Travis Neidlinger of Lingering Hills Stable

Tell us about your current role?

I’m one of the head trainers at Lingering Hills Stables located in East Windsor, CT. We train and show Morgan horses on a regional and national level. Our horses compete under saddle, in harness, and in hand as well as can be western, hunters, or saddle seat horses. Currently we have about 60 horses on the farm with just over 40 in full training. I’m involved in all the day to day care of taking care of the horses, training a show string, giving lessons to clients, maintaining the farm, making hay….the list goes on and on!

How did you get started as a trainer?

My mother was a horse trainer, so it just came naturally to me. My older brother, Scott, is the other head trainer & owner at Lingering Hills along with his wife Danielle. We both grew up living on our Mother’s farm in Afton, New York, so horses were in our blood. I started riding and showing leadline at the age of three. By the time I was 14, I was showing horses for some of my mother’s clients. We trained all different breeds at the time, so I had experience with Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Arabians, Morgans, Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walkers, and anything else you could imagine. When I turned 18, I got my professional card and have been training ever since.

What is it about Morgan horses that makes them special?

 Morgan’s are a breed that are athletic, solid built, smart, beautiful, and easy to be around. It’s a very diverse breed from a saddle seat park horse to hunters to reining. They are a breed where you can take a world champion to a horse show and then the next day take him on a trail ride. They’re just very easy going horses, but at the same time can be hot and showy if you ask them. I started out on Morgans at a very young age, so the breed has just stuck with me.

 What sort of traits do you look for in a young horse to make a show horse? 

If I’m picking something out of a field I look for something pretty, with size, long neck, and athletic ability. At that stage I am really only looking at the horse, conformation wise, and how pretty they are. If they are already broke to do something, I look more into the horse’s attitude, amount of go, and how naturally the training seems to be coming to them. My priority is finding a horse that has the natural ability in terms of conformation and a strong attitude to be a show horse, so I can take that and mold it over time.

 What is a typical training regime for your show horses?

 Most of the horses jog (drive) 3-4 times a week and get ridden 1-2 times per week. Closer to a show, I tend to ride them a little bit more. When we’re not showing as much the jogging helps keep the horses in better shape and keeps their hind ends strong. It also depends if the horse is younger or more of a veteran on what I do exactly, but I like to mix it up between jogging, long lining, and riding.

 What is your favorite discipline to ride?

Saddle seat! I like it because it’s a thrilling ride. The horses go forward more and at the shows the crowd cheers like crazy. The horses are sitting on their hind ends, heads up, ears up, marching around the arena, and they demand attention. The presence and athleticism of a saddle seat horse is incomparable to the other seats in my opinion.

Who is your role model for training?

Mike Goebig of Broadmoor Morgan Horses. I remember watching him while I was growing up and he won every single class. The horses were turned out perfectly and never made mistakes. I started working for him when I was a teenager several weekends a year to learn everything I could. Still to this day I will bounce training ideas off him whenever I get the chance. He is one of the all-time greatest trainers in the Morgan breed. 

How does HorseWorks come into play when it comes to your business and clients?

HorseWorks insures almost every horse in our barn. As a trainer, I have enough to worry about daily so I direct all my clients to Melissa at HorseWorks and I know they will get taken care of. Insurance coverage is important with all the training and traveling we do and HorseWorks is easy to work with if anything comes up.