Dear Friend and Horseman,

Welcome to another Horse Training Tips Newsletter.

In this issue, I want to talk about a few topics that I feel are important.

And, what I have to say about one of these topics, is a little touchy so I know I'll probably tee-off a few people but I feel it needs to be said.

Okay, lets get started with the newsletter.

I never cease to be amazed by the horse owners who buy my training videos.

Here's what's amazing…

One person will buy some of my videos and get fantastic results. I mean DRAMATIC and IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT.

Another person will get the exact same videos and email me questions that are so bizarre that it makes me wonder if they even watched any part of the videos at all.

I believe the big difference in the outcome has to do with the individual person's MINDSET.

In my opinion, when it comes to horse training success, there are only three types of people.

Those who think they CAN.

Those who think they CAN'T.

And those who really don't care.
(These are usually the day-dreamers who would like to be able to do it but aren't willing to put forth any effort).

It has been my experience that the folks who BELIEVE they CAN, are the ones who find a way to get it done.

And by the same token, those who believe they can't, initially fail to get results and then give up without ever experimenting or trying again.

It seems the person who believes he CAN, never gives up. He keeps trying no matter what.

Even when he gets poor results, he never sees it as failure. He sees his mistakes as experiments that will get him closer to finding out what works.

When it comes to training horses, this is the kind of attitude that is essential.

Never give up trying. Never be afraid to fail.

Most of the successful people (from any walk of life) that I know, have failed many, many times before they finally got good results.

Throughout my training career, I've met quite a few self-made millionaires. The vast majority of them had gone broke at least once before finally making it.

That is how we learn.

Here is an interesting true story:

In December of 2006, a 17-year-old kid, took a 3-year-old colt that he trained himself and entered up in the National Reining Horse Association Futurity.

He ended up WINNING the Limited Non Pro division and PLACED in the Intermediate and Non Pro divisions. In total, he brought home over $16,000 in prize money.

The kid's name is Clayton Eggers of Stephenville, Texas.

Here is what is so interesting…

It was the first time that Clayton had ever went to the the reining futurity.

Plus, initially, he didn't know how to train a reining horse.

He told the reporter from the Quarter Horse News that he learned what he needed to know by watching a training video over and over again.

And yes, you guessed right. It was one of my training videos. You can find out which one by reading Clayton's interview in the Quarter Horse News.

The point I'm trying to make is this…

I'm willing to bet "fear of failure" never entered this kids mind. He believed he could be competitive at this big event and simply went for it.

Even though his competitors would be riding top bred horses that were trained by the best trainers in the business, the kid wasn't intimidated.

He had enough belief in himself to give it a shot.

You sure have to admire that.

What would have happened if Clayton had not done well and bombed-out at the futurity?

I bet he would have done what all true winners do…

He would have picked himself up, analyzed what went wrong and start preparing for the next futurity.

The key is having the right mindset.

You need to believe you can do it and then immerse yourself in it.

There is plenty of good information available that can help you. There's my videos and other trainer's videos too.

However, if you watch the videos only once or twice, you are going to fall short of the mark. You need to watch MANY times so it will become a part of you.

If I buy an instructional video, I'll watch that video over and over until I know every word by heart.

The NCHA just released a new video that features three judges critiquing several show performances and explaining why they scored each run the way they did.

Since I mostly show cutting horses, this is something that is important so I watched it about 20 times to make sure I got it down cold.

And to tell the truth, I'll probably watch it before every show, just to refresh my memory of the most important points.

Another example:

I'm a big fan of the book, "Hackamore Reinsman" by Ed Connell.

It was written way back in the early 1950's,

There is PROFOUND knowledge contained in the pages of that book. Some of the best information I've ever read.

As a matter of fact, many of the principles found in that book are responsible for the formulation of my own training methods.

However, to fully understand what the author was trying to say, I had to read it about 30 times. I'm not kidding, 30 times.

I used to rave about this book and recommend it to everybody wanting to learn about training horses but I seldom mention the book any more.

I've quit telling people about it because the average person will skim the text and say, "No big deal, its pretty boring really".

When I hear that, I know that person isn't serious about learning.

Here's a horse training question that I repeatedly get from folks who visit my website:

Question:

Hi Larry,

I sent my horse to a trainer for several months and he came back acting worse than what he was before.

Also, every time I asked this trainer a question, he looked at me like I was crazy.

This is the second horse trainer I've tried in my area and I'm not happy with either one of them.

Any suggestions?

Allie

Answer:

Hi Allie,

You are in the same boat as a lot of folks.

And yes, I do have a few suggestions.

First, do your research.

You wouldn't hire a baby sitter to take care of your kids without first getting some references, would you?

I suggest you only use trainers who come recommended. Talk to the people at your local tack or feed store. See if they recommend a certain trainer.

Better yet, ask your vet or farrier. They may be able to give you valuable insight.

You could also go to the shows and watch the trainers competing there. Talk to the folks sitting in the bleachers about finding a trainer. Their advice might help.

Personally, I'd prefer to use a horse trainer who not only trains but also competes at shows.

Here's why:

If that trainer is willing to stick his neck out and be judged at a show, he probably has the knowledge and skill necessary to do a good job on your horse.

Or if he doesn't have the knowledge and skill, he is actively trying to acquire it.

He is entering shows to measure his progress. This lets you know that he is at least trying to improve.

NOTE:
Be aware, the winners of the classes aren't necessarily the only good trainers there. Winning at the shows has a lot to do with being mounted on an exceptionally good horse. The best trainer in the world can't win if he's mounted on an average horse.

I'd also prefer a trainer who's sole occupation was horse training. This tells me that he is good enough at it to make a living.

So many horse owners hire an unqualified back-yard, horse trainer and then wonder why the results are poor.

They usually do this because the back-yard trainer is a lot less expensive to hire.

Plus, some of these trainers have a gift for bullshit. They can talk a heck of a good story and convince you they know what they are doing.

Usually, this kind of horse trainer has a regular-type of day job in town. Whatever the case, he doesn't make his LIVING by training horses.

He works horses in his spare time only.

NOTE:
Let me make it clear there are exceptions to what I wrote above.

I personally know a couple of part-time trainers who are excellent horsemen. I mean top hands. And because they are training horses mostly for the fun of it, they truly give you more than your moneys worth.

And there are also some very good trainers who don't compete at the shows. But keep in mind, they are exceptions to the rule. Not the norm.

On the other side of that coin, there are also full-time professionals that will do a crummy job on your horse and take you to the cleaners.

I know more than a few professional trainers who sit in the house all day watching TV. They don't ride the horses but they sure don't mind sending the owner a bill.

Like I said earlier, you've got to do your research.

Not long ago, I got a call from a man who wanted to put his two, un-broke 3-year-old fillies in training with me to get them ready for the fall cutting futurities.

I had to tell him there was no way they could be ready in time… Not for the futurities, and probably not for the derbies either.

I explained that to be ready in time, those fillies needed to be started by early spring of their 2-year-old year. Now they were so far behind that they probably couldn't catch up in time to be competitive at ANY of the aged events.

He then wanted to know if I could sell them for any decent money. I replied, "Who is going to pay a big price for horses that are a year behind? Nobody I know".

Needless to say, the man was more than a little disappointed.

He had bought those horses specifically to compete at the futurities. And, he took the advice of a so-called trainer who told him the fillies didn't need to be started until they were 3-year-olds.

The man didn't do his research and because of it, lost the value of the two futurity prospects he had purchased.

An expensive lesson to learn.

If you want detailed information about finding the right trainer, get my bonus video, "Choosing the Right Horse Trainer".

This video will tell you everything you need to know about finding the right trainer and what to expect when you leave your horse in training with him. It will set you on the right path and save you a bunch of headaches. It'll save you money too.

There are sections about weekend shows, futurities and aged events, point club shows, lessons and owner-trainer expectations and obligations.

Be aware, this video is NOT for sale. Its a bonus video that you can get FREE when you purchase training videos or tack from me.

A special note to professional horse trainers:

There are many good professional horse trainers who read my Horse Training Tips newsletter. I appreciate that and I'm proud to have them on board.

However, I've noticed that trainers usually are unaware of the influence they have on horse owners and the horse industry as a whole. (I'm sometimes guilty of this too).

In the above example of the owner who got bad advice concerning his futurity prospects, the trainer who gave him that bad advice should be ashamed of himself.

That owner could have been a valuable asset to the cutting horse industry.

Now, after being misled and feeling burned, he will probably just fade away.

And its really unfortunate because this man could have had a great time going to the futurities with his friends and family and cheering for their horses.

Trainers, its our job to find out what our clients want to achieve with their horses and try to give it to them.

You may not realize it but that is what we are actually being paid for.

People don't pay to have their horse trained just because the horse needs training.

People pay to have their horse trained because doing so will give them some type of pleasure, enjoyment or satisfaction.

Trying to make sure our client has a good experience is our real job. Getting their horse trained is just part of that equation.

Now, be aware that a lot of horse owners really don't know what they want to achieve with their horse.

Or maybe they do but their goals are unrealistic with the horse they currently own.

This is when the trainer needs to become an EDUCATOR.

The trainer needs to ask the owner questions about what he wants. After the owner tells him. Its then the trainers job to educate the owner as to what is possible and what isn't.

Tell the owner how it really is. Tell him the truth right up front so there will be no misunderstandings or hard feelings later.

Yes, you will probably lose some potential clients that way.

Some owners just can't handle the truth. They want a trainer who will tell them only what they want to hear.

Those kinds of owners are destined for disappointment (and destined to bad-mouth the trainer too).

Don't be a part of that.

Try to attract and keep only the good owners. They will be happy clients and your training business will be way better in the long run.

Well, this wraps it up for this newsletter. I hope you liked it.

Until next time, have fun training your horse.

Larry Trocha
www.HorseTrainingVideos.com

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