Taking Your Horse to the Trainers 101

1. You might want to pull your horse out of the pasture a few weeks before they are scheduled to see the trainer. This might ensure that you could check them for things like ~ Mud Fever, Rain Rot, Wounds, Sores, Injury, or Illness. No one wants a "fungus among us" horse in for training. That crud travels. It's also (sometimes) a sign of a low immune system... And it travels... So...
2. How well does your horse halter and lead? If a trainer has a couple hours scheduled for your horse and it won't be caught in that time frame then your trainer will still be charging you and you will not be getting the same training you wanted ~ Don't worry, your horse will still be getting the training it apparently needs.
3. When is the last time your horse has had its teeth checked (by checked I mean ~ Sedated, Speculum in and REALLY checked ~ you cannot just peer in think that is good enough. You are not just checking for sharp points but for cracks, abscesses or gum/tongue/cheek issues. How productive will the horse's training be if its mouth is in pain. Did you know that a single hook in the back of the mouth can prevent a horse from turning its head correctly? So... Maybe schedule the dentist before the trainer, just in case. If you don't believe in dental floats, I'm sure there's still a trainer out there for you.
4. How long has it been since your horse's hooves were trimmed, lopped off, or shod? Have those shoes been on since summer? Does your horse just "self-trim"? Can a farrier even pick up your horse's hooves? OR is that why they are at the trainers to begin with? Maybe your horse is on a regular hoof care cycle and their hooves still look like cross country skis? A sore-footed horse is a sore bodied horse - How can a trainer do their job if the horse is sore?
5. Does your horse have a low appetite? Do they stress out easily? Are they stoic? Are they hard keepers? Do they have regular mild bouts of gas colic? Is their coat lush and vibrant or dull and dry? When you rub them does your hand come away silver? Are they chronically sore backed? Are they cinchy? Do they peel up their noses and bite at you when being touched? Does their muscle tissue feel like plywood with fur on it? ~~~ your horse MAY have ulcers or some other GUT issue. IT might be a good idea to protect their gut's while in training (better yet, start a few weeks beforehand). Something simple or something strong - just know that horses DO indeed get ulcers and gut upset easily. Again, you will not be getting the full amount of training if your horse is struggling with their gut being uncomfortable.
6. How is your horse's body condition? Is your horse up to weight? From 1-10, it should land somewhere between 4-6. IF you don't know how to tell (google it) or post pics on FB where you will surely get a few opinions. You should not be able to see your horse's ribs and where they attach to the spine. A shimmer of rib on a FIT horse is ok IF the rest of the horse is well muscled. Your horse should not have it's flanks, hips, neck, or shoulders sunken in. Their heads should not look too big for their bodies. A hint ~ take a pic of your horse, a pic shows us reality sometimes when our eyes do not. You may want to amp up your feeding program a few weeks before your horse is scheduled for the trainer. Food feeds muscle - lack of food will have the horse eating its own muscle (and probably create a #5 issue). IF your horse is OBESE - Think about how fair that will be to him to be sent straight into hard work. Will that horse be able to even lunge for 30 min without tying up? Your trainer may not even be able to do much if the horse cannot breathe due to being so overweight. Horses' guts also need to cool properly, when too heavy - they don't - which can lead to colic.
7. When is the last time your horse was Dewormed?? Does it have a HUGE beer belly? Does your gelding look like it just foaled? Do we think the trainer wants to infest the other horses with your horse's cooties? A simple Ivermectin a couple weeks before they leave for the trainers will help with this issue. **You do not have to see worms in their poop for them to have worms.
8. What do you hope your trainer will accomplish in 30 days? If your horse is FIT, sound, well mannered - they may be able to get some stuff done. It takes a solid 30 days to get a horse fit enough to "start" training. Yes, you can get things done, but the GOOD stuff starts on day 31. The REALLY GOOD stuff starts on day 71. So Hope for 30 days, prepare for 90 if you are really wanting to get "set in stone" training. Remember, it takes YEARS of consistent education to turn out a "finished" horse. 30 days may not get you close to the Olympic level you might be imagining.
9. Last but not least ~~ Is your horse LAME?? Does it have an older injury that needs to be worked around? PLEASE make sure you have vet clearance for any long-standing or acute lameness, offness, short striding. ANY horse that has ANY imbalance will show it's lameness once put into consistent moderate work. So if you only ride your horse 3 times in the summer - this does not mean it won't have an issue show up 2 weeks into moderate consistent work (this does not excuse trainers who over push horses though.). Your trainer really needs to know what to expect and and a full history of injuries or lameness. They may not be able to refund you 3 weeks into a month of training.

-Sarah Orloff, Still Waters Equitation