Wisconsin, England (UK) and Australia just added to locations

Just added 3 more locations of trainers to the list. Please post your comments under those locations.

Recent comments widget no longer works

The widget for recent comments on this blog is broken. At least that is what blogger is saying. It is a pity because I know of several people who would just drop on by to see the latest comments.

But do not despair, there is a way around this. If you are following a certain post, say one that lists comments about California trainers, go to that post and you will see a subscribe to comments link, like this one (see photo below)

After you have subscribed you will get updates on that post's comments. You will need to subscribe to each post you want a comments update on.

To my readers - a word about comments

Just recently there is one commentor who seems to think that I am just sitting on the other end of the internet just waiting to read and approve comments. That is not the case.

I get notified via email when a comment has been posted and is ready for moderation. That does not mean I have to drop everything and log in just to moderate a comment. In fact I often do NOT have the time right away and get to it many days later.

So to the person who calls themselves "unknown" - LEARN TO HAVE SOME PATIENCE AND GIVE IT A BREAK.

Repeat postings of the same comment (you know who you are) will not get it posted faster. In fact if you post the same comment under several blog posts it might just get deleted for spamming (yes the spam filter is ON).

So please have some patience, your comment will be moderated eventually. And remember I moderate to filter out spam and ads only.

Edited to add:
To "unknown" :
           ALL of the comments received regarding Oregon Trainers have been posted including positive ones. The only ones I did not approve from you is that comment which is one sentence only and states - "apparently the positive comments are not being approved" which you tend to submit once every 3 days. 

Just added 2 more locations

By request I just added 2 more locations for visitors to post their comments to. They are North Dakota and Ireland. Just look at the locations on the side bar to find them.

Don't forget to track those comments

About 99% of the information found on this site is because of YOU the reader providing that information. The comments under the state or country sections are where you will find what others have found out about horse trainers and are not afraid of letting the world know about it. You can also read the latest comments in the sidebar, so check back at least once a week to see if anything new has popped up.

On another note:
I am very much for FREE information to those who need it. So you will never be charged a fee to read or have access to this website.That cannot be said for those other "membership" websites that are popping up all over the place. I don't want to have to pay a "fee" just to enter a website and only find that the horse trainer I am trying to get an honest review on was written by the trainer!! Let's face it, those membership websites are a bunch of bulls***.

An interesting comment that I did not publish

Almost all of the comments that are received on this blog are published. I only make a few rare exceptions and mostly that is to filter spam or advertising. I recently got a comment on the Canada blog post section. It was about a trainer and boarding stable owner. It was very detailed. I was going to approve it when I saw the "by line" was by "admin." Since I did not write it, I thought that it should not be published since the author did not put a name to their comment but tried to make it sound like it was my comment. Sorry "admin" but you will have to try that one again. Google also placed that comment in my "spam" section so maybe something is wrong with it to begin with.

If you are reading this, "admin," next time you write about that trainer, could you please put a link to the lawsuit you mentioned? That would add credence to your claims.

How to locate the wrong or right horse professional

Are you one of those people who seem to never find the right person to work with your horse? Is it the wrong trainer, farrier or vet? Never fear a new website has popped up just for you. Touted as a place to find the right horse professional instead of the wrong one, it will guide you to your dream trainer, vet or farrier......for a fee. That's right you have to join their little club to see what's behind door number 1. That website is called Rate My Horse PRO and it is being discussed on various message boards and blogs.

I first heard about the website back in June 2010 and it was just in its planning stages then. I had my doubts about the website but thought, hey this is a good idea. I thought it would be run like the BBB of the horse world....but I was wrong.

If you go to the website and click on trainers, it has a pop up which shows a list of trainers (why does it always show the wrong state for me I am not sure) then if you click on "go to PRO finder" takes you to a sign up page where you have to pay $5 just to see if the trainer you are trying to look up is even listed on the website. I was curious about a horse trainer in a neighboring state but I was not about to pay $5 just to see if they were even listed. Of course there is no telling if the website has horse trainers that sign up just to give glowing reviews about themselves. Let's face it I don't like having to be a "member" just to get information on a business.

Here is something from their FAQ page:

"What is the verification process?
A one time verification fee of $5 will apply to pay for this safe and secure process to ensure the ratings are accurate and reliable."

HOW IN THE HECK DOES $5 ENSURE ACCURATE AND RELIABLE RATINGS!!!
That is what I want to know. Money does not breed honesty.

Another item from their FAQ page:
"PROs who are listed on the site should take an active role in reviewing their ratings and inviting current customers to rate them."

Now there is a one sided rating system. I bet they never tell their unhappy customers they are even listed. Of course if the website is behind "closed doors" the trainer's listing and information is also hidden from Google so it will never show up in searches.

This is also from their website on their Terms of Use page, and quite frankly is a little scary:

"8. FEES

By registering on the Site, you are authorizing us to bill you in accordance with the fee schedule, and to automatically deduct one-time, monthly, annual, or other periodic fees from your credit card as set forth therein. Fees will not be pro-rated. You may terminate your registration by sending an email request to terminate to service@ratemyhorsepro.com. Please allow 30 days for termination to take effect. If you elect to make payments on the Service using a credit card, you hereby authorize us and any of our processors to charge all amounts owed as a result of your use of the Service to the credit card you provide us. You assume all responsibility for notifying us of changes in credit card numbers and/or expiration dates. We may also require a secondary credit card number to be used only if the payment to us by your primary credit card is declined. You shall additionally be responsible for and shall immediately pay us, on demand, any payments that are made to us that are subject to a subsequent reversal or chargeback. You represent and warrant that the credit card information supplied to us is true, correct, and complete, that that payments made by you will be honored by your credit card company, and that you shall pay for all charges incurred through use of your login credential. You are solely responsible for payment of all sales and other taxes arising from your use and access of the Service."

Now didn't they just mention a one time $5 sign up fee on their FAQ page? So what is this part about a fee schedule?

Has anyone used this website yet? I know that many people plan on steering clear of it (via message boards I have read) because they require a membership fee and the fact the information is hidden. If you have joined I would be curious to hear about your experiences with the website.

Check out that trainer

A recent comment on the horse trainers post listed under Colorado prompted me to write this post. That comment dealt with the issue of sexual abuse of teenagers by male horse trainers. The number one thing a parent should NEVER do is leave their kids with a stranger and yes someone hired to train your horse or give your child riding lessons is a stranger. They are not friends but people offering a service for pay. These are not people you choose to hang out with on your days off, they are professionals, you are paying for them to do a service. You would not leave your toddler alone with the plumber while you went shopping so why drop your kids off at the horse trainer?

If the trainer goes out of their way to get you to leave the child with them while you go on a quick errand - THAT IS A RED FLAG. Also ask to see if the trainer has had a background check done on themselves since they teach children. Most states require sports coaches to have passed a background check and last time I looked, horseback riding is a sport.

To be safe run a background check on the horse trainer yourself. You don't want to find out that the horse trainer has a list of thefts or sex abuse in their past. After all they might also want to steal your horse too.

Lastly if you do find out that your child was a victim (like the comment under the Colorado posts) PRESS CHARGES! For heaven sakes don't let the scum bag continue to do this to others.

A few words to horse owners about neglect

Since posting the recent comments to the side bar, I think that the readership has gone up on this little PITA blog. Yep, it is a PITA to those nasty horse trainers that should not even be around horses, much less getting paid to train them. Now I would like to say a few words to those horse owners that are weekend riders or seem to think that having a horse at a boarding stable is the answer to their prayers.

If you own a horse YOU should be the one that is doing most of the training. You know your horse better than anyone. Of course that means daily attention to that horse and not just a quick ride on the weekends. This is where those horse trainers are taking people on that rip off train. They offer a quick fix to an on going problem - the neglected horse. A horse cannot stay in a stall 24/7 or even a paddock and expect to be an angel when taken out even for a quick walk on a lead line. They are a big animal that in the wild roam for miles in one day. The horse needs to get an adequate amount of exercise DAILY not just when the owner has the time or feel like it. That will take more than an hour at the barn each day so plan on at least 2 hours per day per horse. If you don't have the time then do the horse a favor and become an ex-horse owner. Most new horse owners underestimate the amount of time needed to properly take care of a horse each day and I am not talking about mucking out the stalls or feeding, I am talking about handling, ground work, free exercise, grooming, manners and if time allows - riding or driving. That does not include daily medical attention should the horse become sick or injured.

Neglect on the part of a horse owner is what is making those horse trainers on TV millions of dollars. Instead of buying one of their videos or going to one of their seminars, spend that time with your horse.

Recent comments added to side bar

Thank goodness Google keeps coming up with new side bar gadgets. I just added the recent comments one to the top of the side bar on the left. That might help you find the information you are looking for instead of reading every post and all the comments.

Updates

Staying up to date on the many comments that the posts on this blog generate is very simple. Go to the post or posts that interest you the most. Then at the bottom of the post you have a choice to subscribe to the comments of that post. When someone posts a new comment you will then be notified of it. That way you don't have to keep on searching through this blog to see if there is any new comments.

Horse thieves

It is interesting what we run across while surfing the internet. I was simply looking at a online tack store when I noticed that they had a horses for sale and free section. I am not in the market for another horse (I have 6 already) but I thought, "what the heck" and I took a look. It was not the horses on the page that got my attention but the section on "known horse thieves", which appears about 1/3 of the way down the page. No indication about how the people got listed in that section but I am sure that several of you out there might enlighten the rest of us.

Here is the page with the horse thieves section.

Cleve Wells found guilty of animal abuse

The very well known Quarter Horse trainer, Cleve Wells has been found guilty of horse abuse by the American Quarter Horse Association. He has been suspended for one year and a $10,000 fine. I hope that it puts the man out of business for good. You can read the whole story at this link. I wish to thank a reader, Justaplainsam for the heads up on that one.

Readers contributions

If you have noticed I have not been posting much in the past few months. My original goal of this blog was it to be reader run, in other words the readers of this blog to contribute leads, complaints or ideas so either I or other readers could find out more and report back here.

I currently know of no really bad trainers or even horse breeders from hell. I did know one at least 10 years ago and thank goodness she retired after 30 years of destroying children's talent for riding. She was one "trainer" that should have never even been allowed around children. She had a foul mouth and taught English jumping to the point of being dangerous for her young students. Almost everyone of them had to be completely retrained by other competent horse trainers and riding instructors in the area. She was finally run out of business and forced into an early retirement by a parent of a former student. Come to find out that she was doing business without permits, licensing or insurance all those years. The county shut her down.

Horses in Canada suffer

We all know how cold it can get in Canada. Heck most of the time if it just gets down in the 30's I am freezing and trying to keep the water pipes from freezing in our barn. Horses need shelter from the wind and need water. The video below is about a children's camp in Canada that is run by a church that just plain doesn't give a rats ass about the horses it owns. They are out in sub-below freezing temperatures at night with no shelter and no water at all. Any Canadian readers out there wish to comment? I would love to know more about this situation.

Man flies balloon to raise awareness about horse abuse

The video below is of a man, Trent Montage, who flew his hot air balloon 3,000 mile to raise the awareness of horse abuse in the USA. The man had a mission. The f*** interviewers in the video don't care and don't have a clue. You talk about the worse interview this man could have ever gotten. I wonder what we need to do to make the media more aware that they should get rid of TV show hosts like these 2 idiots?

Update on the Cleve Wells case

The district attorney in Johnson County in Texas is now involved with the horse abuse case. Once the shit hit the internet fan all hell has broken wide open for mister Wells. At first he was prepared to make a public statement of his side of the story but I guess someone told him to keep his trap shut - so he did. You can find out more about it at Go Horse show.com Don't forget to read the comments following the article if you have the time. Lots of interesting stuff on there.

Now you need to see what is being said about this on the horse forums, but the forums are also mentioning other major trainers that do the same thing. What ticks me off is the fact they are not naming names. What are those people afraid of? If they know first hand of abuse why are they not doing anything about it? Silence is what these abusive horse trainers thrive on. Ok here is the link to the forum thread.

The Cleve Wells saga

If you have not heard the horse beating saga of BMT Cleve Wells (BMT: big name trainer) then take at look at what the Fugly blog stirred up here. Cleve Wells is a very well know trainer in the AQHA world and he is being accused of major horse abuse. This is not the first time I have heard about him and his little bag of tricks. I think it was almost 20 years ago when the whispers started in the horse training world about his methods. He also has a "kit" that he sells to get your horse started and he claims that " If this package of equipment won't help you train your horse, then it is not worth training". How's that for a so called horse trainer to say? Don't believe me, then go here to see if for yourself and take note, there are no regular bits in his "kit". Not one smooth straight bit in the bunch. It is a bag of torturer devices aimed at inducing pain until an animal submits to the will and strong hands of it's abuser. Oh, and don't forget the price tag of $680+

I wish to thank my readers and posters to this blog

The communication that this blog has engaged is wonderful. The comments alone on the blog post about Mr. Lewis is fantastic. You, my readers are educating not only me but the world at large.

I am so glad that the readers of this blog are much more than horse crazy teens with trolling on their minds. An educated and well mannered comment is far better received by the public than just a rant and rave type of comment. It is always nice to hear both sides of any story in the news or otherwise.

Since I can only dig up so much about bad horse trainers, I leave it up to the readers of this blog to tell their stories in a meaningful way. I know it is hard to write something nice when you have had something bad happen to you or your horse but if you do write be level headed and don't let your emotions get in the way of the facts.

My visitors are providing the entertainment

I have not written a post in some time now but the visitors to this blog are keeping me entertained. One of my blog posts about Kimball Lewis is providing some interesting reading in terms of comments. Another reader is threatening to get an attorney. It is so interesting that they are only wanting to get to another poster and not me! Sorry to tell them but Google is very protective about privacy when it comes to their registered users. Any judge will tell that person that blogs are a form of personal expression and it is extremely expensive to try and shut one down from comments that other people post. Blogs also have protection laws in place in many parts of the world now. The poster is also assuming that they are threatening someone that is in the same country as they are.