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Veteran
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| How much are good trainers charging these days? I spoke to a gentleman yesterday and he said he's getting $800 per month. This seems pretty high... |
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Veteran
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Location: lyle,mn | What do mean by a "good trainer"? We paid $900.00 for 2 months to start our filly. She neck reins, moves off the legs, backs up but that still needs some work. She was a very tough start. He wants her back this spring to work on her some more. She needed time just to work with what she had learned and she will be ready for more in spring. Part of the $900 will go to some training in the spring since she was a tough start and the trainer wasn't happy were she was at in her training but she need just to rode and worked on the basics. |
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Veteran
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| Originally written by dawnb on 2009-11-13 11:36 AM
What do mean by a "good trainer"? You wouldn't ask that question if you'd ever had a bad one. Some trainers feed the horse for three weeks then put 5 rides on him and charge you for 30 days. A good trainer is one who has some horse skills and puts an honest 20 to 30 rides on the horse. Originally written by dawnb on 2009-11-13 11:36 AM
We paid $900.00 for 2 months to start our filly. So you paid $450 a month? |
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Expert
Posts: 1723
 
Location: michigan | Training fees vary on location,breed and discipline. You can always find a local trainer that will get a horse started and likely pay anywhere from $300 to $500 per month. Start getting into larger barns that are more specialized, the price is likely to get higher. I know of large arabian barns that charge $750 to $900 a month but that is for show quality horses not your run of mill nag for trail riding. |
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Expert
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Location: South Central OK | Prices can vary widely depending on what is included in the cost. I've seen trainers itemize things like training, board, feed, farrier and hauling as different fees which can add up fast. Be wary with trainers, most of the time you get what you pay for, but not always. Another shocker to some owners is that they pay the trainer but the horse gets pushed down the line to an apprentice to cut their teeth on...chances are they isn't what you thought you were paying for when you wrote the check. This happened not to long ago: http://gohorseshow.com/article/Categories/Animal_Welfare/Breaking_Developments_in_Horse_Abuse_Case/23415 |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: MI. | I am very happy with the trainer I have used multiple times. $125.00/week plus $3.00/day for feed. |
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Location: lyle,mn | Farmbabe what did I do you to you to? I don't have trailriding nags! Sorry I didn't spend enough money on trainer to look more important. |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: La Cygne, KS | Depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Start a green horse, fix a dangerous problem, show ready, or just a tune up? So the length of time will determine the overall cost to train and how your horse quickly picks up the training. Trainers that own their own facilities may be a tad less per month than a trainer that works out of a boarded facility where you will pay the current boarding fees in addition to the trainer fees. And as others have stated location and amount of experience the trainer has. Just because a trainer has an excellent show record doesn't always mean that they are good trainers. When looking for a trainer, I get many references, go and watch the trainer work a green horse and one that is being finished for show or trail. I also discuss what skills I would like my horse to learn and the amount of training time the horse will recieve per week. Then I go to the see the progress on the horse several times a week and speak with the trainer on how the training is progressing and any issues that need worked through. Open communication with a trainer is very important for you to be satisifed on the amount of money you are spending for the desired skills your horse is learning. And the Comment on the run of the mill trail nag... well IMO trail horses should have the same basic training as a horse used for showing to be a safe mount. I'm not talking level 2 or higher Dressage, but basic horsemanship skills. |
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Location: michigan | Oh please stop being so touchy here- the point was and still is-if your looking for a trainer for breed level show horses, you will pay more. If your wanting basic training for a trail/family horse you should be able to pay less. I wouldn't send a horse destined for trail riding to a show horse trainer and thusly wouldn't send a show horse prospect to a basic backyard trainer either. |
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Veteran
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| Farmbabe is a meany   I train for ranch horse competitions, and trail/ranch horses. The first several months for these horses is the same as about any other form of riding. Even a basic weekend horse needs to be able to know how to be ridden. I understand your point though, higher level trainers have a right to charge more. From what I gather $750 (per month) is the going rate. Sound about right? |
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.jpg) Expert
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Location: Southern New Mexico | Originally written by AQHA 123 on 2009-11-14 6:40 AM  I train for ranch horse competitions, and trail/ranch horses. That is the kind of training I want for 2 of mine. No more show horses for me. |
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Location: Central Arkansas | I pay $450 to $550 locally for tune ups and starting young stock. I pay $800 to $1000 for my reining horses in training with someone that wins at a lot of the larger shows. |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Kansas | farmbabe touched on a question I've had since I had a two year old last year. Sold him before we got to the riding part, but the question remains...do you want to spend more money on a show trainer from the start, knowing that is what the horse's career will eventually be, or...knowing that the trainer will likely let an apprentice start it anyway-find someone with good basic colt starting skills and then move to the trainer's barn? I argued this back and forth with myself all last year and never did decide. New prospect coming on for next year-I'd be interested in hearing other opinions on this. |
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Member
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Location: Northern IL | Here where I live the going rate varies from $350 to $500 a month.....The area I live in, northern IL, is mainly your "run of the mill, back yard, trail horses"....Have seen some very well bred horses with champions in their pedigree that ended up being one of those "run of the mill, backyard, trail horses"....Some of those run of the mill horses are better mounts than some of those well bred horses...I have owned three very well bred half arabians that I bred to be my future western pleasure show horse but they have all turned out to be better trail horses than show horses.... |
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Expert
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Location: michigan | You have to understand that for most show ring disciplines its take a talents horse with the right conformation and disposition to succeed. Not every horse is capable of being shown at a high level or even at a lower level show because of this you will see most backyard horses are nice but maybe not show quality. Most horses would fall into that catagory. Thats not mean just the reality. Why pay a high priced show trainer for a service that you won't need or maybe not suitable for the horse? As for the question about starting- I personally start my show horses but would certainly send them out for more training to someone who excels at the discipline of choice. Most capable horsemen can put that time on a youngster giving them a solid basic foundation but not everyone can go on and finish them. For those trainers I expect to pay about $600-$700 a month or more but since I wouldn't pay that much I have tried to learn how to be a better trainer. |
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Location: southcentral pennsylvania | One of our regional monthly horse publications The Paper Horse has an ad by a young Amish man. He charges $10/day for starting a riding horse, and $12/day to start riding and driving. $10 & $8 for ponies. My friend took his young horse to him. He called him every couple of days from a store phone (they don't have phones in the home) to give him an update. |
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Location: Northern IL | My parents neighbor has mules that are both broke to ride and drive....All of theirs have been done by Amish in exchange for hay...they came back better broke than most horses I have seen...think maybe the Amish know something we don't?? makes a person wonder...I know a guy who left the Amish to become a full time draft horse trainer for a Belgian breeder, then left there to go to work for Coors driving their hitch of Percherons and then was snatched up by Budweiser.... |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Kansas | And I should have put "start them yourself" as one of the choices. I've done that but I also know I can't get them much beyond the basics without another set of eyes. By the time new baby is ready to break, I may not bounce like I used to! |
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Location: Central Arkansas | A lot of the "show" trainers won't start them themselves. Several we know want 30 days under saddle before they actually are willing to start riding them. Then on the other end of the spectrum, we know trainers that prefer that they not be handled much at all! |
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Veteran
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| A friend of mine who has trained hundreds of horses in her day reccommends an Amish trainer now. He charges $350 a month and from the looks of the horse he doesn't spend much on feed for the month, or he puts many more miles on than the average trainer and the horse burns off all the feed? But one can always put weight back on them. I usually do my own breaking I sent a 4 year old gelding I rescued to a trainer (I was haveing carple tunnel surgry) anyway she charged $500.00 a month and didn't even get on him in 30 days, after 6 weeks with her I went out for a ride and he dumped me. This wasn't an easy horse to break, really skiddish, what he needed was 25 miles a day not the 30 to 45 minutes 5 days a week he was getting with a trainer. IMO at 4 a horse should be worked with a capital W if you want to make a saddle horse out of them. The horses I have raised I pretty much got on and rode, they were all trained to ground drive as weanlings, people pamper their horses to much. They should be schooled from the day they are born not wait until they are almost full grown.
Edited by gliderider 2009-12-27 10:11 PM
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Location: Northern IL | Have to agree with gliderider, by 4 a horse should be getting worked with a capital W...I always start my own too. Mine are worked with on a daily basis as soon as they are born...I do alot of ground work work when they are too young to be saddled or lunged....do alot of basic stuff like brushing, getting used to clippers, picking up feet, baths and loading in a trailer....By the time I send them out to be broke to ride, all they need is for someone to get on and make they go cuz they already been saddled and bridled numerous times...I sent one out once that within the two weeks the trainer was in the saddle cuz the horse was so quiet...Knew at one time up in WI, there was a mother/daughter team that trained horses just specifically just for road/trailriding...They started the horses out in a round pen and when they felt confident enough they then moved out to the trails and country roads.... |
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| IMO People should have to get a horse license just like a drivers license. I put pony saddles on my babies when they are a couple weeks old. By the time they a a couple of months old they don't even walk away when you saddle and gently cinch them in the pasture. They tie at two days. I used to do some farrier work,,,feet are picked up 100 times by the time they are a 10 days old. 10 hours spend in the first week saves hundreds of hours later. Most foals are tickalish just like kids, nothing but repitition gets them used to having their feet handled. Now that I am on a rant. What I hate is foals that are brought up to be "in your Pocket" I don't want em in my space, I want them to get out of my way when I walk by. My horses are affectionate, they ask for attention and get it, but just as in the wild it is on my terms, as the alfa. I stick a walking horse bit in their month for the first few rides.. Just In Case.. but I use a bosal and side pull for the first year of riding. My formal education is in dressage / hunters nothing beats foundation dressage leg training for a great Trail Horse - I sold a weanling once and the lady boarded her with me until she was 10 months old so needless to say, the horse was sold I wasn't getting paid for training so I didn't put any more time into her 14 months later the lady gave her back, filly handn't been hardly touched in over a year and ahalf. It only took 15 minutes to get her back to where I left her, she didn'f flinch when I saddled her. I re sold her this spring and the new owner told me she never bucked. Of course my mare and stud (now a great gelding) are calm level headed horses (or they wouldn't be here) If you have a crabby mare or mean stud don't expect the foal to be nice. |
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Expert
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Location: michigan | I cannot agree with the idea of horse trainers being licensed. After all, there are plenty of bad licensed drivers so there is no guarentee such a license for horse trainers would do any good at all. Just more power to the state....I would be very cautious using any trainer that rides the crap out of a horse to the point the animal has lost a significant amount of weight. Some horses cannot handle that kind of mental and physical stress and those that do seems to have a a depressed look about them. Sorry- we live near amish country and I just don't like the overworked/underfed look in a horse. There is no 60 day wonder. Its takes time to properly condition and train a horse for whatever discipline. Running them ragged is not training. Any yahoo can do that. As far as show trainers not breaking young stock, some do and some don't just depends on the barn and clients. I wouldn't use the services of a show trainer if the idea was to break a horse for pleasure/trail riding.There are plenty of good horsemen that don't show but can break and train a horse without making them look starved. |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Kansas | Are you talking about licensing trainers or the owners? ETA: I also can't agree with saddling babies that young. I handle my young horses on a daily basis too and do some pretend cinching with a lead rope as well as plenty of picking up feet, etc. They haven't offered to run away or buck when it's time for the first saddling because they've had plenty of time to get used to the idea. In fact, I haven't had to tie them to saddle them the first time because by then it is pretty much a non-event. I do agree that many people baby their horses entirely too much and don't expect a good day's work out of them.
Edited by terri s 2009-12-29 4:22 PM
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Location: Southern New Mexico | I'll put a saddle blanket on a weanling but wouldn't put even a light saddle on until they are over a year. I ponied everytime momma was ridden so they learn that they learn that work time isn't playtime. I've seen foals running loose while momma was ridden and I could see all kinds of accidents waiting to happen. We would start poning saddled at 2 but didn't get on until about 3 depending on the horse. My grandpa used to say you have to give their minds time to grow as well as their bodies.
Edited by Terri 2009-12-29 4:33 PM
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Location: michigan | Terri- a previous poster suggested licensing trainers to which I was responding that I don't agree with licensing for trainers. Owners are another topic. There is nothing wrong letting a young horse grow up without constant handling and fussing. They do not need to be saddled at a young age or repeatedly ponied. For the most part my young horses are given basic handling and teaching them to respect me but otherwise I save the saddling for another time such as when they start training (using surcingals for long lining and bitting them up) They take to the saddle and girth feel pretty quickly. I have found that just going slowly, step by step and allowing the horse to relax and feel comfortable before moving on just makes it faster in the long run. Its on thing to baby a horse and another to over do it. Riding them excessively can do more hard than good - i want to see a horse bright and alert ready to work and enjoying it rather than ridden so hard they get dumpy. |
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Location: Kansas | Farmbabe-that question was intended for the previous poster (glide); think we probably posted at the same time and yours came up first. I wasn't sure if he/she was trying to say the owners should be licensed or the trainers should be. |
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Location: Southern New Mexico | I'm not sure which of us you were talking to, but I pony my filly as a way to exerscise her. I don't have a pasture for turn out so she got ponied when we went riding. I found it was good for her to see how my older horses reacted to things and helped her stay calm. The first time a car zoomed past and honked their horn she about crawled up in the saddle with me. Now she doesn't blink when drivers are being stupid. She has also learned to cross mud puddles and stand her ground when strange dogs come running up barking. Not stuff I want her to experience for the first time with me on her. |
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Veteran
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| Expert, I agree I have worked with some three year olds that were never handled and they turned out fine, my current riding mare was never touched until she was 10 months old. Yes if their breeding is good they can cope and be good usable horses with out tons of handleing as babies. My idea is the license or even a mandatory set of videos to be watched, for first time horse owners, back yard people that raise a foal that becomes - not affraid- of people and pushy and agressive because they are actually alfa not the people, these are the horses that are more time comsuming for the professional trainers to deal with. And a PIA for the farrier. And IMO when you spend an hour total, like 10 times for 5 minutes each time, in the first 6 months of a foals life putting a pony saddle and cinch on them, there is none - zero - zippo -stress when you start saddle training. That was the point of the story about the horse I got back, she had that done to her as a baby and even tho it was almost two years later she stood like it was yesterday to be saddled. Just a short cut I learned along the road of life with horses. |
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What are trainers charging these days?
