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Need Advice on my horse training job

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  tinyliny 
#1 ·
Hi, everyone, I was looking for some advice on whether or not you think this job is a good opportunity or if you believe something better could be available. I am going into my sophomore year of college majoring in equine science and management and I work at a barn on weekends or whenever I can make it. The owner hired me to work with a few of his horses to get them ready for the lesson program. My issue is that I feel that the horses are not taken care of well enough to be worked. He does their feet but only when he gets a chance, which is not on a regular basis and keeps all of his horses barefoot. One of the horses is an OTTB and his feet are AWFUL. They are always chipping and cracked terribly, some are almost to the coronet band area and are very flat (I have pictures if you would like). But even with the bad hooves it doesn't seem to bother his performance very much. Although with them being so bad I don't think he should be working with them like that. The other horse is a quarter horse and is very post legged with weak pasterns that are almost parallel the the ground. I believe this is causing a some lame steps in the trot and causing him to drag his back feet when cantering. Now his feet aren't as bad but i have noticed and asked the owner about a piece of his hoof that is missing and he informed me that it has never grown out. I know you can't say for sure whether or not they are sound enough but any advice on how to handle these issues that would be great.
Now the next issue is me. I have become very discouraged and bored with my job. Because I have not learned all of the techniques on training, I am just doing what i know or what seems right. Because of this there are many things that i don't know how to correct or i don't know if i am performing a technique correctly. I am also limited to what I can do with them under saddle because the owner requires another person there when I ride them and because of my friends and families schedules it's pretty much impossible and it is not a busy barn so there is no one else around. So each week I feel as if I am doing the same thing watching them go around and around on a lunge line and getting no where with them.

Thank you for reading this, I know it was very long. If you need any clarification on something please let me now. Thank you for your input.
 
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#2 ·
If you can find another job, do so. I know these kind of jobs pay peanuts, because these are the type of jobs I worked at when I was a youth. This is not the kind of facility or person you can learn properly from. The owner cuts corners, you want to learn and gain equine training knowledge, you won't learn anything from him.
 
#5 ·
you are learning how to work, and do it even when it isn't great. that is learning, too.

and, did he hire you with the understanding that he'd be teaching you, like a working student? or did he hire you to do what he needs having done?

if you need the money, keep the job and your expectations in a place where they wont' cause you incessant dissatisfaction. later you can find the job that has learning opportunities.
 
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