THE TRAINERS VIEWPOINT Have you ever stopped to look at the horse business from the trainers viewpoint ? Have you ever studied the problems these men have and taken a look at their work schedule ? Have you ever taken stock of your attitude toward your own trainer and tried to determine what you would do in his place ? If you ever do you will probably have a somewhat different outlook and opinion of him than you had before .
The trainer is the key man in the Walking Horse business . Without him we would all be at a loss as to the development and future of the breed . It ’ s true . . . the horse owners and the amateurs pay the bills , but without the trainer the show just wouldn ’ t go on . These unsung heros of horsedom are a type of man unlike others I have ever known in any other business . Most of the trainers I know are dedicated to their efforts . They work harder at their profession than most of us do at ours . And for what ?
Let ’ s take a look at the Walking Horse Business from the trainers point of view and in the process take a look at some of the problems of the average Tennessee Walking Horse Trainer . Who is he ? What is his background ? Why does he train horses for a living ? What is his future ? What can we do to help him ?
The average trainer of Tennessee Walking Horses is a high school graduate . Many have attended college and some have degrees . There are , of course some successful trainers who have little formal education but have a degree from the school of “ Hard Knocks ” that is hard to overlook . Most of the trainers are family men . They love their children , realize the responsibilities of raising a family , and like most of us , are working to give their kids a better break than they had .
As a professional trainer , the horseman is open to more hard criticism than almost anyone in business . To some people he can do no wrong but to others he can do nothing right . There are those who take all professional trainers in a package and refer to them as a bunch of ner - do - wells that couldn ’ t make a living any other way . There are others who admire the professional trainers because of his devotion to the breed and his willingness to work hard and long for his customers .
For the sake of comparison let ’ s review some of the more common complaints that horse owners have with their trainers . For instance . . . have you ever heard a customer say — “ My horse isn ’ t coming along as fast as I want him too ;” “ They just aren ’ t feeding my horse ... he is as poor as a church mouse ;” “ My horse isn ’ t being worked ;” “ He just doesn ’ t like my horse . If he did he would show him ;” “ I ’ m not getting my moneys worth ;” “ He ’ s had my horse three months and hasn ’ t shown him once . How much training does a two year old need ?” These and many other similar complaints must be delt with daily by the professional trainers whose reputation and livelihood are on the line every time he goes into the show ring and everytime a visiitor comes into his stable .
A key point to remember however is that the horse business is personal . Regardless of what particular phase of the business a person is interested in , it is personal . If a man has brood mares , he is convinced he has the best in the country . If he has a stallion that he is standing , you can bet he will fight if you suggest that there are some better . If a person rides for pleasure or as an amateur in the show ring ... to him his stock is the best . This presents a problem for the trainer . Regardless of how much effort a trainer puts forth , or how hard he tries to make a winner out of a particular horse , if the horse doesn ’ t make a champion , it is never the horses fault , it is always the trainer .
There is a phobia in the horse business that plagues the trainer like nothing else . This is the idea in the back of everyones mind that out there in the boondocks of Tennessee , or the swamps of Louisana or in the mountains of Montana , there is a cheap horse that will make a World ’ s Champion . Many people ( especially newcomers ) want to buy the cheap horse with the 6 unknowns in his background that is a potential champion . The thinking is , that if they do business with the good honest owner himself they won ’ t have to pay the trainer a commission . Boy ! What a savings that is ! The next step is to show up unannounced at their favorite trainers barn and tell him what a great horse they ’ ve got and what a good deal they will have to have to let him train the horse .
The reason that this particular person does not go to the trainer in the first place to buy a horse is that he believes the trainer will try to stick him . That is to say , all the trainer knows to talk about is blood lines like MIDNIGHT SUN , GO BOY ’ S SHADOW , MER RY GO BOY , SUN DUST , SET TING SUN and all those other brand name horses that mean nothing to Mr . “ Know it all .” And besides , why should he pay $ 1000 for a two year old colt with a good set of papers when he can get just as good a horse for $ 300 from “ good old Charlie .”
Here is where the fun starts ! He puts the horse in training in April and expect to see him in the show ring by May 3rd . “ Don ’ t mind that head either fellow ! He will grow into it ! And what if he is a little bit long in the back . They say his grandmother was a registered trotting horse but you know ( Continued on Page 39 )
36 VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse