07/15/2025
Is the 30-Day Training Program Still a Thing?
I’m a bit out of that world these days, but back when I was younger, it was standard for trainers to take in a horse for just one month.
I remember charging $350 a month for training! 😂 Nowadays, I can’t even feed a horse for that.
These days, people are starting to realize that sending a horse off for 30 days often doesn’t have much lasting benefit—especially if the owner won’t keep up the training afterward.
I think the problem starts with the approach itself.
A common mistake is believing a horse needs to get out of the round pen and into “real life” situations as quickly as possible.
So trainers—my younger self included—would rush to get the c**t saddled, ridden, and outside as soon as possible to prove how far we could get in a month.
But that approach has two big flaws:
The horse doesn’t really learn anything lasting, because there’s no time to absorb the lessons.
The fundamentals get skipped, leaving big holes in the training.
If you stop insisting the horse must walk, trot, lope (on the correct lead), stop, turn, and go on trail rides in 30 days, and instead focus on true fundamentals, you’ll actually go farther—and build something that lasts.
That’s the idea behind my ES20 C**t Starting Program.
I’ve been starting c**ts for ranches since 2001. Back then, time was tight. We’d pen the two year olds, start them over a few days, then kick the gate open to the round pen as quickly as possible.
We’d all be proud to be riding them in the pasture, penning cattle, even roping off them while they were still green. The measure of a good hand was how far you could take a c**t in the shortest time.
But even the best-minded c**ts ended up with big holes.
Problems were common:
Snorty on the ground
Cold-backed
Stiff on one side
Scared of the farrier
Pulling back when tied
Cinchy
Head shy
On and on…
Every c**t had at least one issue.
I realized that if I slowed down and spent a shorter amount of time each day and gave them more time to think those issues never manifested, AND the c**ts actually progressed faster and with less drama.
I also learned that if I didn’t over-pressure them in the round pen, I could keep them there as long as needed without them getting sour.
The key was to follow clear, logical steps and give the horse time to understand.
I also had to change my mindset. It couldn’t be about making the horse “submit” to me. It had to be about teaching. Not master and slave—but teacher and student.
Ironically, one month is the perfect amount of time to build that kind of solid foundation.
In 4 weeks, working just 30–45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, I can teach a c**t to be a solid saddle horse—without the fear and distrust I used to create by rushing.
That’s what my ES20 Program is all about. ES20 stands for Epic Success in 20 Days, and I’ve started hundreds of c**ts with it since developing it.
I’m always refining the program. Every horse teaches me something new. Will it ever be perfect? No.
But I’ll keep working at it as long as I can.
Be one.
Richard 🤠
PS. This week’s upload is the latest ES20 series. Check it out here:
https://b1horsemanship.com/
