07/03/2025
Choosing The Right Horse Trainer/Riding Instructor
Whether you’re just starting out in your equestrian pursuit or you’ve been in the saddle for years, if you’re a junior rider or an experienced professional, somewhere along the way you’ve encountered one or more horse riding trainers/instructors that have had, or may continue to have an everlasting and unbelievable influence on the way you ride, what you’ve accomplished in the sport, and how far you can go.
Having the right connection with your instructor is critical to your ability to learn and advance in the sport.
Good trainers with the ability to take students and their mounts to the next level of riding and break through barriers they never believed possible, are priceless.
In the same way that a great trainer can make your horse riding experience extraordinary, the wrong trainer can cause a lot of stress and drama in your life, set you and your horse back, break down your confidence and diminish your enjoyment of the sport. The horse industry is a big one, but it’s also very small at the same time. It’s based on careers, reputations, achievements, and unfortunately sometimes, a lot of gossip. At times you’ll find most trainers in and around your area are either loved or hated, depending on who you ask, but never in between. Even if a person has never used a particular trainer, their reputation can and will precede them as being brilliant, terrible, strict, or talented. Finding the right trainer, not just for you but your horse can take a lot of time, and be a struggle. A lot of times cost and location can be a big factor. Sometimes you will need to take the time to work with and get to know other trainers to really decide if they are a good fit.
It can take a few weeks or even a few months to find your stride with a new trainer but finding the right one will make all the difference.
How to know
It can be confusing at times to know if your trainer is the right fit for you.
You may like and enjoy a particular person, but as a trainer find that the progression in your riding has come to a halt (no pun intended) or that your horse’s progress has become very stagnant. They may be a great rider, but not an effective teacher. You may have goals beyond the experience of your instructor, or their training methods may just not work well for you and your horse.
Watch "good" riders videos, shows, training arena, et cetera, although this is becoming increasingly harder. Don’t try to dissect what they are doing, just let the “picture” imprint itself in your memory. When you are mounted, take a deep breath and “immerse” yourself with the memory of that perfect picture. Don’t compare yourself to the picture—rather, breathe and just ride your horse as if you were the rider in the remembered image.
Do you need to move on?
Does your trainer listen to you?
This is a big deal.
Your trainer may listen to what you're saying, but not really hear it.
You have goals, expectations, fears, and struggles in your riding and your trainer needs to really listen to what you want out of the sport, because let's face it… it's what is going to make you happy. Your trainer should not be following their own goals or agenda for you and your horse, despite the fact they think you are Grand Prix material or not… they need to listen, pay attention and help you to make it happen.
Does your trainer put you and your horse’s best interests first?
This one is very important.
Horse training and instruction is a full time career if not a business for many trainers, and it is a very difficult one to make a living at. You need to make sure that your trainer is always putting your best interests above their own, especially their monetary ones. This could be anything such as pressuring a student to enter a show because they may get an additional trainer and trailer fee. Working on what your horse specifically needs to work on so that you have an easier time riding the horse and so you can advance, and not so the trainer can show him.
Allowing your horse time off to rest or heal even if it means a break in lessons. Not pressuring you to use a farrier, vet, or horse professional, or to only promote products and tack that they are endorsing or earn commission on, that they find the best fit for you and your horse’s needs on all levels, whether it benefits them directly or not.
Does your trainer have enough correct patient experience?
Your trainer doesn’t have to have shown Grand Prix jumpers, or Rolex 3 Day, or have trained with Olympic caliber Dressage trainers.
You don’t need a trainer named “Boyd Martin” or “Carl Hester”, even though it would be nice. Your trainer needs enough experience to help you achieve your goals (especially your short-term ones), and enough experience to keep you safe.
There are many amazing instructors that have an amazing ability to bring out the best in their students and have what it takes to help them advance and really enjoy the sport. They don’t need to be famous or have a multi-million dollar facility, just one who has enough experience to take you where you want to go.
Sometimes you may love a particular instructor and have learned a lot from them, but you have outgrown their experience.
You’ve advanced to a particular level where their experience, or rather limited experience won’t be able to get you much further.
If you want to ride up to FEI level in Dressage, then you will need an experienced trainer who can take you and your horse up those steps.
If you want to ride in the top rated hunter/jumper shows, you need a trainer with the talent of helping you improve up to that level.
Your trainer needs to have been there, know what it takes, know what type of horse it takes, and how to plan ahead and work toward your goals. You may even find that certain trainers excel at certain disciplines and may find that having two trainers, one for jumping and one for dressage may work best to your advantage, or you may find an amazing trainer who has endless experience in all areas of riding and showing.
Expectations
We may all think the world of our horses, and at times riders will believe that they are more talented than they really are.
It is up to your instructor to be honest and blunt about your riding abilities, about the experience and potential of your horse, and the ability to reach the goals you are looking to reach in your riding.
If you want to event at higher levels, your horse can’t be afraid of water.
If you want to compete in western speed events, your horse needs to be agile, fast, smart, and be able to tolerate cows.
The right trainer isn’t going to inflate your ego, or build your expectations up to levels you can’t possibly reach.
They aren’t going to promise your horse will be competing in FEI in 3 years, when he’s currently struggling to get through First Level.
They aren’t going to tell you that you’re going to win at the AEC's when you can barely steer your horse.
And they aren’t going to tell you your $1000 bargain pony is going to hold his own against $200k jumpers and their owners.
They are going to keep you grounded, focused and on track with goals that you can reasonably achieve and stars that are genuinely within your reach.
If high goals are achievable, they are going to be upfront with the hard work involved, the time it will take and how difficult the road will be.
Either way, you are forming goals and shaping dreams that you and your horse are capable of, or making the right changes needed to improve your chances of achieving the ones you are willing to work even harder to reach.
Are you comfortable
Trainers have different methods of training, different levels of discipline and different levels of experience.
Some have ways of teaching horses that have worked really well for them over the years, but these methods may be slightly unconventional or different than you’re used to. No matter what type of training your trainer is doing, whether they are riding your horse or working with him on the ground, if you ever find yourself uncomfortable with what is going on, you need to address it with your trainer.
You need to be comfortable with your trainer’s riding and your horse’s reaction and progress to their riding style. If they dismiss your concerns or tell you that they know best, that's fine, and maybe they do, but at the end of the day it’s your horse, and you are paying them for their services, so you need to be happy and comfortable with what is going on. If the safety and wellbeing of your horse at any time is of concern, you are probably with the wrong training.
Also, not all trainer riding/training styles are a good fit for each horse.
What do you want
Communication, compromise and understanding is important, but above all, you and your trainer must be on the same page on what is going on with your training as well as your horse.
So there are certain circumstances where a trainer may not want to ride your horse, such as your trainer being older and worried of injuries on say, a young horse… but when it comes down to it, there is no better way for a trainer to truly understand what your horse is like, what he needs and what you are dealing with (and how to work through it!) than getting in the saddle and feeling it for themselves.
Most trainers have the unbelievable ability to make our Volkswagens look like BMW’s just by getting on them. They have the magic seat, leg, hands and ability to get the most out of our horses, and that is exactly why we hire them and strive to learn from them. However, if your trainer is not willing to get on your horse, you need to wonder why.
Having a trainer with the ability to work with you and your horse together and separately on many levels is an invaluable asset toward improvement for the both of you. If your trainer does get on your horse, and they lack the ability to work through the issues or improve on the issues that you are having, they may not have enough experience to train you or your horse as effectively as you may need.
Trust is huge when it comes to a trainer, rider and horse love triangle. Your instructor should know what you are capable of or learn exactly what you are capable of before pushing your limits. They should never put you in a situation you can’t handle, set you up for failure, or force you to work through an issue that could be potentially dangerous for you and your horse.
It is the responsibility of an instructor to work with each student and horse on their individual levels and capabilities in a safe and controlled environment.
Many times, instructors will push riders and horses out of their comfort zones, which can be a good thing, but if the rider and horse is not ready it will be disastrous.
If you are having trouble steering your horse at the canter, your instructor should have you work on a lunge line to improve your seat and balance.
If your horse keeps refusing the same fence and you fall off or are struggling to get them over it, your trainer should lower the fence and take a step down until your horse gains the confidence in himself and his rider to jump at the level you are trying to jump.
If your horse keeps spooking and taking off during lessons, your trainer needs to take time and work with your horse to desensitize him, while you take lessons on a safer horse to build your balance and confidence.
While your instructor is there to help you push through barriers that are in your way, they do it at a reasonable and comfortable pace that allows you to build your confidence, skills and balance, without being stressed out or becoming scared or fearful of your horse or certain exercises with your horse.
Above all you need to have a solid trust in your instructor that you are safe and that they are not asking you to do anything above your ability or comfort level or even your fitness level.
Your journey with your horse should be safe, comfortable and enjoyable at all times.
Bonus Question: Are you happy?
It may seem like a no brainer, but at the end of the day, this may be the most important question you can ask yourself.
If you are not generally happy, if you find yourself constantly frustrated or stressed, if riding becomes a fear, chore or nightmare and not the highlight of your day, rest assured you are with the wrong trainer. If you are generally unhappy and struggling every time you step into the ring with your trainer, to no fault of anyone, the connection between you and the instructor may just not be right.
Good luck in your journey, your search for the perfect instructor and remember that your happiness and your ability to have fun and stay safe is truly what matters most.
