Horse Training at Ocean View Stables
Thirty days on the Pacific coast. Groundwork first, then riding, with a plan built around the horse you actually have.
Book an EvaluationSoft Is Strong
A horse who will not stand for the farrier, will not load, or will not let a stranger near him is not being difficult. He is telling you what he expects to happen next. Training that argues with him only proves him right.
We work the other way round. Groundwork until the horse chooses to stay rather than being held there, and only then the ridden work. It is slower to watch and it lasts a great deal longer.
- Five training days a week
- Groundwork before ridden work, every time
- One trainer per horse, not a rotation
- Written progress notes you actually receive
- Owner sessions included, because he goes home to you
Choose Your Program
Every program is priced as training board. His stall, daily care, feed and the training are all in one number, and nothing is added to it afterwards.
Colt Starting
- For an unstarted or barely started horse
- Groundwork, desensitising, saddling
- Ponying and first rides
- Five training days a week
- Board and daily care included
Foundation and Problem Solving
- For one specific problem to work through
- Farrier, vet and handling manners
- Trailer loading and ground manners
- Confidence gaps under saddle
- Board and daily care included
Tune-Up and Refresher
- For a broke horse who has been sitting
- Back into regular, willing work
- Refitted to the job you need him for
- Five training days a week
- Board and daily care included
What a Training Month Looks Like
Week One: Finding His Line
We handle him ourselves before we ask anything of him, and find where his line actually is rather than where we hope it is. Everything after this is built on what we find in that first week.
Weeks Two and Three: The Work
Short, frequent, unglamorous sessions. The aim is never to win an argument on a given day, it is to change what he expects tomorrow.
Week Four: Handing It Back
You come and do the work with him, with us alongside you. This is the week that decides whether the training survives going home.
Throughout: You Are Told the Truth
Written notes as we go, including the sessions that did not work. A trainer who only reports good days is not reporting.
Evaluations and Boarded Horses
If your horse already lives here, you pay the training fee only.
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Training Evaluation Credited in full against your first 30 days | $175 |
| Colt Starting, training fee only | $1,600 / 30 days |
| Foundation and Problem Solving, training fee only | $1,400 / 30 days |
| Tune-Up and Refresher, training fee only | $1,200 / 30 days |
| Additional 30 day block | Same rate, no uplift |
| Hauling to and from the barn | Request pricing |
Training fee only rates apply to horses already boarded at Ocean View Stables and are billed on top of your existing board. Training board rates are based on a 12x12 indoor stall; a 12x18 stall is $200 more per month. See boarding options.
The Part Most Barns Leave Out
A horse can be transformed in thirty days and back to his old self within three weeks of going home. That is not the training failing. It is the horse reading a different person and drawing the obvious conclusion.
So owner sessions are built into every program at no extra cost. If the horse is going to a teenager, or to college, or to whoever actually handles him day to day, that is the person we want in the round pen before he leaves. Otherwise he learns to trust us, which does you no good at all.
Common Questions
How long will my horse need?
Most work is quoted in thirty day blocks because that is roughly how long it takes to change an expectation rather than just a behaviour. Some horses need one block, some need three. We will tell you which after the evaluation, and we would rather say three at the start than surprise you at day thirty.
Can I come and watch?
Yes, and we would rather you did. There is nothing here we would not want you to see.
What if thirty days is not enough?
Additional blocks run at the same rate with no uplift. We will also tell you plainly if we do not think more time is the answer for your horse.
Does my horse have to board with you?
For a full program, yes. The work depends on daily handling and on him living in a consistent routine. If he already boards here, you pay the training fee only.
What do I need to send with him?
We will send you a short intake list covering vaccinations, his farrier schedule, his current feed and anything his vet needs us to know. Nothing surprising, but we would rather have it in writing before he arrives.
Every program starts with an evaluation, because a price quoted before anyone has handled your horse is a guess. Bring him over, let us find his line, and we will give you a written plan and a firm number.
2152 Olympic Way, Daly City CA 94015 · (415) 969-1223