Western trainer may be coming to our barn - advice on how to tell if he's any good?

[laura jeanne]

That's my question- does anyone have any suggestions on interviewing this person? He is not at the barn yet but OH is interested in really learning western riding. (me too actually)

What would you look for? We are not experienced in western riding although 2 years ago, we went to a place in Bandera and the person running it was fantastic. So we have had some exposure to it but dont' want to start with someone who may not be very good.

[Ptaty70]

I know nothing about western riding but the principles are still the same.. do you feel comfortable with him, does he give you confidence, is he thinking about the needs of the horse. This will certainly give you a good starting point. It's all about whether you gel with this person. Hope it all goes well for you!

[Waikato Valuta]

Many of the basics are the same. Watch how he treats the horses and if you feel comfortable with him.

[Harry Hobbes]

That's my question- does anyone have any suggestions on interviewing this person?Review this thread: http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=406259,
my last post (Part 2 of 2), the last six paragraphs regarding "qualifying" a trainer. These cover the basics.

You should set the context by articulating your goals - what you want to accomplish - and the trainer should address them directly: "Yes, we can achieve that, and here's what it'll take…"; or "No, that's not achievable at this time because…" (Canned training programs are certainly acceptable as long as you can realize your goals.)

After ascertaining your horsemanship proficiency, the trainer should be able to tell you what's doable with what amount and type of training for you and the horse. In other words, the trainer ought to be able to focus on your needs and tell you what it takes to get where you want to go.

You are in fact interviewing a service provider (who is going to be taking your money), so the focus of your queries should be to ascertain how successful the trainer can reasonably be expected to be at training you to achieve your goals.

In addition, if you have a particular flavor of performance Western riding in mind, (i.e., Reining, Cutting, Working Cow Horse, etc.) then ask the pertinent questions in that context. If you just want a solid foundation in general Western riding, then your trainer ought to be able to explain the basic difference in how the horse works in Western versus English, and how you will achieve this. (If you want some pointers on that foundation, I'll post a rather lengthy explanation from a private message.)

Best regard,
Harry