Let's Discuss Training on HW!!

[h a z e l 3]

Hello everyone

I'm still catching up on everything that's going on in the community since I'm able to be online more again, and I wanted to have a training discussion. I have a couple questions and an idea. No, two ideas

Question #1: Is there still a great shortage of trainers?

Idea #1: I'm thinking of building a training forum where a list of current trainers will be kept and updated frequently. If the trainer closes down, their name is removed from the list. If the trainer is full but still open, something like "currently full but open" will be put by their name. If a new trainer opens, they will be added to the list. It will be a list of all the trainers' usernames and their training forums. Additional details, like if they are full or new or a special type of trainer, will also be added. This would be a pretty large project that would require being online a lot, so once this virus clears up and I go back to work, then someone else will have to step in and run this. Perhaps I could hire an "assistant" and have them take over when I have to go back to work?
P.S. Every time this forum would be updated, I would post below saying "Updated" so players would know it was updated and also to move the forum to the top of the General Chit Chat list again so it wouldn't be buried and lost.

Question #2: Are new trainers swamped as soon as they open and current trainers almost always full of client's horses to train?

Idea #2: Going off this question, I'm thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for some trainers to kinda switch their focus. I would like to train for the public, but I also dislike being swamped and never having room to train my own horses and feeling like I'll never be finished training my clients' horses. I am thinking of opening a training forum where the number of horses I take is limited. Some examples:
-I will take four horses a week from four different players to train
-I will take two horses a week from one player
-I will take six horses a week with one player allowed to have me train up to two horses
That way, I, and if others want to try this, can kind of slow things down for ourselves. At the same time, the demand for trainers will be met, especially if a lot of trainers do this and older trainers that have closed or new trainers that are afraid to be swamped try this out.

I'm feeling like a lot of trainers (including me) closed because they simply couldn't keep up. I'm willing to try out this idea to see if it works- I think if it does it will encourage trainers that have closed to re-open and newer trainers to open to the public as well!

I am open to and welcoming any comments about these questions and ideas Please comment below if you want to just answer a question or if you want to challenge my ideas or add some input or do all three- I want to hear it all!

Thanks for reading!

Hazel


An Additional Idea Submitted by BlackOak:

"It might also be handy, especially for newbie trainers (not necessarily newbie accounts), to have a senior trainer fronting the business. I won't bring up old names, but we did have a particular player that did something similar to this. They were the head, they collected the horses, then sent them to their own 'personal' trainers to be trained up and returned to the original owner.
In this way, the senior trainer can feed the requests in a much more practical and less overwhelming way to the junior trainers, until the time that they have the feel of how many they can do without getting burnt out. At some point, off they'll go, opening their own forum away from the overview and maybe, we'll be able to hold on to more of our trainers."

I'd like to hear thoughts on BlackOak's idea as well!

[BlackOak2]

...

This was discussed in with the newsletter. But because of certain reasons, it was put off for the time being.
We do need something like this and there is a forum that somebody opened that started something like this... but finding it... yeah.

Yes, there is still a great shortage of trainers. I've had a few come to me that needed emergency training of their horses, so that does show there is still a problem.

One of the reoccurring problems is that our trainers continue to be swamped. Some of us breed like rabbits (please excuse the pun), some of us aren't fully skilled up to train, some of us can't figure out how to train, some of us don't have the time to train. And of course, there are other reasons.

I do always suggest to people, especially new trainers, to give themselves ground rules and post public ground rules in their forum, then stick to them. But, I do also understand that we all have a bit of a bleeding heart syndrome and when somebody asks, we offer.

It might also be handy, especially for newbie trainers (not necessarily newbie accounts), to have a senior trainer fronting the business. I won't bring up old names, but we did have a particular player that did something similar to this. They were the head, they collected the horses, then sent them to their own 'personal' trainers to be trained up and returned to the original owner.
In this way, the senior trainer can feed the requests in a much more practical and less overwhelming way to the junior trainers, until the time that they have the feel of how many they can do without getting burnt out. At some point, off they'll go, opening their own forum away from the overview and maybe, we'll be able to hold on to more of our trainers.

However, I am one that can't offer any aid in this except informational help. So I don't know if there is enough with enough time to offer something like this.

[Elaina Brewster]

...

I love training, and seeing the horses doing well. I stop training, as people couldn't even bother to read and follow simple directions. I might attempt to re open my training thread in the next few weeks, as I'm down to working only two days a week right now.

I also, had a list of trainers that I would vouch for on my farm thread. They had to be able to give proof by training several horses of mine, within the parameters of what they claimed they could do, and return those horses to me for the agreed upon fee.

[RenegadePegasus]

...

This was discussed in with the newsletter. But because of certain reasons, it was put off for the time being.
We do need something like this and there is a forum that somebody opened that started something like this... but finding it... yeah.

Yes, there is still a great shortage of trainers. I've had a few come to me that needed emergency training of their horses, so that does show there is still a problem.

One of the reoccurring problems is that our trainers continue to be swamped. Some of us breed like rabbits (please excuse the pun), some of us aren't fully skilled up to train, some of us can't figure out how to train, some of us don't have the time to train. And of course, there are other reasons.

I do always suggest to people, especially new trainers, to give themselves ground rules and post public ground rules in their forum, then stick to them. But, I do also understand that we all have a bit of a bleeding heart syndrome and when somebody asks, we offer.

It might also be handy, especially for newbie trainers (not necessarily newbie accounts), to have a senior trainer fronting the business. I won't bring up old names, but we did have a particular player that did something similar to this. They were the head, they collected the horses, then sent them to their own 'personal' trainers to be trained up and returned to the original owner.
In this way, the senior trainer can feed the requests in a much more practical and less overwhelming way to the junior trainers, until the time that they have the feel of how many they can do without getting burnt out. At some point, off they'll go, opening their own forum away from the overview and maybe, we'll be able to hold on to more of our trainers.

However, I am one that can't offer any aid in this except informational help. So I don't know if there is enough with enough time to offer something like this.

Yes, I do want to open a forum but I don’t want to be swamped. I enjoy training my own horses and I don’t want to be so busy that the game isn’t fun.

[h a z e l 3]

This was discussed in with the newsletter. But because of certain reasons, it was put off for the time being.
We do need something like this and there is a forum that somebody opened that started something like this... but finding it... yeah.

Yes, there is still a great shortage of trainers. I've had a few come to me that needed emergency training of their horses, so that does show there is still a problem.

One of the reoccurring problems is that our trainers continue to be swamped. Some of us breed like rabbits (please excuse the pun), some of us aren't fully skilled up to train, some of us can't figure out how to train, some of us don't have the time to train. And of course, there are other reasons.

I do always suggest to people, especially new trainers, to give themselves ground rules and post public ground rules in their forum, then stick to them. But, I do also understand that we all have a bit of a bleeding heart syndrome and when somebody asks, we offer.

It might also be handy, especially for newbie trainers (not necessarily newbie accounts), to have a senior trainer fronting the business. I won't bring up old names, but we did have a particular player that did something similar to this. They were the head, they collected the horses, then sent them to their own 'personal' trainers to be trained up and returned to the original owner.
In this way, the senior trainer can feed the requests in a much more practical and less overwhelming way to the junior trainers, until the time that they have the feel of how many they can do without getting burnt out. At some point, off they'll go, opening their own forum away from the overview and maybe, we'll be able to hold on to more of our trainers.

However, I am one that can't offer any aid in this except informational help. So I don't know if there is enough with enough time to offer something like this.

Yes, I do want to open a forum but I don’t want to be swamped. I enjoy training my own horses and I don’t want to be so busy that the game isn’t fun.

Yes this was my problem! So what do you think of my second idea about regulating the amount of horses to train?

[BlackOak2]

Personally, I like the regulation.

[h a z e l 3]

...

This was discussed in with the newsletter. But because of certain reasons, it was put off for the time being.
We do need something like this and there is a forum that somebody opened that started something like this... but finding it... yeah.

Oh really? Where? Did I see it? I apologize if I did and forgot, I have the worst memory alive

Yes, there is still a great shortage of trainers. I've had a few come to me that needed emergency training of their horses, so that does show there is still a problem.

I figured. This seems to be a re-occurring problem! Oh, I didn't know you trained! I'll keep that in mind Just kidding

One of the reoccurring problems is that our trainers continue to be swamped. Some of us breed like rabbits (please excuse the pun), some of us aren't fully skilled up to train, some of us can't figure out how to train, some of us don't have the time to train. And of course, there are other reasons.

Right I agree!

I do always suggest to people, especially new trainers, to give themselves ground rules and post public ground rules in their forum, then stick to them. But, I do also understand that we all have a bit of a bleeding heart syndrome and when somebody asks, we offer.

Yes, I also agree with this!

It might also be handy, especially for newbie trainers (not necessarily newbie accounts), to have a senior trainer fronting the business. I won't bring up old names, but we did have a particular player that did something similar to this. They were the head, they collected the horses, then sent them to their own 'personal' trainers to be trained up and returned to the original owner.
In this way, the senior trainer can feed the requests in a much more practical and less overwhelming way to the junior trainers, until the time that they have the feel of how many they can do without getting burnt out. At some point, off they'll go, opening their own forum away from the overview and maybe, we'll be able to hold on to more of our trainers.

Oh that's a great idea!! Would you mind if I added this to my first (main) post? I think it's an excellent idea to throw around! I personally would like to see it put into action as well!

However, I am one that can't offer any aid in this except informational help. So I don't know if there is enough with enough time to offer something like this.

That's perfectly all right Yeah I know what you mean! I just wish that more would be done to help trainers network with other trainers and also clients.. it would be such a huge help to the community!

[h a z e l 3]

Personally, I like the regulation.

I'm glad you do, thank you Black Oak!

[h a z e l 3]

...

I love training, and seeing the horses doing well. I stop training, as people couldn't even bother to read and follow simple directions. I might attempt to re open my training thread in the next few weeks, as I'm down to working only two days a week right now.

I also, had a list of trainers that I would vouch for on my farm thread. They had to be able to give proof by training several horses of mine, within the parameters of what they claimed they could do, and return those horses to me for the agreed upon fee.

Yes I do too!! Unfortunately that kinda got soured for me after I had to train so many horses since so many players needed horses trained and trainers were in demand...
Oh I understand that! I believe I've had issues with that also...
Oh that's great!! Do you think that my second idea about regulating the flow of horses is a good idea?

Oh sweet, if I make a "current" list, would you mind me copying the active trainers from your farm thread?

[Elaina Brewster]

I love training, and seeing the horses doing well. I stop training, as people couldn't even bother to read and follow simple directions. I might attempt to re open my training thread in the next few weeks, as I'm down to working only two days a week right now.

I also, had a list of trainers that I would vouch for on my farm thread. They had to be able to give proof by training several horses of mine, within the parameters of what they claimed they could do, and return those horses to me for the agreed upon fee.

Yes I do too!! Unfortunately that kinda got soured for me after I had to train so many horses since so many players needed horses trained and trainers were in demand...
Oh I understand that! I believe I've had issues with that also...
Oh that's great!! Do you think that my second idea about regulating the flow of horses is a good idea?

Oh sweet, if I make a "current" list, would you mind me copying the active trainers from your farm thread?

Regulating the flow would be good, but time consuming, I suspect