[blueeyedhorse]

I broke Mickey myself w/t/c. We had our share of ups and and downs but right now he's pretty much the most reliable horse in the barn,(ppl who aren't super experianced ie. kids can't tell his age even when looking at him.) Currently as of January he is in western pleasure show training with my trainer but I do still ride him about 3x a week as well. I would HIGHLY suggest breaking your own horse if you have the experiance. Even though I am not doing the show training just putting the groundwork, basics, actual riding time has helped my bond with my horse. And roadblocks are normal you will go through them just keep smileing and think about how good your end result will be!!

[nickernnod]

"Breaking" horses starts from the ground up. You must develop a trusting relationship with your horse on the ground in order to be successful in the saddle. So even though you are having a professional train and break your horse, it's up to you to get past those fears and work on building trust with him. You're going to have to know how to handle certain situations to avoid putting you or him in danger. I would read up on the subject and have the trainer teach you some basic maneuvers and commands. A lot of times it's the horse that takes the blame for blowing up or misbehaving, when in fact it's the rider who does not know how to read or redirect the behavior. Good luck to you, I hope you accomplish everything you are looking to with your horse.