I’ve been working with a trainer for years, helped train my own horse and I go down several days a week to his facility to do turn-back for his cutting horses. In the last year his business has changed to much higher clientele and I feel as though his temper is out of control because of that pressure. Today I witnessed him hop off a young 2 year old client horse then he proceeded to take his rein (long weighted western split rein) and whip the horses hind very hard repeatedly. At first I thought maybe the sound was more shocking than the actual pressure of the whip. I figured maybe the horse just wasn’t moving during the ground work. I just don’t question him usually since he is to be the expert. However once the horse got into the sunlight I started to feel sick as the horse had massive welts all over its hind end from the rein whips. I asked him what happened and he said he had no control over that horse and it wasn’t listening and so he had to give it a schooling…. All I can think about is if that was my horse. Am I overreacting? Do horses just welt up easy and it maybe wasn’t as bad as I thought? Is this just the reality of training? Looking for honest and realistic answers.

Hello everyone!

I am currently in between chapters and have a lot of time on my hands (up to 5 hours of absolutely free time a day) for the next two months or so.

Is there any manner that, dedicating a certain amount of time per day, I could go from a beginner to a broadly "good" rider (not advanced or masterful by any means, but being able to ride comfortably, trot, canter, gallop etc? If so, what would such an "intensive" introductory course look like for the first month or two? I would, of course, continue thereafter with classes as I know that it takes years to become advanced.

I am at my absolute wit’s end trying to keep weight on this horse, and I am desperately asking for any advice or help at this point. We have covered all the medical bases: this horse was on UlcerGard as a preventative throughout the move, has no history of ulcers (though we did treat just to be safe), was dewormed 3 weeks ago, and had teeth floated back in August, yet is still visibly slimming out.
The routine right now includes 24/7 grass pasture, about two hours of access to alfalfa hay in the stall, and 2.5 flakes of fescue hay. As a hard-keeping OTTB, this horse already burns through calories naturally, and on top of that forage, is getting a daily gut supplement along with a massive daily ration split across three feedings that includes:
10 1/2 lbs Purina Ultium Senior 1 1/2 lbs Purina Amplify 1 1/2 lbs Sentinel Omegatin 1 1/2 lbs ground flax 1 lb alfalfa pellets 1 lb beet pulp 1 lb hay extender 1 lb Tribute balancer
Weight was holding fine back when the diet was 7 lbs of alfalfa pellets, 10 lbs ProForce Senior, and the same fat supplements as now, but everything got swapped because of the barn move. Now the ration is 1 lb of alfalfa pellets, 1 lb of beet pulp, 1 lb of hay extender, and 1 lb of Tribute balancer to try to make up for those missing alfalfa pellets. Overall, 3 lbs of hard feed was lost in the move itself, and we are now one and a half weeks into this new facility and watching the weight melt off. It takes about 35 minutes per meal just to work through and finish these giant bucket loads. I can’t change it up for more hay, and I honestly think that is where the main problem lies.
Has anyone with a hard-keeping OTTB experienced a horse dropping weight this fast after changing from ProForce Senior to Ultium Senior or dropping that much alfalfa pellet volume? Should I drop the beet pulp altogether and throw those calories straight back into alfalfa pellets? Since deworming was done 3 weeks ago, should I deworm again? Is there anything else I could do, or anything specific I should increase, decrease, or try next when hay increases aren't an option? Please let me know what you would do in my shoes because I am panicking and running out of ideas.

Barn will start putting round bales out in 3 weeks.

TLDR ; \*\*I am at my absolute wit’s end with my hard keeping OTTB dropping weight rapidly 1.5 weeks after a barn move. Teeth were floated in August, dewormed 3 weeks ago, on UlcerGard preventive during the move, no ulcer history (treated to be safe), and currently on a daily gut supplement.\*\*
\*\*Forage is locked (cannot add more hay): 24/7 grass pasture, 2 hours stall alfalfa hay, and 2.5 flakes fescue hay. Hard feed is 18 lbs total split into 3 meals (takes 35 mins/meal to finish):\*\*
\*\*10.5 lbs Ultium Senior\*\*
\*\*1.5 lbs Amplify\*\*
\*\*1.5 lbs Omegatin\*\*
\*\*1.5 lbs ground flax\*\*
\*\*1 lb alfalfa pellets\*\*
\*\*1 lb beet pulp\*\*
\*\*1 lb hay extender\*\*
\*\*1 lb Tribute balancer\*\*
\*\*Previous stable diet (was holding weight fine): 7 lbs alfalfa pellets, 10 lbs ProForce Senior, and the same fat supplements. Lost 3 lbs total hard feed in the move.\*\*
\*\*Questions:\*\*
\*\*1. Has anyone seen weight drop this fast switching from ProForce Senior to Ultium Senior or losing that much alfalfa pellet volume?\*\*
\*\*2. Should I drop beet pulp to throw those calories back into alfalfa pellets?\*\*
\*\*3. Should I deworm again since it's been 3 weeks?\*\*
\*\*4. What else can I increase, decrease, or try when increasing hay isn't an option?\*\*

6 year old ottb
50 registered rides at track

I have an ex-school pony (18 years old), I've had him for 6 years now and tried few different things with him, but he doesn't seem to enjoy anything we've tried so far: pole work, dressage, working equitation, only trailrides for a while, only lunging and ground work for a while, pulling a small carriage. He seemed to enjoy the pulling the most for few weeks, but then he just shut down and doesn't want to do it anymore.

I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong. I let him say no or let him choose work but 80-90% of the time he says no to everything and if he does let me on he doesn't move, just lets me sit on him and that's it. That hasn't changed for the last 2 months.

I'm not there bugging him daily, usually 4-5 times a week, according to the vet he is just overweight (the main reason why I want to ride him/let him pull a carriage, because food reduction doesn't cut it) and lazy.

He is food motivated but feeding him while riding has led to him stopping whenever he decides that he wants a treat (often after a transition he goes few steps and them stops, doesn't matter if it's walk, trot or canter)

Does anyone have any idea what to do with him?

I ride and show with a Western barn, mainly at breed shows. Recently, I moved trainers and facilities. I learned some things about one of the trainers that I wasn’t aware of when I joined the program, and I’m wondering how concerned I should be.

I’ve been told that a few years ago, this trainer was disciplined by a breed organization for abuse and wasn’t allowed to show for a year. I’ve also heard that they were let go from multiple training facilities while working as an assistant because they reportedly were too aggressive with the horses. I've been told this from multiple sources.

This came up after a fellow barn mate recently left. She told me she felt the trainer was being overly hard on her horse, which prompted me to start asking more questions.

Meanwhile, the program has grown considerably over the past year and seems to attract a large share of the Western riders in our area. That popularity makes the situation confusing, but it doesn’t necessarily tell me what happens during daily training.

I currently only go out once a week for a lesson, so I don’t see the day-to-day work being done with my horses. Now I’m questioning whether I have enough firsthand knowledge of how they’re being handled.

Would this information make you reconsider keeping your horses in the program? What would you want to verify, what questions would you ask, and what signs would you look for in your horses? There are so many riders in the program who say they are so happy and refer this trainer to others.

I want to be fair about information I’ve heard secondhand, while also taking concerns about my horses’ welfare seriously.

#horse #rescue

Anyone else have an overwhelming sense of guilt after learning more about how horses think? The amount of times I’ve thought a horse was “testing” or “lazy” when they were really shutting down and begging for me to listen to them. I just feel so bad.

I’m blown away daily that these beautiful giants allow us to be around them, to even make requests of them. They are so patient and forgiving of us as flawed humans. I will continue learning and listening, that is the least I can do to be better for them.

I just keep remembering years ago when my perfectly obedient horse bucked me off “out of no where”..but now it’s so clear he politely tried to tell me over and over but he had to blow up for me to listen. I wish I could go back and hear him. I told him every day that I loved him but I couldn’t even hear him when he told me he needed something. I’m so sorry buddy.

Curious to hear thoughts from trainers and clients in the horse world about this situation.

A client appears to have a very good working relationship with their current trainer. Like any trainer/client relationship, they occasionally disagree or have small arguments, but they always seem to work through them and remain friendly and positive.

What makes the situation confusing is that the client regularly praises the trainer directly. In person, in front of other clients, and even through private text messages to the trainer, they talk about how wonderful the trainer is, how happy they are with them, and how much they appreciate what the trainer does for them and their horse.

Behind the scenes, however, it’s apparently a completely different story.

The client has been calling and speaking with trainers at other barns, saying how much they can’t stand their current trainer, bad-mouthing them, complaining constantly, and making claims about situations that others involved say simply aren’t accurate.

It also isn't limited to prospective trainers. This client has reportedly been bad-mouthing the current trainer to clients at other facilities as well as horse show promoters, meaning the complaints are being shared with people throughout the local horse community.

The current trainer eventually found out because some of the people being contacted told them what was being said. Apparently, the complaining has become so excessive that some people have stopped responding to the client altogether.

Now this client is actively looking at other training facilities and continues to share their frustrations and dislike for the current trainer with prospective new trainers and others in the horse community.

My question is Would this make you hesitant to take this person on as a new client?

I completely understand leaving a program because personalities clash, communication breaks down, or you simply decide a trainer is no longer the right fit. Not every trainer/client relationship works forever, and there's nothing wrong with deciding to move on.

But would you see it differently when someone is telling their current trainer—in person and through text messages—how wonderful they are, while at the same time contacting trainers, clients at other barns, and even horse show promoters to repeatedly complain about and bad-mouth that same person?

Would that inconsistency itself be a red flag?

Would you be concerned that if you took this client on, eventually you could become the next trainer they praise to your face while criticizing you throughout the horse community behind closed doors?

Or is this kind of venting and talking about a current trainer fairly common in the horse industry when someone is preparing to change programs?

And from the current trainer's perspective, should they even be upset about losing this client, or should they just count their blessings that the client is choosing to move on?

How often do you do the Creating Connection Through Change In Focus exercise by Warwick Schiller? Is it something you do daily until you see improvement? Or more something you come back to when your horse is anxious before riding? Or is it just something you do once in the beginning of your training journey and move on??

Helping a friend with a unique and special property that used to be a private equestrian facility back in the day.

It has a barn, an indoor, an outdoor riding ring, and six stalls, tack room and it's historic and very elegant.

The location is hard to beat. It's barely 2 minutes off I-680, about 30 minutes from San Jose, about 35 minutes from Oakland and the East Bay, and about 40 minutes from Palo Alto.

We'd love advice from experienced trainers or barn managers on what improvements and designs you think we need to do to make it attractive to a trainer who has an established clientele and values elegance and privacy over size

It's not for sale, and we don't want brokers. If you're in the business and curious we would love to speak. please PM me. Discretion is a must.

Hey guys. I’m 34 and looking to purchase my first horse. I came across this horse in my town who doesn’t look real great, but is for a nice price and looks like a good packer. I have experience with training horses and teaching horse riding lessons, but I wanna get a second opinion before messaging the seller. He has scars everywhere that look like they are from a barb wired fence, and he has a big summer sore on his back leg shown in one of the pictures- but they are extremely common in southwest FL to get. He’s 14.h and I’m within the 15% rule for jumping so no problemo in that portion. He looked a bit skiddish when trail riding so im wondering if the seller is being iffy with the training aspect? He looks like he is worth the amount they are asking but I wanna hear what y’all think. Im thinking about also eventually putting him in beginners lessons as well.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19tueAJ7yU/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BGe3mUQ4C/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gs8H5VKUF/

https://youtu.be/AYrebwKKXxo

Hey guys. I’m 34 and looking to purchase my first horse. I came across this horse in my town who doesn’t look real great, but is for a nice price and looks like a good packer. I have experience with training horses and teaching horse riding lessons, but I wanna get a second opinion before messaging the seller. He has scars everywhere that look like they are from a barb wired fence, and he has a big summer sore on his back leg shown in one of the pictures- but they are extremely common in southwest FL to get. He’s 14.h and I’m within the 15% rule for jumping so no problemo in that portion. He looked a bit skiddish when trail riding so im wondering if the seller is being iffy with the training aspect? He looks like he is worth the amount they are asking but I wanna hear what y’all think. Im thinking about also eventually putting him in beginners lessons as well.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19tueAJ7yU/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BGe3mUQ4C/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gs8H5VKUF/

https://youtu.be/AYrebwKKXxo

I found this video from a horse rescue on Instagram. I found this mare’s reaction to this woman singing quite touching.

I run a riding school in Cornwall and last December I started a slightly ambitious project: seeing whether I could use my social media income to pay for riding sessions for people who wouldn’t otherwise get the chance.

We’ve delivered 42 free sessions so far, and the aim is 100 by the end of the year. Quite a few left to squeeze in alongside running the yard 😂

I post about everyday riding school life, and use the income from the content to cover the sessions. The riders attend for free, but the horses, staff and running costs still need paying for.

It’s something I’d eventually love to extend to other riding schools through our CIC, Cornwall Equine Learning Academy, so people outside Cornwall could benefit too.

Has anyone here been involved in a similar project? I’d be interested to hear how you made it work long term. I’m pleased with what we’ve managed so far, but there’s plenty I’m still figuring out!

Update: Thank you all for your advice! I will give him more time to settle in and play ground games in the meantime. I mistook his comfort with being trailered almost daily to trail ride with him being comfortable in a new barn. I suppose show horses get used to this, and would have a longer bond with their human. I appreciate you all, thanks for your time and care!

To start, I LOVE my horse. He’s sweet as can be on the ground, come right up to the gate, just a love.

Background
My horse is a six-year-old Quarter Horse gelding. Ranch born and raised until he was four. Then went to live with a lady who trail rode him at a walk for two years. Saw him w/t/c with trainer and I did when I tried him out too. He seemed on the lazy side but responsive, more whoa than go. He’s been with me for three and a half days now. Ground work daily since he came, one ride where I bought him and two at the new barn so far. Puppy dog in your pocket on the ground. Usually lazy in the saddle..until…

Issue
Now my question..he’s super lazy in the trot, we’re working towards lighter aids but does require a seat->leg->heel->tap on the bum with a dressage whip process to even get into a trot. Then today when I asked for a canter, just a super light outside leg back, he absolutely bolted and didn’t stop until I was off. No buck or rear. Head up, tail tucked, bolt.

My first thought was trigger stacking, like maybe I missed that he was stressed out but he really seemed to feel curious and safe. He was supple, aware but calm, and his lateral flexion was spot on.

Question
Thanks for getting this far! So I’m trying to understand what happened so I can help him through this and have him feel safe again. Has anyone else experienced a horse who was lazy then bolted when asked to canter?