Do any of you have young sharers?

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kylie88

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Im looking for a sharer for one of my ponies but all the responses ive had are from 14yr olds. I was really looking for someone over 16 as I dont really want to feel responsible for someone else child and used as a babysitter for somewhere for them to dump them at the weekend! nor do I want to have to be around all the time to supervise.

I was thinking maybe I should give it a go but I dont want to mess people about by getting them to come down then have to turn round and say it's not working.

Hes a 14.1 haflinger so I am not likely to find someone older that wants a pony?
 
Mine is 15 and has been with me for a year, the horse she originally had was a psycho but safe in the school and she joined in on hacks on my older slightly safer horse.

I insisted on seeing her parents, discovered what their ground rules were (BP for anything except schooling and BP on anything new or young or where I considered it was required) then explained that I was happy to have her around and for her to join in. BUT I was not prepared to be in loco parentis (sp) and that when with us she would be considered an adult (obviously apart from yard bbq's, no alcohol!!), could not guarentee that she would be supervised as we may be at work but that we would keep her as safe as possible just as we would for each other.

Mother was happy with that and we still work on that basis. She's fab. Very good with my girls and I am much more confortable leaving them with her if I am ill or away as she knows them and their routines and they know her so it runs smoothly.

Maybe meet a couple of these 'kids' and their parents and see if any are mature.
 
Thanks cai, yes good idea about meeting them and their parents!

One of them has shared before so she does have experience!
 
Don't think that you'll necessarily find younger sharers cos of his size - my first share was a 14.2 cob, and I was 23/24 when I took him on. Was my first 'proper' horse (as in non riding school) and I was looking for a share as I wanted my own and having helped at RS knew basics of mucking out/ tacking up etc but wanted to get more experience and knowledge of the real responsibilities of owning -worming/ shoeing/ general stuff that is useful to know - before I bought my own.

As I had come off RS horses I felt more confident on a smaller horse as 'proper' horses are somewhat different to the RS horses I had been riding. Was looking around the 15hh - 15.2hh mark but when I saw his ad and met his owner there was no going back. I'm not especially tall at 5'5" so guess I can get away with it but his owner had specifically said no teenagers and had plenty of older people interested. Also meant the sharer could be more flexible as they weren't relying on parents for lifts to yard etc
 
D'sMum- well yes I was kinda of thinking that maybe because of his size Im not getting interest from older people! although hes only 14.1 hes very sturdy and takes up your leg.
 
Its difficult because I wanted to loan Omie out but his insurance covers nobody under 18 to handle him, so should they be riding etc they wouldnt be covered in event of an accident, even if they had riders insurance.

You would be surprised at how many ''kids'' are responsible when it comes to horses,I have a 14 year old that gets up before school every morning just to feed my 2 and in retun I poo pick for her on a sunday. She has stuck to her word and would cycle down there if I needed her too, and shes not by any means next to the farm!

You need to trust your gut instinct. I have met a couple and thought, you have the gift of the gab but I know you won'suit my horses, or you will just be a speed demon, and others will be quiet, shy, maybe loud and bubbly, but brill riders. Give anything a shot, and if it doesnt work, call it quits!
 
There are some very responsible young people with extremely supporting parents ... I know this because I was one ... I shared 2 horses at the same time 1 a 16.2 TB and the other a 14.3 Welsh Cob .... I provided references to the owner , she spoke to my parents to ensure they were happy and we decided to do it on a trial basis for 1 month to see how I got on with the horses ..... and I did I hacked them out loads and one of the conditions was I was to have a lesson on them once a month as I wasnt paying towards their keep ! This worked out so well ... I learnt so much and had the best fun hacking about, hunting, jumping and doing shows !
I cycled the 3 miles there most days in the week after school or caught the bus to near by and I never let the lady down !

My friend has now got a sharer for her horse however she is a middle aged lady and has a high flying job so the horse isnt worked as much as she should be and the lady isnt so brave as teens normally are so it works out ok but the younger people are often more keen as they have no stress and love getting out and about !!
 
The girl that rides for me is only 13, although I taught her to ride on the same horse 3 year ago. So he is the only horse she has ridden. Her parents know that I am always down there, and wouldnt let her ride if for some reason it was too dangerous (if he hadnt been ridden for a bit, or the roads were icy etc). And another plus, I know shes not doing anything how I wouldnt want it done, because I taught hr everything! She rides most days in the summer, but only weekends in the winter.
 
Thanks everyone!
I really wasn't sure about it but I think maybe I should give it a go as it seems there are some very good young sharers out there!
 
It does sound like there are. And the comment about the trial reminded me that i'd had a trial period with both my shares. The first few weeks I rode my first share the owner was around to give me a hand and tips on how to get the best from him, and although it was never formally put in a contract we had an agreement that the 'first' time I did anything on him she'd be on hand - jumping/ fast work in the top field etc. I was happy to go at her pace and wouldn't do anything she didn't want me to.

We did have a contract in place which I would recommend - we amended the BHS one which is available on their website. Very useful I thought.

Go for it and just wait to find the right one - be they younger or older. There's a 17 year old at our yard who I would trust with my horse a lot more than some of the older ones!
 
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