Remote learning can be a valuable tool for anyone

Do you take private riding lessons? Do you go it alone without a trainer? I could raise my hand to both of these scenarios. I grew up as a trail rider with little education on riding. When I was in my mid 20’s I started taking lessons and realized just how much I didn’t know. But, as we saw in 2020, we can’t always have in-person lessons. Or, maybe we can’t always afford an in-person lesson. This is why I highly recommend using online resources. For those ‘go it alone’ riders, on-demand training topics help us resolve specific issues or improve our riding and training. For those in a regular program, it can improve your understanding of a subject and supplement what you are learning live.

In today’s online world, there are dozens of horse trainers offering online subscriptions to their content. There are some really good ones out there. When you consider the cost of a private lesson and their monthly subscription price, the value is substantial. For just the price of one lesson (and in most cases for 1/2 the price) you can have access to online trainer’s content 24/7 all month long.

So we know we can gain value from a subscription to online training and the price is very reasonable compared to our traditional in-person training. Although, in-person training has a valuable instant feedback component you just can find in online training and each individual rider needs to determine what mixture of training works best for them.

There are a few online trainers I’ve found a lot of value in and I’ll share those with you below. But, the one challenge I have with following an individual trainer is that you have one option and that is to use their style when it comes to training and riding. Sometimes when I get stuck I need to hear and see it in a different way. That is the primary reason I recommend Equestrian Coach. Instead of access to one coach’s style and videos, there are hundreds of videos by 65 world-class coaches. Content includes riding, training, and even health information.

As promised, here are some online trainers I’ve followed and learned from. There are plenty of others out there if you don’t find these to meet your needs.

• Warwick Shiller – Warwick has an extensive library and really has a focus on how horses learn. His subscription-based training program does have a 7-day trial so you can try before you buy. Even if you don’t sign up with him, I recommend following him on Facebook or Instagram. He puts out a lot of free videos.
• TRT Method – I really like Tristan Tucker. He also has an approach to helping the horse help himself. I’ve learned a lot in just purchasing a few of his filmed clinics. He also has a 7-day trial.
• Carson James – I signed up with Carson James a couple of years ago. I really liked his training and got a chuckle out of his cowboy way of explaining things. He doesn’t beat around the bush. He also has a risk-free trial and publishes a lot of free information. So follow him as well even if you don’t sign-up.
• Equestrian Coach – This is worth mentioning again. Most online programs have a theme. They are to become a better horse trainer or to become a better rider. They are great if you are ready to follow one trainer from beginning to end in the process. But if you are looking for multiple learning resources and perspectives this is the best option. Equestrian Coach has dozens of different trainers and riders and hundreds of videos that are easy to search through. The bonus is you can try it out at 10% off with my discount code – uponahorse.

Just a personal opinion. Try out as many online programs as you can. Many have a trial period that allows you to watch a few videos and decide for yourself if the program will work for you and your horse.

I would love to hear from you! What online training have you tried? Would you recommend it?