When Do I Need a Professional Horse Trainer?

Each day I read questions from people asking what to do about their horse's behavior, training or general care. These are from people who have limited experience with horses, but want to train these horses themselves. It is really not as simple as these questions make it out to be. You must consider your knowledge of horses and the horse you own when deciding whether or not to hire a professional.

I have been raising horses for 25 years now and riding and showing them for over 35 years and I don't feel that I have the qualifications to be a horse trainer. A person who trains horses is a professional like anyone else. Usually, they even have a card that says professional on it. They have spent years apprenticing under various other trainers to master their skill and usually begin by working as a groom in a barn to become comfortable with horses. Each horse is different and the care and training of each horse is different. One horse may be on the lazier side and may need more leg or a smoother bit. Another horse may be gamier or more nervous and you wouldn't want to drop a leg on him or put a smooth bit on him. Some horses are quirky about one side or the other and there may be no clear explanation for this. It takes years for people to master the ability to read horses and train horses the way an individual horse needs to be trained. Not all horses are trained in an identical manner. Read Complete Article