Cost of Loaning - What is Acceptable?

[LittleSoph]

Freddie's livery is £70 per week, which includes his feed, hay and bedding. He gets fed, hayed, watered, turned out, brought in, rugs changing, etc. for this and all I have to do is go once a day to muck out, groom and ride.

He's up for part loan at the moment, to help with my lack of time and money... and I'd be looking for someone to do him four days per week.

Do you think I can ask £40 per week, and for them to share cost of farrier, vaccs, dentist, etc.?

On their days they will have to muck out and can ride (school or hack out). They'll also be getting the chance to compete him when we take him out over summer. I feel that it's quite a good opportunity for someone who can't buy their own horse...

Do you think this is too expensive??

(Please can whoever thinks it's fun to keep reporting my posts as 'advertising' give me a break on this... it's NOT advertising, I need advice!)

 

[zoeshiloh]

Personally I would not spend £40p/w to loan a horse, plus vets, dentists, farrier etc on top of that - I can keep a horse of my own for less than that price bracket. But, you might get someone who does not want the committment of full time ownership, who does want to ride more than just at a riding school.

I've had no success trying to find someone to part loan my schoolmaster horse - they could have ridden four times a week, had no stable chores, competed whenever, and didn't have to pay a penny. Not one call.

Personally I think you are asking a lot more than people would be willing to pay, but you never know, someone might be interested.

 

[Equestrian92]

I was going to say I can keep two for that lol!

 

[royal]

Unfortunately, I think that is way too much. Usual level seems to be around £20 - 25 a week. Plus you will be asking for share of shoes, dentist etc. i would be surprised if you found anyone interested.

I used to charge £25 for 3 days, but that was it. No extra costs on top.

 

[JackDaniels1]

Personally I think you are asking too much .

 

[happyhack]

QR

Yes, I think that is too expensive. I used to share a horse and paid £30pw and thats it. No extra's.

 

[millitiger]

i think £30/week and no extras would be more reasonable.

 

[ester]

agreed, £30 a week not extras is really the max you can ask. I have ridden (as much as I wanted), competed and no mucking out for nowt or half shoes.

 

[LittleSoph]

Ok, that's what I thought you were going to say, lol.

Thing is, he's on a producers yard, with support and guidance from YO, plus her watching over the loaner.. so I wouldn't move him, but asking any less would mean that loaning him would be pointless...
Hmm... food for thought. Thank you for opinions. Having never loaned a horse or had one on loan, I'm literally just taking a stab in the dark... lol. Perhaps £30 with no extras would be doable.

I guess I'd have to be lucky to find the right person. Maybe someone who is interested in showing particularly, but doesn't have the money to buy a horse, or doesn't want to commit, or would like the experience.... or something... who knows...

zoeshiloh, that's madness! I can't understand that at all... maybe you didn't advertise widely enough as I can't understand why people wouldn't want free rides?!

 

[Kat]

Way too much - and you need the help!

I think £20 ish all in and you might find someone. But you may have to consider whether you need the help or the money more. If you don't have time to do your horse then perhaps you need to compromise on the cost.

 

[LittleSoph]

It's not the time to do him so much Katt, as the time to compete him over summer and such. Would just be nice for someone to be able to take him for long hacks or out to little shows, when I have to work, just so he gets out and about...
I had hoped for a summer of competing, but it just isn't going to happen.

 

[zoeshiloh]

[ QUOTE ]

zoeshiloh, that's madness! I can't understand that at all... maybe you didn't advertise widely enough as I can't understand why people wouldn't want free rides?!

[/ QUOTE ]

I tried tack shops, ad trader, newrider, various websites, but nothing. He has evented, done affiliated dressage, county showing etc. Gave up in the end.

 

[littlemisslauren]

QR
I wouldnt pay that much +shoes etc on top.
I could probably keep 3 myself for that!!
I am constantly on the look out for something to ride, the usual deal seems to be about £20 a week or the cost of shoes.

 

[KS1]

£40 per week plus extra's is expensive but I guess your working on £10 per day for livery.

I would have thought £30 per week all inclusive. So they don't pay towards shoes or anything but I would insist they took out their own rider insurance.

 

[LittleSoph]

I think I'll just have to see if the right person comes along at £30 per week. If they don't, they don't. But if they do, great.

 

[OWLIE185]

If you want soemone to muck out a few days a week then that in itself is worth something to you i9n saved time and fuel so I would be tempted to take the mucking out in lieu of any fees.

 

[hondatyper]

I live in the South East and it costs me £65pw on DIY! that includes me buying hay feed and bedding but not turnout bring in, yard charges extra for that, shoes vets dentist tack etc etc etc.

I have a sharer who pays £30 pw she will muck out when I can't but I take that as an added bonus. She doesn't have to pay any extras and rides aprox 3 times a week. Sometimes she doesn't have time to muck out but as I go every evening after work I am prepared to do it, if she has done jobs then it's a lovely surprise!

We have a good arrangement and she absolutely adores my horse and I trust her 100% with him which I think is more important than getting lots of money out of someone! She also has the opportunity to show, jump, go to clinincs, fun rides etc so long as she pays her own entry fees and maybe a bit towards fuel if I am towing her. Being a working single mum it's a help financially and a treat when I don't have to do the jobs! Full/part livery round here is prohibitively expensive.

Hope that's of some help!

 

[scrumpygus]

Littlesoph - random but were you at Fltch Way EBA ride last friday - sorry if you werent but i think i recognise the coloured in your sig

 

[LittleSoph]

Littlepony, that definitely was of some help. Thank you. I definitely agree that someone I'd trust with Freddie would be of paramount importance... I think this may be where I struggle, lol. It seems to be a lot of kids wanting to loan and he's so young and sensitive, I think I'm going to find it hard to let go of the reins, so to speak.
Where did you find your sharer? Does she visit your horse every day? Or just on the days she rides?

sandg1 - No I wasn't, lol... Freddie must have an evil twin.

 

[sarah0786]

I used to pay £20 per week and half towards shoes, I never had to muck out. Some people think you should pay them to ride your horse as you are doing them a favour if you don't have the time to do it yourself.

 

[Spudlet]

You did get at least one call sweet - if you will live miles and miles away though...

 

[LittleSoph]

Sarah, I can pay my YO if I just want someone to ride him for me... I want someone to loan him and treat him as their own on their days... and I'm offering the chance for them to compete, hack out, etc.

 

[sarah0786]

I think the trouble is that people who want to part loan aren't very confident riders (the people I know anyway), the confident/capable riders tend to full loan or have their own horses or will get paid to ride. I only part loaned because I wasn't confident enough to own my own horse, I wanted to learn about horse ownership and get back into riding with a view to share the horse or just get my own. When that fell through I considered doing it again but the way I saw it was either spend £40 part loaning with lesson on top or spend the money on just having riding lessons at a decent school, I opted for riding lessons then got my own horse.

 

[Spudlet]

I part-loaned cos I am too broke for a whole horse

I stopped cos I got fed up of mental owners

I paid £20 a week and did all stable duties on 'my' days.

 

[LittleSoph]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the trouble is that people who want to part loan aren't very confident riders (the people I know anyway), the confident/capable riders tend to full loan or have their own horses or will get paid to ride. I only part loaned because I wasn't confident enough to own my own horse, I wanted to learn about horse ownership and get back into riding with a view to share the horse or just get my own. When that fell through I considered doing it again but the way I saw it was either spend £40 part loaning with lesson on top or spend the money on just having riding lessons at a decent school, I opted for riding lessons then got my own horse.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeh I was saying this to my YO... it just seems like kids who want to hoon about and jump etc. but who's parents can't/won't buy them a horse yet. Or people who need more experience... which is fine, except Freddie is very inexperienced himself...

Lol, I'm not a mental owner! I don't think....

 

[Spudlet]

You would, in all fairness, have to go a very long way to be as mental as these mental owners were (and they seemed so normal!)

However - once bitten, twice shy and all that - a shame as I now don't ride at all

 

[Kat]

Your best bet for finding someone would probably be riding schools, they often have clients who are decent riders but want some stable management expeirence or can't comit enought time/money to having their own.

If you are offering the chance to compete etc then say so. One of the things I resented when sharing was the fact that all my hard work went on making the owner look good in the show ring......

You need to decide for yourself what is most important to you and where you can compromise. If the most important thing is a good person doing your horse and keeping him fit be prepared to compromise on the money. If the money is important then you may have to compromise on what you get in terms of the person and the number of days etc.

Bear in mind that if someone isn't the best rider you could insist that they have lessons and ride when you are there at first.

 

[trundle]

When I first shared Brooklyn, i paid £20/week, which was my choice. her owner hadnt asked for any money, she just wanted someone to get the horse working again, but i thought it was fair enough to offer some money as Brook was shod again and eating more, and I was actually riding 5 or 6 days a week, so felt that i really ought to pay my way. When we moved yards, I paid half the cost of livery plus I took over paying for shoes. Her owner paid the other half of the livery and all the other bills (feed, vets, etc).

If the loaner doesn't have to do jobs, then I think its reasonable to ask for a bit more money. I would try asking for £35/week and perhaps half the farrier costs, and see what sort of response you get. I personally think that vet bills and insurance should remain the owners responsibility, unless of course the vet's bills are incurred through the carelessness of the sharer!

Katt's last point is really important. Someone can learn to be a better rider, but if they are a difficult or unpleasant person, that's unlikely to change. It is as important that the humans in the share arrangement get on well, as it is for the sharer to get on with the horse. I had a really good relationship with my share horse's owner, we had lunch together most days, went shopping together, had the odd night out together, and got on really really well. She moved away in the end, and I miss her loads!

 

[Shysmum]

I used to share for £15 a week, but also did poo picking. three times a week (for 3 horses). I now have my own horse, and pay not very much more for DIY livery...

 

[LauraWinter]

I have just found a sharer for my mare, and she is going to pay me £20 pw with the only additional costs to her being her own insurance, for this she is going to come up 2 evenings during the week, ride, muck out, hay and water etc for the mare she is sharing and then both weekend afternoons, ride and then skip out and feed the mare and my gelding as I will muck out both in the mornings. I felt this was a good arrangement for both of us! I know that is different to your situation as I am on DIY but I hope that helps anyway