Can this arrangement exist?

[Solo1]

Hi all

I'm off to Uni next year and so only have one more year left bringing on my youngster before I go off. Hence I was thinking of putting out an advert or the like to find a jockey for my youngster when I go away, as mother wants to keep her on but is unable to ride.

How likely is it to find a small/light (pony is quite fine 14.2hh) fairly comptent rider? They'd be asked to pay a £10-£20 contribution a week for livery and basically have to turn up and ride. Obviously can take muck in with the caring side too but that'll be mainly down to mum. Yard has well draining outdoor school, jumping field etc.

Riding would most likely be 3-4 times a week including 1 jumping session, 1 or 2 hacks, 1 lesson and 1 schooling.

How's the best way to go about it? Is getting her out and about next season the best way? Ideally she's a competition horse who needs a confident rider, will be find this?

Thank you

 

[christine48]

Hi all

I'm off to Uni next year and so only have one more year left bringing on my youngster before I go off. Hence I was thinking of putting out an advert or the like to find a jockey for my youngster when I go away, as mother wants to keep her on but is unable to ride.

How likely is it to find a small/light (pony is quite fine 14.2hh) fairly comptent rider? They'd be asked to pay a £10-£20 contribution a week for livery and basically have to turn up and ride. Obviously can take muck in with the caring side too but that'll be mainly down to mum. Yard has well draining outdoor school, jumping field etc.

Riding would most likely be 3-4 times a week including 1 jumping session, 1 or 2 hacks, 1 lesson and 1 schooling.

How's the best way to go about it? Is getting her out and about next season the best way? Ideally she's a competition horse who needs a confident rider, will be find this?

Thank you

These days most people want to be paid to ride for you, not like the old days when we"d do anything for a ride!

 

[Twizzel]

I think it depends what you want to get out of it- do you want someone to continue to bring your pony on whilst you're away or just keep her ticking over? Ultimately if you want someone to bring it on then really I don't think you should be asking for money, the more competent riders will either have no money (or else they would have their own horse) or will want payment.

If you want someone just to hack and bumble about on your pony I would say £20 a week is appropriate.

 

[xspiralx]

I think it depends what you want to get out of it- do you want someone to continue to bring your pony on whilst you're away or just keep her ticking over? Ultimately if you want someone to bring it on then really I don't think you should be asking for money, the more competent riders will either have no money (or else they would have their own horse) or will want payment.

If you want someone just to hack and bumble about on your pony I would say £20 a week is appropriate.

This!

I bring on horses, and now I get paid for it, but in the past I have happily done it for free. I probably wouldn't be prepared to pay for the privilege of doing it, though if you got your youngster to a reasonable level and someone could compete, you might find someone (perhaps whose own horse is out of action) willing to pay.

 

[Hippophilia]

Do you have any contact with a local RS? They may have older pupils who would fit the bill, and you would have a good insight into their riding ability. I have problems with my sharer not ridiby as much as I would like, maybe set out a schedule and training program in the contract and be vigilant to make sure it's stuck to.

 

[Solo1]

Thanks all.

Seems like we're going to have to find some other arrangement!

Is loan to stay at current yard ever done any more?

Failing that she'll be put on loan for a year, which is not what my mum wants as we've heard the horror stories and she's our baby (we bred her)! Plus it's also mum's hobby too. Hmm, decisions decisions...

 

[Nightmare before Christmas]

Yes people will loan from current yard. I too bring on horses for a living so wouldnt pay to do it. Do you not have a friend who would like to ride? I took mine to uni with me to avoid this issue

 

[mystiandsunny]

I have found it more feasible to find a rider with potential and teach them. Riding schools there days do not seem to turn out riders who know anything much beyond how to stay on in walk trot canter. So if you looked for someone now you could teach them what they needed to know, and they would then be the rider you needed when you went away.

 

[mini-eventer]

I have known a few people pay around £20 per week to ride and had to muck out etc as well. So what you suggest could be feasable. Its just a case of finding the right person so I would look well before you go

 

[Show in style]

I bring on ponies and horses for people, being small i can sit on anything almost. Although i have never been expected to pay to do it, and i cant see anyone pay you to do a job for you. It should be you paying them if anything or you will likely find a teenager to do it for you for free, you can only but try. Good luck

 

[Vodkagirly]

I have a full loan at the owners yard, so they definetly exist. It just may be take a bit longer to find the right person who can travel to your yard.
There is also about 6 sharers/partloners on the yard

 

[Solo1]

Thanks again

I'm only 17 and things sure have changed! I'm not looking for someone to bring her on per se, just exercise and not ride like a total plonker. She's very smart, mum wants to keep in touch with the competition world so would pay for entry fees and a lesson once a week. Essentially giving someone the chance to have 3 or 4 rides a week and a competition every 2 weeks, plus a lesson for £20, I would have bitten their hands off!

Essentially a sharer who would do all the riding?

I'll keep my eyes and ears open - my instructor runs a riding school so I'll ask her if she has anyone who would like the chance. Next season I'll be taking her to BYRDS so I can see if word will spread through there.

 

[StrawberryFields1]

Thanks again

I'm only 17 and things sure have changed! I'm not looking for someone to bring her on per se, just exercise and not ride like a total plonker. She's very smart, mum wants to keep in touch with the competition world so would pay for entry fees and a lesson once a week. Essentially giving someone the chance to have 3 or 4 rides a week and a competition every 2 weeks, plus a lesson for £20, I would have bitten their hands off!

Essentially a sharer who would do all the riding?

I'll keep my eyes and ears open - my instructor runs a riding school so I'll ask her if she has anyone who would like the chance. Next season I'll be taking her to BYRDS so I can see if word will spread through there.

I think you'd have a good chance of finding someone, especially as your mum will be paying competition fees/lessons so would suit a competitive teenager that maybe doesn't have time/money for their own. I think finding someone through riding school would be way to go, as these will already be being upwards of £25pw for a lesson so the chance to pay £20 a week for a lesson PLUS hacking/schooling PLUS free competitions would be great!


ETA: Where abouts are you?

 

[Wagtail]

The people who will pay for a horse share are those who do not have their own horses. Usually, they lack experience IME. I have taken on sharers in the past. Out of the six sharers I have had on this yard, only one was capable of bringing on a young horse. She was a BHSAI and paid me £30 per week to ride my mare. She did a lot of good work with her. But she left when she bought her own horse. She had had horses before but had lost her confidence after a handling accident. So my mare was a confidence building stop gap until she felt ready to buy another of her own. All the other sharers have needed tuition before I was able to trust them to ride unsupervised. But I found there was a deterioration in my horses' way of going in every case and so I stopped having sharers.

 

[Solo1]

StrawberryFields1 - Cheshire/Wrexham border

Wagtail - totally understand what you mean. However, mum will be around yard until we're confident with them as we live 2 mins away. She's a qualified instructor (doesn't teach me though!) and knows how I ride Ruby and how she goes, so will be on hand to assess and oversee riding until we're comfortable. She also knows when to back away and not stifle people, thankfully!

The only other option is to put her out on loan, however we then have no control over her, what happens, mum loses contact with her hobby etc. I really want to take her to Uni with me, but parents think it's a very bad idea, so there's going to be a review after 6 months to see if I think I can cope with a horse as well.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I think you'd find someone but not someone capable of bringing the horse on, they'd likely want you to pay them. I've loaned horses and brought then on, but didn't have to, the owners wouldn't have cared if all I did was hack out in walk weekly.

I'm curious about the bit where you state what the riding will likely be. How do you know?! If you get a sharer you have pretty much no way of knowing if all they'll do is gallop and jump, unless other liveries happen to tell you. A competant rider doesn't necessarily mean they'll be a caring rider.

 

[LollyDolly]

There are people like that out there!

At my old yard there was a lovely lady who was part loaning a 3 year old off a fellow livery, I had watched her ride and she really was fantastic! She had recently had a baby so she didn't have the time to dedicate to owning a horse herself yet. Anyway, the owners decided to sell the 3 yo which left her without a horse. I had been contemplating having a sharer for a while as I was struggling to juggle owning (and producing!) a highly strung sports horse, and going to college 5 days a week and working every weekend at Pets at Home!
So I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to approach the situation, luckily she loved my boy and they really clicked.

Two years later she now owns him and they are competing BSJA, starting BE next season and qualifying for HOYS Ridden Hunter!
I realised that she had the time (and the funds! And obviously great riding ability!) to give him more than I could as I am university student and therefore I am greatly lacking in both funds and time!

Also the sale greatly helps to pay off student debt

But basically there are some amazing sharers out there who really enjoy working with and competing horses, it's just a matter of finding them!

 

[lme]

We had an arrangement with a neighbour's daughter (6th former who had sold her 14:2 competition pony) when my 4yo was backed. We did the day to day looking after & she had lessons on our mare / took her to comps / rode her 3-4 days a week. We didn't charge her anything, but she paid for her own lessons & we transported her if needed. It worked well for both of us. When our sharer went to uni, my daughter took over most of the riding but the sharer still did the odd comp when free.

 

[Solo1]

Thanks again

Thinking about it, our neighbour has made noises about wanting a more serious competition pony, but her mum doesn't want to sell their safe cob and doesn't want the looking after side of another horse.

Maybe it's worth an ask...

 

[SusieT]

To be honest- you want someone to do you a favour by riding your horse and keeping it fit-therefore I'm afrad it would be quite wrong to ask someone to pay for the favour when I think you'll want quite a lot of control over what goes on-so I think you are really in the situation where paying someone to ride is the best option, so you get a decent rider.

 

[Solo1]

The arrangement was thought up to try and lessen costs a little whilst leaving my mum with a foot in the equine world as she loves the yard we're on and looking after Ruby. I think paying for a rider is not within our reach, especially due to the frequency with which we would like her to be ridden and what they'd charge.

It's not really control as such, the guidelines they'd be given would ride 3-4 times a week and got to include one hack so she doesn't get menage sour. Welcome to go for more, competitions and lessons paid for by my mum at most once a week so can choose when to have them. Rider must be able to walk, trot and canter and jump a small course (though jumping is optional)

They can also take some of the care side if they wish, grooming, bringing in etc. As long as mum gets to muck out at 10 every morning (hour long coffee break and chat at 10.30 ) and see Ruby, give her a fuss, she's happy. It's difficult to know what to do. Competent riders will have their own horses and want to loan to their own yard, which takes mum's hobby away. Other than loan or share, she'll have to be turned away for a year which is no disaster but not really ideal when she's getting into the swing of things.

All we can do is ask and we'll see what turns up. Something may turn up, have to wait and see! Thanks all

 

[RuthM]

I'd look for a teen who's keen as boggery then bring them on myself or through lessons. If you train or have someone trained they'll learn the way you want. I'd lways pick keen and willing over all else, long as they can do 3 paces and don't fall of when Ned breaks wind!

If you want the right rider first and foremost I'd suggestasking a price but saying it's flexible just in case there's someone with everything you want but no hope of the cash. Looking at teens not earning yet it's hardly their fault if they've no money and again, if it were me I'd be after the right person.

For someone it could be the chance of a lifetime - it might not be easy finding that someone but soooo rewarding if you do.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Good luck I have tried for over 2 years to find someone to ride my cob, no costs involved and able to ride as often as they wanted and compete if thats what they want and failed!

 

[iestynlad]

Whereabouts in the country are you? Obviously not detail just county will do.