Any sharers out there? Advice & info needed

[Moggy in Manolos]

Hey all

I wondered if there were any sharers out there.
I have just been thinking i might share my mare,really due to the financial side of things to take some of the burden off(would really like to get on the property ladder!). I have not made up my mind at all, as there is so much to consider. But i really wanted to know if;
a).Anyone does share a horse. All details involved (if ya dont mind sharing)
b).How do you find it? Your stories please,good and bad

Much appreciated if any of you out there could share any wisdom or knowledge you have in this area.

Thanks in advance

 

[spooks]

id like to know to as i need to find a sharer for my 13.2hh. my oldest has outgrown her and she takes the p out of number 2 daughter, nothing nasty, just reverts to riding school mode and plods about rather then actually doing any work!! cheeky little mare that she is! lol

 

[teapot]

I'm not currently sharing but had a share pony a couple of months ago. Only lasted 8 weeks.

I was someone who was infact doing the owner a favour as she only drove the pony, not ride it, I was basically there to school it for her, then for her to go & compete it and hopefully get better results. It had been broken to ride and thus jump at comps within 6months. I was told at first, he was green but was fine to ride etc, just improved with more work etc. Turns out this pony couldn't even trot properly.

I rode him 3 days a week, and he was going really well, much better and was learning things quickly. But I was put under huge amounts of pressure to take him to a M&M showing class. This pressure from the owner actually led me to losing about 90% of my confidence and thus resulting in me even being too nervous to ride at the yard I've been at 6yrs.

So if you are going to share your horse - be honest, if you want them to compete your horse - tell them, not spring it on them 2 weeks before a show, and the best advice would be - get a written contract.

Mine ended with me not being able to go and collect my stuff including £50 worth of stirrups & leathers, and a couple of other bits. Was told to collect them from where owner's parent was working.

Hope this kinda helps

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

Well i shared my little mare but im a control freak and like this to be done my way!!! So after this little girl (aged 9!) start riding my little four year old i got anoyed by little things like i thought liberty would get in bad habits because she didnt take charge ride corners etc... she didnt put the brushes back neaty... never neated her bed and made banks ... just little things.. and the way people are with horses and veiw on how to keep and talk to them are so different!! But even so shes now for sale (totaly gutted) and when i get my big horse will be looking to fully split it/share type thing so i guess i wasnt put off too much..

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Thanks teapot,sorry to hear of your experience,that person didnt sound too considerate.
It seems a clear written contract would be a must,and to make sure
everything is discussed,thats if i do go ahead with this idea.
Thanks for your story and advice

 

[Scarlett]

I have almost always shared my horses til now, it always worked well. You do need to learn to comprimise a bit and not get annoyed if something isnt done your way. My motto was that as long as the sharer wasnt doing anything dangerous or that caused my horse discomfort I pretty much left them alone!!!

Now I have 3 horses and get a bit lonely - would love to find a sharer who could just come hack out with me and share the trials and tribulations of my boys...

draw up a contract and try to find someone you like - make sure you have a trail period first too!

good luck!

 

[mangobiscuit]

Haven't shared but have put myhorse on loan - I would say that the most important thing to do is to establish terms of agreement very clearly. If you find the right person I think it could really work out well.

As previously mentioned, i think I'm too set in my ways and may start picking at the other person, to share my horse now. You will have to be a bit flexible I guess to make it work!! Good Luck!

 

[maddielove]

i used to share an elderly highland x
it was one of the best experiences i've ever had, i shared him for a year and a half..but he was shared beforehand.
i shared him between the owner[who never really came up much] and another woman.
i had him at weekends and any spare days he wasnt being ridden.
we split the livery bill in 3..but his owner payed the largest 3rd. we all put money into a kitty for other expenses such as shoeing, new rugs, feed etc.
vet bills were also split between us. but when he got lamitis..he was on weekend DIY livery..which landed me with mucking out on weekends all summer. i thing i should have got a bit of slack on the vets bill for doing that though..
we kept a diary of what he had been doing so he wasnt being over worked etc.
we found out about it because the yard owners son used to play with my sister as his grandparents live 2 houses away from us. she was previously sharing him but was no longer available to ride.
i thought sharing him was an amazing experience..and it really set me up for having a horse of my own. hope you find someone good to look after yer horsey

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Own my horse now (don't share because I don't have too, and also work odd shifts which would make any arrangements difficult), but shared her with original owners (and several horses before her) before I brought her. I have also just found a sharer for a friend up my yard.

All I would say is be completely honest, if you want something done in a particular way let the sharer know. Any issues need to be discussed immediately and not left to brew.

 

[burtie]

As someone who is better at collecting than selling, I have shared many of my horses over the years and all have been successful. I have always been very honest with the person sharing, given them clear days of the week on which the horse is theirs to do. Had a written contract detailing everything they can/can't do. I have then tried to leave them alone on the days they do the horse and not nick pick at anything they might do that is different to me. I think that is the key to successful sharing and mine have always worked out OK.


Hope that helps,

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Fantastic,thanks all, i am now really enthused and am definately gonna actively start looking for a sharer,it seems that it will really help me out if i can share the workload and some costs too.

Cheers all