Training event horses? ?

Question

Hey, i'm only 17 but would likes some advice from anyone who earns a living on training event horses, or has anything to do with eventing.

I'd appreciate any kind of advice, i'm going to college to study horse management, and after uni, i'd like to work my way up to be training event horses.

Where do i start? I'm excited about putting in hard work to acheive something, but will it be a great outcome when i reach a good level/reputation for my training of event horses?

Answer 1

It's hard to say, not knowing you or how much you can do!

I'd start by actually doing some eventing (if you already are, good for you!) and watching and listening as much as you can to how others are doing, what their problems are, and how they solve them.

Learn each of the three disciplines separately.  Each one requires a different mind set, and in my experience you'll get a better understanding of each if you go to a specialist in each.  Then, go to a good coach for eventing - he/she'll will put them all together for you.

If you have a horse, training him to whatever level he is able to reach is a great first step - my western pleasure horse became my favorite eventer.  Bold over fences, and loves the freedom to actually move.

If you can't afford the time or money for all these lessons, or in addition to them, attend as many seminars as you can.  Many will let you audit the course without your horse for next to nothing; it's better to take your horse than to audit but you can learn a lot this way.

Do everything you possibly can to improve your riding.  Learn as much as you can about horse psychology.  Whenever possible, get a job that involvees handling horses.

All that's fairly obvious, I think.  Here's my BEST piece of advice:

Learn to handle people.  As a trainer, your biggest challenge will probably be the customers.  This is a service oriented job, and you must satisfy the human owners, not the horses.  A less talented horse trainer with good people skills will do better than a really talented but un-people skilled trainer.

Of course, if you can also get a name for yourself as an Olympic eventer people will beat a path to your door and accept any personal eccentricities as the price of admission...  then you're satisfying their need to train with "the best" and "the famous."  Failing that, you have to satisfy their other needs.

Good Luck with it!

Answer 2

Training any type of horse all comes from experience. What I recommend is that you go to college. and then when you are done go become a working student for an event rider. The down fall is you MUST has lots of experience to get in with most of the top level riders. Not every one will make a "horse trainer". You must start out competing thru the higher levels and doing well before any one will even consider you to train horses for them. The event world is a tuff world much more then some of the other disciplines. Good Luck