Looking for a trainer

karenkarenn · Postby **karenkarenn** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:59 pm

You know WILF. Point Blank. For the majority of people out there that know me and know my horse, we have been through alot of s***. And the people that know, really know. I don't want to go through the S*** anymore. I want to find that trainer that won't tell me my horse is hurt when it's not, I want to find that person that will thoroughly train my horse and listen to me. Is that so hard to do nowadays.
And another rant, I really believe that this is one of the major issues that we have in horse racing. Why there aren't too many horse in the starting gate. Lack of communication, lack of listening and just giving up on horses that the humans mess up because they can't put their egos in check.
I am NOT taking NO for an answer. No I am going to be stubborn and find that person or group of people that will take my horse and actually train her as long as she needs it.

wilf · Postby **wilf** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:43 am

I understand your frustration Karen and I sympathise with you . Your best bet may be to get your own licence and give it a try yourself as you have a good grounding in horsemanship. There are several states that will let you train your own ,I think that Arizona is one of them and it's a great place in the winter. It may be the only way you can get the job done to your satisfaction.

karenkarenn · Postby **karenkarenn** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:43 pm

For those who have contacted me through Pm and gave me some advice I REALLY REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. Don't ever think that helping a person goes unappreciated , because it doesn't.
Thanks to all for the PM's.

Laurierace · Postby **Laurierace** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 5:28 pm

Another vote for Wilt! We love Wilt!

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:19 pm

His name is Wilf. I've met him in person and I think he is terrific. I think, however, he only trains horses he owns himself.

Laurierace · Postby **Laurierace** » Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:33 am

I was in the same barn with him for years. I was joking hence the name change. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

wilf · Postby **wilf** » Fri Aug 03, 2012 6:31 am

Actually I thought that being honest would be the best way to go! No offence intended KarenKarenKaren. Train the horse yourself then there will be no problem,just consult the relevant technician in the event of a problem and you will know where you stand. It works for me and when there is a bigger problem I only have myself to blame, that happens a lot!

Tucumcari · Postby **Tucumcari** » Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:48 pm

Any trainers who are takers, I would suggest asking Keith Nations about Karen as an owner.

Sylvie Hebert · Postby **Sylvie Hebert** » Mon Aug 06, 2012 1:54 pm

Like Wilf said may be better to train yourself.In general horse trainers never listen to owners whether they are right or wrong.In some cases they go too far and keep the owner"like mushrooms,in the dark and in shit" as per well known quote. evidently some owners go too far also and they hassle for nothing. But as I said before, owners are the ones footing the bill and are clients,this is one thing that was forgotten in this business and one of the reason it is not thriving.In a distant past,trainers were hired by owners as employes and had to act accordingly,with the avent of "public" trainers being the norm,relations between the 2 have changed and trainers full of their pretend knowledge and pseudo-science have inflated their egos so much that respect for the paying client have been lost...I will again be blasted with rockets and shot on mere sight for saying this but I could not care less....It is not new,my late friend Tom wrote a book on that subject tltled "Racehorse owner survival manual"...entertaining to read too...He was very smart and hated by many with a passion. Sad to say more than 30 years later some of the ideas he was almost lapidated for are presented like discoveries and some are encensed for it...He should have been there to see it. As an exemple toe-grabs,racetrack surfaces and lay out,feed,equipment,thermography,steroid control,and so much more....

stlouiskid · Postby **stlouiskid** » Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:07 pm

Let's face it, there are a lot of trainers that do what they do, in part because their social skills are not the best. If they had to deal with the general public on a regular basis in an occupation like many careers, they would starve. I was at Ellis over the weekend, and half the trainers in the paddock were dressed like they had been out in the woods for a week. Unprofessional.
Have had trainers tell me they don't have time to be talking to their owners every day. Baloney, it is weakness, especially in the day of email and cell phones. I was a stock broker and ran a major truck leasing company, the idea that I could tell my customers that I don't have time to talk to them is fall down laughing ludicrous.
Read an article that the owner of Ill have another said he was drawn to Doug Oneill because he was always talking to him and letting him know what was going on. Trainers should heed that, they would do a better job and have more clients.

Jeff · Postby **Jeff** » Mon Aug 06, 2012 8:32 pm

When the trainer tells me my horse can't run. I just bring em home, but that's just me.

ratherrapid · Postby **ratherrapid** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:07 pm

Sylvie Hebert wrote:Like Wilf said may be better to train yourself.In general horse trainers never listen to owners whether they are right or wrong.In some cases they go too far and keep the owner"like mushrooms,in the dark and in shit" as per well known quote. evidently some owners go too far also and they hassle for nothing. But as I said before, owners are the ones footing the bill and are clients,this is one thing that was forgotten in this business and one of the reason it is not thriving.In a distant past,trainers were hired by owners as employes and had to act accordingly,with the avent of "public" trainers being the norm,relations between the 2 have changed and trainers full of their pretend knowledge and pseudo-science have inflated their egos so much that respect for the paying client have been lost...I will again be blasted with rockets and shot on mere sight for saying this but I could not care less....It is not new,my late friend Tom wrote a book on that subject tltled "Racehorse owner survival manual"...entertaining to read too...He was very smart and hated by many with a passion. Sad to say more than 30 years later some of the ideas he was almost lapidated for are presented like discoveries and some are encensed for it...He should have been there to see it. As an exemple toe-grabs,racetrack surfaces and lay out,feed,equipment,thermography,steroid control,and so much more....

Nice Post!

photofinish · Postby **photofinish** » Wed Aug 08, 2012 6:53 pm

A bit OT, but I have to say that a lot of what Sylcie says HERE is on target. I am a public trainer. I am always shocked when I get a new client who asks "when they can come see their horse?". Huh? It is THEIR horse. They own him, they can come see him whenever they want to! If we are in the middle of training I probably won't have time to sit and BS with them, or free up a groom for a 30 minute photo session, but they are welcome to come see their horse! I have always operated under the assumption that the more an owner knows about what is going with their horse, the better. Tha being said, I have been guilty of trying to explain a horse's condition to a novice owner and had their eyes glaze over almost to the point of them becoming catatonic, but I tried! :lol:

stlouiskid · Postby **stlouiskid** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 7:13 am

That is an excellent way of doing business, photofinish. I see you are out in New Mexico. I sold a filly this spring at the Maryland sale, and I see she is working out at Ruidoso Downs. I thought that was mostly quarter horse racing, didn't know they ran thoroughbreds also.

photofinish · Postby **photofinish** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:42 pm

stlouiskid wrote:That is an excellent way of doing business, photofinish. I see you are out in New Mexico. I sold a filly this spring at the Maryland sale, and I see she is working out at Ruidoso Downs. I thought that was mostly quarter horse racing, didn't know they ran thoroughbreds also.

Thanks St LouisKid. Hopefully your filly is only working at Ruidoso getting ready for the Zia meet - better purses at Zia. Though the surface has been less than stellar, maybe they finally have it fixed for this year!

I have one owner who stops by every morning during the 8 months we are at the training center. A fella rented some stalls on the backside of me and after a month or so he asked "I know that older man works for you, but what, exactly does he do?" I busted out laughing and explained that, no, I actually work for him!

But, the owners know what goes into their horses, know the care they receive, know we cut no corners, and, if something does go awry, they know first hand that every precaution was taken to avoid injury.