[Fox Glove]

Well said Jeda

There are people who do it for the sheer love of the sport, and that hardly makes them "desperate" by any meaning of the word.

Most trainers go above and beyond for their students, after all their students are their billboards, and them being successful is a reflection of their skills.

Yes, they are in it for a living, but, some below average, small time, so called trainer, who has done nothing of note, who simply has a barn and a trailer, taking advantage of the situation by price gouging, gives the entire industry a black eye

No true professional wants someone like this being held as the industry standard. Those worth the money -are. Those who are not, and who are charging BN prices, with out the BN, are simply taking advantage of a situation, pure and simple..

If that "rather ticks you off" perhaps your own ethics, or that which you have become accustomed to, are askew, IMVHO

I have had some riders and trainers, give me advice, just out of kindness, their hearts are in the sport, and they want to see others do well.

That is the mark of a true professional, who loves the sport, and supports those who support it.

[Rose ofintrigue]

Originally Posted by Native Winds

To me its a little steep but then again I am no longer a big show person either. It also depends where you live. If you live in the New England states your going to pay more. If your at a well noted primarily show barn your going to pay more. If your at a high end exclusive show and training facility your going to pay more. Since I train and ride my own horses I pay for myself. Now if I need trans portation for my horse to a show I will find out ahead of time how many horses are going and make arrangements prior for the cost of transportation.
Some times if I plan to go to a show but not show a horse and I work with a student of mine I dont charge for it. There was no prior agreement to charge for something that was pretty much "spur of the moment". I dont have to help or give a little coaching so it was my choice. Now if they required my assistance to go to a specific show for "coaching" then yes I charge for the time.

I did not board myloate mare at a show/training facility. It was a small barn for individuals to board thier horses and I paid (back then) $275 a month for hay, feed, stall cleaning (they stunk at that job), water, and turn out on a daily basis. I guarantee you its more than that now. I usualy ended up cleaning out my stall for they didnt do a very good job of doing that. I charge 50 dollars for a general trim clip: that includes bridlepath, around the face, ears and jaw line, all four legs and around the coronet bands. Mane pulling is more, and other clipping like body clipping I charge more.

I guess the best thing is to get it all in writing before hand.

My two cents...Knowledge is what you get when you read the small print..Experience is what we get when we don't..can't argue with this post!

[Native Winds]

Originally Posted by Rose ofintrigue

My two cents...Knowledge is what you get when you read the small print..Experience is what we get when we don't..can't argue with this post!

Got that right. !!

[missy'sbabydoll]

Originally Posted by Fox Glove

Well said Jeda

There are people who do it for the sheer love of the sport, and that hardly makes them "desperate" by any meaning of the word.

Most trainers go above and beyond for their students, after all their students are their billboards, and them being successful is a reflection of their skills.

Yes, they are in it for a living, but, some below average, small time, so called trainer, who has done nothing of note, who simply has a barn and a trailer, taking advantage of the situation by price gouging, gives the entire industry a black eye

No true professional wants someone like this being held as the industry standard. Those worth the money -are. Those who are not, and who are charging BN prices, with out the BN, are simply taking advantage of a situation, pure and simple..

If that "rather ticks you off" perhaps your own ethics, or that which you have become accustomed to, are askew, IMVHO

I have had some riders and trainers, give me advice, just out of kindness, their hearts are in the sport, and they want to see others do well.

That is the mark of a true professional, who loves the sport, and supports those who support it.

I have to say I agree with this. I am brand new to english and the dressage h/j circut. I was so lucky to find a great great barn with a great staff. I wasn't sure if it was for me so I started off with the assistant trainer which is half the price for a one hour private lesson. I love her she works my booty off and I have all ready noticed a difference in my riding.

They are very nice people, and when the trainer is there she over see's my lesson when she is not busy and gives me free pointers and helps me. I offered to pay her and she said no way. She loves what she does and she knows ultimately that when I step into that show ring I represent her and her buisness so it's worth the effort to help me when she can.

That is why I drive over an hour and a half, and some 50 miles one way to train with them. It's expensive but I am now riding better than I have ever done and it's because I found someone that does it for the love of the sport and not to get rich.

to the OP I would go talk to her and she if she can knock down the bill some, especially for the charges of things you didn't ask for (clipping, supplements etc.)

[CJnBucksMom]

Interested to hear how this has turned out...

[OrangeRikki]

Originally Posted by CJnBucksMom

Interested to hear how this has turned out...

I actually haven't spoken to her since I brought Spear home. (No need for me to go in there with him here) I've decided to just pay the bill, not say anything else about it. Lessons learned. I'd rather there not be any bad blood between us, especially if I do end up switching to another trainer. Of course, if I do that, chances are she's going to be super angry with me anyway.

[nrhareiner]

Originally Posted by OrangeRikki

especially if I do end up switching to another trainer. Of course, if I do that, chances are she's going to be super angry with me anyway.

Then that is when you tell her why you switched. Really simple.

[katydid]

Originally Posted by OrangeRikki

I'd rather there not be any bad blood between us, especially if I do end up switching to another trainer. Of course, if I do that, chances are she's going to be super angry with me anyway.

Dude, this makes me more concerned than the bill ... the fact that you think the trainer will be angry if you move! IME a true professional does not get angry if a client decides to leave, unless there are some weird extenuating circumstances. Anyway, good luck!

[OrangeRikki]

Originally Posted by katydid

Dude, this makes me more concerned than the bill ... the fact that you think the trainer will be angry if you move! IME a true professional does not get angry if a client decides to leave, unless there are some weird extenuating circumstances. Anyway, good luck!

Well the assistant trainer and a couple students packed up and shipped out a while ago. Then, another girl and her mother moved their Holsteiner and TB to another barn. And the girl who owns my horse's brother said that she was going to trailer to a show with another farm. (Which honestly, makes sense to me because our trainer is going to have a full trailer with her horses and me...and I signed up first.) In any case, she was very unhappy about that. So, I have some reason to believe she may be unhappy when I tell her that I'm leaving.

[Fox Glove]

When anyone leaves, there is barn drama

It is what it is, dang right she is going to be upset, another rider got smart and got out.
The more people that do that, the worse it is for her rep, and her bottom line.

I wish you the best of luck finding a new barn.