11/08/2024
What Your Trainer Wishes You Knew About Learning From Everyone!
Part of what makes this horse business exciting is the fact that there’s always something new to learn. And one of the best ways to learn is to work with an accomplished trainer who fits your style and goals. After getting themselves established as a customer, many people will continue to seek out information from the internet, books, and other trainers. There is nothing wrong with doing that, so if that’s you, keep it up! But, as you’ve probably noticed, information, tips, and entire training philosophies can sometimes conflict, leaving you unsure what to do or who to believe. Here are some things to consider if you want to minimize confusion while you learn. These tips will also help your long-term trainer feel less like pulling their hair out when talking to you. 😉
Preface: When you enter into a customer relationship with a trainer, you are essentially saying you would like to be a part of and follow their training program. If you don’t trust the trainer’s judgment and expertise enough to do that comfortably, you need to find a new trainer, for both of your sakes. If you do trust your trainer, then read on!
1. Let your trainer know about any lessons, clinics, or seminars you’re thinking of attending with a different trainer. Your trainer may have justified concerns if he thinks this could cause a setback in your progress or some other issue. And if your trainer is fine with you going, have a “debrief” session with her sometime afterward to go over what you learned. There may be some things that the new trainer didn’t catch in one day with you, possibly some confusing terminology, and other things that your long-term trainer would prefer you do for reasons only someone who really knows you and your horse would have.
2. Keep in mind that every trainer has a different program, with different tastes in equipment, drills, etc. If your long-term trainer has you riding in a certain bit and martingale combo, and the new trainer says to get rid of it, run this by your long term trainer before just assuming your long-term trainer doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If he’s any good, he has his reasons. And they just might make sense.
3. Minimize trainer hopping. Try to stick with one primary trainer for as long as possible- someone with a great reputation who has gotten real results. This is because good horse training requires a program, a step-by-step system that builds on itself. If you change things in the program by swapping them out for outside trainers’ steps, it might not make sense in the context of that particular program.
4. Every (good) trainer has an order of operations. Your long-term trainer might not be working on something right now with you that another trainer said was important to work on. That’s ok! Bring it up to your long-term trainer. It’s highly likely that she’s prioritizing your skill development in a very specific way, and you’ll get to that skill later on.
5. Recognize that all the books and Google search skills in the world can’t replace years of dedicated experience and educated perspective. Value your trainer as the expert he or she is.
Now, get out there and learn from everyone- in a smarter way!
