Trainers

Sweden has almost 400 professional trainers and drivers. Some trainers are catch drivers and don't train any horses.



To be allowed to train, and compete with, a trotting horse you need a licence from the Swedish Trotting Association (STC). Licences are issued after completion of the appropriate course, with tests that have to be passed. There are several different types of licence: the professional trainer licence, an amateur licence, an apprentice licence, a licence for driving an amateur race, and so on. The two main kinds of licence are for professional trainers (called an A Licence, the holders of which are often called A-trainers) and for amateur trainers (called a B Licence).



A-trainers may enter their horses for competition, and drive them, on all courses and in all races, both in Sweden and abroad. They are also licensed to train horses owned by other people. Professional trainers make their living from training horses, and they have to register as a private business. A small number of A-trainers concentrate only on driving, and do not have any horses in training; these are called catch drivers. Conversely, there are some A trainers who never drive in races, but concentrate solely on training horses.



If a B-trainer is not sufficiently qualified (i.e. has not won or driven in enough races) he or she is excluded from driving in certain races/on certain tracks. The set of rules governing these limitations is administered by the STC. The rules also state what ownership conditions pertain to amateur training.



Like any human athlete, a race horse also needs proper training to reach its full potential. The high standard of Swedish trotting is assured thanks to the professional attitude and horsemanship of its trainers. Some of them focus solely on training, while others also drive horses in races. A professional trainer usually employs a number of assistants and can be in charge of more than a hundred horses. Click on the left to find out more about the most successful trainers in Sweden.