[minilove]

My farm doesn’t have an indoor and I want to make sure I can keep riding during the winter. The BM of my farm has been kindly giving me lessons for free since I moved to the barn and with her help Sam (my horse) and I have improved beyond words. Another border who went grand prix jumper for season (she was in a car accident and now has service dog awareness non-profitable business) comes done every so often and also gives me lessons (free). I am extremely lucky, they also discuss me and my riding so they are both up to date on where I am in my riding. I adore them both.

My question is, I have a found a 3rd trainer (BM recommend this women) who teaches at a barn with an indoor. They are friends so I assume they will talk a little, but I can fill in my BM on what I learn. Would it be helpful to have a 3rd opinion or too conflicting with different ideas and teaching styles? My plan is weekly lessons and once a month or every 6 weeks hopefully I can trailer Sam down and take a lesson him with the new trainer. He needs the exposure, he's only been off the farm once sense I bought him. I'd take him for lessons more often, but isn't fair to my BO to have to trailer me to lessons. I'd offer to pay gas, but I know she would never take it.

I’m going this wed. for a lesson to see if I like her and then she is away on vacation for 2 weeks and when she comes back if I like her I will start regular weekly lessons.

[Lindsayanne]

Answer: depends.

But I'd definitely try it. I think the only time it's counter productive is if they are teaching you conflicting things, or one has completely different expectations, or they just plain don't like each other and take it out on you.

I've ridden with multiple trainers at a time before and would absolutely do it again if I thought it was a good opportunity. Sounds like it would be great for sam anyway!

[horseyfrk145]

okay, i was in a simaler situation and it worked for a while...but then it had to stop.

heres the senario -
i have my 3yo [dressage] horse and a dressage trainer for us. 3-4 lessons a week, strictly dressage

i have [had, now] an eventer - 10yo, jumping trainer for us. 1-2 lessons a week, plus however much i rode him on my own

i rode an AMAZING eventing trainers' horses and did eventing. 1 time a week

it worked for a while, but there were MANY conflicting lessons...now i just have my dressage horse, and my eventing trainer and (starting in March) a new dressage trainer

but for you - id say def go for it! in those few months, i learned SO much (i mean, i WAS taking 7 lessons a week )

[Haas Horse Farm]

To me riding with different trainers is much like religeon... You can learn something from all of them as long as they have the same basic tenants... When you go to mixing them and the do not have the same basic ideas is where the issues come in. For instance if you get one train who absolutely thinks that no one should use any bit other than a two piece snaffle and ride bareback because saddles are terrible and your second trainer wants you to ride in a dog bone snaffle and use a dressage saddle... well that just is not going to work.

However if they both think you should ride in a dressage saddle and use whatever bit works best you should be good to go. Bottom line you have to do what works for you and your horse.

What is always interesting to me is the number of trainers/instructors who want to give advice on correcting an issue with a horse that they have never ridden when the horse is right there in front of them. To me I would think that if the instructor was worth their salt and capable of riding then by all means they should swing their but up there and show me how to do it.

[Lou3]

When I was younger I had a "regular" instructor, plus went to all sorts of rallies with the pony club and riding club and attended jumping clinics with a big name instructor. I never had any issues with working with more than one trainer. If one of the new trainers told me something I disagreed with I just ignored them and kept on doing what my regular instructor told me.

[Blistering Winds]

Well, the only problem I see with multiple trainers at once is consistency. I've noticed different people want to use different cues at times. Which will confuse the horse to death.

When that happens, pick one, stick with it for a while, if it doesn't work, go to the next.

However, many trainers like to be exclusive. So be careful, you might get blackballed by all 3.

[Fox Glove]

I think the first thing is, get your goals straight, what you want, and what you expect. I try never to use time constrictions, horses don't care

Give this trainer a shot, if you and they are on the same page, and you can make this work with what you have been learning, great.

If the fit isn't good, move on, no harm no foul, never hurts to try.

I have two trainers, they know each other, and are on the same page,
it is a win-win for all of us .

Paula

[18thTomorrow]

I agree with paula.

I'd just be careful to make sure all of your trainers know about each other--you wouldn't want to offend your barn owner or the grand prix lady who is nice enough to give you lessons for free. But if they both agree that this could be really helpful then by all means go for it.

[Jenje!]

As long as you're able to sort out their differences and make choices for your horse without doing something different with every instructor, you should be fine.

A lot of instructors will expect you to do what they're saying... when they say it. No discussion until after; that's what you're paying them for! If your potential new training addition is going to be so different from the others that you can't respond in a timely manner without thinking, "but..." then maybe it's best not to take her on as a "regular". It's not going to be fair to either of you if you're constantly second-guessing her thinking because it goes against what your other two trainers have told you, ect.

I have ridden with two different trainers in the past... the one was a fantastic trainer, and the "addition" taught me something new that I wanted to try with my mare, but it ran a bit against what the original trainer would want me to do in lessons with her. So I got frustrated from time to time because the two ideas were aimed at the same end, but so different, and I didn't feel as though I could use both and be any kind of fair to my horse. Watch out for that.

[Buckshot]

It depends.

If the three trainers agree on methods, go for it.
However, if they have conflicting methods, it will really confuse the horse, and you don't want that.

Give it a shot. Chances are if the BM recommended her, she probably has similar methods, at least.