What are your opinions?

The website sounds good and the testimonials sound good and the pictures make him look good.

And maybe he's the real deal. Maybe he's so good that he can make the 2 week claims. You never know...

That said, I'd want to be there at least the first week, every day to see how he gets from ground to saddle in that first week like he says he can do with ease.

Maybe he's the quiet calm type that can get the job done and that would be great. There are a lot of trainers who have a natural knack who can get further faster with horses than others. Anything is possible.

I think I'd follow the advice you've been given here,...check up personally through phone or better yet, in person with the past and present horses he'd trained or has in training.

If you like what you see and hear and want to go for the 2 week deal, then be there every day at least for the first week to watch him in action with your horse. What does he do that first week? Does he lay the horse down? If so, how? (some "nh" trainers lay the horse down first and foremost)

If he's going to do anything good, bad or ugly, it'll more than likely be in that first week.

Ok. Here is another lady that I am going to call tonight.
She trains with Clinton anderson techniques (LOVE Clinton Anderson...)
She seems really good.
This last e-mail I got from her sounds really nice.
(I am kind of nervous that she only trained 8 horses though...)
Hi again, I know how you feel! When I started about 8 years ago I was really anxious about using what I learned. My husband and I used Clinton’s techniques along with some others to break our horse, Koko. She will be 8 this year and has been just great for us. I have her boarded at Kingstown Valley Ranch over behind Cedar Creek Country Club. The owners, well one of the owners-Ferd is a certified Clinton Anderson trainer and a retired La Crosse Mounted Police Sargeant. He has clinics throughout the spring and summer which are great and very helpful. You would be more than welcome to come and see Koko to see how I did. She was my 8th horse starting under saddle. There are some questions I have regarding your horse, her age and if there are any specific problems you have with her besides not being ridden yet? If this pans out I would really like to see her. I would expect you to be involved, as much as you could, which would be great for boosting your confidence!

To NR: Just curious but what didn't you like?
(not arguing here, just talking)

The tie down wasn't my favorite (but then again, lots of so called top of the line trainers use them and twisted bits, etc. And these are people with waiting lists and assistant trainers because they have so much biz). Not an excuse to use any of that stuff, but really...can you judge everything about someone based on a few pictures? How old are the pictures? People can change to be better than what they used to be (the good trainers do anyway).....is this guy one of those? Maybe.

The standing on the horse and riding backwards, all that's the typical "nh" stuff to "show off" how "broke" a horse is. Heck, just watch Road to the Horse, you have Clinton Anderson standing on a horse cracking a whip and revving a chainsaw. Does that make him one to stay away from? Some people like this kind of "showbiz" stuff. It gets attention. Some people don't. I don't do the stuff that he does, but some people like it and who knows, maybe he's a decent trainer.

Instead of just flat out saying no, why not follow up and check things out further? The internet isn't a tell all of someone's abilities. Sometimes the worst websites have good trainers or the best websites have lousy trainers.

The final word can only come from checking things out in person.

If he does turn out to be a good trainer, then I'd suggest talking to him about his website and giving him a few tips on what to put to better show off his skills.

ESH, the question wasn't directed to me, but I would like to answer. First of all, there is a lot that you can tell from a picture. I always tell people I am far more impressed by someone who can walk beautifully than someone who can do sloppy canter work and "stay on". Going beyond obedience, there wasn't anything "quality" that I saw in any of those horses. Good work takes time, and to say two weeks for a 7 yr old horse that you have never seen and has never had a saddle on is not fair to the horse. I don't only want people to participate in training, I want the horse to as well.

He shows no interest in the physical well being of the horse, no interest in saddle fit or proper balance and movement. Those are all things that are apparent in those photos. We tend to think of "abuse" as not feeding, or striking, or losing patience, we never think about what we might be compromising beneath the skin just through lack of knowledge on how things work. I have seen far more abuse and permanent damage done by people who love their horses to death and can't ride than people who hit their horses. I personally want more from my horses than obedience, I want them to look good and FEEL good doing it. I don't use my "buy one get one free" deals on the horses well being.

As far as the second trainer mentioned, there is no way to tell from that bit of information. It doesn't sound like much from that e-mail, but you never know without seeing. I personally speak much more boldly on forums than if you were to call me on the phone, however, whenever I get a call, I do offer to do a demo or a consultation on the horse they are asking about. I won't talk about myself when spoken to directly, but have no problem letting people figure it out for themselves by watching, so I try not to judge other people by just what they say, knowing how shy I myself can be.