First off, congratulations on deciding to start Jumping, you’re going to love it! There are so many different disciplines to choose from in the equestrian world, many of which I have tried, and I must say, there is nothing quite like flying while on the back of a horse; it is truly magical.  To get started, the most important thing you can do is to choose the right trainer and barn. I cannot stress enough how important it is to find the right program for you and, if you have one, your horse. For this blog post, I am going to assume that the audience is totally new to horses, and we will start from square one. But, even if you are not new to horses and are changing disciplines or, are not happy with your progress and current program, please keep reading because there is sound advice for you too.

Step 1 – Find a Trainer that is Compatible with You

To get started in finding a trainer that is compatible with you, I want you to think about other areas of your life where you take advice from a professional; such as an accountant, teacher, sports coach, or a professional consultant at work, and think about all the traits that you want in those individuals, and list them out so you know what type of trainer you are looking for. These should be soft skills and not technical skills and traits. Below are a few I look for in employees and, other professionals I work with.

·       Direct/Straightforward Communication. No room for ambiguity.

·       Committed.

·       Calm presence/low energy.

·       Honest.

·       Caring.

·       Ability to make eye contact.

·       Willingness and ability to tone out distractions and focus on the task at hand.

·       Accepting of my personal limits. Physical, mental, financial, time.

·       Able to have a hard conversation/stick to their guns.

Some of the traits I have listed above probably seem obvious such as honest, caring, and moral but, some are less obvious, such as having a calm presence and being low energy. This is where self-awareness comes in. For me, I know people who have high-energy invoke feelings in me such as: feeling rushed, anxious, less able to focus on one thing, irritation. Because I know this about myself, I will look for someone who is calm. Finding a trainer that is compatible with you is just as important as their technical skills. If you cant learn from them, it wont matter what they can teach you.

Step 2 – Evaluating Skill, Knowledge, and Experience/Professionalism

This will be particularly hard for people new to the horse world because you simply just do not know enough about the industry yet, and that plain ole makes it hard. Consider doing the following to asses a trainers abilities.

1.       Learn to Talk the Talk – Educate yourself and learn about the industry. Learn some of the buzz words, watch videos and learn to know what to look for. I highly recommend going to both the United States Equestrian Foundation’s website and watch videos on the Learning Center. This is not a perfect collection of videos but, its reputable. You should also check out the USHJA or USEF websites and have a read around. There is also YouTube, and I say that with some hesitation. There are a lot of people on YouTube that profess to be trainers and have large followings but, really are not very knowable. I have listed a few good horsey YouTubers below.

a.       Elisha Wallace

b.       This Esme

c.       Elphick Event Horses

 

2.       Ask for their qualifications – Trainers have different backgrounds but, they should be able to list accomplishments in the show ring, their students accomplishments in the show ring or, be able to reference bigger name trainers they have worked for in the past. It is very important for beginners to find someone with experience or, working as an assistant trainer under a very experienced person.

 

3.       Ask for references – They should be able to provide a few references for professionals they have worked for, or current clients. If they cannot provide references, that’s not a great sign.

 

4.       Watch a few lessons and hang out for an hour or two – Look to see how the trainer interacts with different riders and how they handle different personalities. Are they able to change their teaching method and delivery style to accommodate the student?

 

5.       Check out the organization and cleanliness of the barn – If a barn smells like ammonia, has an Eiffel Tower sized manure pile out back, too few shavings in the stalls, and no turn out. It means they do not prioritize their horses, and that is a bad sign of a cheap poorly run program.

 

6.       Ask lots of questions! There is no dumb questions, if the trainer does not want to answer your questions, find a different trainer.

 

Step 3 – Is the Program Aligned with Your Goals

There are a wide variety of programs out there that take beginners, but depending on the program, what you get will vary greatly. For example, you have show barns that will focus on getting you riding and showing but, might not teach you much if anything, about horsemanship and caring for horses. On the other end of the spectrum, some barns will not let you sit on a horse till you have learned basics of grooming, tacking the horse up, leading the horse and cleaning tack and stalls. Then there are barns everywhere between those two ends of the spectrum. You need to know what your goals are whether that is getting to jump and show right away or, if you want a more well-rounded experience where you can work with the horses, not just show up and ride.

If I Were You…

Everyone asks, “if it were you, what would you do”. If I were looking to get into jumping as a beginner or, if I was looking for lessons for my child, I would look for a well-rounded low-key barn that did some schooling shows, and maybe one or two rated shows a year. I really frown upon the programs where people show up, horses tacked and ready to go. What’s the point, really? You can tell the people who are passionate about the horses and the ones who show up for the Instagram pictures and socialization. If you are truly passionate about the horses, find a barn where you can work with the horses, it will be far more rewarding. And last, no matter how naturally you pick up riding, you need a few good years to just learn and get comfortable on a horse and spending money with an upper-level A show trainer is a waste of money.

I hope this was helpful. If you are looking for a new barn or have tips you’d like to share, please comment below!