# Experiences working under a trainer



## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Depends on what and where you go I think. Some barns will use "working students" which in many cases is a nightmare, they get nothing but room and board, great for them, not so great for the student. 

Others pay plus supply board/house/apt, others pay only and you are on your own for housing.

Some places would let you bring a horse, others won't.

Figure out what you want first, pay would be a real biggie, living situation would be nice BUT be aware that may put you working well past time you would want to be. And then go from there.

Weigh all options.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

If you're looking for a working student position, look at Yardandgroom. I believe they also post paid positions, though I haven't been on there in over a few years so could have changed at this point. Worth a look though =)


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I recommend seeking a paid position. With housing provided. If you want to negotiate for "x" number of lessons a month or week, give it a try.

I do not recommend taking your own horse. You will be busy. Very busy. And, I've seen young people bring horses. Then they try some movement they saw the trainer do on a horse that is in for training. Few things can highlight how little a person knows when they grab ole Dobbin and ask for a sidepass or try to breeze the poor gelding, when Dobbin has none of the foundation or conformation. Is it fun to try those things with your own? Sure! But not at a professional barn.

Also, some employees can't help but play favorites, favoring their own. Get caught being more careful about cleaning your own horse's buckets, or setting aside the prettiest hay for yours will get you fired. 

If you get on with a good barn, focus and learn. Your horse will not mind the time off.

I know a man that had regional success showing Hackneys. They he became curious about polo. He turned his two personal horses out, turned his business to a partner, and traveled with a player, working as a groom, for two years. He said his horses didn't mind in the least.


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## DanielDauphin (Mar 11, 2014)

First off, please understand that breeding and training are totally different things done at different places by different people. Pick one. 
As with any job, you will learn some things, but the enjoy ability of it and treatment during work is totally dependent on the individual boss.
I spent a total of 6 years as an apprentice. I had 4 very different bosses and scenarios 
My best advice would be to find out as much about a person as possible before taking he job. I didn't believe all of the bad I heard about one guy and reality was even worse. 
Also be aware that you may well learn a lot more while working for a extremely competent a$$hole than a really nice boss who really isn't very good at their job.
Welcome to life and shades of grey...


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

I would determine what area of horsemanship you are interested in first. Hunter/Jumper, western, racing? I worked for a trainer/breeder of Standardbreds for a number of years. So was able to gain knowledge on the breeding aspect as well as the training of youngsters. However, riding was not part of the program obviously. This was a paid, f/t job. We had some good trainers, however due to the racing industry I know there were some practices I would never use on my own horses. 

I would recommend looking for postings at barns (Kijiji is my go-to source).... Have you checked out programs at colleges such as Olds if you want to learn more about breeding? 

In my situation I was hired as a groom, but was able to gain a lot of knowledge and exposure just in my day to day duties.


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## Overread (Mar 7, 2015)

Only tip I can give in general with regard to gaining work experience is to make very sure that you and whoever employs you sit down and clearly define what you are both getting from the deal.

Ideally you want to write it down so that you've both got a formal copy to refer to and which can be amended or changed as time goes on and the needs of both change. It can also help because it means that you can ensure you get formal training time because whilst you will learn a lot "as you go" its important to get proper dedicated training time not just training "on the side". It also means that you get your "pay/reward" not just in board/food/money (which you can get from "any" job) but in the training that you're seeking; that makes a big difference to a persons work ethic as well because knowing that you are getting formal feedback and training at known points in time gives you targets to focus upon.

It's better than finding yourself working hard in a few months time and feeling that you're not getting the instruction you're due. 



Key part is communication and being humble whilst not letting them walk over you. Note that being walked over doesn't mean the person is bad, just that they might not be as best suited to teaching a skill than they realise. Many might take on a student/learner/apprentice without realising that as the employer they have to provide training not just work


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

Thank you everyone who replied! I am interested in both training and breeding, however, I know in majority of places, I will only get one or the other, and that is fine. I am more then happy to go either direction. And this gives me a bigger selection. 

Riding isn't a huge requirement for me, yes, I would love to be able to ride horses, but I would be fine with little to no riding time (like if I went to some place to learn more about breeding). 

I am interested in western riding, preferably ranch/reining/roping/pleasure, but I am open to other things, including english. I am very flexable. 

Another thing that interests me is standardbred racing. I would be more then happy to work as a groom at the track, or at a breeding or training barn for standardbreds. 

I have contacted a few people for different positions, whom I am waiting to hear back from. One in Alberta for standardbreds (don't have full details yet). Another in Manitoba for an apprentice position for breeding and training quarter horses. And another one in Manitoba for TW horses. 

I am always on kijiji, and always looking through websites like Northernhorse.com, or google, finding trainers and breeders websites to see if they have career opportunities.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Approach this with extreme caution and common sense. I know that we always preach here about working under a reputable trainer for experience but you have to understand that if you are not very careful, you will end up working like a slave, never getting to ride or work with the trainer and a lot of the time you may only get room & board and maybe a tiny bit of cash in exchange.

One of my best students ended up in 2 different states/stables as an apprentice and both experiences were quite negative. One was a nationally known Arab championship trainer and in fact, years ago you might have seen articles written by him in some of the national horse magazines. He has since lost his wealthiest clients and is barely making ends meet.

My student was picked for an apprenticeship at Equine Affaire and it seemed like a dream come true. It was anything but! His apprentices lived in tiny apartment/dorms and were given about $80 a week. Did they ever get to work with a horse or even ride? _Almost never_-their labor was used for stall cleaning, hauling/packing tack, grooming for show, barn maintenance ect. 
She and the others were forced to sign a confidentiality agreement-why? Because he would routinely lock all the stable doors, take horses down flat on the ground, tie them up and beat them. Some got hematomas from this. This wasn't the only abuse but it was the worst of it. Since she wanted nothing to do with this, her job was to watch the parking lot and make sure all the doors stayed locked so that no clients would come in. She soon found out that no apprentice ever got to work with him or work with the horses and none had ever "graduated" through the whole "program". It was just a way of getting cheap barn labor. Despite the confidentiality agreement, word did start getting out about what he was doing and he lost most of his clients, no longer shows up at Equine Affaire or has articles in horse magazines.

Her second apprenticeship was in a different state and was mostly a breeding barn for a nutcase not so famous farm owner. She was told she could bring her own horse and board was included but when she got there, suddenly there was no stall available and her TB had to live outside and lost tons of weight. It too turned out to be another cheap barn labor situation and this woman a total ditz. Breeding very sub-standard babies and after my student left, one of her stallions broke through a fence and killed her other stallion!

In a perfect world, every single detail of what you will be doing is spelled out in a solid contract. This is very hard to get done unless you insist and then you may lose the opportunity. All I can recommend is that you go into these situations with a amount of caution and being prepared to leave when necessary.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

Thank you for that information! I will be very careful who I choose, and won't just settle for the only thing that comes along. I would also be very prepared to turn around and come right back home if things didn't seem right upon first interaction with the people I would be working for, or go home at anytime throughout my stay if I wasn't getting what I went there to do.


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## BreezylBeezyl (Mar 25, 2014)

What disciplines are you looking to specialize in?

If you're looking to get into the big Hunter/Jumper or Eventing world, Sandridge Stables in Edmonton, AB has a working student program with 2 positions available at any time. You would work directly with Tricia Dahms, who is an experienced horse trainer who has seen the Olympics in her career. Several of her horses have been selected to compete on International Teams. Her students are hard working, and are often participating in Tricia's intense fitness programs. 

Now, I don't have any direct experience with these programs as I feel I'm not experienced enough yet to apply for them. But there is a very detailed description of what you might expect on their website, as well as testimonials.

Sandridge Stables

I have met Tricia recently, and I can say she is a highly skilled individual who has seen it all in the industry (do I need to say OLYMPICS again!!!). She is very straight forward, honest, and does not have room in her facility for "barn princesses" - words straight from her mouth! Her students are disciplined and take their work seriously.

I have seen their facility. They have a cross country course set up and is one of the only barns in the area which will allow you to jump without an instructor present. The arenas are large, and the outdoor arena has incredibly soft footing. Nice people - very friendly. Not something you typically expect at these types of barns, but Tricia seems to do a good job of keeping the... no-good-know-it-alls out of the barn.


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