Anyone have someone else ride their horse regularly?

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littlen

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I am considering getting someone to ride my horse a couple of times a week as I am struggling with his fitness levels at the moment and his schooling is suffering because of it. I planned to compete quite a bit this year so need to sort this out soon.

My friend has a professional rider who comes to her yard and rides a few times a week. She is a lovely girl and rides nicely. She has worked for competition yards in the past so I'm not worried about her ability.

Has anyone else had an arrangement like this? The positives are that horse will get fitter and hopefully his schooling will improve?!
My concerns are horse being broken, tack being damaged and of course my major one is that I won't be the only person riding him (selfishly!) and I'm worried he will not think of me as his owner any more...which I know is rediculous!

Any thoughts from anyone would be great!
 
I did this for someone whilst she was at uni & she wanted to be able to come home to compete on weekends.

She was a beautiful mare & they actually said she jumped better from my schooling in the week which was very flattering.

It works well providing the person gets on well with your horse.

She very much still thought of her owner as her owner dont worry :)
 
I pay a pro to ride my horse once a week. He also gives me a lesson once a week. It works well for me as it gives some structure to the week and she's certainly improved from being regularly ridden by someone who rides better than I do. It costs me £20 for a 45 min schooling session. IMO, it will only work if the person is reliable and rides in a similar way to you.
 
I do for others but unless they are on my yard they are normally tacked up and ready for me then untacked put away and the owners normally watch x if on my yard I normally send a message straight after to let them know how it went.
You need to choose carefully who you have!
 
I rode a couple of times a week for a friend who had a yougster she was just starting to work and her older mare that she wanted to keep fit. So I hacked out on her old mare. I also have had a professional rider school mine once a week as I wasn't confident to school him myself. I then had lessons with her once I plucked up the courage to get on him in the school. It was tge best thing I did having her ride him for a few months.
 
Yes other people ride my horse, both at the riding school she's kept at and a friend I pay to ride.

I don't have any worries about it at all... It's a horse... Not a child and as such doesn't get covered in cotton wool
 
My trainer rides my horse weekly, he's a much better rider than i can ever hope to be and he's really made a huge difference to my horse. It also helps with my lessons as he knows how the horse feels and what works and what doesn't work so well. In the past I've also had a decent rider hack my horse out whilst I've ridden the old boy, just because i was struggling to keep them both fit enough. i think if you trust the rider and know they ride as well or better than you do yourself, it's a great idea.
 
I used to have a young teen jump my pony. Her horse was too young and I wasn't keen on jumping (but pony is!) so it worked well. That said, I made sure she had strict permission from her parents and I always stuck around to keep an eye on the situation.
When her horse was off for sarcoid treatment, she used to hack him out while I was at work and it gave us the best of both worlds.
 
Thanks everyone.

She is a much better rider than me so no worries on that front and would be supervised while riding as yard manager is on site at all times.
She rides quite a few so it would be a case of her riding and nothing else.

Im hoping it will improve his schooling as at the moment I can only ride 2-3 times a week and he just isn't fit enough for what he needs to do!

I think I am just being sentimental about it, I think I need to remember he is a horse not a person but it's difficult when he is my baby!
 
I am very much like you OP in that I am very precious over my horse and do not let people look after her for any length of time never mind ride her. However when I became pregnant last year I asked my instructor to school my horse weekly, and my mare has come on so much that he's continued to ride her and will continue doing so even though I had my baby 4 months ago and am back in the saddle myself. Between us she is ridden at least 4-5 times per week and is unrecognisable in her ridden work now compared to how she was prior. It was the best move I ever made in asking him to school her, and not only has she come on but I gained so much confidence watching him over last year riding her that it's done me the world of good. He is doing a lot of work over jumps with her too which I won't do as it's not my thing really (too much of a wimp), and she loves it. Not only that but I made a good friend too and have someone that I can trust 100% in looking after my horse (almost unheard of for me lol) if I am not around (he very kindly looked after my horse when I went into hospital to have mini Moomin and for the following few weeks). So it can definitely work, and work very well. However you need to be absolutely sure of their ability, and most importantly IMO their attitude towards the welfare of your horse too. I know 100% I can leave my horse in the care of my instructor and she will be completely safe.
 
I have 2 horses as I hunt 2 days a week. I have a brilliant friend who is younger than me who rides with and for me. The arrangement is fluid but in the main I pay and she rides competitively. It really works well as both are schooled and broughton. I love being a BE owner and we have had lovely hunting saeson this year. I have to say I still ride every day. It has been brilliant for me whilst I have been off games a lot recently.
 
Nothing useful to say, other than I havent ridden my horse since he was a 3yr old and hes now a 5yr old and he DEFINITELY knows I'm mum : He looks to me for reassurance and if I watch other people riding him will keep one ear on me and will let me over ride the riders aids with voice cues. They know who mum is!
 
I ride several horses for other people. The main thing that is important is for you to trust the rider. It doesn't matter how good/famous/smooth talking/well qualified etc they are, unless you trust them 100% you won't be happy.
If you go ahead with a rider, don't be afraid to pop up randomly to see how s/he is getting on when they are riding.(I'm not talking everyday , but once the settling period is over, the owners I ride for usually let me get on with it on my own but watch me ride every so often.)
Also make sure you have good lines of communication with the rider. If you want them to text/call you after every ride to discuss the schooling (not unreasonable and I do it for several of the horses I ride) tell them that.
And don't worry- you horse will still know you as mum! (Mainly because you are the one that comes with food! ;) )
 
Mt grooms ride my horses and my friend who does not have a horse so rides ours a lot .
He's a good rider and does any test piloting now I am older .
It's a win win it suits us both.
 
I have my trainer ride my horse 3 times a week at the moment to bring her on for me. A lot of people told me I should be bringing her on myself but i'm not ashamed to say that she is 100% better rider than me and will teach my new 5yo correctly rather than me getting it wrong. Also I need to get fitter and lose some weight as at the mo I wont really be helping my horse's balance (which she needs as she is a green baby in the school). Hacking I am doing myself and groundwork/lunging.
 
It's all about finding the right person.
I would never let just anyone ride my horse as she is extremely sensitive and I would worry about them coming off rather sharpish if she didnt like their riding!
I have a friend who is a wonderful rider and doesnt have the confidence issues I do! She rides my horse once a week to work on any issues and continue her education, and then teaches me once a week. I am there when she rides but would 100% trust her to ride on her own. The only reason I am there is because when she puts more pressure on my mare she acts like a brat and my friend talks me through what she does to correct the issues.
She has the confidence to push my mare and the difference in the horse is fantastic. Being able to see the work my horse CAN do gives me the kick up the bum to work harder to be able to ride her like my friend does!
 
I do when I'm pregnant. Once a week my horse is jumped by someone else and my mums friend used to hack him. I make sure I choose nice professional female riders who are sensitive to my horse. I watch and I get a lot of pleasure from it. It's nice seeing my boy enjoy himself and see him do some cool things! I like watching him give pleasure to others as well. It makes me feel proud to see a horse I carefully trained making other people smile and happy.
You do have to be very picky over who you choose though! There are a lot of numptys out there professional and amature who could do more harm than good! Trust is the most important thing!
Also if you can't be there to watch try and turn up unexpectedly.
We have two trainers who professionally ride their clients horses at my yard that I see when there clients aren't there.
1. Diligently works the horse for the whole 45 minutes, he will spend time to work through any issues that arrive and he does a mix of things to teach the horse and keep them interested.
2. While a lovely rider she might work the horse for 5 maybe 10 mins and then spends the rest of the time walking them round the ring chatting on her phone! She never rides for more than 20 mins yet I know she's expensive :p.
 
I've done it for other people. I always rode with them at least once first so that they could determine if they were happy with how I handled their horse.

On the flip side, I've never been comfortable letting anyone ride mine. My first mare was treated so badly that I never wanted to risk that with someone who thought her stubborness could be beat out of her, and my youngster is sensitive and I want her to stay that way. Though, I know a few riders I would have ride her. I just couldn't afford to pay :D
 
Yes I do. My horse likes his work and is much better when working 6x a week. I pay to have my YO. (Prof event rider) fill in for me when I can't ride. Keeps horse happy and fit!
 
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