Amazing! No takers on my horse who I'm offering someone to ride for free!

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porkpie

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I have a lovely gelding who I could do with a bit of help keeping fit. I put a post on here about him a couple of months ago, had one PM which I replied to and then never heard from them again! Then I put it on a specific FB page and whilst it got a bit of interest, the only person who came out to try him turned out to be totally unrealistic!

I'm stunned - I'm not asking for any monetary contribution, and said person can ride up to 4 times a week - usually during the week but some weekends. All I asked is that what days they ride is agreed the weekend before. The horse is lovely, big, but lovely so I'm just amazed there is nobody out there that would like to come and share him with me!

Sigh!
 
sounds like its not the horse thats the issue, maybe they dont like what terms it would be on, maybe they cant ride during the week and want weekends. Maybe your yard isnt very accessable? All sorts of reasons. Personally, I couldnt share a horse, I like to do things my way in a relxed manner. I would be paranoid about douing something wrong or other liveries reporting every fart I make to you. Not that I wouldnt take care of said horse, just the way I am.
 
oh I would have bitten your hand off for such a chance when I was a kid!!

its amasing though -- dont know if its health and safety or what -- but very few people are intersted in sharing and riding nowadays unless they get theior own horse -- although I have to say that some would benefit from sharing longer before buying their own!

Cathy
 
CathySirett said:
I have to say that some would benefit from sharing longer before buying their own!

Cathy
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thats the problem often I think, its the share horses owners that end up nannying novices (nothing wrong with being novice) but usually ends up with the horse/owner suffering and more hassle. Can you tell im such a glass half full person. NOT!!
 
I thought the terms were so reasonable!! They could take the horse out pretty much whenever they liked, just so long as I knew which days so then when they coudn't ride him, I'd make sure I could! The person that didn't work out wanted to instantly go schooling and for long hacks when I'd make it clear that he was just coming back into work after 3 months off but he was nearly at the stage when he could start trotting and doing more exciting stuff.

The only proviso I did make is that they must have their own insurance - for their peace of mind and mine!

I just thought that in theses hard financial times that I'd have had people biting my hand off.
 
Twizzel said:
I'm very close to you so will keep an ear out for you :)
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Thanks Tizzell - let me know if you need any more info about me or the horse. Its such a shame - hes so lovely but I just need a bit of help sometimes to keep him fit and I thought there would be someone out there that would jump at the chance. I really need some help through the winter too so I really hope there is someone out there.
 
I would have jumped at the chance, your boy sounds lovely! But I already help a lady out with her horses 6 nights a week and I work away during the summer as an event photographer :(
 
Don't take this as a criticism but if he's just coming back into work & is mainly available weekdays & the odd wkend it could come across that you just want someone to help fitten him up so you can do the fun wkend stuff. I'm not saying that is what you're thinking but it might be putting people off. Maybe change the ad to include a wkend day if wanted?
 
Its a shame were at opposite ends of the country otherwise id have chomped your arm off for that opportunity!:eek:

I am down in Cornwall for a 2 week holiday in October if thats any good?;)
 
My friend is having the same problem finding a sharer in Hereford. She doesn't need a contribution as such but just hasn't got the time to ride both of hers.
 
I've even struggled to find someone to pay to ride mine!

Have a look a few pages back in NL there is another thread about not being able to find sharers, and there is a link to some good ad sites....
 
Have a look at the other threads on the subject on here. Lots seem to have the same problem. I've a ridden champion here and will chauffeur to shows, etc. with no contribution or poo picking involved. I have not had one single reply, but then I am in the Highlands and he's a stallion.

Last time I paid a rider in the expectation of recovering the expense in stud fees but, due to the recession, that hasn't happened. Just a shame to see a perfectly fit and schooled pony getting fat in the field through lack of work.

I'm wondering if I offered a caravan (which I'd have to buy) and a free holiday it would make any difference? They'd still have to pay their fare or petrol to travel.
 
One of my liveries wanted someone to ride her nice, sharpish Welsh Section C. To my amazement, instead of putting a card in the local horse feed place, the vets etc (there are loads of riders and horses round here) she went and put it on Facebook.

She had people coming out of god knows where, none seemed to have read the advert (though I didn't see it so it may not have been clear). She got a load of timewasters, people who wanted to showjump it when she'd specifically, she said, put 'hacking only', other people who were charming but didn't know which end the bridle went on.

Honestly, I would start again. Put the word out locally, in horsy places, and you may well come up with someone. I did that the only time I needed to share my horse, and got the sharer from heaven.

The other thing is that if the would-be sharer is local, you have more chance of checking up that they really can ride. I am constantly gobsmacked at people who tell me they are experienced when all they've ever done is schoool in an arena. It's downright frightening.............. And if they have over-estimated their abilities, they may land themselves, and more importantly YOUR horse, in real trouble.
 
If you were near Edinburgh I'd bite your hand off!

I've got the opposite problem, being offered 'shares' in horses that need 'schooling' or 'bringing on' I must ride and look after horse 6 days a week, but they would like to be there to watch.

All for the bargain price of £35 a week.

Now I don't mind bringing on a horse a bit if I'm gonna get to compete, but I'm not paying you like £150 a month for the pleasure when no doubt when it's up to your standards you'll whip it from underneath my feet!
 
I've got exactly the same problem, I have a lovely 5 year old sports horse type standing 15.3, really nice manners, really safe just green as far as schooling goes, on full livery so no jobs happy for people to have whatever days they want, go to shows etc. No costs to them but no takers! I'm not riding her at the moment due to lack of time, concentrating on my cob as he's just back from Rockley so I'm paying yard staff to exercise her, which is ok but most times she just gets lunged with the occasional hack around the block when I'd really like to see her starting to jump now!

So frustrating! I'd have killed for a free horse when I was younger! :o
 
Dry Rot said:
Have a look at the other threads on the subject on here. Lots seem to have the same problem. I've a ridden champion here and will chauffeur to shows, etc. with no contribution or poo picking involved. I have not had one single reply, but then I am in the Highlands and he's a stallion.

Last time I paid a rider in the expectation of recovering the expense in stud fees but, due to the recession, that hasn't happened. Just a shame to see a perfectly fit and schooled pony getting fat in the field through lack of work.

I'm wondering if I offered a caravan (which I'd have to buy) and a free holiday it would make any difference? They'd still have to pay their fare or petrol to travel.
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I'll come up North for a holiday and a sit on your horse lol! Sounds like an unfair deal on your part.

I'm surprised you haven't found a rider, shame you weren't down here I know of a cracking young girl who shows her welsh stallion who would have been a perfect rider for him :(
 
Thanks all for your help and thoughts.

In the advert I did say mainly the week and some weekends so I guess it could have been read that I only wanted to have someone ride him so I could go out and play. thats not quite the case - he needs to be kept in regular work and with my job I can't always give him that. Yes I would like to ride him at the weekends most of the time, but then if said person can ride some weekends and most days they choose during the week, on a lovely, fun well schooled horse, how could you complain at that?

The person who didn't work out clearly coudn't be bothered to wait the extra few weeks it was going to take to get him up to extra fitness even though she hadn't ridden for years, so in my mind they could have got fit together!

I'll look at other threads though and see what they say.
 
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