Cost of 'sales livery'?

[Abacus]

We have a little horse for sale on my yard. Realistically the owner will struggle to do viewings and so on, as she is a bit novice herself in terms of her flatwork and won't show the horse to best advantage. She could send to sales livery, but as an option I could school the horse and show it for her. I'm not really a pro although I've evented to a decent level, blah blah... and this horse is quite green so just needs some basics and someone riding in an ok way for viewings. It'll all be very honest as far as buyers are concerned. I'm thinking I would spend 2 to 3 weeks just trying to get her a bit more consistent and work on the canter which is unbalanced, and get her popping a few very small jumps. She wouldn't be the finished article but just a bit better than she is now, to demonstrate that she has some potential. She's very willing and sweet. What would you charge?

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Unless you are willing to pay through the eyeballs for adequate insurance which is what would be needed if money is exchanging hands, plus the knock on requirement to pay tax on this income, I would leave it to the pro sales liveries, something like this has the potential to go seriously wrong.
What if horse blows a tendon while you're riding and can only be a companion or the buyer finds horse has something undisclosed and sues, or you fall off and cannot work for 6 months whilst riding said horse.. A pessimistic view yes, but none of those things are entirely unrealistic.

 

[stormox]

Does the owner want you to ride it? Has she asked you?
If not, let the buyer decide if they want to buy...let them see the horse as it is, and let them talk to the owner.

 

[Abacus]

Does the owner want you to ride it? Has she asked you?
If not, let the buyer decide if they want to buy...let them see the horse as it is, and let them talk to the owner.

Yes she does, and she has asked me to.

With regard to the risks: the idea would be just to do some simple schooling - the owner would hack. It would be pretty easy to have a chat with her and make it clear that if the horse is injured that’s a risk for her (it is insured).

It’s a good point about someone riding the horse to try it, and having an accident.

 

[smolmaus]

Get something in writing! Even a freelancing agreement of some kind, and charge per hours worked as a freelance rider. It isn't the horse being insured that is the issue, it is you yourself who is at risk. Standard rider insurance may cover some but not all of what you'd need. Definitely do not involve yourself in any sales aspects as that is a whole other kettle of fish.

A lot of people just ride a horse if they are asked to, and 90% of the time it's fine but it doesn't hurt to think about what could go wrong so you are making a well-informed risk assessment for yourself.

 

[ihatework]

I wouldn’t do it as a sales livery, but there is no reason why you cannot school the horse and ride it for the viewing. Charge per ride, say £30-40. You could help write the advert and if the owner is novicy could even take the calls. But keep it very clear that the sale is between owner and buyer and I’d make sure that before the deal is done both those parties have spoken to each other. Most sales liveries will take 10% of the sale price on top. You will get into murky water if something goes wrong with the sale down the line so I’d probably steer clear of this.

 

[dorsetladette]

Maybe you could charge her an hourly rate for schooling/exercising the horse until you both happy it's at a sell-able stage. And then she could pay for your time for viewing etc on a freelance sort of basis. I'm assuming of course that it is YOUR yard and you already have insurances for handling other peoples horses etc.

 

[humblepie]

Maybe you could charge her an hourly rate for schooling/exercising the horse until you both happy it's at a sell-able stage. And then she could pay for your time for viewing etc on a freelance sort of basis. I'm assuming of course that it is YOUR yard and you already have insurances for handling other peoples horses etc.

That was might thinking too.

 

[Waxwing]

I did similar when I with my previous horse, although she went to a sales livery yard in the end. One of instructors on the yard rode her during viewings but any sale would between myself and the person interested in buying her. The yard owner also assisted with writing the advert and took some videos for me. I would charge an hourly rate for your time, but any sale would be between the owner and the potential purchaser.

 

[Goldenstar]

My concerns are not personal. Becks Nairn performs dissections without formal qualifications in veterinary sciences or anatomy. She makes claims without providing evidence or peer-reviewed support. This raises doubts about the accuracy of her findings. She discusses various anatomical and physiological aspects during her dissections, but without proper credentials, it's hard to trust her work. I disagree with her lack of scientific rigor and accountability, which are crucial when dealing with sensitive practices.

I wouldn’t do it as a sales livery, but there is no reason why you cannot school the horse and ride it for the viewing. Charge per ride, say £30-40. You could help write the advert and if the owner is novicy could even take the calls. But keep it very clear that the sale is between owner and buyer and I’d make sure that before the deal is done both those parties have spoken to each other. Most sales liveries will take 10% of the sale price on top. You will get into murky water if something goes wrong with the sale down the line so I’d probably steer clear of this.

I agree with all this .
I would also insist that the owner is present for all viewings and does the talking .

 

[Abacus]

Maybe you could charge her an hourly rate for schooling/exercising the horse until you both happy it's at a sell-able stage. And then she could pay for your time for viewing etc on a freelance sort of basis. I'm assuming of course that it is YOUR yard and you already have insurances for handling other peoples horses etc.

Yes, this is more what I was thinking - sales livery isn't the right term. It would be more that I school the horse 3/4 times per week (I'd prefer to do 4 shorter sessions which I think will be more effective and not tire her too much each time), plus viewings when she's ready. It is my yard and I have insurance. In terms of the risk of being hurt, I do have insurance although obviously I'd rather avoid it! - that said I've ridden the horse a couple of times and she's not dangerous (no more than any horse), she doesn't put a foot wrong, she's just green.

The sale would definitely be between the owner and the buyer, I'm not a dealer - I am just riding the horse for them to see before they try it - and I would want the owner to place the ad, even if I write it. I see some value in my talking to buyers about her if I've been riding her, but would preface any conversation by explaining the situation, and might try to put it clearly in writing in a text to buyers as well.

Thanks for all the thoughts on this.