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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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