Multiple Trainers

[showhorse101]

I've just been thinking, how many of you out there have more than one trainer? Like do you have your everyday trainer, but maybe weekly/monthly you go to a more advanced (like gp or something) trainer?

[snaffle635]

Our barn has four trainers. I ride with all four. Each one brings something different to the table, yet they have enough in common to avoid giving conflicting messages.

[*JumpIt*]

I have two regular trainers (one works m-f the other works weekends) but then I take a few lessons every once in a while with a higher level trainer or got to a clinc. It is nice because each trainer sees something else I should be working on or has a different approach to my problems.

[kateh]

I have different trainers, but only because I'm at school. So I have my IHSA team trainer and my regular trainer at home. It's interesting because the IHSA trainer is very equitation based and my home trainer is very training centered.

[hj0519]

I have different trainers because of school. When I was younger I learned to ride at one barn, started riding at another at the same time because I wanted to jump more, then transitioned into just the second barn. Then I went to boarding school, so I had my trainers there and my trainer at home. Now I'm in college so I have my trainer at college, my trainer at home, and I still consider my trainers at my boarding school my trainers even though I don't really ride with them anymore, too far to go there very often.

[llsc]

I use Lauren Newmeyer to train my ponies and my daughters take lessons from her when we go to visit the ponies and we show with her also, but since she is 3 1/2 hours away from me, my daughters lesson weekly with Patty Miller and will be showing with her also. Neither trainer has any problem with me using both and they are incredibly supportive of each other. They are both true pros.

[Underdog]

1) I take occasional lessons with a dressage instructor.
2) I am currently at a hunter barn and will take lessons from her while we're there.
3) And my horse was sent to a jumper trainer to get a good start on her and have lessoned with him and still plan to do so.

The first rides and traines with both Scott Hassler and Michael Bragdell and wants me to come clinic with them this winter. She's a young horse started this past July and will benefit big time. THats cool when your instructor wants you to go on to bigger things.

The second one has ties to bigger hunter connections and I do plan to show her in the hunter ring eventually too.

The 3rd is a jumper person tied to Olympic riders and I know all 3 would never have a problem with me wanting to use multiple trainers.

MOF...I disclose this right away. I tell them up front that I ride multiple disciplines as I am a big believer in cross training for the ultimate athlete. If they have a problem with that...well...bye. None do.

I don't massage ego's. It's MY dime and MY plan for MY goals.

Never paint yourself into a corner.
;)

[PNWjumper]

I ride with several trainers....well, kind of. Or I suppose I could say that I don't really "ride with" anyone since I don't have a regular trainer in the hunter/jumper world (which is all I show in). All of my horses are at my house and generally speaking I do my own thing.

I do take weekly lessons with a dressage trainer (BRILLIANT trainer, at that) who comes out to my house. I find her lessons more valuable to my jumpers than any jumper trainer I've ever ridden with or schooled with.

At horseshows I often school with whatever trainer will help (typically friends of mine from many many years back who are willing to help out here and there)....especially when I'm there without a ground person to set fences for me. Occasionally I need a trainer to tell me "YOU CAN DO IT, IDIOT!" (okay, they USUALLY omit the idiot part :lol:) before a particularly large (heightwise) class.

And then all year round I take as many clinics as I possibly can with as many trainers as I can.

I did ride with one trainer (who I still think is one of the most amazing horsepeople I ever worked with) for almost 20 years through my childhood and into my first few years out of college. He always had us do a lot of clinics with other trainers, and he was always trying to learn as much as he could. My opinion has always been that you don't have to have multiple trainers to reap the benefits of multiple trainers. You just have to have a trainer who's always learning and trying new things. The best I've ridden with have all been like that.

[indygirl2560]

I ride with one official trainer, but the owner of the two project ponies I'm training gives me tips sometimes if I need them. The owner of the two ponies basically retaught me how to ride a couple years ago, because I had had really bad instruction before, ("trainers" encouraging knee pinching, kicking at every stride, etc), but she isn't an official trainer and doesn't really train me anymore. Now I just train and show two of her ponies(a 4yr old and an 8yr old) and also help her train her new foal. My actual trainer is the lady I take lessons from and show with at a competitive show barn, and I'll probably move the 8yr old pony there in the spring, because her owner doesn't really have time for her anymore.

[tidy rabbit]

I recently started riding with a Dressage trainer. It had been about 10 years since I have had dressage lessons. It's been GREAT.

I ride with H/J trainers on a regular basis and they're great. I try to do clinics as often as I can as well.

I've even worked with a Parelli trainer! GASP! :)

I think that so long as you're getting quality help the different perspectives and exercises they'll come up with will be nothing but an asset to your riding/education.

[Linz]

I have one trainer where my show horses live that is there (and my) full time trainer.

I also take supplemental over fences lessons on school horses once a week as that is not my trainer's specialty (though he is certainly competent in it, but does not have any school horses that jump at this point - and we are in the process of buying a youngster for my show horse).

[loni1949]

I also had multiple trainers but mostly because I went to boarding school for high school. So I had one trainer up at school and another near my parents house who I showed with. Before high school I also had 2 trainers one from a small local barn and another when I made the transition to the bigger shows. I often rode at the local barn during school breaks mostly because I loved the kids there- both trainers knew I was riding at both and would often speak to each other.

[2boys]

This is actually kind of a tricky topic for me. I am finding that the trainers I use contradict each other with regards to both techniques and end goals. I also feel so guilty when I back off of one or another. Anyone else??

[SarahandSam]

This summer I moved my horse for a few months to a former friend's barn. She talked me into taking lessons with her trainer. I also continued with my regular trainer. Working with both of them really kicked my butt into shape, but I had problems because friend's trainer didn't like my trainer much and vice versa. I got sick of my friend's trainer's negativity toward me and my regular trainer, especially after regular trainer moved away.

Now I'm at a new lesson barn that I love. I take lessons regularly with one of the assistant trainers, who only comes in for that one day. So when I need a makeup lesson, I take it with one of the head trainers. I like them both and they yell at me about the same stuff, so it works out fine. I would hazard a guess that there are probably various dynamics and drama between trainers there, but they leave me out of it as a student if that's the case, so I'm happy about that. I've asked my regular trainer to give me lessons on my horse at some point soon, because she's closer to where my horse is and I'm most comfortable with her--but I will also probably pay for the head trainer to come out and give me lessons with him now and then just to have a different set of eyes and different thoughts on him as we get ready to start showing.

[loni1949]

I had that a few times, though what I did is probably not going to helpful for you.

I often stuck with what one trainer said, and then would pose some times rude questions such as if I do x- this way instead of what you just said- is that incorrect or another way to do that., and what are the consequences.

(then again I was a smartty 15-17 year old) and may not do that now.. However, all 3 trainers know I rode with each other so they weren't so surprised when I got a bit confused.

[boosma47]

I credit my multiple trainers over the years for giving me a base of knowledge and perspective I know wouldn't have been possible with just a few. Some have been lousy teachers but good trainers, others have been excellent communicators, but not so good as trainers, and a precious few have been an inspiring mixture of all the best qualities.

The point here is that all have something we can learn from, good or not so good. As we progress as riders, we learn to put the pieces together for ourselves, to ask questions and choose what direction we want. Riding can be a lifelong graduate course in things horse (and human!). It often takes us in directions we never imagined.

My advice to all is to beware of the trainer who professes to know it all, refuses to continue his/er own education, and/or gets his/er nose out of joint for seeking other perspectives. To me, a good trainer wants his/er students to grow and learn!

[Jumper6252]

I have 3 different trainers and all 3 tell me differnt things so I find it very helpful because they all give me different critiques

[Tilly]

I used to have a fabulous H/J trainer, weekly lessons with her, and then a once a month clinic with an excellent Eventing trainer [he did Jumpers too]. Now that we've moved away and I no longer have my H/J trainer :( , I'm going to try a lesson with one of the Eventing trainer's students. If I like her, then I'll lesson weekly with her and clinic monthly with him.

I think it's very helpful to have multiple trainers :yes:

[Little Valkyrie]

I have my weekly lessons with my eventing trainer right up the street, plus supplemented with jumping lessons (with jumphigh83, who just abandoned us for FL :( ) and with certain dressage coaches and clinics for cross country, show jumping, and dressage. Its always great to have a new set of eyes and new ideas. Just getting a few weeks of supplemental jumping lessons made things 100x easier with my mare.

[nycrider2004]

As a junior I went through a period of multiple trainers as I tested out who I wanted to go to from my local BNT to BNT - I would also get tips from the trainers of whatever horse(s) I was catch riding. Even when I was with just one trainer I still would occasionally do clinics with folks who are trainer thought would help us improve our riding and we had clinics with dressage trainers and even eventers to help us round out our skill/horse knowledge. Our trainer would also occasionally send us with someone else if there was a conflict in shows and neither the BNT or their assistant could make it.

Now adays, out of neccesity, I ride with whomever has horses for me take lessons on - I've found that all have slightly different styles and that it makes me a stronger rider to be able to ride in more than one way. They also have different tricks for working on certain rider/horse problems - so learning about what they do gives me a multitude of potential solutions when I run into a problem. I look at it as building a tool box.

I'm definitely a life long learner, and while I can see it beneficialy staying with one person while you get the basics mastered, no one person can teach you everything so I see it as invaluable to go out and take lessons/clinic, etc. with different people.

[ckennington]

Here's how we are currently training: My 4 1/2 year old warmblood (17.2h) is currently being trained by one trainer. My 15 year old daughter is being trained by an Equitation trainer. My 12 year old daughter is being trained by a Pony trainer. (The Equitation trainer referred us to the Pony Trainer).

All are excellent in their own rite(sp?). However, as the parent shipping horses and riders around to different trainers - it is very challenging.

I would love to find a one-stop-shop where we could receive each of the individual training needs.

I'm still figuring that out...:eek:

[MissintheSouth]

I train with multiple trainers. At home, I ride with my regular jumper trainer who runs the barn. I lesson with her about 2x month.

She has us ride with many different pros whenever she can get them to the barn or clinics.

At shows I usually ride with one my my regular trainer's pro friends. My trainer doesn't really like teaching at shows, she would rather watch her students and horses without having to run from warm up ring to barn to ring, etc. She also wants us to see how other people walk courses, prepare for classes, and teach.

Then I clinic as much as I can and ride often at another BNT's place where my trainer boards her greenies.

I get a lot out of having so many different perspectives. I have also learned to recognize very quickly which teaching style is going to work for me and my horse.

[Punkie]

I'm in a sort of odd situation. I have my show horses split between two barns and I ride with three different trainers. I originally had 2 of my own guys, one (Penuche) was 8 and in need of a full training program and the other (Byron) was 21 and had been my show partner for the past 9 years. So I moved my young horse to a farm about an hour and fifteen minutes away from me. I needed a farm for my older guy that was closer to my house so that I could ride him daily, so my new trainer recommened the barn that I have him at now. My trainers have known each other for almost 30 years and are very friendly and share many of the same methodologies, so that's worked out brilliantly.

At the barn that I keep my older guy at, there is an assistant trainer who hosts a weekly "girl's night" lesson for a group of us 20-somethings. So I started riding with her as well. She also coaches me along side head trainer at horse shows.

During this time, my young horse has grown up and I have purchased another younger, greener boy (Carson) who is in full training at the same barn as my now 9 year old. Penuche is now ready for the daily am ride and the weekly pro ride (he's currently getting the daily pro ride and the am ride once or twice on weekends), so he's moving up to Byron's farm next week. Carson will remain in full training.

So long story short, I ride and show with two different trainers, but it is a very symbiotic relationship. They'll even stable together at shows and share me between horses. I've also taken the horse I keep at one barn to a show wtih the other farm (i.e. Byron went to Westbrook with my RI farm and Penuche went to VT with my MA farm). Everyone is very understanding and supportive about the situation. We are currently shopping for a fourth horse, so we'll see who finds what and where the horse ends up!

[wolfpackfan]

My daughter has two different trainers. We started working with a show stable that was two hours from us but they are top notch trainers so we felt it worth the travel. However, because they judge and do other things it is not always possible to get there for 4-5 lessons a month and sometimes, because she is the only child they work with, she needs to go to different shows than they attend. For that reason, they suggested very early in the relationship that we have a local area trainer as well. They even suggested someone they knew and felt confident with. Sure enough the person they told us about is fantastic and we are lucky to have three wonderful trainers that work with each other so well. I never feel tugged one way or the other and I know that the training my daughter gets from both places is hand in hand.

Normally, I think this would be a really strange and difficult situation to pull off but if a person is upfront and the trainers and they are comfortable with one another it could work. I think it just depends on the trainers and situation.

I like to tell people my daughter has the "Dream Team"!!!!

[flash1]

Right now we have my horse in training with a upper level dressage trainer...once he is back in shape ( he was injured over the summer) we will work with a jumping trainer...most likely will keep both...cross training is good for all...

[Aliascml]

I ride with two trainers. I like it because each one notices different things that I need to work on. I think that it will make me a better rider who is well-rounded.

[Rumors]

i have two trainers...a more BNT that i show with and a really awesome guy who mostly stays home...my at-home guy keeps things going correctly day to day and my BNT polishes things up on the road...

both are great teachers and have different things to teach. i think the different styles have made my horses a lot nicer...and have made me a much stronger rider...

[iridehorses]

the barn i take lessons at has 3 main trainers, i have had lessons and been trained by each of them.
we dont board there, so when im at a show where one of those trainers are at, i trrain with anyone my main trainers trust. im easy to train, so i go along with anyone!