18/08/2024
Got me some traditional Scottish shortbread. Guess what’s for breakfast?
Stonybrook Farm Equestrian Center
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Stonybrook Farm EC is located in Corvallis, Montana, the heart of the beautiful Bitterroot Valley. We handle all aspects of horses and horsemanship.
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Our Story
Every horse owner has their own horse dream. They envision themselves riding gracefully over the hills, enjoying the beautiful scenery as their horse confidently negotiates the terrain. Some may dream of competitions in which their horse will execute the perfect spin or blaze through a set of obstacles, still others dream of gracefully jumping over fences with a horse that is bold and responsive. While every horse owner has a dream, there is often a large gap between their present reality and their dream. Most horse owners call on the help of a horse trainer to bridge the gap between where they are and where they would like to be. Without the help of a competent horse trainer most of these dreams would go unrealized. I see humans desperately in need of the lessons that these horses can teach: Lessons of commitment and effective communication. When you take a horse to a trainer what you see and what life is really like are two different pictures: You may think the trainer is riding horses 8 hours a day. However, the chances are pretty good that the trainer does not, in fact, do that. Oftentimes, the trainer must keep between 6-12 horses in “training” to make ends meet. So every morning the trainer looks out into the paddock and makes some decisions. What horses do I need to train today? Based on the weather, what clients are showing up this week, what horse is most in need, the trainer decides what horses will get trained today. He knows that there are only so many horses that a person can train in a day. At the end of a long day of work it is not unusual to get only 2-3 horses trained that day. I am called often to work with someone’s horse at their home. I love this type of work as it allows me to see how and where the horse spends his days. Someone told me that they had taken their horse to a trainer and the trainer told them that he was riding their horse every day. However, he didn't know that the client was friends with the trainer's neighbor. In casual conversation, the neighbor told her that the horse was not being ridden every day, but rather only 2-3 times per week. So you see there is not a very good likelihood that the horse you send to the trainer is being ridden on a daily basis. There simply are not enough hours in the day. It is easy to see why so many horse owners are disappointed when their horse comes back from a trainer. How did the horse training industry get so messed up? Both the trainers and the horse owners are to blame. Horse owners search for the lowest price per month for training thus encouraging trainers to lowball their prices. If the trainer limits himself to 3 or 4 horses in training, he cannot afford to stay in business. Trainers are to blame for leading the horse owning public into believing that it takes months of “training” while the actual hours spent with the horse are not accounted for. This is the reason why I wholly believe in what I like to call “owner participation horse training.” The owner is present for ALL the work done with his/her horse, and in fact, the owner, under my direction, trains their own horse. Based on this philosophy, I’ve developed the following program: 1. The trainer should be paid based on the documented hours he spends training the horse. Documented hours means that the trainer along with the owner work together and note the horse’s progress, Accordingly, Stonybrook Farm Equestrian Center does NOT have a 30, 60, 90 day “program”, but rather, we charge our clients by the hour. These lessons can be set up daily, weekly, monthly, etc., again, depending on what the owner wishes to achieve, and the horse’s progress. 2. Clients need to schedule lessons throughout the agreed upon period to understand how to achieve the desired goals that the client has set for their horse and for themselves. This is why it is critical that the owner participate in his/her horse’s training. These lessons need to be scheduled at a time that is convenient for the client and Stonybrook Farm Equestrian Center. Once the schedule is established, both owner and trainer must agree to adhere to it. 3. There should be an agreed upon set of criteria upon which training goals are set. Based on the intended use of the horse certain skills must be trained. This skill criteria should be as specific as possible and be agreed upon prior to initiating training. 4. Through the use weekly lessons and daily documentation from the client practicing their lessons at home, the client should have the ability to decide when their horse has had enough training to satisfy their needs which eliminates entirely the 30, 60, 90 day training protocol that many horse trainers adhere to. 6. Clients should be expected to pay a reasonable hourly wage for professional services. To be an effective horse trainer takes years of experience. It is a very dangerous profession and by and large you get what you pay for. Training Rates: Initial Consultation: $40.00 plus mileage fee* (if any). Our initial consultation is a time of getting to know each other and finding out if my methods are a good fit for you, your horse and the goals you desire. This first session is usually 60-90 minutes in length. Sessions With Owner Present: $35/session or $90/3 sessions (prepaid only). Sessions are generally ½ hour to 1 hour in length and held at the home of the owner, my facility, or another location to be determined and agreed upon by both parties at the time of booking the session(s). *Mileage fee: There is no extra charge for mileage within a 20 mile radius of Corvallis. Trips outside a 20 mile radius of Corvallis will incur an additional fee of $.35 cents/mile, both ways. Rates are effective as of October 2011 and subject to change without notice. Riding lessons at the facility (on your own horse or one of ours): $40/hour adults $30/hour children (12 years or younger) Winter rates to include $10 per student usage fee for use of one of the indoor arenas in the area. Group lessons (2 or more students): $25/student. Offsite: $50/hour adults $30/hour children (12 years or younger) Attend/Assist at horse shows & show prep: $85/3 hours + travel. Horse Hauling - Price to be determined depending on travel time, distance and weather conditions + fuel costs.
