IT'S NOT EASY GETTING GREEN!
Of all of the jobs that are attractive to young women, that of equine professional certainly has great appeal. It is natural for a young rider to desire the level of respect and trust that they have given to their trainer. To the unanointed the job looks perfect! Who wouldn’t love to get paid to ride horses all day long?
The hard work required at the beginning seems a reasonable price to be paid for the perfect job. Advancement is dependent upon success and we have been taught from the time we were little children that hard work will breed success. It soon becomes apparent that success is not automatic but is dependent upon money – the customers’ money. Winning attracts clients capable of buying expensive horses and capable of spending the money required to win. Before long the trainer feels entitled to a lifestyle comparable to the lives of their clients. The public perception and foundation of their business is based on the visible results gained by other people’s money. As expectations rise so does the work. The trainer is presented with ethical challenges that might shorten the path to their success.
At the upper levels the world of horse showing is a world unto itself. Social standing is measured by comparison to others at the horse show. Trainers and horse dealers can easily convince themselves that the world of horses is not subject to the laws of the outside world. Trainers and clients allow moral behavior to be defined by the environment that exists only on horse show grounds; usual measures of human values are stripped away. Almost everything is defined by money.
The desire to live the lifestyle that is represented by material success is frequently confused with vocational success. It is an easy trap to fall into. Because of the relationship of trainer to client it is all too easy to bend the rules a bit. Padding prices, illegally medicating horses to assure a win, overcharging and inaccurate billing are just a few of the ways to accomplish material success.
