# Meredith Manor - Beyond Online Reviews?



## MandyB (Sep 29, 2016)

Hello! I'm a recent-ish grad. I graduated MM in November 2014, after completing 4 quarters (Riding Master IV) and getting certified as a trainer, instructor, and equine massage therapist. I was a very hardworking and dedicated student, and I'll do my best to answer all your questions as thoroughly and honestly as possible. 

What did you go for, did you achieve what you went to accomplish?
I went for exactly what I mentioned above. But, I had the benefit of knowing a graduate beforehand, she was my riding instructor when I was a teen. I knew what classes I wanted to take and what certifications I wanted to get. I originally planned on staying for 3 quarters, but due to some personal (entirely not MM related) issues I was distracted and I didn't progress as much as I had hoped during my 2nd quarter. Towards the end of my 3rd quarter I still felt like I had awhile to go before becoming a good trainer. I stayed on a 4th quarter, and I learned a TON. Many people stay for only 3, but that one final quarter made a huge difference for my riding. 

What did you think of the horses and how they were handled?
I loved the horses and the fact that there was a wide variety of backgrounds/training levels among the riding horses and training horses. It gave us a lot of opportunity to learn. There were totally blank slate green horses, all the way up to finished show horses. There were horses with training issues, and horses who were challenging unless you did everything 100% right. There were all kinds. The variety of horses is what made us trainers and true horsepeople--- for those of us in the industry as trainers and instructors, we need to know how to face challenges. It's no good to ride easy horses all the time, it doesn't teach us anything but how to look pretty in the saddle.
We were taught very solid training methods. Horse logical steps and body language is the first thing that we were taught for working with a horse on the ground. All the riding and the training was done in front of an instructor, so there was no room for poor treatment there. We were taught a pressure scale, going from resistance-free up to more stronger pressures when the situation called for it. However, the goal and the training was to always use the least pressure as possible. If you have to go up to a 7 (out of 10), the next time you ask, you start back down to a 1 again. 
Occasionally in the barns you get someone who didn't treat horses as kindly as they were supposed to, but as soon as that got back to any of the staff, the student was dealt with accordingly. There's always someone in the barns because of everyone's different scheduling, and often a manager easy to find, so these things were addressed sooner rather than later. 

How has your time there translated into the rest of your career?
I couldn't imagine doing what I'm doing in the industry and in my career, without my time there. I thought I was a pretty decent rider before I went there, and I still do think I was alright as someone who had horses as my hobby. But as a professional, I need to be at a different level. I encountered so many different types of horses, I have not found anything in my nearly-two years in the industry that surprises me at all or that I haven't been able to handle with experience and grace. From learning how to prevent and fix bucking (rather than just riding it out), to learning to distinguish a horse that doesn't understand from a horse who doesn't want to do it, to reading a horse's body language to understand what the rider is doing wrong, I learned so much that directly applies to my job now. I could go on and on about this, if you'd like to know more let me know but this is entire response is already getting pretty lengthy!

Are you hirable and actively being seeked out by employers?
I can't really address this because I'm self employed, it wasn't my desire to work for someone else. Many of those I went to school with DID and DO work with/for other trainers and instructors, but that wasn't my particular calling. HOWEVER, I had no problem getting clients (I am no longer even advertising, as of several months ago). 

Have you found yourself struggling to gain employment due to the negative reputation of the school?
No, in fact the only negative thing I've ever had someone say directly to me was a fellow graduate. When I first created my business Facebook page, I had my MM awards quite noticeable on the site. I quickly got a private message from a graduate who said I shouldn't advertise where I went to school because of the reputation. Not being familiar with the reputation, but wanting to get clients, I made my education less obvious, but it's still there and it's still on any of my advertisements. I talk freely about school with my clients and anyone else, however. I have not ever had someone begin communication but then end after they found out where I went to school. 

I didn't participate in the farrier program, so I can't address that one in the slightest.

A final note--- It's a tough program, it's got long days and hard work attached. If someone isn't serious about being a professional in the horse industry, or if they're more interested in going off to college to party instead of work, this isn't the school for them. But if someone is ready to put in the work and become a true horsewoman/horseman, Meredith Manor is absolutely the place to go. 

I hope that helps to clear things up! I'm an open book if anyone would like to ask more questions.

Mandy


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## EliRose (Aug 12, 2012)

All I can say is that my old BO got certified in Equine Nutrition there and fed fescue to pregnant mares . . . Amazing that the mares and foals did not die. It was close, though.


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## MandyB (Sep 29, 2016)

There isn't a certification for that at MM... You may have simply found a bad person who claimed to be a graduate and made up the certification.


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## EliRose (Aug 12, 2012)

No, she is a verifiable grad and all over their website. She graduated back in the 90s and apparently that was a certification at the time.


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

A little off topic but I just went to a place where the reviews were 5 stars from everyone, and it turned out to be a very toxic environment. (I actually left 2 months early because of how bad it was.) Just goes to show that you can't trust reviews sometimes.

Curious to see what other people's experiences have been with MM, I was considering it but took it off my list because of the reviews.


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