wildrosepony wrote:
sncc0084 wrote:
I sent him to the only reputable arab trainer in my area, who did a great job with my previous arab, and they totally screwed me with him. They claimed to work with him, and I later found out they didn't do anything with him other then lunge him excessively to make him look fit. The trainer was terrified of him. There is not a single other **good** trainer in my area that will take in an arab. It's a quarter horse dominated area, my sister is the biggest AQHA trainer around here, and she wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. I don't want to send him away to a trainer because who knows what they will be doing with him, if even riding him at all. I don't want to get ripped off again.

Sorry to read about your injury, that's horrible and I hope you recover soon.
this is just me, but I would never send a horse to a trainer unless I was coming out to watch the training at least once a week. Firstly, I've heard waaayyy too many people with the same complaint that nothing was done with their horse, secondly if I see for myself how the trainer is working with my horse, it makes it a lot easier on me and the horse to work together once I get him home and thirdly ( and most importantly) I learn more sbout horses in general by watching. if you're going to keep him, don't give up on finding a good trainer, there are lots around who don't advertise or have big names...just keep asking around and I'm sure you 'll be surprised at how many you hear of.
I can understand a trainer deciding to be discipline specific, but refusing a particular breed is just silly. When you get down to the basics horses speak the same language regardless of breed.
As for suggestion about what to do with your boy, if you are scared of him, I would sell him. Just tell potential buyers what happened and then they can decide. It will be better for the horse as they know what they're getting into, and are prepared. If he's a young horse he stands a much better chance of living to become an old horse if he's got training. Life happens and sometimes people just have to sell their horses. It''s 10 times harder to find a home for a 15 yr old unbroke horse than it it a 5 yr old unbroke horse.

I 100% agree that being so breed specific is silly, but I think it comes down to money, trainers don't want to take in a horse that isn't showing with them. A quarter horse trainer wont do anything with an arab, they don't have the motivation that you are going to show with them at breed shows and make them more money. I live around a pretty wealthy area with a decent horse economy, the trainers in the area will either refuse an arab, or will take it in, take your money and not do a thing with it. I also think you make a great point that it's not the best idea to send your horse to training where you can't keep an eye on it. I have ridden at enough trainer's barns to know how things work, some trainers will blatently mistreat your horse, while others will happily scam you. I used to show AQHA, I had a really good trainer who worked with me a ton, and was amazing for me. Because I had a 30,000 dollar horse and was showing every weekend. My friend moved her horse in the barn, her horse wasn't as fancy, so the trainer would take her money, and literally didn't ride the horse the entire time it was at the barn. And she would joke about it to the other clients, she loved 4H kids because they were niave and would give her money for nothing. It was horribly pathetic and dishonest.