Got a gig riding a lady's horse and marketing him for sale. He's not been ridden in like a year but I got on him today and he's a good boy (didn't make any real effort at killing me). Since he's not a manic with a death wish, I'm planning to take the job. Not sure about pricing/payment though.
I will be riding him 3-4 days a week schooling him in basic dressage and jumping. He's got a baby brain so probably no longer than an hour in the saddle but tacking/untacking him as well.
I will be making his sale ad, posting it, (updating if necessary), talking to potential buyers, setting up showings and basically getting him sold. No sale price is set yet.
So basically, I'm trainer and sales agent. The people selling him are not able to pay anything until after he has sold so my payment would have to be a percentage of the final sale price. Any idea what percentage I should say I want ? They had him priced at $ 900 when he was not being ridden but he's got basic dressage work already, can jump and IMO is worth far more. Just poorly marketed.
This is tricky. Since you aren't I licensed trainer its really between you and the owner how much she thinks you are worth. Honestly I would treat it like any other job. I get $ 10 an hour working at a local stable. Maybe since you are raising his value you could charge $ 12 or $ 15.
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On the actual training side, I wouldn't start out riding him. You would be AMAZED how much faster a horse will progress when you build him from the bottom up. I'd start with lunging. First session 1/2 hr lunging, 1/2 other ground work or desensitization. I have no idea what his ground manners are like, so that may be all you need. Next time 1/2 hr lunging and 1/2 hr light riding. Next 15 min lunge 45 light to moderate riding. Then work your way up to only lunging 5 minutes or so. I always start out a training session with lunging so i can gauge how the horse is feeling. Every once in a while, one may be having a REALLY off day, and there is no sense pushing it because it can cause problems, so I will only do easy stuff and end on a good note. Once I got injured so badly (in an accident that could have been prevented by lunging) that I couldn't get on for a month. So I did only groundwork for a month with my gelding, and when I finally was able to ride again, it was like I was on a different horse!
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Sorry I did more training talk than answering your question:/but thats my area of expertise:). As for the value of him, I don't know what he looks like, his bloodlines, his temperament, or potential. But I would do searches for horses with his qualities and see how much they are going for. NOTE: if he isn't registered, his price should be lowered considerably. You find horses all the time that are incredibly talented and ready to go, but they are a fraction of the price of others of their level because buyers are not willing to purchase an unregistered horse.
Good Luck!
Sorry. Just my training style. I don't lunge my personal horse every time I ride, just the ones I train. A smart trainer observes her project and adjusts her training regimes to what the horse is in the best position to work on, as well as mentally and physically prepares them for the session ahead. It something you will see most licensed creditable trainers do. I doubt they would invest their time into something that was pointless. But hey, you are a self taught backyard trainer with no discernible reputation or achievements, I'm sure you know better than us.
10-15 pounds
