A few years ago there was a brief news item about a man in the Sierra foothills of California that was charged with raping a child that he was giving horseback riding lessons to. As a parent I know that you should never, but never let your guard down when it comes to who you let your children be around but sometimes because there are animals around parents think that the people are more caring.
Here is a news story about a man in Minn that was convicted of raping 3 girls that were taking riding lessons from him.
I for one would never let my child out of my sight at any establishment that I did not have checked out. I personally knew one woman that her riding lesson program was devastated because it was her husband that was molesting the children. It finally came to light when her own daughter spoke out as a victim. After the divorce not everyone was aware of him not being around anymore and she had to find another career and start over again.
Don't let your guard down at horse shows either. Read this news article about the convicted horse trainer rapist in Nova Scotia.
Would you send a horse to an obese trainer?
Obese - Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the person's height, age, sex, and build.
That being said would you send your horse to a trainer that is obviously obese? Keep in mind that the average horse should only carry 24% or less of it's own body weight. The great majority of young horses under the age of 4 only weigh about 900 lbs or less. They gain much of their muscle mass and bulk weight after the age of 4 years old. That means that the person doing the first rides should weigh less than 200 lbs with the equipment making up the other 25 lbs to be less than the maximum total weight of 225 lbs.
About 15 years ago I was looking for a trainer for a young mare that I had rescued. She had some serious problems and was not broke. Several trainers were recommended to me so one Saturday I made arraignments to interview them all at their barns. I told them I wanted to see them working with a horse. The first 2 were women and the last 2 were men. Out of the 3 people I saw one of the men was huge. He must have weighed close to 350 lbs and was riding a 3 year old 14 hand horse. I told him that I would get back to him - I never did. I still cringe when I see him riding in my mind.
Today I ran across a rather large trainer while looking at horse websites. He is, in my own opinion is too heavy to be riding the horse that he is pictured on. I have no idea if he is a good, bad or so-so horse trainer but I would not want him on my horses' back.
Here is his photo:
Bent Rail Farm in Indiana
He actually looks lighter than the obese trainer that I met years ago, but still too large in my opinion.
That being said would you send your horse to a trainer that is obviously obese? Keep in mind that the average horse should only carry 24% or less of it's own body weight. The great majority of young horses under the age of 4 only weigh about 900 lbs or less. They gain much of their muscle mass and bulk weight after the age of 4 years old. That means that the person doing the first rides should weigh less than 200 lbs with the equipment making up the other 25 lbs to be less than the maximum total weight of 225 lbs.
About 15 years ago I was looking for a trainer for a young mare that I had rescued. She had some serious problems and was not broke. Several trainers were recommended to me so one Saturday I made arraignments to interview them all at their barns. I told them I wanted to see them working with a horse. The first 2 were women and the last 2 were men. Out of the 3 people I saw one of the men was huge. He must have weighed close to 350 lbs and was riding a 3 year old 14 hand horse. I told him that I would get back to him - I never did. I still cringe when I see him riding in my mind.
Today I ran across a rather large trainer while looking at horse websites. He is, in my own opinion is too heavy to be riding the horse that he is pictured on. I have no idea if he is a good, bad or so-so horse trainer but I would not want him on my horses' back.
Here is his photo:
Bent Rail Farm in IndianaHe actually looks lighter than the obese trainer that I met years ago, but still too large in my opinion.
Bizzare horse training methods
If you have owned a horse for more than 6 months then you probably have seen some sort of weird or bizarre training method or device used on a horse by a horse trainer. I remember about 30 years ago one well known horse magazine did a front page article on training horses using a crane! I think it was called sky hook training or something like that. I thought that the horse industry had progressed beyond that type of off the wall training but no, it is still around.
Someone else has taken the time to document the cruel devices and methods used to train harness horses and dressage horses in Europe.
Someone else has taken the time to document the cruel devices and methods used to train harness horses and dressage horses in Europe.
If you should find your business mentioned on this blog .....
Negative reviews are never pleasant to read. It is one thing to just be a private individual that has negative press but it is entirely a different matter when you are conducting a business as a horse trainer or breeder. As a business owner you should be using negative press to improve your business relations and not bash others for speaking out. Here is an in depth look at how a business should conduct itself when confronted by negative press.
Dealing with negative reviews.
Above all, conduct your horse training and or breeding business as a "real" business and learn customer relations and you will never see your horse training business on this blog.
Dealing with negative reviews.
Above all, conduct your horse training and or breeding business as a "real" business and learn customer relations and you will never see your horse training business on this blog.
Truth is always stranger than fiction
Netposse is a wonderful resource site for people that have stolen or missing horses. It also is an interesting site to browse for heartbreaking stories about horses being taken and sometimes found again and the scumbags that steal horses.
One such tale on Netposse is about a person that had 2 horses taken from them over the years. The one that took place in the year 2000 tells of how one women rips people off for their money and it looks like she is still doing it. She claims to be a breeder and horse trainer that sells foals that can't be handled. Read the full story here.
Make sure you read the last few sentences of the story. Learn why it is important to thoroughly check out any person you plan on doing any type of horse business with.
One such tale on Netposse is about a person that had 2 horses taken from them over the years. The one that took place in the year 2000 tells of how one women rips people off for their money and it looks like she is still doing it. She claims to be a breeder and horse trainer that sells foals that can't be handled. Read the full story here.
Make sure you read the last few sentences of the story. Learn why it is important to thoroughly check out any person you plan on doing any type of horse business with.
Abusing the horse for big money
Abuse in the horse show world is not that uncommon. As the money factor goes up the horse has a higher tendency to be pushed to higher limits. If the horse is unable to make those higher limits some (not all mind you) will resort to abuse in the forms of drugs, soring or using abusive equipment that can be hidden from judges views. Some trainers and owners are caught but since the USDA is under funded the chances are high that the trainer or owner will get away with the abuse. Take for example the Olympics with the horses that were tested positive for drugs. You would think that with as much scrutiny that the Olympics has with testing, no one would even take a chance on giving their horse an illegal substance, but they did.
Soring a horse is one of the most abusive acts that really turns my stomach. If you want to know more about soring and I warn you now that there are graphic photos on the site, you can find out more at Friends for Sound Horses. That website is doing what it can to end abusive practices in the Walking Horse world. Lets all follow their example and end horse abuse under all types of trainers.
Soring a horse is one of the most abusive acts that really turns my stomach. If you want to know more about soring and I warn you now that there are graphic photos on the site, you can find out more at Friends for Sound Horses. That website is doing what it can to end abusive practices in the Walking Horse world. Lets all follow their example and end horse abuse under all types of trainers.
Horse trainer goes to trial 2 years after killing horse
Maybe one of the main reasons that people get away with animal abuse is because it can take so long to actually go to trial. Take for example Greg Collier's case. He allegedly beat a horse to death while "training" it in 2006. His trial was in March 2008 and ended with a hung jury that the judge declared a mistrial. The case was NOT dismissed which means there could be a retrial in the future.
Update:
Right after I wrote about this case I looked up the court records and found out he is going back for another trial. Here is the official court records page that shows another trial will be held in a few months.
Update:
Right after I wrote about this case I looked up the court records and found out he is going back for another trial. Here is the official court records page that shows another trial will be held in a few months.
How to proctect yourself and your horse from unsrupulous trainers
Unscrupulous trainers and boarding establishments seem to abound in a tight economy. They tend to get into the horse industry fast and get out fast too. Often they don't bother with local permits or licenses since they plan on making a quick buck and be gone before you can do anything. They are often uninsured and tell their clients to sue them if they want to (knowing full well that the client will have a hard time finding them or they don't have any money to get sued for). Here is a quick list of what to look for when searching for a horse trainer:
- Ask to see their business license (note: many states don't require licenses for horse trainers but they do for horse boarding and or breeding) It should be posted according to the law.
- Ask them if they are insured for care and custody if you plan on boarding your horse with them. Ask what the dollar value limit is on each horse (some insurance policies only allow for a maximum value of $2K or less should the horse die)
- Get in writing who is responsible for what vet bills should the horse become injured or colic while under the training/boarding contract.
- Do a quick search on the Better Business Bureau website for the trainer. You may or may not find out anything.
- Call the local Animal Control to see if there have been any violations at that business.
- Ask for references, someone you can talk to on the phone. Get at least 4+ phone numbers.
- Ask around at local 4-H clubs, horse vets and farriers for opinions on local trainers. Some are willing to talk and others just won't (which is my pet peeve of the industry as a whole - not saying anything).
Have you witnessed horse abuse by a horse trainer?
What did you do when you saw a horse abused, beaten or whipped madly by a trainer?
I close friend of mine was thrilled to be asked to help a big name local trainer at a major horse show about 15 years ago. She unfortunately found out some unsavory things going on behind the scenes at the show. She was asked to do an act of cruelty to a horse (gingering) and she flat out refused. She was asked to leave by the trainer. I asked her what she did then, she told me she did nothing. What should she have done? What would you do?
I hear all too often about horses that were hit on face for a refusal and end up being blind in one eye. I also knew someone that boarded their horse next to mine at a boarding stable and decided to send the horse out for training since the trainer on site was not the type they wanted. Within a week of leaving the horse had died at the trainers. The only story I got was that the trainer had been seen whipping the horse in anger and the horse flipped over backwards and hit it's head and died. As far as I know the incident remained quite and the trainer was still in business many years after that.
What should happen to these people? Why does the horse community remain quite when it comes to "protecting their own"? As a horse owner and admirer of great horse trainers I would think that the horse community would love to oust these types of trainers - but no, they keep quite on the subject, too quite.
If you know of any news reports of horse trainers committing abuse in your local area, please post a comment with a link to the article. Getting the word out and informing your fellow horse owners is half the battle that we must win.
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I close friend of mine was thrilled to be asked to help a big name local trainer at a major horse show about 15 years ago. She unfortunately found out some unsavory things going on behind the scenes at the show. She was asked to do an act of cruelty to a horse (gingering) and she flat out refused. She was asked to leave by the trainer. I asked her what she did then, she told me she did nothing. What should she have done? What would you do?
I hear all too often about horses that were hit on face for a refusal and end up being blind in one eye. I also knew someone that boarded their horse next to mine at a boarding stable and decided to send the horse out for training since the trainer on site was not the type they wanted. Within a week of leaving the horse had died at the trainers. The only story I got was that the trainer had been seen whipping the horse in anger and the horse flipped over backwards and hit it's head and died. As far as I know the incident remained quite and the trainer was still in business many years after that.
What should happen to these people? Why does the horse community remain quite when it comes to "protecting their own"? As a horse owner and admirer of great horse trainers I would think that the horse community would love to oust these types of trainers - but no, they keep quite on the subject, too quite.
If you know of any news reports of horse trainers committing abuse in your local area, please post a comment with a link to the article. Getting the word out and informing your fellow horse owners is half the battle that we must win.
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Is Willie Matthews honest?
If it was not for the recent comment submitted supposedly by Willie herself in the Ohio Trainers from Hell post I would have not looked farther into her operation. Thanks Willie for bringing attention to yourself. Let's look into Willie Matthews business at the Bar W in Ohio, shall we?
First I checked out her website and found a pic of her draped all over a small 2 year old horse which looked more like a yearling in the photo (below).
On her current website she mentions her experience in a photo (below) as 25 years.
If you take a look at the website in 2006 you can see that she claims to have 14 years experience. So in 2 years this woman miraculously gained 9 years experience. I also have to confess that she doesn't look like she is almost 50, that is the age she would be if she started professionally training at around 20-25 years old. I am sorry but I don't include having a horse as a child as "professional experience". That is like saying I am an electronics engineer since I was 6 because I operated the remote control on the TV. By the way if you look more into the archives of her old website you will see that she graduated in 1990 with an AA degree in horse science (an AA is not much more than saying you have graduated from a junior college and most people have those nowadays) Also she does not mention the colleges by name just location. Most people will list the colleges and schools they attended by name because they are proud of them and want people to check them out via references from the school.
Now on to her claims of being a "Certified Judge". On the old website she is a certified 4-H judge which as I can tell you doesn't mean much. I was the adviser to a small 4-H horse group that had a judge that knew very little about horses. She kept a few ponies for the grand kids and that was her total experience. But because they could not find anyone else to volunteer at the shows she was drafted by the 4-H group.
She also has a section on her "deep thoughts" which is interesting.
A note to Willie: Next time you post a comment it would be better if you made your Google profile open and not private and for a screen name I would not pick "nooneimportant".
Update: Willie made a comment about this post under the Ohio trainers from hell post you can read it here. My thoughts are, the photo above about the 25 years "experience" is very misleading advertising. I know if a local retail store mislead their customers in such a way then they have broken some "truth in advertising" laws.
First I checked out her website and found a pic of her draped all over a small 2 year old horse which looked more like a yearling in the photo (below).
On her current website she mentions her experience in a photo (below) as 25 years.
If you take a look at the website in 2006 you can see that she claims to have 14 years experience. So in 2 years this woman miraculously gained 9 years experience. I also have to confess that she doesn't look like she is almost 50, that is the age she would be if she started professionally training at around 20-25 years old. I am sorry but I don't include having a horse as a child as "professional experience". That is like saying I am an electronics engineer since I was 6 because I operated the remote control on the TV. By the way if you look more into the archives of her old website you will see that she graduated in 1990 with an AA degree in horse science (an AA is not much more than saying you have graduated from a junior college and most people have those nowadays) Also she does not mention the colleges by name just location. Most people will list the colleges and schools they attended by name because they are proud of them and want people to check them out via references from the school.
Now on to her claims of being a "Certified Judge". On the old website she is a certified 4-H judge which as I can tell you doesn't mean much. I was the adviser to a small 4-H horse group that had a judge that knew very little about horses. She kept a few ponies for the grand kids and that was her total experience. But because they could not find anyone else to volunteer at the shows she was drafted by the 4-H group.
She also has a section on her "deep thoughts" which is interesting.
A note to Willie: Next time you post a comment it would be better if you made your Google profile open and not private and for a screen name I would not pick "nooneimportant".
Update: Willie made a comment about this post under the Ohio trainers from hell post you can read it here. My thoughts are, the photo above about the 25 years "experience" is very misleading advertising. I know if a local retail store mislead their customers in such a way then they have broken some "truth in advertising" laws.
My kind of horseman
Here is a blog post about the deceit and fraud going on in the horse industry. The man says it like it is. It is called "Can you handle the truth?"
What the law says about horse training
The law and horse training. Did you know that the law says you have to provide "a warranty of good and workmanlike performance" for training horses? Here is a brief summery of what the court up held in Texas:
Archibald v. Act III Arabians, 755 S.W.2d 84 (Tex. 1988).
Horse owner sued trainers for damaging horses due to improper training. Texas Supreme Court held that an implied warranty of good and workmanlike performance applies to horse training services.
Archibald v. Act III Arabians, 755 S.W.2d 84 (Tex. 1988).
Horse owner sued trainers for damaging horses due to improper training. Texas Supreme Court held that an implied warranty of good and workmanlike performance applies to horse training services.
Let the mud sling fest begin
I just did some searches on Google with the words "ripped off by horse trainer" and you would not believe the amount of websites that it returned. One site called the Complaints Board was really rather interesting. It sited a woman named Patricia Wilson in Texas as a scam artist. If you are into mudslinging and need a few minutes to kill during break time read the report and the comments about her here.
Pretending to be trainers while ripping people off
Here is an interesting little group: Kathryn Smith, Mike Smith and The Trail Horse Source. Apparently this little news bulletin comes via the website Rip off Report. The report on there tells of how the Smith's are claiming to horse trainers and professional horse photographers. The report and the following comments tell a tale of misrepresenting horses and selling untrained or green broke horses as fully trained. Here is an excerpt from the middle comment:
I asked all the right questions about the horse I bought including calling the first owner who sold him at 18 months. Kathryn told me lie after lie about the horse (he was absolutely green) and his height, she swore that she sticked him at 15.1 and that her husband (all 6 ft- 300 lbs of him) rode this horse in the mountains. With his shoes(all four different)pulled he stood 13.3 hds.....a pony! She quickly chaqnged her e-mail and phone number and never got back to me.
My GAWD, my husband is 6 foot and doesn't ride his horse (a 16 hand QH) because he is over weight at 270 lbs. What the heck is a 300 lb man doing on a 15 hand horse!
The website that is referenced in the article is no more and the whois info on it show the domain as available again.
Anyone care to chime in on this? Where are the Smith's now? According to the last comment on the the Rip off Report page, they keep changing their names and locations of where they work out of. Their last known location was is North Carolina.
I asked all the right questions about the horse I bought including calling the first owner who sold him at 18 months. Kathryn told me lie after lie about the horse (he was absolutely green) and his height, she swore that she sticked him at 15.1 and that her husband (all 6 ft- 300 lbs of him) rode this horse in the mountains. With his shoes(all four different)pulled he stood 13.3 hds.....a pony! She quickly chaqnged her e-mail and phone number and never got back to me.
My GAWD, my husband is 6 foot and doesn't ride his horse (a 16 hand QH) because he is over weight at 270 lbs. What the heck is a 300 lb man doing on a 15 hand horse!
The website that is referenced in the article is no more and the whois info on it show the domain as available again.
Anyone care to chime in on this? Where are the Smith's now? According to the last comment on the the Rip off Report page, they keep changing their names and locations of where they work out of. Their last known location was is North Carolina.
It's nice to see that I am not alone in my fight to rid the world of awful horse trainers
There are many blog writers out in cyberland that have devoted their time and energy into finding and exposing the worst of the worst when it comes to horse abuse by trainers. One of my favorites has got to be Fugly Horse of the Day. I have read Cathy's blog since the first month it came out over a year ago. While she mostly hits hard the really bad horse breeders in the industry she also touches on the horse trainers that have ruined horses.
Another blog that I only just discovered is Shame in the Horse Show Ring. That blog hits almost every trainer that shows horses under saddle at the age of 2 with lots of other disgraceful training subjects too.
If you know of any blogs that a similar to these and think that the readers of this blog might like them then by all means make a comment.
Another blog that I only just discovered is Shame in the Horse Show Ring. That blog hits almost every trainer that shows horses under saddle at the age of 2 with lots of other disgraceful training subjects too.
If you know of any blogs that a similar to these and think that the readers of this blog might like them then by all means make a comment.
Not a professional trainer but has won a post here
This one is a not a professional trainer but is into rescuing horses and teaching them to rear! Of course she has a video on Youtube all about it. She has disabled the embed feature so here is the link to her video on how she is teaching this rescued horse to rear and prance. She obviously has gotten some bad feedback before on her "methods" of training so you can post your comments here about it. Here is what she has to say about her horse and training it to rear (complete with misspellings):
THis is my horse and I can do what I want with him.... He is a rescue from the slaughter house, so all of your concern that he is going to end up there because I am teaching him how to rear well he isnt, because I will never sell him he is my baby and I am not a mean jerk horse person who sells horses, because that is mean to do, because once I get a horse it is mine because I love him with all my heart. So all of your concern about me teaching him how to rear well dont leave a comment I know what I am doing
Wellll I was riding him and just playing around and a long time ago I wanted to teach my mare how to rear and she took advantage of that...soo I have been working with rearing with sunny for about a month and it is okay not great but okay and I have been trying to get him to prance then canter....hard stuff lol....but this is what I have from only a month....No mean comments please I would never hurt my horse but my reins have to be tight so he gets the signal right away... The last clip is a must seee...we were prancing and I finnaly got it welll almost lol..... I LOVE HIM :) COMMENT PLEEEZE and tell me what you think...
Now back to a dose of reality, sister. If you teach this horse to rear and at one point in the future have to find him a home (because the horse dumps you during training and you can no longer ride or afford the horse) the future owners will not want a horse that rears either on command or by accidentally giving the command that you used to train the horse. You have reduced the chances of this horse ever finding a good home. Please do all the horses a favor and don't rescue anymore horses to teach them useless and dangerous "tricks". Rearing horses are for TV, movies, advanced dressage (not the type of rearing you are teaching mind you) and the circus not for everyday horse owners.
And those types of people wonder why there are so many good professional horse trainers out there undoing bad training.
THis is my horse and I can do what I want with him.... He is a rescue from the slaughter house, so all of your concern that he is going to end up there because I am teaching him how to rear well he isnt, because I will never sell him he is my baby and I am not a mean jerk horse person who sells horses, because that is mean to do, because once I get a horse it is mine because I love him with all my heart. So all of your concern about me teaching him how to rear well dont leave a comment I know what I am doing
Wellll I was riding him and just playing around and a long time ago I wanted to teach my mare how to rear and she took advantage of that...soo I have been working with rearing with sunny for about a month and it is okay not great but okay and I have been trying to get him to prance then canter....hard stuff lol....but this is what I have from only a month....No mean comments please I would never hurt my horse but my reins have to be tight so he gets the signal right away... The last clip is a must seee...we were prancing and I finnaly got it welll almost lol..... I LOVE HIM :) COMMENT PLEEEZE and tell me what you think...
Now back to a dose of reality, sister. If you teach this horse to rear and at one point in the future have to find him a home (because the horse dumps you during training and you can no longer ride or afford the horse) the future owners will not want a horse that rears either on command or by accidentally giving the command that you used to train the horse. You have reduced the chances of this horse ever finding a good home. Please do all the horses a favor and don't rescue anymore horses to teach them useless and dangerous "tricks". Rearing horses are for TV, movies, advanced dressage (not the type of rearing you are teaching mind you) and the circus not for everyday horse owners.
And those types of people wonder why there are so many good professional horse trainers out there undoing bad training.
There are dumb ass horse trainers all over the world
I found this video on Youtube (where else do all the dummies posts themselves?) that shows a horse in training during it's first ride. The horse, trainer and rider are all in Hungry, at least that is the language I hear being spoken. I won't put the video on here because for some odd reason they don't know how to post a video with it right side up! So tilt your head or if you have a laptop sit it up on end to watch. The trainer has the horse on a lunge line with rider on board, of course without a helmet on a less than green broke horse. The rider has absolutely no control, not even reins to help control the horse should it spook. Of course there is an accident and the rider notes she has scars from it. Blame that one on an inept trainer that has full disregard for the safety of the people working with him.
Rate the horse trainer
I hope that I have found a system that can give unbiased ratings of horse trainers by location. I developed another blog called Rate the Horse Trainer. On it there will be nothing but polls that you can either vote on horse trainers or if you are looking for a horse trainer, view the poll results. I have tried to list as many scenarios as possible (the poll would only allow a max of 9 answers) to cover what might happen with a trainer and a person's satisfaction with them.
Many of the trainers listed on this blog have already been added. The polls are set up to only allow one vote each so I hope that stops fraudulent voting by the trainer themselves. Please visit the blog and see it in action.
Many of the trainers listed on this blog have already been added. The polls are set up to only allow one vote each so I hope that stops fraudulent voting by the trainer themselves. Please visit the blog and see it in action.
Teaching young riders to be abusive
Here is a prime example of how a young rider can be not only taught to be abusive to a pony but gets cheered on by the crowd. We all know that a "trainer" showed the child what to do and I don't care if that trainer was his parents or a professional - it is just plain WRONG. The child is using that whip often and the poor pony hates every minute of it. The child is wearing spurs too and is using them. Can't you just wait until this child gets older and tries to control other animals and humans by force? WARNING - CRUELTY IN ACTION
Idiot wannabe horse trainers
Finding idiots on YouTube - where else?
Here is another one with 2 idiots riding/training a pony. They have disabled the comments section and do not allow the video to be embedded - I wonder why?
Idiots (grown men) riding and abusing a pony
I don't have to make fun of any wannabe horse trainer they do it themselves on YouTube.
Here is another one with 2 idiots riding/training a pony. They have disabled the comments section and do not allow the video to be embedded - I wonder why?
Idiots (grown men) riding and abusing a pony
I don't have to make fun of any wannabe horse trainer they do it themselves on YouTube.
Developing another trainer blog
Since there have been many comments and suggestions about adding a good trainer blog I am in the process of making one. This time it will be based solely on a poll voting system to start with. I plan on adding the trainers that were mentioned here on this blog and many of the nationally known trainers. The polling system is designed to only allow one vote per person/computer so it should eliminate any fraudulent votes by computer bots and individuals voting repeatedly for themselves. It will take a few days to get it up and running but I am hopeful that it will help people out when looking for a new horse trainer.
Thinking about adding polls
I may have found another way to rate trainers. I found a free poll that could be added to the blog. Below is a sample of the poll. This would be great to rate trainers that are great ones as well as the not so great. It would help out people just looking for a good local trainer as well as the ones to avoid. What are your thoughts? What other questions should I add to the poll? It can be set up to check off multiple answers. I am sure you have a favorite trainer that you would love to see listed - I know I do.
The Mafia and how to “drug” a horse
I have known for the last 20 years about the involvement of the Mafia at many east coast racetracks. Some of them are owned and run by them (organized crime families) while others have been so infiltrated by the crime “families” that it makes no difference if they are owned by them or not. I had farrier that use to work on a few of the tracks in Pennsylvania and New York state. He told me stories of the “Sandman” (which were later confirmed by reports that surfaced in Sports Illustrated) where everyone knew if he showed up at the track a horse would die that night. Here is just a list of stories that point to organized crime involvement at racetracks and drugging methods used by trainers. The first story even tells how to make a “milk shake” to induce a horse into winning a race.
Organized crime at the races – story 1
Organized crime at the races – story 2
This problem is not just in the USA it is world wide.
Organized crime at the races in Italy
This has got to be one of the main reasons NOT to support horse racing by gambling on the horses.
Organized crime at the races – story 1
Organized crime at the races – story 2
This problem is not just in the USA it is world wide.
Organized crime at the races in Italy
This has got to be one of the main reasons NOT to support horse racing by gambling on the horses.
Virgina horse trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Virgina then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
The horrors of horse racing
The horrors of the racing industry is not limited to the USA. While searching the internet for more dastardly crimes by horse trainers I found out that there is an uproar in Israel about expanding the horse racing industry. I also found some gruesome photos of horses being shot in a Hong Kong race track because they were too slow.
In Great Britain there is an organization that keeps daily track of how many race horses die either during the race or are put down shortly after because of an injury during the race. It is call Race Horse Death Watch.
All of these horrors could be easily avoided by horse trainers saying no to the horse owners when they want them to run. The horse trainer knows better or should about the condition of the horses they train. If more race horse trainers had ethics maybe the race horse industry would not be in the sorry state it is in.
In Great Britain there is an organization that keeps daily track of how many race horses die either during the race or are put down shortly after because of an injury during the race. It is call Race Horse Death Watch.
All of these horrors could be easily avoided by horse trainers saying no to the horse owners when they want them to run. The horse trainer knows better or should about the condition of the horses they train. If more race horse trainers had ethics maybe the race horse industry would not be in the sorry state it is in.
One form of horse abuse that has to end
Walking horses have taken a lot of abuse from trainers in the past. The recent article below shows that there maybe some hope in the future for the breed. Veterinarians have taken up the flag against soring. Interesting article worth reading.
What constitutes the definition “Horse trainer from Hell”?
Since horse training is not a cookie cutter science but one based on individual horse personalities and a willing attitude combined with the attitude and experience of the horse trainer, not all horses will respond to all trainers. That being said this blog is not concerned with a trainer’s ability as much as it is with a trainer’s methods. If the trainer uses methods that constitute cruelty or neglect under the law then those are the trainers that should show up listed on this blog. If those trainers are also fraudulent in any way under the law and that does include “breach of written contract” then they should be listed here too. The mediocre trainer that fails a client or two with not being able to train a horse to the owner’s expectations is NOT a trainer from Hell; they are simply not that good a trainer. This blog is concerned with those self proclaimed horse trainers that beat, kick, drag, starve and abuse horses all in the name of training. This blog will also list horse trainers that rip-off clients by stealing, fraud, vandalism, harassment and intimidation. Those my friends are Horse Trainers from Hell. Please keep that in mind if you wish to post a trainer on this blog.
Blog up date - some changes made
This blog grew way too fast and too soon. I had no idea that it would generate such …shall we say an interest? I have had comments both good and bad said about the blog but hardly any directed toward the subject of bad horse trainers. I have gotten over 10+ comments complaining about the California post saying it should stay on topic and not venture into slams or praises of this blog. Almost all of them mentioned I don’t have to publish their comments if I didn’t want to so if yours was one of them I am sorry but I have decided not to publish the “staying on topic” complaint. Instead I will remove the posts that are not staying on topic in the “location” blog posts that also includes the praises of this blog too if it is under the “location” posts. If you wish to praise or slam the blog then just write a comment under the blog posts that are listed as “general blog posts”. The biggest fault is not with approving or disapproving a comment but how the blogger software is set up. I don’t know what post the comment was made under until I approve it. Then I have to go and look for it to see where it came from. More than likely it is under the wrong subject. You can still pick any blog post to suggest a new “location” post, I just won’t publish the suggestion (in fact I have to look for them and remove them too).
I also tried to add a side widget for the latest comments to be listed and not only did the widget not work but 2 blog posts disappeared. I also did get a few spam comment ads that I got tired of rejecting so I turned on the Google ID requirement. I figure that most people have a Google ID just for posting so that will not deter anyone from making comments. I am also rethinking my stand on hearsay, whether to keep it or let it go, still not sure. I still believe in God even though I have not seen him so he is hearsay…..still thinking that one over.
Now to help educate my readers that are concerned about the issue of libel (contrary to popular belief this blog is not slanderous, please get your definitions correct). First let’s take a walk through what happens in the typical libel case. Step one the person who feels that they have lost business because of this blog has to contact a lawyer. The lawyer in turn has to get a court order to reveal my identity from Google. There are now court cases on the books in certain states that protect “anonymous” bloggers (I happen to live in one of them). The court cases have established a precedent that protects bloggers from certain types of legal actions by stating that “it is common knowledge that blogs are strictly considered opinions and that statements made by bloggers cannot be listed as libelous statements.“ If that person gets that far with their case and that could take months, the lawyer and court costs will cost them money. Only after the court order can the lawyer issue a certified letter to me asking that I apologize or remove the persons name on the blog or risk a lawsuit. More money for the person to spend. That takes more time. If I choose not to retract or apologize then the person can take me to court (getting a court date could take up to six months or more) and it is up to them to prove that I and I alone damaged their business through acts of willful lies. Yes in order for the lawsuit to be not tossed out of court the person has to prove (yes it is up to them to provide the proof) that the accusations were LIES. If it is the truth they don’t have a case and they also have to have tangible evidence that they lost money because of me. Libel cases are based on money lost not solely on reputation so the “victim” has to prove they lost money because of this blog. Just providing the proof to the court maybe their undoing. Libel lawsuits are rarely brought to court by the average person. They are mostly brought to court by celebrities and big businesses against huge newspapers and publishers - not small time bloggers. It just costs too much money for the small time bad trainer to even start the process just to get an apology or have me remove their name from the blog. Add to that the typical libel suit often takes 2 years before it is settled. My dad (God rest his soul) went through a wrongful injury lawsuit before he died and it took 7 years to finally get it settled from the time he first sat down with his lawyer. Libel lawsuits are not considered as important as an injury or criminal cases in the eyes of the court so they are often pushed back on the court calendar. I also have the added advantage of having access to several really good attorneys that owe me favors if I decided to let the case run it’s course.
Now of course I could always switch the blog to my own hosting company with a top level domain name. That would make it even harder to trace since I know several individuals that own their own servers. I could even pay extra to make the domain name private. I figure that this blog is no where near as bad as the billions of porno sites out there on the net after all it is only targeting BAD horse trainers.
If I was worried about lawsuits I would not have started this blog in the first place. So will everyone relax?
I also tried to add a side widget for the latest comments to be listed and not only did the widget not work but 2 blog posts disappeared. I also did get a few spam comment ads that I got tired of rejecting so I turned on the Google ID requirement. I figure that most people have a Google ID just for posting so that will not deter anyone from making comments. I am also rethinking my stand on hearsay, whether to keep it or let it go, still not sure. I still believe in God even though I have not seen him so he is hearsay…..still thinking that one over.
Now to help educate my readers that are concerned about the issue of libel (contrary to popular belief this blog is not slanderous, please get your definitions correct). First let’s take a walk through what happens in the typical libel case. Step one the person who feels that they have lost business because of this blog has to contact a lawyer. The lawyer in turn has to get a court order to reveal my identity from Google. There are now court cases on the books in certain states that protect “anonymous” bloggers (I happen to live in one of them). The court cases have established a precedent that protects bloggers from certain types of legal actions by stating that “it is common knowledge that blogs are strictly considered opinions and that statements made by bloggers cannot be listed as libelous statements.“ If that person gets that far with their case and that could take months, the lawyer and court costs will cost them money. Only after the court order can the lawyer issue a certified letter to me asking that I apologize or remove the persons name on the blog or risk a lawsuit. More money for the person to spend. That takes more time. If I choose not to retract or apologize then the person can take me to court (getting a court date could take up to six months or more) and it is up to them to prove that I and I alone damaged their business through acts of willful lies. Yes in order for the lawsuit to be not tossed out of court the person has to prove (yes it is up to them to provide the proof) that the accusations were LIES. If it is the truth they don’t have a case and they also have to have tangible evidence that they lost money because of me. Libel cases are based on money lost not solely on reputation so the “victim” has to prove they lost money because of this blog. Just providing the proof to the court maybe their undoing. Libel lawsuits are rarely brought to court by the average person. They are mostly brought to court by celebrities and big businesses against huge newspapers and publishers - not small time bloggers. It just costs too much money for the small time bad trainer to even start the process just to get an apology or have me remove their name from the blog. Add to that the typical libel suit often takes 2 years before it is settled. My dad (God rest his soul) went through a wrongful injury lawsuit before he died and it took 7 years to finally get it settled from the time he first sat down with his lawyer. Libel lawsuits are not considered as important as an injury or criminal cases in the eyes of the court so they are often pushed back on the court calendar. I also have the added advantage of having access to several really good attorneys that owe me favors if I decided to let the case run it’s course.
Now of course I could always switch the blog to my own hosting company with a top level domain name. That would make it even harder to trace since I know several individuals that own their own servers. I could even pay extra to make the domain name private. I figure that this blog is no where near as bad as the billions of porno sites out there on the net after all it is only targeting BAD horse trainers.
If I was worried about lawsuits I would not have started this blog in the first place. So will everyone relax?
West Virgina horse trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in West Virgina then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Horse trainer in West Virgina charged with animal cruelty
Dennis B. Danley, 55, of Charles Town, W.V. starves and mistreats the Thoroughbred horses in his care. He has been charged with 48 counts of animal abuse and this is not the first time. Over a year ago this man was charged with similar crimes and ordered not to own any more horses. The charges (the year ago ones) allowed him to continue being a trainer!!!! His trial for the new charges of 48 counts of animal cruelty is set for Jan. 2009
The full news story can be found here with updates as they become available.
The first case against him resulted in probation, a 90 suspended sentence and an order not to own any more horses. Now I wonder if any of those horses that they found starving and abused this time were his or clients, since he was allowed to continue training horses.
Personally the matter to me is mute since the horses got the short end of the stick of the deal whether they belonged to the trainer or his clients.
The full news story can be found here with updates as they become available.
The first case against him resulted in probation, a 90 suspended sentence and an order not to own any more horses. Now I wonder if any of those horses that they found starving and abused this time were his or clients, since he was allowed to continue training horses.
Personally the matter to me is mute since the horses got the short end of the stick of the deal whether they belonged to the trainer or his clients.
Recent big name horse trainers suspended for various violations
Interesting news items and data lists about horse trainers gathered from around the internet.
Walking Horse Trainer suspended for illegal horse soring
Suspended owners, judges, trainers and others from the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)
Walking Horse Trainer suspended for illegal horse soring
Suspended owners, judges, trainers and others from the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)
Big name horse racing trainer
Now the news item below is not news to those who are familiar with the race horse Big Brown. What I found startling about the story below was the fact that Dutrow has had yearly suspensions and the racing industry has done nothing about it other than a 15 day ban on racing here and there.
Run a background check on the horse trainer before you sign anything
You will be handing over a very valuable item (your horse) to a complete stranger (a recommended trainer or one listed on craigslist) do you do a background check? I would. I would also have a credit check done on them just to make sure that they aren't behind on their bills and might sell my horse or skimp on the feed. Here is a link to a free criminal background check website. Criminal Searches
I would also make sure that the person giving my child riding lessons was not listed as a sex offender or even have one working as a stall cleaner at the barn. With so many good riding and training establishments out there why take a chance?
I would also make sure that the person giving my child riding lessons was not listed as a sex offender or even have one working as a stall cleaner at the barn. With so many good riding and training establishments out there why take a chance?
North Carolina horse trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in North Carolina then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
South Carolina horse trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in South Carolina then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Ohio trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Ohio then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
My only wish is that horse trainers would have to be licenced to train horses
After starting this blog only a few short days ago I was astounded to see how many visitors it got - just over 7K yesterday. Since I have an invisible statcounter on this blog I am able to see where the great majority of the visitors are coming from. It seems there are at least 7 message boards that have given this blog the tremendous amount of traffic. 2 of those message boards only posted concerns about a trainer's reputation being in jeopardy because of a blog such as this. To that concern I say this: This blog is not concerned about the reputation of any trainer, it is concerned with helping horse owners find a good trainer for their horse. Good trainers will have nothing to worry about because they have made no enemies and have conducted sound business practices when it comes to dealing with unsatisfied clients.
At this point I am wishing that horse trainers would have to be licensed to train horses much in the same way a doctor is licensed in their own state. The trainer would have to undergo a test, both written and with a horse. I would also like to see that they had a business degree as well. If a doctor screws up their name shows up on this website.
Speaking of licenses and permits - do you realize that the great majority of small time horse trainers do not have business licenses for their locale? They often do not have liability insurance for the horses that they take in for training too. Those are some questions you can bring up when you interview your next horse trainer.
At this point I am wishing that horse trainers would have to be licensed to train horses much in the same way a doctor is licensed in their own state. The trainer would have to undergo a test, both written and with a horse. I would also like to see that they had a business degree as well. If a doctor screws up their name shows up on this website.
Speaking of licenses and permits - do you realize that the great majority of small time horse trainers do not have business licenses for their locale? They often do not have liability insurance for the horses that they take in for training too. Those are some questions you can bring up when you interview your next horse trainer.
New Hampshire trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in New Hampshire then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Nebraska trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Nebraska then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Missouri trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Missouri then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Mississippi trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Mississippi then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Minnesota trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Minnesota then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Michigan trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Michigan then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Massachusetts trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Massachusetts then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Maryland trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Maryland then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Maine trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Maine then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Louisiana trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Louisiana then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Kansas trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Kansas then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Indiana trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Indiana then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Illinois trainers from Hell
If the horse trainer is located in Illinois then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Hawaiian trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Hawaii then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Kentucky horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Kentucky then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
Oklahoma horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Oklahoma then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
New Mexico horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in New Mexico then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
Wyoming horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Wyoming then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog
Iowa horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Iowa then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Tennessee horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Tennessee then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Why I started this blog
I have had my experiences with inept horse trainers. I only wish I had known about them before I sent my horses to them. There is no "better business bureau" when it comes to horse trainers in the USA. Almost anyone can put up a website or sign stating horse training done here and have no credentials what so ever. There is a complete lack of a watch dog on this type of profession.
It is up to us the horse owning people to govern this profession since no one else is. This blog is an attempt to help out our fellow horse owners weed out those horse trainers from hell and hopefully put them out of business by giving them a lack of business. They obviously should not be horse trainers to begin with.
I am looking to you - fellow horse owners - to help our horse owning friends. If you know of a really bad horse trainer please post about him/her under their location post. Please post their name too. It helps no one if you say "someone that owns a Arab breeding farm in (place the city name here) abuses horses". There could be more than one Arab breeding farm in that location and you could target the wrong one by making a statement like that. I also ask that you be specific in telling how the trainer is the trainer from hell. Do they use drugs on the horses? Are they starving the horses? Do they keep the horses tied up all day long? What are they doing?
If you are a trainer that has been accused of being a horse trainer from hell you can simply make a comment here too. I have also enabled anonymous posting so you can post away. Remember that you are helping out your fellow horse owners by posting.
It is up to us the horse owning people to govern this profession since no one else is. This blog is an attempt to help out our fellow horse owners weed out those horse trainers from hell and hopefully put them out of business by giving them a lack of business. They obviously should not be horse trainers to begin with.
I am looking to you - fellow horse owners - to help our horse owning friends. If you know of a really bad horse trainer please post about him/her under their location post. Please post their name too. It helps no one if you say "someone that owns a Arab breeding farm in (place the city name here) abuses horses". There could be more than one Arab breeding farm in that location and you could target the wrong one by making a statement like that. I also ask that you be specific in telling how the trainer is the trainer from hell. Do they use drugs on the horses? Are they starving the horses? Do they keep the horses tied up all day long? What are they doing?
If you are a trainer that has been accused of being a horse trainer from hell you can simply make a comment here too. I have also enabled anonymous posting so you can post away. Remember that you are helping out your fellow horse owners by posting.
Canadian horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in the country of Canada then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Idaho horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Idaho then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Utah horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Utah then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Nevada horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Nevada then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
Oregon horse trainers from hell
If the horse trainer is located in Oregon then post a comment here.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
A note to our readers:
All comments are the sole opinions of the comment writer and not of this blog.
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