I meet a lot of people struggling with their horse on their own and I wonder sometimes when does the question come up, does my horse need a professional trainer? In this blog I will describe some key tells to whether you should seek professional advice or not. The first question to ask yourself is, has your horse had professional training before? If the answer is no, and your horse is presenting some challenging behaviors it might be because his/her start might have been a little rocky or incomplete. In this case seeking a professional might help put basics back into your horses routine, and allow them to understand what you're asking. Second question, how much riding experience do you have? I often tell people upon meeting them is that either the horse needs to learn more, or the rider, or both. If the rider needs to learn more a trainer might be able to help you by learning on a lesson horse or a more seasoned horse first while slowly transitioning you back to your more complicated horse as your skills improve. What happens if the answer is both? This is very common in my profession, I meet riders that have bought a green or un finished horse, and they have barely learned how to ride. In this case you definitely need a trainer. It's unfair to think your horse can teach you to be a good rider if they are still trying to figure things out for themselves. In this case a trainer can help put the finishing touches on your horse, while providing you with a seasoned lesson horse to sharpen your own skills. When the time is right both horse and rider will meet at a point where they both know enough to understand one another. In any example if you are leaving each ride in frustration it's time to seek help, all animals respond better in learning with positive reward, so finding a professional to help you get to positive and constructive rides is always a good idea.
