# We're looking for a full time apprentice / assistant trainer



## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

*We are looking for a training assistant / **full-time apprentice * As many of you know, I have severe physical limitations and can ride very little and not at all beyond a walk on a gentle horse. I have severe arthritis and advanced degenerative joint and degenerative spine disease. [Just call me old and helpless! I don't do helpless well!]

Since I cannot actively train any more, I am attempting to train vicariously through a young aspiring 'trainer-wannabe'. We have not had anyone help us for several months and are ready to ride a lot of horses now that the weather is starting to cool. Even though we do not have an indoor arena, we will train and ride year 'round (arenas are near here) and do almost all riding out in big pastures and in the hills around here.

This is a paid position (but you won't get rich) with private living quarters and complete independence from us, other than riding. It involves few chores and no stalls or barn work. We only need help with feeding or chores when husband is not doing well. [He does most of them but is 74 and has had a stroke, a heart attack and quadruple by-pass open-heart surgery. He is doing much better now, though.]

This person needs to be mature, a very good rider and needs to be looking toward a future of full-time training. 

This person needs to be able to get on colts and very green horses. This does not take a lot of experience riding colts, but it does take someone that is not timid or afraid of them. We give our horses a comprehensive start, use good ground work and get them really broke. We get them soft in the face, light to legs, very gentle and turn out horses any person can ride and get along with. We turn out finished ranch horses, penning, mounted shooting, trail horses and great all-around horses (like those of a generation ago). 

We start, but no longer try to finish, reining, reined cow horses or cutting horses, but, we have started a lot of them that have gone on to become World Champions and World Champion caliber competitive horses. We would start showing again with the right person interested in learning to 'finish' a horse and get one shown. [We wish AQHA had the 'Ranch Horse' division years ago when we could still show competitively.]

We take out trail riders. An apprentice does not have the drudgery of it, but can use some of the trail rides to school green horses on. This is an intense, full-time riding job. It requires ambition and drive. A person can get on 6 to 8 different horses a day. This is mostly going to be teaching a green or un-started horse to be a really broke, go anywhere do anything kind of horse, but we still inherit a spoiled horse once in a while, so those techniques can also be learned. 

We currently have 5 or 6 well started to well trained horses that are ready (actually way past ready) to work on cattle -- just no one able to do it for a good while. We keep cattle and/or bison to train them on. We have 10 horses that need to be started or are now barely started under saddle. Then, they all need more 'finish'.

All of these horses are very well-bred and very athletic. Our stallion has reining points and sires very athletic horses. He is Colonel Freckles, Doc Bar and Zan Parr Bar breeding. We have used stallion the last two years that are sons of Real Gun (AQHA Super Horse) and Dunit With A Twist. Our mares are Foundationbred, but are daughters and granddaughters of horses like Playgun, Smart Little Lena, Doc's Hickory, Peppy San Badger, etc. Some are Driftwood breeding. We have always selectively bred them bigger than the average tiny cutters and reiners but they have that kind of athletic ability. 

If you think you might be interested in taking on this job, PM me or answer me in this thread. I welcome an open discussion so anyone interested in this knows what they are getting into. We are looking for someone that can start right away.

Thank you for your time. Cheri


----------



## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

*drool*


----------



## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

I wonder how long it would take a working visa to come through...


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

maybe talk to Ian.


----------



## mslady254 (May 21, 2013)

What a fabulous opportunity! 

Fay


----------



## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

Hey Cherie I'm going to PM you as soon as I get the chance!


----------



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Where are you located? 

A friend of mine just lost her job... And her appartmentand stall because the BO wants to "make room for more boarders". She is willing to relocate, but has a dog and a horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

SlideStop said:


> Where are you located?
> 
> A friend of mine just lost her job... And her appartmentand stall because the BO wants to "make room for more boarders". She is willing to relocate, but has a dog and a horse.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Here........
__________________
visit us at www.wolferanch.com 
 
*Location: Oklahoma * • Posts: 5,332 • Join Date: Dec 2010 • Gender: Female • Horses: 0 

.


----------



## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Someone needs to have already ridden a lot of colts. We may refine the methods they have used, but we cannot teach colt and green horse riding totally from scratch. The unstarted ones will get spoiled as soon as they get a chance to do something wrong. A person needs to already have the reflexes to catch them the instant they bow up, gather themselves up, lock up or show the first signs of getting scared or mad.

We can teach someone how to start putting the finish on a horse, but I cannot risk babies getting a bad first 10 rides. One does not have the time to tell someone what to do when a baby needs quickly pulled around. It has to already be a reflex. 

Usually, people that have not been bucked off a bunch of colts just do not have the instincts to defuse or even feel a bad wreck coming. I just can't take the chance that my colts will be the ones that teach them this skill. They have to be able to read a problem before it puts them on the ground and they wonder what went wrong. Our whole program has been built around horses not ever learning to do bad things. Then, they never have bad responses already in their heads to getting scared or mad later.

You just cannot teach timing and feel. Horses have to teach that to people. Techniques for teaching a horse to go on from those first rides can be taught, but horses and experience with colts blowing up can only teach the reflexes a person needs to keep the next one from blowing up and having a come-apart.

I do not know if I made this make any sense or not. But, people not having enough experience reading a problem coming up is what causes most of the spoiled horses that people come on here needing help with. I cannot afford to furnish the stock for them to learn on.


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Cherie said:


> Someone needs to have already ridden a lot of colts. We may refine the methods they have used, but we cannot teach colt and green horse riding totally from scratch. The unstarted ones will get spoiled as soon as they get a chance to do something wrong. A person needs to already have the reflexes to catch them the instant they bow up, gather themselves up, lock up or show the first signs of getting scared or mad.
> 
> We can teach someone how to start putting the finish on a horse, but I cannot risk babies getting a bad first 10 rides. One does not have the time to tell someone what to do when a baby needs quickly pulled around. It has to already be a reflex.
> 
> ...


It makes a lot of sense but my guess is those type of people will already have a good job or working for themselves. This would be a good opportunity for some one that isn't as refined as you need.


----------



## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

It takes somebody that has figured out that there are 100 people (or more) that can start colts (not all are great at it) or get along with green horses for every 1 person that can teach advanced training and 'finish' a horse.

Some people just want to start colts forever and others start there (like I did starting 50 or more head a year) and get the bug and want the challenge of teaching really refined and advanced techniques. Our problem is that the people we have run into that want to finish horses want to go to work for a show trainer that is hauling cutting, reining or pleasure horses. Since we do not have a show barn and I can no longer show, there there is no appeal for those wanting to get into showing. 

On the other hand, the show trainers that teach an apprentice everything over a 4 or 5 year period, usually have them leave to go out on their own and they take (or try to take) half of the show trainer's clients by under-cutting the price, when they go. I have seen that happen dozens of times. Someone starts out starting colts for a BNT, they work up to showing the 'second string' or riding the show horses at home that were not ready to take to the big shows. They get acquainted with the customers, learn the people skills as well as the training skills, and leave with half of the barn.


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Cherie said:


> It takes somebody that has figured out that there are 100 people (or more) that can start colts (not all are great at it) or get along with green horses for every 1 person that can teach advanced training and 'finish' a horse.
> 
> Some people just want to start colts forever and others start there (like I did starting 50 or more head a year) and get the bug and want the challenge of teaching really refined and advanced techniques. Our problem is that the people we have run into that want to finish horses want to go to work for a show trainer that is hauling cutting, reining or pleasure horses. Since we do not have a show barn and I can no longer show, there there is no appeal for those wanting to get into showing.
> 
> On the other hand, the show trainers that teach an apprentice everything over a 4 or 5 year period, usually have them leave to go out on their own and they take (or try to take) half of the show trainer's clients by under-cutting the price, when they go. I have seen that happen dozens of times. Someone starts out starting colts for a BNT, they work up to showing the 'second string' or riding the show horses at home that were not ready to take to the big shows. They get acquainted with the customers, learn the people skills as well as the training skills, and leave with half of the barn.


I have my own business and experience the same difficulties trying to hire that diamond in the rough. I always said I should have had kids so I would have employees. I think that is the best place to get employees. Your off spring or grandchildren


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

I _wish_.. what an amazing opportunity, and one I would have been all over if it had come along even 5 years ago.

I think whoever takes this position, if they come from HF, should be required to journal about it so we can all live vicariously through him/her!!


----------



## KayleyS (Dec 17, 2015)

Have you found someone to fill this position yet. I am interested.


----------



## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

*Apprentice*



KayleyS said:


> Have you found someone to fill this position yet. I am interested.


Sorry. I did not see this reply. But, yes! We are actually looking again. 

We do not have indoor riding facilities, but we will be looking for someone that can start riding in March. We can usually start riding seriously about the first of March.

We have comfortable living facilities for a single person, a place for 1 gelding if they want to bring one and pay according to previous experience and riding ability. 

The job is 90% riding and handling horses. No stalls or stable work.

Anyone interested just needs to PM me and then we can visit by phone.


----------

