal is to produce a happy horse who can win and that means I'm going to take things at the horse's pace even if it costs me ribbons. The trainer doesn't really have the option to do that, nor to take time to see each horse as an individual. A GOOD trainer will, but how do you know for sure you have a good one?

No, I'd rather do it myself. My enjoyment is in producing the finished product, not being handed it at the gate. I'm not breeding or selling so have no need to worry about building my horses' reputations.

Leia

 

[little lady]

Thank you everyone for your responses!

I would love the satisfaction of saying he was home trained however; being new to miniatures I am not quite sure how to approach his training. Also there are the time constraints with working a full time+ job. I have experience with sending a full size horse to a trainer and it was a bad experience. I have fit full sized horses but from attending a few miniature shows I can tell that the showing aspect is different than that of the full size horses I have shown. I personally feel(or would at least like to think)that if Cowboy can be shown it would boost the price of his foals and stud fee however there is a VERY fine line with the cost that goes into one with the cost/value of his foals/stud fee. I would like to possibly "learn" how to show him but not sure if it is something I really want to do. I got out of the big horses due to the politics and the fact that I was no longer enjoying the aspect of showing. I just feel like he is such a nice colt to not be shown and that is what is giving me fits! So I guess I got more thinkin' to do.

 

[HGFarm]

I work full time and still have time to condition horses for show season. Of course I would not want to do a barn full- that would be impossible, but for a couple at a time it is no problem. Yes, many pros and cons to think about, LOL

Maybe the idea of doing it yourself with assistance and 'lessons' from a trainer would work for you like someone here suggested??

 

[Erica]

I do it all myself, but that might not be the right route for everyone to go. It depends on the time you have to put into it, and if you feel comfortable with it as well. Many times, as I know I did...when people start out they don't get over the top results, as it takes a little time and trial and error to get a feeding/conditioning/training program going. So if you are willing to ask advice from people you look up to and take that advice I think you or anyone are more than capable of doing it yourself.

I like all aspects of having the horses at home with me.....from seeing their progressions - both in body condition and mentally....especially when it's foals your bred, helped into the world and then you get to sit and watch them mature. Love hearing them nicker when it's feeding time, begging for treats, watching them play with friends on their days off.

Of course there are days when it's "no fun".....when it's 110+ degrees and you have 10 show horses that have to be bathed and clipped, but in the long run it's worth it.

 

[ruffian]

To get to the World or National champion leagues, unless you are an exceptional amateur such as Erica, who has a true gift for getting horses ready, you need to go with a good trainer. There are some losers out there - one beat a horse badly at a show one time which resulted in both registries implementing cruelty rules. But most of the trainers are horse lovers and while they get their point across, aren't really cruel to their source of income.

I showed my Thumper at the local level and then chose to send him to a top trainer to take him as far as he could go. Turned out he could go to World Grand Champion. I could not have gotten him there. So I had the fun of showing him locally and the thrill of watching him win in the hands of a professional.

 

[kaykay]

I dont think you have to have a trainer to do well, but some learn quicker than others. The first year for sure will be a huge learning curve but you will learn so much! And you will have a lot of fun and make new friends.

There are a lot of helpful people in Illinois. That is where I started years ago and got a ton of help learning the ropes.

If you do decide to go with a trainer, just be sure you are both on the same page as far as training methods, daily care etc.

I really feel the best thing is to go to some shows and watch trainers and see how they handle things at shows. You can really learn a lot about a trainer just seeing how they do things at a show.

 

[AshleyNicole]

Ok I think I am in the same place you are; I am new to showing and no good at all lol. I have a nice horse that I bought from a trainer and I think will put back with her for a few months just because I am not confident enough to show him and for him to do well. I have other horses that I think aren't as good as he is but great for me to learn with. I hope to one day be confident enough to show a horse like Bare but that day isn't (for me anyway) right now when I am just starting out.

 

[HGFarm]

For the folks that are not that comfortable with showing, the only way you will get comfortable is to jump in and get your feet wet- and there is nothing like it! Having someone else do the work may help, but will never get you the experience you need.

Talk to someone about lessons, go to clinics, read and watch what training DVD's are out there. Talk to others at shows that you see doing well and DONT be afraid to ask questions! Everyone had to start somewhere! And there is nothing wrong with that!

 

[minih]

We do our own training and showing, and it is a family affair here. I would rather be the groomer but this past year was roped (finegled sp?) into showing some. And I think I am being expertly conned into it again.......

It just depends on what you want to get out of the whole experience. We take satisfaction from the fact when we win, it is our achievement. If you do not enjoy all the work it will take to outfit, or do not have the time, a trainer would be the way to go. You just need to decide what would work best in your schedule and what you want to get out of the whole experience.

 

[little lady]

Thank you everyone for your responses!!

I know what I want just got to figure out the best way to go about it.