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Prices?

1K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  jamesdean57 
#1 ·
I am training four horses for a guy.

Blaze: Grey paint gelding
Joker: Bay medicine hat gelding
Sugar Mama: Black KY Mountain
Blondie: Chocolate Palomino gelding (like 4yrs, Sugar's son)

But he also has 3 ponies. 2 are very friendly but act like dogs, so they have no manners. The other is impossible to catch.

My end goal, or what he wants, is to have the horses able to be ridden with nothing or just a rope. (And I brought up the idea of pony rides as he runs a co-op farm with people from all over the world visiting and the host all sorts of activities)

I am working with the ponies on my own accord and refusing to let him pay me for them. I come out twice a week. Each day I focus on one horse, yet do a little something with each of them. No real time limit, 1-4 hours. I am currently using my own equipment, however I will take him shopping for new and improved stuff as very little of what he has is quality.

He gives me $30-50 per visit depending. I feel it is a bit much. Joker and Blaze are so fun to work with. Smart, reactive, flexible. (I am in love with them) Sugar Mama is super over weight, but relatively easy to work with. So we are going slowly but surely. Blondie is just like a 3yr old gelding I used to own. Innocent, curious, kinda dopey. I do not have a lot of work, all the horses had past training.

Opinions?
 
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#2 ·
Depends. Are you professional? Or is this something you are just starting out on?
I always trained a flat rate of $750 / month ($500 / month the second month) from the ground up until they were ready at the level they wanted them too. Some wanted almost finished, some just wanted the buck out.
But I have no idea with visits and it's not something I ever did.
I don't train much anymore but the reiner trainer where my stallion is going is $920 month. That'll be fun. :lol:
 
#4 ·
I have been training for people for 2yrs, but never put a monetary price on it. Like I was given a bridle set worth ~$300 for staring a horse, I get taken out to eat a lot for retraining another. Stuff like that. I can't technically call myself a professional until I am 18 and have taken the course I have my eye on.
 
#5 ·
Oh, WSArabians brought up the valid point of professional or not. Never occurred to me; sorry. Plus, I had no idea you aren't 18. You don't sound that young.

Still and all, I would start putting a price on your training in some form. If you are willing to accept payments in trade, that's fine but you should develop some kind of pricing structure. Also, I would have a written contract, clearly stating what your abilities are, what promises you can or can't make and at what point / in what situations you will stop working with an animal.

If you're looking to get into this professionally, start putting down good ground rules now. Protection for both the clients and for you.
 
#6 ·
Since you are pretty much just getting experience, I do not think you should charge at all. You could possibly take cash for your actual driving expenses.

At your young age, you should not close the door to competing as an amateur. This should be a decision that you take very seriously if you ever want to compete in breed shows or any venue that offers separate amateur or non-pro classes.

I can name you a dozen people that either wish they had not trained for money early in their careers or sat out for 5 years to regain their amateur status.

I know one that has worked very hard to protect that status -- to the point that when given a chance to show a really nice (and competitive) horse, had the horse placed in her name just to be able to show it as an amateur.
 
#7 ·
I rodeo, barrels and poles mainly. Does what you are saying apply to that? I am possibly getting into Western Pleasure later on, but I am going under my friend to do so, as she is experienced in it and I have only ever watched.

Personally I am hoping to be able to get Blaze and Joker trained on gaming patterns if he will let me. There is a lot I am already refusing to let him pay me for, but he also wants my family to join his co-op farm thing and for me to run a bunch of horse related activities with both his and my own horses while he uses my mother for help with his alternative energy and planting and my father for more technical engineer stuff. So this is like a really long term thing.
 
#8 ·
So 1-4 hours and $30-$50. It really depends on how much minimum wage is in your area, how much other trainers are charging and quite frankly your skill level (which by the way sounds fantastic).

I have been training horses in some sense or another for about a year and currently train my Barn Owner's horses to work off board. I get pain minimum wage, which I am more than happy to get as I am still learning and will continue to do so for...well forever ;)
 
#9 ·
If you ever want to run speed events at registered show like the AQHA World show or the APHA World show, (or the smaller local registered shows) then you can ride in the amateur or Non-Pro division if you are eligible.

I do not know about all of the different associations and their shows, but the NBHA does NOT have a Non-Pro division. They just divide it up on purse money and times in a 4-D format.
 
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