Advert not useful! how else can i be a help?!?

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FineFilly86

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I would much appreciate some advice as to what to do with a problem im having.

I have got some free time over the summer up until september to assist someone in the local area by mucking out / feeding / catching in / putting out / grooming & tack cleaning their horse for them every sunday (or every other sunday) in exchange for being able to ride it the same day. (i did not want to do any exchange of money in either direction! just hard labour for a reward of a hack!)

I though people would JUMP at the chance to have a lovely long lie in on a sunday morning safe in the knowledge there equine pal was being pampered by me!
Well! how wrong can one person be!!! I have placed numerous add's on different website and in my local tack shop and have heard nothing from anyone. I really did think in these tighther financial times that sombody was going to bit my hand off.... :o (

What else can i do?... Is it a silly notion that anyone would want this service at all?...

Just in case anyone on here is interested im 25 and have been riding for 3 years. im 5ft10in and approx 11st. I live in the eastgrinstead corner of west sussex that also closely borders surrey and kent.
 
I think part of the problem will be that in the summer more people have their horses out so no mucking out or jobs as such required. The other is weekends are when most people have time to do their horses. If u were offering a week day u might get more takers. Also round me sunday is competition day so I wouldn't be able to lend horse out. U may get someone's second horse if they're competing. Maybe u could expand offer to include grooming at a show? Good luck with ur search.
 
I think the problem you have is that most folks work during the week so weekend is their real horsey time. Most people that offer shares seem to include a weekend day only grudgingly to help get a sharer.

Perhaps target owners with more than one horse who compete and have to leave a horse at home at weekends?
 
Agree with above. Weekend in my horse time, would not want to share it as I work so hard in the week for it. Could you offer help with other jobs like poo-picking on the sunday or as suggested grooming at shows for a ride one evening in the week as it is so light in the evenings now?

In reality it's the winter when people need help. When it's cold, dark, wet & you have limited riding opportunities when working full time unless you have access to a lit school. Also 3 years isn't a huge amount of experience. Personally I would want to see you ride someone elses horse first & handle it competantly before you got near mine. Not saying you couldn't cope, but there are so many people who think because they can cope with joe bloggs riding school cob they're experienced riders. That's just my personal experience. I hate it when people find out I have horses & try to invite themselves/their kids down for a free ride because they assume I'm desperate to let them ride my horses. Then when I don't take the bait & ask them down they get miffed.
 
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Ok, I'll bite.

You see, I could get someone to do that for £10. and I wouldn't have to let them on my horse. Horses are valuable and precious to their owners, I wouldn't allow a complete stranger to handle my horses or ride them.
 
Agreed, summer Sundays there aren't many jobs to do & lots of horses stay out in summer too so its not giving anyone a lie in. Also, don't take this the wrong way but I can't imagine there are many horses I would be happy to be ridden unsupervised by someone with only 3 yrs experience. And those that are mostly belong to first time owners who don't want help. I'm sure you have good intentions but it could come across that you just want free rides on a day that suits you & the owner would get little in return. Why not advertise saying you'll work free for experience?
 
I find it hard to imagine ever answering an ad from a total stranger to let them use my horse one day a week. Your best bet is to get to know people slowly by offering to work for free without the riding. That would let people get the chance to know you first. You could try riding schools, RDA and charity centres. Getting into the horsey world as much as possible should start to give you contacts.
 
Sorry to be the one to say it, but you only have three years riding experience, so I would not be confident to let you ride my horse without me supervising. Also, as others have said, most horse owners enjoy their Sundays at the yard doing horsey stuff, riding, or going off to competitions. I think you would get more response if you were more flexible over days available, and offered to do the yard work without insisting on a free ride.
 
Is Horsham too far? I vaguely know someone based there that was looking for a sharer a few weeks back - don't know any details of days etc, but might be worth looking into? She might go for weekends as she works in horses so might have enough of them in the week!

Horse is described as 'not a novice ride' though, so depends how experienced you are after three years?
 
What you are asking for is a part loan/ share for free.
Cant see it happening unless you are really really lucky.
Most loan/share ads will state that for £xxx per week you get xxx amount of days, and its part of the agreement that you do the yard chores etc for that day.
 
if you only have one day and do not want money to change hands, why not approach a livery yard to see if you can work for a ride? I agree not many owners are going to give up a weekend day and their horse really wouldn't have time to get to know you before you wanted to ride him/her.
 
I actually have a horse that I share only on Sundays so they do exist!!
However I do pay a reasonable financial contribution and I have 20+ years riding experience.

Horse I share is currently out 24/7 (as are a lot of horses) so there are no real chores to be done. I think the fact you are only looking for a short term summer loan probably doesn't count in your favour from an owners perspective I doubt I'd want to share my horse through the best part of the year only for the person to disappear when the hard work of winter kicks in.

Maybe try a polo yard, they will be busy over the summer and may appreciate someone who will work for rides but expect to have to cope with 'not novice rides', otherwise local riding school maybe better bet. Alternatively if you still want a private 'share' then I think you might need to conceed to offering up some cash for rides aswell as chores.
 
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