"Should My Horse Go to School, or Should I?"
I learned this lesson many years ago, and it changed the direction of my horsemanship journey.
The first horse I ever owned was named Shaker.
Like many horse owners, I found myself struggling to get Shaker to do some of the things I wanted him to do. I didn't have the knowledge or experience to understand why we were having these difficulties, so I decided to send him to a professional horse trainer.
And you know what? It worked!
Shaker improved considerably while he was with the trainer.
But something became very apparent once he came home.
Although Shaker had received an education, I hadn't.
I soon discovered that I didn't possess the knowledge, understanding, or skills necessary to maintain and continue the education the trainer had begun developing in my horse.
And that realization became an important turning point in my life.
Training the Horse and Educating the Horseperson Are Two Different Things
I want to make something clear. I am certainly not against sending horses to professional trainers. I eventually became a horse trainer myself.
A good trainer's responsibility is to bring out the very best they can in the horse, advancing its education as much as possible, using humane methods, within the time the owner has chosen to invest.
There are many good reasons to send a horse for professional training.
Perhaps you're concerned about your personal safety. Maybe you have a breeding program and want your horses professionally developed and showcased in a particular discipline. Perhaps your schedule doesn't allow you to ride consistently, or you're preparing a horse for sale.
All perfectly reasonable considerations.
But I believe there is another question worth asking.
When your horse comes home from the trainer, will you have the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain and build upon that training?
Because the horse may have changed considerably during its time away, but have you?
What Does the Horse Owner Need to Know?
In my experience, there are some fundamental things every horseperson would benefit from understanding.
For example:
How do we effectively communicate with horses?
What is the difference between a cue and an aid?
What are the names, purposes, cues, and aids associated with the maneuvers we ask our horses to perform?
What is feel, and how do we begin developing it?
These aren't simply things to memorize.
They are things we need to understand and learn how to apply.
Knowing what a maneuver is called is very different from understanding how to communicate that maneuver to your horse.
And knowing what you want your horse to do is very different from knowing how to help your horse accomplish it.
Without that understanding, even a well-trained horse can become difficult for its owner to maintain or advance.
The Investment That Changed Everything for Me
Eventually, I began investing in my own horsemanship education.
And what I discovered was something far more valuable than simply learning how to get Shaker to do the things I wanted.
I learned how to communicate with him.
I developed a better understanding of what I was asking, how I was asking, and why he responded the way he did.
I began developing the knowledge and skills necessary not only to maintain Shaker's training but to continue advancing his education.
But here is what I consider the most valuable part of that investment.
The education I received didn't belong to Shaker. It belonged to me.
And that meant I could take it with me everywhere I went.
I could apply what I learned to every horse I rode, not just Shaker.
As my understanding and experience grew, I eventually became a horse trainer myself. That journey continued and eventually led me to become a horsemanship instructor, clinician, author, and mentor to other aspiring horsemen and horsewomen.
And to think, it all began with a horse named Shaker and the realization that perhaps I was the one who needed more education.
Which Investment Will Give You the Results You're Looking For?
If you're considering sending your horse to a trainer, I would encourage you to ask yourself a few questions.
What am I hoping to accomplish?
Is my horse lacking education, or am I lacking the knowledge and skills to help my horse?
Will sending my horse for training create the results I'm looking for in my own riding abilities and understanding?
And when my horse comes home, will I know how to maintain and continue its education?
Sometimes professional horse training is absolutely the right investment.
But sometimes, the person who would benefit most from an education is the one holding the reins.
From my own experience, I believe that investing in your personal horsemanship education, alongside your horse, can offer tremendous long-term value.
Because when you invest in training a horse, you're investing in that horse's education.
But when you invest in your own horsemanship education, you're investing in knowledge and skills that can benefit every horse you ride for the rest of your life.
And that is an investment I have never regretted making.
Marty Gardner Flattop Horsemanship
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