Tina Langness was born in Ames, Iowa. She began riding at a young age showing at 4-H, open and breed shows as well as galloping race horses and participating in high school rodeo. She graduated from college with a degree in nursing and at that time trained horses on a part-time basis. In 2001 she established Tina Langness Performance Horses and now resides in New Richmond, Wisconsin, training horses full-time. Her primary focus is showing Paints, but continues interest in the Thoroughbred racing, Quarter Horse and hunter industries.

What makes for success

First and foremost you must love what you do. To make any business successful you must possess a work ethic that is superior to anything else you’ve ever done in life. No matter what the business, you will always find similar characteristics of a successful person ~ a deep desire and true passion for what you do, the desire to excel, open-mindedness, a intense need to learn and be “better,” realizing limitations and the ability to focus on what you are best at.

 

Some trainers can possess all these characteristics, however two key factors are missing. One is having good business sense and the second is people skills and the ability to surround yourself with the type of clients who will assist in creating a positive environment.

 

Encouraging success

I encourage my clients to be involved with their horses right down to the very basics. It’s important for the horse and rider to bond, and the more time they can spend together the better. I have established routines for my clients they have become comfortable with, they all know the expectations at the shows, how and when we practice, the importance of getting a good night’s sleep, and eating regular meals when they can. I encourage a nurturing atmosphere where we all pitch in and help one another!

 

train the whole team

With multiple clients, group dynamics is a key issue and can be a problem. If you have one person in the group who refuses to engage with others, feels they are superior, enjoys conversation about people in the group, or lacks motivation where other’s have to pull the load, it may be time for the client to go elsewhere. When developing my business plan it was important for me to treat each client on a holistic level. Meaning I wanted to focus on the biological, psychological, socioeconomic and spiritual needs of each person. Using this approach (which was learned from my nursing background) has enabled me to maintain long, respectful and purposeful relationships!

 

A Few golden rules

Tina's rules: praise and use honest appreciation, learn to criticize without creating a sense of failure, be sympathetic with other’s ideas and desires, try to put yourself in your client’s shoes, making your clients feel important, and to always be a good listener.