Fun Picture from Cory!

Cory wanted to share this fun picture from backstage at the World Cup in Las Vegas!

Upcoming Shows for Mill Creek Riders

Unless otherwise noted, shows are with Jennifer Johnson.

April 12: I.E.L at Hansen Dam with McKenzie Rollins	Closing Date 3/28
April 10 – 12: Twin Rivers Spring Three Day Event & Horse Trials, Palos Robles	Closing Date 3/24
April 19: Trancas Riders & Ropers Hunter Show (Anyone interested should talk to Jenna or Sadie)
April 26: Moorpark Cross Country Schooling
May 3: I.E.L. At Hansen Dam	Closing Date 4/18
May 9: Shepherd Ranch Cross Country Schooling
May 9 - 10: Galway Downs Spring Horse Trials, Temecula	Closing Date 4/21
May 17: Summer Hunter Show, Pasadena Entries/info: rosebowlriders.org
June 5 – 7: Copper Meadows Horse Trials, Ramona	Closing Date 5/19
June 19 – 21: Shepherd Ranch Horse Trials, Santa Ynez Must enter early to secure spot as this show fills up quickly. Entries open May 5.	Closing Date 6 /2

A Labor of Love ...A Riding Instructor/Trainer's Perspective

You charge HOW much for an hour riding lesson?!
I am cancelling my lesson today sorry for the late notice.
I am cancelling my lessons this month sorry for the late notice.
I am going to put off full training for my young horse this month, but I want you to show him late next month.

Most likely every riding instructor/trainer has heard these types of statements and cringed.
When a riding student schedules and commits to lessons and/or a training program for their horse, they may not realize just exactly what is behind the fees, the amount of effort the instructor/trainer has put into this plan, nor do they realize the negative impact a hasty last minute decision can have on their instructor/trainer.

Riding instructors/trainers most likely have spent the majority of their life riding, managing and caring for horses, competing, participating in and auditing clinics, learning business, spending unusually long hours of their energy and time, and spending the majority of their hard earned money in order to obtain and then offer this knowledge and experience to their students and clients. Yes, it is a passion, and most likely the trainer is doing what they love, but it is truly a LABOR of love and quite an unpredictable and difficult career on many levels.

The profession is HARD work, which means it is also hard on the body. Most riding professionals need to spend income to maintain body wellness with some sort of personal bodywork especially as they age. Not to mention receive some type of "repair work" from a life of horse related injuries and falls. Many professionals also supplement their riding with specialized fitness routines in order to be great at what they do. This person literally puts their life and physical well-being on the line every day due to the risk factor of riding and working with large, powerful, unpredictable, fight or flight animals, on a day to day basis.

Instructors/trainers often are working extra ordinarily long hours in every climate imaginable. They often miss holidays and weekends so that their students can enjoy their lessons in their free time on holidays and weekends. As a general rule, there are often no paid holidays or sick days, no company provided health care insurance, company benefits, or retirement plans. Quite simply, when this person does not work, they do not get paid and whatever future financial planning they may want to have, must come out of their own doing and business planning.

Most instructor/ trainers have costly overheads in order to offer services. This means everything from facility maintenance, to specialized liability insurance, to advertising expenses, to riding and training equipment, lesson horses and their costly care, maintenance of trailers and trucks, upgrades to arenas, fluctuating feed costs, and dealing with the general constant rise of equine related costs. Instructors and trainers also must stay aligned with what the going rate is on other businesses in their geographic area in order to attract and maintain business. If they are not lucky enough to have a covered area, income loss during the winter months can be substantial and even with the covered arena, loss of student motivation and the holidays always have an impact on income.

When a trainer spends their time with a horse in training, there is a goal in mind for the progress and development of this animal. Training’s progressive in nature and cannot and should not be rushed. Suddenly pulling a horse out of a good training program on a whim can often disrupt the progress and confuse the horse. This can then lead to behavior problems especially when the horse is then asked to perform by a person less qualified. If the owner then wants the trainer to show and compete the horse after a break in this process, it can increase the risk factor and the well-being of both the horse and trainer because the horse is not adequately prepared mentally or physically. This can also publicly reflect on the trainer's abilities if the performance is less than adequate and/or dangerous, potentially having a negative reflection on the trainers business.

Just as show horses are, school horses are expensive to maintain and must be used enough to maintain their fitness level and so that they can "pay for their expenses" or this cost comes directly out of the instructor's pocket. Trainers must allow time to train and school these horses so that they are of good quality and stay “tuned up" for the various riders that ride them in lessons and can participate in horse shows with these students. The instructor/trainer is also responsible for paying for any vet costs related to injuries the horses' may incur and must also deal with the double whammy of loss of use and loss of income if the horse is laid up due to an injury.

The trainer/instructor only has so many hours in a day they can earn a living and often lessons and training spaces are carefully scheduled so that it ensures they are "paying the bills" so to speak. When a student or client casually cancels lessons or makes hasty training plan decisions, this can financially impact the instructor/trainer dramatically. Cancelling lessons or training sessions and not rescheduling them, means the instructor gets a "pay cut" that month. If just a few students are cancelling lessons over a month's time, this can add up very rapidly. Even when the student reschedules their missed lessons, this means the instructor has to find time slots in the already very busy schedule to squeeze them in as well as find times the school horse is available so that they are not being over worked.

Monthly scheduling and rescheduling, also involves lessons plans, training schedules, show calendars, fitting in time for all the equine related services such as farriers, equine body-workers and saddle fittings, staff schedules, and if they are lucky scheduling a vacation or time to visit family and friends all takes ... TIME. Time to make phone calls, time to return emails and texts, time to coordinate schedules, time to review and set show calendars, time to order monthly deliveries, not to mention time to work on their business financials. So when one see's their trainer/ instructor during their long working hours at the bam, they may not realize that often when the day is done, the horses are fed, the clients have gone on their way, that this same person may have 30 minutes up to several hours of work to continue while at home during their "off' time.

A good instructor/trainer also has to be "on" every moment when working with their students and their horses in training and they must understand and accommodate their student's and horses in training unique learning styles. This means staying positive, mentally alert, physically fit, emotionally stable and quiet, staying fresh and inspiring even when at times they may be physically and mentally exhausted, or have their own personal life stresses and troubles. This also means staying flexible and dealing with a multitude of client personalities, some with unrealistic aspirations or undesirable personality traits, in a consistent, tactful, and professional manner.

The point being, even though ultimately, this person has chosen this field due to their love of horses, it is not a hobby, it is their profession and a business, and the means of their income and ability to lead a happy and productive life. Hopefully having an understanding of what this role means will help the student/client maintain a more positive and productive relationship with their instructor/trainer. This can lay the foundation for a wonderful student/teacher partnership of achieving one's goals and dreams with their horse, which is truly the highest joy and reward for any professional riding instructor and/or horse trainer.

What Horse Is Suitable for You?

If you are going to event and jump, you are going to need a horse. It will really help your enjoyment of the sport if your horse is suitable, so you want to choose him with care. As I’ll explain, however what horse is Suitable for you is a moving target that is depending on your abilities and aspirations.
Some things to keep in mind when beginning your search for a new horse:

• Eventing and jumping is a risk sport, which makes his jumping ability of paramount importance.

At Entry Level

When it comes to matching riders with horses, there is nothing cuter and a young girl with her first pony. She had braces and pigtails, while her 14.2-hand strawberry roan –‘Ol’Strawberry.” Ol’strawberry knows when to jump and more importantly when to stop! My point? This horse is suitable for this rider right now.
Horse selection is an art, not a science! Experienced horsemen must assist the amateur buyer to determine the suitability.
Obviously, size matters, but we need to consider other attributes- personality, for example. If you want to jump but you are slightly timed. Then a horse with an aggressive attitude probably will carry you in safety and comfort. The other side of this coin is that if you are an aggressive, confident rider, you may on better on a horse with a slightly suspicious attitude toward obstacles of all shapes and sizes.
Once you decide the type of horse who will suit you, you need to determine your goals. If you plan to enjoy the sport as weekend recreation, you can make some compromises. For instance, an amateur rider to whom winning is not the be-all and end- all can tolerate a horse who lacks some natural flair for dressage so long as he is a safe and independent jumper in show jumping and cross country.  If a 13-year-old wants to jump and they are looking at cheap young off –the-track Thoroughbreds, the I know the correct educational path has not yet been established.
I hope that13-year-old jumps someday, but right now I want a safe, sensible schoolmaster for her. Every ambitious rider should eventually learn to ride difficult horses, but your entry into the competitive scene should be as safe as possible.

Moving Up

When Patty Ponycrazy is ready to move up, her perfect transitional schoolmaster after Ol’Strawberry will probably be a size-appropriate horse with some age- and considerable mileage. If, like her, you are moving up from an entry-level mount to learn the next level, your prospective schoolmaster will most likely have potential soundness issues. At this point, your vet becomes very important to your decision-making. She can give you an estimation of a prospect’s long-term usefulness: “We can live with that condition” or I don’t think we can live with this.”

Finally, Time For the OTTB

There are bargains waiting at local racetracks, where attractive and athletic horses can be found for less than the airfare to ship a fancy, young warmblood from Europe. However, you will need a skilled professional to guide you through your search. Take your trainer with you, the commission you pay will be cheap at the price, if by paying it, she acquires an OTTB that, in addition to being a good eventing prospect, is lightly raced, drug-free and seems to have calm temperament.
In the final analysis, make sure that the horse you choose is suitable for you and your goals and that he is a safe and comfortable ride over obstacles.

Article

Taken from the Practical Horseman article “Horses for Courses” by Jim Wofford who competed in three Olympics and two World Championships and won the U.S. National Championship five times. He is also highly respected coach.

Have a fun and SAFE ride,

Cory Walkey