Advice on looking for a sharer

S

Show Girl

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 June 2010
Messages
189
Location
Hampshire
Visit site
Hi everyone, I am thinking about looking for a sharer for my warmblood as feel he is a bit wasted at the moment due to working full time, the daylight hours closing in and trying to re-train my tb.
The problem I have is he is far from an easy ride and can be prone to some major diva strops, does not hack out on his own (but there are plenty of peeps on yard to go with) bucks like stink in company when whizzing through fields, can have 'issues' in the school on occassion which if you don't know how to handle (ie sit quietly & don't fight him) will end in tears. Having said this he is fantastic to ride and is my show horse, jumps like a stag (I don't anymore - bad fall a few years ago) his dressage is great and he is an absolute angel to handle on the ground, can just be tricky to ride.
Do you think I should look for a sharer or not? My main concern would be them coming off and getting hurt, if I come off then its my horse it happens, but I'd be mortified if it happend to someone else.
I would be quite happy for the person to compete him if they wanted to, but I wouldn't want him hunting or going xcountry as I said he's a show horse so don't want his legs bashed about.
Any ideas????????????????????? :confused:
 
Hi. I share a nice but highly strung warmblood mare and, though it's early days, we are getting on well so far. I'm fairly experienced and have had my own horses through my teens and while at university, but now I've flown the parental nest I can't afford to keep my own. I am sure there are others in a similar situation to me - we are out there!

My advice is to vet the person thoroughly and to always have a contract. You can often tell how experienced someone is long before they get on. Have them groom and tack up and watch how they interact with the horse. Are they confident? Do they know which brushes to use / how to pick the feet out? Is the tack put on correctly and efficiently?

I helped find a sharer for a friend, and we thought we found the perfect person. She sounded lovely on the phone and everything she said about her riding seemed plausible. She then turned up at the yard to view the horse...with her own side saddle! Having mentioned nothing about side-saddle previously, or asking whether the horse was trained for it (she wasn't!), never mind whether the saddle would fit her :O

So I would look but be cautious. Your horse sounds lovely and it's a shame for him to be wasted, just take your time to find the right person.
 
It sounds like it might be tricky finding someone but not impossible. A girl at my yard has a *very* difficult 15.2 TB mare and has sucessfully found a sharer who rides the horse superbly and handles all her wobblies no problem. There are lots of competent riders out there who for one reason or another don't own their own horse or don't have time to commit to a full time horse but would share.
I share one of my ponies, she's an angel though so it wasn't difficult to find people for her though I thoroughly vetted quite a few on the phone and told them she wasn't suitable (though really it was the other way around!). She's old so I didn't want someone who was going to hare her around.
I would just say be honest in your advert, and then vet people very thoroughly, have a written agreement etc. If at any time you don't feel like its working then be prepared to tell the sharer that.
Lots of people have had horrendous experiences sharing their horses so be careful but don't write it off.
Good luck.
 
I don't think you will have too much trouble finding a sharer for him. None of those issues are deal breakers for a confident/competant rider at all.

No harm in at least advertising & seeing what response you get/who's out there!

The site I had most response from was rightequine - I highly recommend it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top