Equestrian trainers and instructors are in the helping profession. In any helping profession, the knowledgeable person who is being paid for his or her service is in the power position. In the equestrian industry this relationship often times is blurred and compounded by the trainer's intimate involvement with their client's emotions, hopes, dreams, and their desire to achieve a goal. Many times these relationship's turn confusing because they turn into friendships. In this relationship there is money paid from a client to a trainer or instructor for a service. As a result, the trainer-client relationship is an unequal power relationship. An equestrian trainer or instructor has the information and skill set that the client wants and needs and it is important for trainers to see this role differential and act accordingly.

Boundaries

Boundaries are mutually understood, unspoken physical and emotional limits of the professional relationship between a professional and a client. When these limits are altered or blurred, the relationship becomes ambiguous. Unethical conduct and other unprofessional behaviors may occur. Professional boundaries are the "limits that protect the space between the professional’s power and the client’s vulnerability”.

What is a Fiduciary Relationship?

This is a special relationship in which one person accepts the trust and the confidence of another to act in the latter’s best interest. Parties are not on equal terms and the fiduciary act must be met with good faith and for the benefit of the dependent party. Whenever trust and confidence is placed in your hands as a professional, you must honor and respect that and have the utmost awareness of the power differential. You have created a fiduciary relationship.

Boundary Violations

A boundary violation may occur any time the professional relationship becomes blurred and the trainer puts his or her needs in front of what is best for their client. When a trainer uses his/her power over a client for a tangible or intangible benefit or gain, he or she is committing a boundary violation.

The trainer is in the position of power and knowledge. This makes the relationship quite uneven and the trainer must always be in control of the emotional elements of the relationship.

A decision concerning a boundary violations can be evaluated based on the ethical premises of:

• Beneficence -- the likelihood that it will do good
• Non-malfeasance -- the likelihood that it will not cause harm
• Client autonomy -- the likelihood that it will foster client independence
• Fidelity -- the degree to which it reflects what was promised and is true to the articulated goals of the professional service

The professional relationship represents a fiduciary contract -- that is, an agreement between non-equals in which one person has more power, and therefore more responsibility. Thus, while both have duties and responsibilities, it is the trainer or instructor who has greater duties and responsibilities. The trainer is responsible for establishing the boundaries of the trainer-client relationship and is accountable for his/her own behavior, regardless of whether any harm was intended.

A very prevalent example in the equestrian industry that is quite "standard" is a trainer that sells horses to their clients and makes a sales commission off the sale of the horse. This is an example of a conflict of interest. What is to prevent the trainer from suggesting the client buy a very expensive horse when they really only need an uncomplicated less expensive horse? The higher the price tag, the more money the trainer makes. A great alternative is for the trainer to estimate how much of his or her time it will take to find a horse for a client, calculate the hours and multiply it by their hourly rate. It would be quite reasonable to charge a flat fee for locating a horse. So now the trainer is paid for their time, and they get the same fee if they sell a $5,000 horse to their client or a $50,000 horse. This has now removed the conflict of interest and removed the tendency to want to up-sell their client for monetary gain.

This issue is rampant within the equestrian industry. By identifying and addressing the issue, we strive to eliminate these scenarios through increased awareness, education and modeling.

At Equestrian Professionals, Inc., we teach professionalism and model high ethical standards as an example throughout our organization.

I am interested if anyone can identify other examples of unethical behavior in the equestrian industry. I'd love to hear from you.

Kristi Seymour, General Manager
Bergen Equestrian Center - Managed by Equestrian Professionals, Inc.

In the past, developers had only two options for running their equestrian facilities.  The first was to hire their own employees.  Many developers are not horse people so this option often is problamatic.  How would you know if the Barn Manager knew what he or she was doing?  When you don't know yourself?  

In addition most Home Owner Associations are not set up to run payroll - they are set up for contract vendors.

The second option was to lease the facility to an outside operator.

Below I examine some current beliefs....

"I can lease out the facility to an operator or concessionaire and my facility will operate effectively. "

Fact: This is possible, but there are a couple of reasons as to why it is unlikely. First, there is a revenue shortfall in virtually all equestrian business models; that is why no big businesses feature a “line” of equestrian riding and boarding facilities. Most people get into horses because they love horses – not because they expect to get rich. And many of those people work with horses because they relate more effectively to horses than to people. Passion often overrides business sense. Without some form of subsidy, sooner or later your operator will realize they are coming up short, and some part of your program or facility operations will start to suffer – which will put your investment at risk. Second, many concessionaires are effectively sole proprietors. What happens if your operator is unable to work for an extended period or has to leave the area? What is the contingency plan to care for that barn full of horses?

When you work with an outside operator, here are some things to consider:

1. Do they have all of the necessary insurance? Liability? Care, Custody & Control? Workers Comp? Can they even get liability insurance? Many insurance companies will no longer insure HOA-owned equestrian facilities.
2. What credentials do they have? Certifications? Education? CPR? First Aid? Do they bring systems and protocols?
3. What is the motivation for this operator to cater to the needs of your community? Chances are there are none. Their sole motivation will be to make enough money to survive. There is much less value to you and your residents in this model.
4. Will they fund a capital replacement fund? Do they care about the facility if they do not own it? Again, since there is no money, they can’t afford to.
5. Understanding there is no money in this business, what corners are they cutting? Generally the corners that are cut involve staffing. Overworking and underpaying –this leads to inconsistent care and, ultimately, a hostile working environment that affects your residents, members and guests.
6. How will your residents provide feedback? And who is ultimately accountable? Generally, in this business, the buck stops with the trainer or, perhaps, the barn manager. What protocols will be in place if the residents are unhappy?

Helpful Hint: We believe success is created through a holistic, sustainable approach – that the needs of the developer, stakeholders, horses, employees and, most importantly, our customers are met from day one, all the way out to 10 or 20 years down the road. The only equestrian model that works and is sustainable is one that operates within a community, resort or a municipality – where everyone shares the cost and the benefits.

Continuity of service is paramount to success.  Equestrian Management, LLC is the first professional equestrian management company in the world.  We can make it work.