r/Equestrian

I’m about to poke some nerves I’m sure. 😬

If my 45 minute lesson starts at 3:30, and I’m 15 minutes late and get a 30 minute lesson, I get it (with a caveat below). The trainer has a schedule to keep with other lessons. I pay for the 45 minutes without complaining.

I once had a trainer that moved my time up an hour. On the first day, I forgot. Totally my fault and I paid for the lesson and rode on my own without complaining.

So what’s the complaint? That the trainers themselves are so often late. “Oh, sorry. I got into something with a horse or the student before and had to fix that.”

I get that and I try to stay flexible. However, I expect some flexibility in return. I got tired of being held to a standard that the trainers weren’t holding themselves to, and that’s part of why I got away from it.

Without getting into too many details, my teen has been working at a barn that does Hunter/Jumper lessons and has about 15 horses. He's been taking lessons for a few years and has been doing feeds other tasks for a year or so. He gets paid cash for each feed and until a couple months ago, he got paid pretty consistently. Now something happened to them financially which they just can't seem to straighten out with ongoing drama, court and problems in the mix that don't exactly add up but I've tried to be sympathetic. Lately it's been crickets when I inquire. He loves working there and loves the horses and I think it's great exercise for him and teaches him responsibility. But how long am I supposed to let him go on like this without pay? Is it difficult to get hired on part time at another barn? Is this a common phenomenon in this industry? I'm a little heartbroken for him and getting upset about the whole situation.

Hi everyone,

Would like some help with getting my adorable gelding to please finish his grain😂.

He currently gets 2 medications and 3 supplements. He gets Purina Enrich, beet pulp, soaked alfalfa pellets, all made into a mash. I've tried removing the meds/supplements for a day, changing the ratio, removing beet pulp and alfalfa, making it a soup, leaving it dry, you name it, I've tried it.

He does not have any conditions (not metabolic) with his stomach or mouth and he'll eat his grass and hay all day long, but every time we feed breakfast/dinner, he'll go to the food, eat like 4 bites then be like, "nah, I'll go back to my hay". If I were to guess, it's almost like he gets a clump of food that is just really strong to the taste and then is like "I'm not hungry for this anymore." Kinda like when you go to a restaurant and order something that looks really good but when you get it it's like they over-seasoned it (weird analogy I know I just don't know how to describe it).

I just feel bad syringing his meds/supplements into his body every day because I'm not sure if he gets them if he doesn't finish the food. Is there anything I could either add to it that'll be better tasting for him?

I bought a saddle (with the help of my trainer) and I was talking casually about it with some people at the barn, and when asked what type it was I said CWD, and one girl goes “oh god.” I am so annoyed looking back 😂 in the moment I didn’t really do anything but in retrospect, I think that was super rude.

Our barn primarily rides in Voltaire, so if she was worried about foam flocked French saddles I don’t really get why she’s worried about CWD? Just wondering what yall would have done!

Background: I don’t own a horse, but I am leasing. So I obviously will ensure this saddle fits the horse I am currently leasing. I feel like that should go without saying lol

Wondering what my relative work value is here. I work at the barn about 9.6h per 1h lesson. I work for under minimum wage in my state, but my trainer has reasonable rates for my area

edit: 1h private lesson

I'll go first with my opinion from mild to worst.

I got two half-feral mares from a lady who had become elderly and disabled and could not care for her horses, so she turned them out into a field during the year it took to find someone to accept them. They had healthy body condition and hooves. That was not a rescue.

I bought a slightly thin under muscled horse with hooves due for a trim, specifically because I knew it was once well trained. Fed and trimmed for a few months and now I have a good horse. That is NOT a rescue, it's an investment.

I got two horses that had a BCS of 1, no hay or food, broken teeth from eating their wooden fence, missing half a hoof from a catastrophic abscess. Carried out a refeeding program, dental care, hoof care, and reconditioning, and over a year later, they were finally healthy and sound again.. THAT is a rescue.

(Note), I then sold one of those horses to a new owner. That new owner did not rescue that horse, just because it used to be a rescue. They just bought a perfectly healthy horse. 

What are your thoughts?

Hi there :) kind of a random question but thought this would be the best place to ask.

My friend and I are interested in a 5-7 day Iceland Horseback riding holiday.

Hestaland, Lýsuhóll, and Saltvík Horse Rental are popping up on our feeds, but we wanted to see if anyone can point us in the right direction.

We'd love a riding tour that could take us to see the waterfalls, northern lights and lupines (if season appropriate).

We would also prefer accommodations that would allow for some privacy (Ex: private or double room with ensuite) as opposed to communal.

If anyone has done a riding holiday in Iceland, we'd really appreciate any advice!

Thank you in advance <3

I’m looking at an ISH (out of a Connemara mare, by a 16.1 stallion) that is currently 14.3 at the wither and 15hh at the hip.

He’s just turned 4 - I’m just interested in if/how much your horses grew after turning 4?

I’m not expecting him to grow by much, but I am secretly hoping he’ll somehow make above 15.1.

If he doesn’t make bigger than 15.1, I’ll just keep him as a project and then sell him on after a year or so (I am supposed to only be getting a project to produce then sell anyway…🤣)

Hi all. I'm a fairly experienced trainer and very experienced rider, but I am struggling a bit with my mare. She is the boss mare of the herd and is very aggressive about guarding the fence gate, food, any person that comes into the paddock who she thinks may have food, etc. This makes it fairly nerve racking to be near her in the paddock. She is very headstrong on the ground and from the saddle and does not move off pressure well if she doesn't feel like it. She usually respects me, but she regularly tests me and gets in my space.

Has anyone worked with a boss mare like this? What worked well? My priority is for her to be safer for other people to work with.

Hey guys, I am planning on attending part of the Kentucky 3 Day Event this April, specifically Saturday to see the cross country portion of the competition. I am open to any advice from those who have gone before! I understand gates open at 7 am, should I get there at that time to get a good seat? Any helpful tips or advice is appreciated, thank you in advance.

This may sound like a dumb question but I'm a low intermediate rider, and one issue I've been having with my riding in the canter is not putting enough leg on to start the canter transition+keep the horses in the canter. My trainers keep telling me to put on more leg, but that doesn't help me. Exactly which part of my leg do I need to use, and where does it need to go? Appreciate any help, thanks so much ​

Hey horse people!

I’m thinking about starting a mobile “barn deep cleaning / reset” service and would love honest feedback from barn owners + horse people.

This wouldn’t be daily stall mucking—more like occasional deep cleans:

•	stripping and scrubbing stalls/walls

•	removing cobwebs/dust (rafters, lights, etc.)

•	cleaning tack/feed rooms

•	disinfecting high-contact areas

•	possibly reorganizing spaces

A few questions:

1.	Is this something you’d actually pay for, or would you always just do it yourself / have staff do it?

2.	If you WOULD pay—what would make it worth it for you?

3.	What’s the most annoying or time-consuming cleaning task in your barn?

4.	How often would you realistically want something like this? (seasonal, monthly, never)

5.	What would you expect to pay for:

•	per stall deep clean?

•	full barn reset?

6.	Would you trust someone external to come in and do this?

7.	What would make you NOT hire a service like this?

8.	Would bundling this with other services (like horse care, bodywork, etc.) make it more appealing or less?

For context, I’m in Ontario, but I’m curious about opinions anywhere. Appreciate any honesty—even if it’s “I’d never pay for that.” TIA!