The Basic Skills for Horse Training

If you enjoy working with horses, you may have the desire to make them your career. One way to turn your love of horses into a thriving career is to offer your services as a horse trainer. But before you hang out your shingle and wait for clients to knock on your door, you should first do a thorough assessment to be sure you possess the requisite skills and abilities.

  1. Patience

    • Horse trainers need to have a great deal of patience, since they are called upon to work with many different kinds of horses with many different skill levels, talents and natural abilities. Horse training requires the ability to read each individual animal and determine how best to teach that animal what he needs to know. It can take one horse only a few training sessions to master something like taking the correct lead, while other horses may require months to master the same skill. A good horse trainer will be able to tailor the training sessions to the needs and abilities of each horse.

    Physical Fitness

    • While it is not necessary or possible for a 200-pound horse trainer to overpower a 1,200-pound horse, training does require a degree of physical strength and physical fitness. A horse trainer must be able to react quickly to any given situation, whether that situation requires running to catch a loose horse or staying in the saddle on an unpredictable one.

    People Skills

    • Being a horse trainer requires more than the ability to work with horses. A good horse trainer also needs solid people skills to work with the owners of those animals. Horse owners often have unrealistic expectations when they bring their animals in for professional training, and they may expect to see results sooner than they can be realistically accomplished with sound training methods. A good trainer will be able to talk to those owners and give each one an honest assessment of the animal's talents and abilities.

    Equine Knowledge

    • Horse trainers obviously need to have strong riding abilities, as well as an in-depth knowledge of horse behavior. A good horse trainer should be able to spot abnormal behavior that could be the result of illness, injury or past training problems. Some horse trainers have a natural ability to relate to horses and get them to do their best, while others must work hard to hone those skills and make the most of the horse's natural talents.