# Trainer Cost



## Reining1990 (3 mo ago)

Hi I am new to the world but I was wondering if anyone knew what the top reining trainers charge?


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

All I can say is _a lot._ The best of the best charge what they are worth. @kewpalace doesn't do strictly reining but had her mare in full training for a while. Full training, no matter who does it, it's expensive. Board + training + show experience coats. For just full training through my dressage trainer, who isn't the best of the best by any means, costs $1200/month (4 rides per week) and that doesn't include competing.


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## Reining1990 (3 mo ago)

ClearDonkey said:


> All I can say is _a lot._ The best of the best charge what they are worth. @kewpalace doesn't do strictly reining but had her mare in full training for a while. Full training, no matter who does it, it's expensive. Board + training + show experience coats. For just full training through my dressage trainer, who isn't the best of the best by any means, costs $1200/month (4 rides per week) and that doesn't include competing.


I found 1200-1350 is average. I have 5 horses but want to send one of them to a top tier trainer. I am just not sure what that cost is. Or if it’s similar.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm not sure how it works in Canada but in the US it's about 1200-1500 for the trainer. You send the horse to them and they keep it with them and do just about all of the work. If the trainer is a few hours away then you'll probably only get 1 lesson per week which is usually included in the fee. You pay extra for hauling to shows and you pay extra for the show weekend. Most of the trainers around here keep them year around.


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## Reining1990 (3 mo ago)

farmpony84 said:


> I'm not sure how it works in Canada but in the US it's about 1200-1500 for the trainer. You send the horse to them and they keep it with them and do just about all of the work. If the trainer is a few hours away then you'll probably only get 1 lesson per week which is usually included in the fee. You pay extra for hauling to shows and you pay extra for the show weekend. Most of the trainers around here keep them year around.


Thanks for this information. I appreciate it. Does this go for the high level trainers as welll?


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Yes. (of course this is my area). These would be trainers who have world championships under their belts for themselves and their clients.


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## Reining1990 (3 mo ago)

farmpony84 said:


> Yes. (of course this is my area). These would be trainers who have world championships under their belts for themselves and their clients.


Thanks for this, I appreciate it.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Reining1990 said:


> Thanks for this information. I appreciate it. Does this go for the high level trainers as welll?


I think you'll find that the price is as high as whatever people are willing to pay. It is very area-specific. You'd be better off asking someone in your area because it might be radically different from province to province, state to state, and certainly in a different country.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

Reining1990 said:


> Hi I am new to the world but I was wondering if anyone knew what the top reining trainers charge?


Well, it depends on what you mean by "top" trainers and what the "charge" entails. 

NOTE: this is my experience re: in the US

I could not find any prices for the top 10 NRHA riders on their websites. I did find one trainer posted prices - Todd Martin. Have no clue who he is, but reading a little about him I'd probably label him as a midpack/upper midpack trainer. Here's what his website says:










So you have to pay for training + board while the horse is in training + lessons (if you take lessons while your horse is in training) + the trainer's show expenses if you want the trainer to show the how + hauling if you want the trainer to haul your horse to a show + gas + coaching fees if you want the trainer to coach you at a show.

Plus, if you are showing you are responsible for all show fees, stall fees, bedding, practice fees, etc.

Also many (majority) have a set time for you to leave the horse. 

That said, this is not too bad for a midlevel trainer. The TOP Trainers, yea, they would charge 2x or more for those fees, if they even take your horse. Some will not take horses they don't think have any chance in the show pen. If you are not planning on having the trainer show your horse, many will have one of their trained minions train your horse & they could show it at a "reduced" cost (still pricey), if they even take your horse.

Many top trainers will not take in horses they (or their minions) will not show. Some will not take in horses that are not in full training. Some do take on Non Pro riders for lessons and tune ups with their horses. Some require the Non Pro leave the horse for training while taking lessons with them. I have no clue what those prices are. 

Bottom line, a top trainer is usually out of reach for us run of the mill working stiffs. And if you really want to know, you'll need to call up their business and ask. There's really no uniform way they charge or run their business.





ClearDonkey said:


> @kewpalace doesn't do strictly reining but had her mare in full training for a while. Full training, no matter who does it, it's expensive. Board + training + show experience coats.


I do reined cowhorse, which is a little different than reining in its discipline and trainer practices, and had my 2 yo filly in full training with my trainer. He is an all around trainer, but I had been with him for decades. My goal was to make a calm sane cowhorse that I could take and show. I knew how he started horses and knew that he always produced such horses - of course, being performance horses they are not "calm" in the show pen like a trail horse would be on the trail, LOL. 

So he cut me a deal (which I can't say what it was because I promised I wouldn't, LOL), but he charged a set fee for training/boarding, I brought in her hay and supplements, paid for her shoeing, brought in her blankets for winter/sheets for summer, all grooming supplies, all bedding, paid all show fees for both of us (he paid for his own association fees) & horse fees for shows (stall, bedding, etc.), paid his gas, food, hotel, paid for extras for the horse like spa bath & equivibe. We would split prizes, but if he wanted something I wanted, I would just get a duplicate for him. Cows add a huge additional expense to the training. Thank goodness when I did it hay was still cheap. Matt got the cows on feed lease from a local ranch and I bought all the hay for them & their supplements as well.

Was it expensive. YES. If I had gone to a "top" cowhorse trainer, there would be no way I could have done it. It would have been massively expensive. They say it takes $10-20,000 to make a futurity horse with a top trainer. That's two years of training plus all the extras including show costs, etc. I always joked with my trainer that we did the "budget" circuit, LOL. 

So was it worth it in the end for me. Yes. I trust my trainer and we have a great relationship. He produced a very nice horse for me, which is what I wanted (that I have yet to ride for other reasons ...) that I am looking to show next year. Did she kill it in the cowhorse show pen? No, but my expectation wasn't that she would, but that she'd get some good sane show experience with someone who could help her through the bobbles. And she got that.

Bottom line, if you are serious about going with a "top" trainer, expect to fork out a LOT of cash and make the commitment to the trainer (forgot to mention that - many will not take a horse if you don't make the commitment to leave it for the length of time they want you to). 

If you are not sure, find a lower level up and coming trainer who is willing to cut you a deal. There are some great "newcomer" trainers who are looking for good horses to ride, but aren't as picky (or expensive as the top guys) - they just want horses to ride in shows.


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## Reining1990 (3 mo ago)

kewpalace said:


> Well, it depends on what you mean by "top" trainers and what the "charge" entails.
> 
> NOTE: this is my experience re: in the US
> 
> ...


Thank for you this. I have reached out to a few top 5 trainers to see what they are charging between $1400-$2500 for training and board.(Fun fact, so do the lower - midlevel trainers) This is for reining specifically. Just in case anyone has the same questions.


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## Majolica (Jan 2, 2013)

I wanted to add to this post. I know it's a couple months old, but I've just done the research on trainers and got my filly with one. I'm not going to name names, because that isn't my place, but I'll give a rough idea from the two I've spoken with. Side note... Casey Deary does post his fees on his website, so that's one you can look at ($2000 per month, with quantity discounts). Abby Lengel also posts her prices ($1300 per month), though I know she currently has a waiting list.

The first trainer I spoke with is well regarded, and has definitely had success, but he's not a million dollar rider. He is in a high cost of living area though. His fees were separate from board, because he doesn't own the facility. The total was $1725 per month, with two free lessons per week. If I remember correctly, the facility did have a pool, but I might be misremembering that.

The rider my filly is with is a $2 million rider. I pay $1600 per month with lessons included. The facility is awesome, but not "has a pool" awesome (at least not that I saw). Side note... the horses get turn out and get to be horses, which I LOVE, and is a major reason why I chose this place. There was no specific discussion about length of time she'd be there. I'm also free to show her, they took copies of my NRHA membership card up front for that exact reason.

Any trainer I've talked to bills the client for farrier and vet, and show expenses. I'm pretty positive that's standard, and I would expect it to be. Both had blanket expenses as well. One charges a flat $100 at the beginning, the other charges for the actual blankets, and you take them home when you take your horse home. Prize money for both the trainers I've spoken with is split 50/50.


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## porterpearlco (9 d ago)

Majolica said:


> I wanted to add to this post. I know it's a couple months old, but I've just done the research on trainers and got my filly with one. I'm not going to name names, because that isn't my place, but I'll give a rough idea from the two I've spoken with. Side note... Casey Deary does post his fees on his website, so that's one you can look at ($2000 per month, with quantity discounts). Abby Lengel also posts her prices ($1300 per month), though I know she currently has a waiting list. The first trainer I spoke with is well regarded, and has definitely had success, but he's not a million dollar rider. He is in a high cost of living area though. His fees were separate from board, because he doesn't own the facility. The total was $1725 per month, with two free lessons per week. If I remember correctly, the facility did have a pool, but I might be misremembering that. The rider my filly is with is a $2 million rider. I pay $1600 per month with lessons included. The facility is awesome, but not "has a pool" awesome (at least not that I saw). Side note... the horses get turn out and get to be horses, which I LOVE, and is a major reason why I chose this place. There was no specific discussion about length of time she'd be there. I'm also free to show her, they took copies of my NRHA membership card up front for that exact reason. Any trainer I've talked to bills the client for farrier and vet, and show expenses. I'm pretty positive that's standard, and I would expect it to be. Both had blanket expenses as well. One charges a flat $100 at the beginning, the other charges for the actual blankets, and you take them home when you take your horse home. Prize money for both the trainers I've spoken with is split 50/50.


 Which trainer did you go with?


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## porterpearlco (9 d ago)

Majolica said:


> I wanted to add to this post. I know it's a couple months old, but I've just done the research on trainers and got my filly with one. I'm not going to name names, because that isn't my place, but I'll give a rough idea from the two I've spoken with. Side note... Casey Deary does post his fees on his website, so that's one you can look at ($2000 per month, with quantity discounts). Abby Lengel also posts her prices ($1300 per month), though I know she currently has a waiting list.
> 
> The first trainer I spoke with is well regarded, and has definitely had success, but he's not a million dollar rider. He is in a high cost of living area though. His fees were separate from board, because he doesn't own the facility. The total was $1725 per month, with two free lessons per week. If I remember correctly, the facility did have a pool, but I might be misremembering that.
> 
> ...


I’ve done some research. Usually $1 per mile for showing. $1100-$1800 for training. 50/50 split after show fees. Trainer keeps trophy sometimes. Owner keeps the rest.


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