18/10/2023
🙌
A great re-share. A letter to trainers and owners...
If you’re going to accept the position to start billing a client, remember the day that you yourself, were a client that was being billed.
In my unique position where I try to be my own best client instead of taking outside horses, I get horses from all trainers, the good and bad, the top and bottom. Either buying one myself that fell between the cracks, taking one on consignment that “couldn’t make a Futurity horse” to resell, or cleaning up a sinking ship money pit for a client that just needs someone to see them as more than a number.
I am often disappointed by the condition in which horses come to me. Some horses being with a trainer over a year, and not having any foundation, or having been in “barrel training” and frankly, not having much of any kind of training. Horses that haven’t been rode, don’t break at the poll. Don’t move off the inside rein. Can’t catch leads. Poor body condition. Obviously not fed enough. Bad teeth. Needs treated for epm. Needs vet work. Won’t load. 🙄 Just things that should be covered when you have spent $10,000+ on the training bill.
Often these horses come from “top” trainers. Now, you can’t put everyone in this category, I get really nice horses and prospects from trainers too, but there are a few out there that make my job much more difficult than it has to be and wastes a lot of time and money on my clients dime.
Statistically, if you want to Futurity, your Futurity horse is not going to make. Sorry. Mine too lol... that’s just math and odds are against us. Find yourself a trainer that will be honest and tell you:
•“Yes, this horse is a contender.”
•“This horse probably won’t make a Futurity horse but will make a solid open horse.”
•“This horse isn’t mentally ready.”
•”This horse doesn’t fit my style and should move along to someone else.”
•”This horse needs to be sold.”
•”If you pay me for a year of training... you’ll never recoup your money out of this horse.”
•”This horse will be a perfect 3D horse.”
Many times a trainer thinks it junk, and it’s just lacking a solid foundation. There is no secret to my program when I buy those horses, I focus on their foundation and make sure they aren’t sore... you’d be amazed how many horses can be NICE horses when someone spends a minute trying to figure that particular horse out. There is also junk out there too. I’ve gotten them from trainers who said they were junk... and I agreed, and we all moved on. Sold as the perfect “beer drinking horse!” Not a barrel horse. 🍻 Some horses don’t want to be barrel horses.
Whatever the case may be, you just need someone that’s on your team and not just on your checkbook. I have told people “Hey... we are not going to make any money.” And they tell me they don’t care, that they love Fluffy Firewater and to rock on anyway... and that’s fine! Because they are making an educated decision. I have told clients “Hey this won’t make a juve c**t but should make a nice open horse” and they say sell because their goal is to have a top contender, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad horse, it’s just not a fit for this particular clients goals. Whatever your goals are... it takes a team to reach them.
At the end of the day, 75%+ of people are not going to make money on their horse. Is this your business? Well then you need to try and make a profit. Is this your hobby? Well I don’t plan to make money on my wakeboard boat and you shouldn’t plan to make money on your horse. If you do make money on your hobby, it’s typically luck more than the general rule.
My least favorite call to make though, is telling my clients to “cut their losses” because by the time they pay me to fix said horse, we will be so deep and behind on this sinking ship there is literally no way to get their money back out of it. I make that call, ALL THE TIME. I’m over it.
So, here is what I recommend:
1: OWNERS: Check on your horses, get videos here and there. You don’t have to have someone that’s communicator of the year, but even if all I could send was a video from my phone propped up in the sand, it’s better than nothing. A text here or there. I will tell you, I talk to my clients who don’t call and demand feedback all the time WAYYYYYY more than those that want to be involved in every single aspect. 🤷🏻♀️ it is what it is.
2: OWNERS: Be willing to do the vet work. I cannot out train pain, and if you’re doing your part, then there is no reason to not expect the trainer to do theirs.
3: OWNERS: Make sure your horse is progressing, I understand some trainers are slower than others and we are all investing in the finished product, but dang, if they have been riding your horse for 5 months, you should see some sort of progress. That IS enough time to have an idea about a horse and their potential for the long haul. Now owners, there is no such thing as a finished horse in 90 days, but you should still see steady progression.
4: OWNERS: Ask people about the trainers, ask the trainers about their style. It’s a cut throat business but if ten people tell you the same thing... you should probably believe it. Think about if you want your horse to be one of 5 or one of 30... I see programs that have both and it can go either way, a great horse at the end or a horse that comes out knowing literally nothing. This is personal preference. Some trainers are probably too easy on horses, some trainers are probably too rough. Some trainers just have their help riding the horses most days... is this what you think you’re paying for?
If we had video cameras set up in the home arenas, how many trainers would lose half their clientele? Training horses is really a terrible business model and it’s not some huge money making venture. What you can make is solely based on what you can produce in a day. If I sell cookies... I can train someone else to bake them and make more cookies. When I train a horse, my clients are paying me for my skills and feel, I cannot train someone else to produce what I can. I wish I could though, my days would be a lot easier with a clone. 😅
5: TRAINERS: Do not recommend someone else unless you KNOW A: They WILL ride and B: They are capable. All the time I hear “so and so recommended this person and I just can’t believe it’s gone this badly.” It makes you look bad and you didn’t even do anyone wrong.
6: TRAINERS: If you are a junior trainer... handle your s**t! Ride the horse. Do a good job!! These people are giving you a chance. Someone is LITERALLY paying you to learn! Do the absolute best you can.
7: I don’t care what anyone tells me, if a trainer does not like your horse... you’re not getting a great job. (Im ready for the fb crucification!) 🔪 I ride ALOT of a**holes... that are talented, and I still don’t hate them. If I have a horse I hate, it LEAVES MY PROPERTY. If it doesn’t fit me, I tell the owners. I have sent horses to other trainers because I think they will ride them better than I can. I promise I get more business for that. Not less. When I send a horse to someone myself, in my opinion that’s the most important question I can ask... “Do you like this horse?”
8: TRAINERS: I know a lot of horsemen are real good at horses, and real bad at business. Try to think of yourself receiving a bill. Pro-rate them. If you over charge your clients, I guarantee that will effect future business. I have had friends pull 3-4 horses from training because they feel they got overcharged for something and the “if they would do it for this... what else are they doing it for?” mentality. I understand a lot of trainers are hungry, but don’t loose a $15k a year client for an extra $40 bucks in fuel. I see trainers billing my clients for full months, when I saw said trainer, every day for 2 weeks, 4 states away, with no training horses, and no one at home picking up the slack. I also don’t care if you’re friends. Business is business. Keep clear boundaries.
9: TRAINERS: Don’t assume your client doesn’t know. The horse business can be quite large, but quite small. There are ways to find out if your horse was entered, exhibitioned, went to this place or that. If they won money, hit barrels. Whatever. Just be honest, and fair. You might not be their only trainer.
10: REMEMBER: Those clients that don’t know much today, they will learn, and they will know when they got screwed over, and even the best of us, have been screwed over in the horse business, myself included. I have sent horses off and paid high bills on horses that came back to me in worse condition then when they left. At the end of it, I now know they weren’t getting rode... or I was paying the intern to ride. 🙄
I see a lot of shady horse deals go down too. One day, those clients will know...
I have clients that have bought 6,7,8,9+ horses from me. Clients that have been good to me for 5-10 years. Repeat customers are the bread and butter to this business. What’s that saying... 10% of your clientele will be 90% of your revenue. Don’t forget about the little guy too, just because they don’t spend $100k a year doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. At the end of the day, you can do your absolute best and things will still go wrong, that’s just life, but if you do a good job, you are honest, and try, you WILL be successful.
