Last month I received several letters, most of which were for publication, but one writer preferred not to see her name in print. Even though I couldn’t publish her letter, the topic remained on my mind. She titled it: “How do we fix this?” Her concerns dealt with working with professional horse trainers.
She asked: “Why is it that integrity is such an elusive commodity among horse dealers [or] professional trainers? Why is it that no one wishes to subscribe to a uniform code of conduct? How hard is it to have a standardized commission system and a code of ethics to be proud of?”
Well, this week George Morris discusses a solution to this situation in his Between Rounds column “It’s Time To Begin Certifying American Riding Instructors” (p. 7). George is on the U.S. Equestrian Federation-appointed Instructors’ Certification Committee that’s working to set up and implement a program that will certify hunter/jumper trainers throughout the country from grassroots to the upper echelon. As George says in his column, the United States is one of the only major show jumping powers without a trainer certification program or a written code of ethics.
My letter writer said she spent time researching the buying and vetting processes when she purchased a horse, but it seems her experience was still a negative one. She said, “[This is] a vastly diverse profession with loosely held rules that never seem to apply twice. The top apex of the group is probably not quite as corrupt as toward the lower economic end, but nonetheless if everyone was subscribing to the same rules of principle it makes the whole process so much less painful than buying a ‘used’ car.”
It’s a shame that this buyer had a stressful and shady experience simply buying her first horse. And, unfortunately, she’s not alone. There’s a reason that the term “horse dealer” often carries a negative connotation.
Trainer Shelley Campf, of Oregon, is the chairman of the USEF Committee. She noted that one of the program’s goals (still in the developmental stage) is for a client to be able to access a list of certified trainers (eventually listed by category and/or specialization) in her area who will meet her needs.
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“This system will legitimize our sport and add integrity to the profession,” said Shelley. “We hope this will eventually protect the consumer. The consumer shouldn’t be subject to some trainer who says he’s a trainer when he doesn’t have the knowledge to be a trainer.”
A major component of the Committee’s project is developing a manual that will discuss, succinctly, the different subjects crucial to being a professional, including stable management, basic veterinary care, flatwork, gymnastics, longeing, jumping, rules and, of utmost importance, a trainer’s code of conduct.
We all know many knowledgeable, reputable and trustworthy trainers out there, and this certification process will only help their businesses. “If you’re good at what you do you should pass the test with flying colors,” said Shelley. “We hope that in 20 years being certified will be the industry norm instead of the exception.”
At the beginning, the certification process will be voluntary, but eventually it will become mandatory. And I hope that with this program in place in the future, letters such as the one I received last month will no longer need to be written.
Tricia Booker
