Do you get good riders looking to share?

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neighneigh

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Generally, are there any good riders out there looking to share or are they mostly quite novice/inexperienced?

Really no offence intended whatsoever, just a wondering.

Are there people out there who have had success in finding a sharer for a slightly more difficult or younger horse?
 
I think there are some good riders out there.
But normally a good experienced committed rider will have their own horse.

Normally sharers lack at least one
thing.
Either
money to make a contibution.
Committment/time or they would have their own horse.
Experience.

But there are always exceptions to the rule so good luck in your search.
 
I am looking for a horse to ride. I want to either school and or get the horse fit for the owner. Had to give up my own horses due to family circumstances but I'm not a novice numpty by any stretch of the imagination. I just keep getting offers if far lumpy cobs or deluded owners (or both!)
 
I just want a sharer who can not only ride, but not let my lad take the mickey of them from the ground.. I've always said, handle him with a sense of discipline from the start, never give an inch because he'll take a mile. Once he understands those boundaries, which really doesn't take that long, he's fine apart from the odd test to see if the sharer is consistent in the grand scheme of things its a good partnership.
You see, no way could I lie about his bolshy behaviour towards other people, he doesn't do it for me, but likes to see what he can get away with from others. He's fabulous on the roads, and that's what most people want isn't it? A horse that will look after them? He has no sense of malice about him, just cheekiness, it's just knowing when to say "No!" ;)
 
I guess, as stated above, that there's always a limiting factor in the way of experienced riders getting their own horse. I've been riding for years now and since April have been volunteering at a local livery yard for rides a couple of times a week. I'm in my last year of school, and while I would be very happy to work through my holidays and while at uni when I go, I just don't think it would be fair to leave a horse in a field for months while I'm off in some far flung city having fun! I'm looking to share at the moment and have seen a couple of hopefuls, but the difficulty is often the owners. Some people can understandably be quite cagey about someone new turning up and riding their horse in a different way. Hopefully I'll get somewhere with these ones I'm looking at !
 
Not sure if this is a helpful answer but, I would deffo consider sharing a young, problem or green horse in the future. If it was near enough to home and the owner would still (with in reason) let me treat it as my own and I'm not just there as a way of being paid to have your horse schooled for free. I wouldn't say I'm experienced (at eighteen) but in not a numpty either and ride to a reason able standard I think.
 
I've had some bad experiences with young sharers.. one ragged my horse around a field and let their mates ride him... 5 years on, i'm still paying the price, the guilt is awful :( If it wasn't for a good friend, I would never have found out, and my horse would have been ruined (as it was he was poorly for 18 months with his breathing and coughing).
I'm very fortunate that he's come right, but at the same time, it could have gone the other way with him :(
The other? Hit him in the stable, whip, barging bar, headcollar etc. apparently she thought it was 'funny'.. he hated anything dropping outside his stable for months after :( She got caught in the act by another good friend.
 
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Well I was sharing before I bought my lad and I don't think I was a novice! I'd been riding for about 7 or 8 years when I first started sharing.
I was only able to share because I was still in school-- relying on parents with no full time job to financially support having my own horse. I shared him successfully for 4 years and was trusted to take him out in my own trailer to compete.

There are perfectly plausible reasons as to why someone can't commit to their own horse. :)
 
I suspect that the problem is that experienced people wanting to share often already have their own horse that is either injured/recuperating/retired and therefore at one yard and therefore often don't have the time to then travel to another yard - or this is the situation I'm in anyway! lol
 
I'm thinking of getting a sharer for my horse. What do you do about public liability insurance? Do most sharers have their own or can you put them on yours?
 
Sorry to hear of your experiences shadyoak.

Hhhmmm, it’s a tricky one really. The thing is my mare is actually impeccably behaved 99% of the time but only due to investing a lot of time and money into training; she used to be a nightmare!

She is on full livery (in at night all year round) and at the moment I ride 3 times a week and her trainer rides 3 or 4 times a week (she thrives on work). I’d love to find someone who would like to ride her 2 or 3 times a week so her trainer would just school her once a week. That’s really where the financial aspect would come in for me as I would be saving money on the trainer fees (rather than the sharer paying), that’s if I could find someone who was a confident/competent rider.

I’d leave her on full livery so I know she’s being done and fed etc. no matter what. Do you think that there should be a financial contribution of some sort though? Does that tend to make the sharer more committed?
 
Well my horse died a few months ago now, she had done really well in dressage with me and when i was left horseless i decided to share for a while, i had a massive choice of horses to share but really only wanted something younger and green to bring on rather than older who would more set in their ways.
 
I have had 2 excellent sharers in their reliability capability experience and aptitude, sadly only lost them due to their lifes changes, but I have had a few wasters too, my last 1 was...let go of vv quickly and put me off!
 
nancie, think I'd write it into a contract that they'd have to have their own insurance. I wouldn't want to risk them not being insured. They could become a BHS Gold member which seems pretty good coverage for £60ish a year.
 
Not wishing to blow my own trumpet but, eight years ago, when I got back into horses after a long break, I was an AI and ex International show jumping groom looking for a sensible mother/daughter share. I was lucky enough to find the perfect horse, whom I later bought. I had to do a lot of the schooling myself, as Blaze was very green and had been bought for a novice teenager (who later lost interest)but the share worked well for us all.
 
Yes :)

I had a mare on loan before buying my girl. It was just i didn't have the money to buy my own at the time. I even offered to by my loan mare in the end but the lady didn't want to part with her which was understandable as she is a fantastic little mare.

I can ride (not saying im a pro or anything :D) & we shared everything fairly and didn't give her a days hassle. When she went on holiday/ travelling i ended up having the mare to myself. it was an easy laid back arrangement.

After i bought my girl she turned around to me and said "i wish i had sold her to you now" as she then decided to go travelling for a few years. If i only had the money & time to support two i would have snapped her up but im not fortunate enough to have that luxury.

so there is my long winded answer ;)
 
That's interesting debsg.

Although my horse is very good, her education has been fairly recent and she takes a huge amount of confidence and instruction from her rider so I'd need someone who wouldn't sit on her nervously (and possibly un-do some of the work the trainer has done). I'd ideally like someone who has worked with horses or at least ridden lots of different types of horses.

I'm in Staffordshire but my horse is in Shropshire Vallin.

It's difficult to gauge how good a rider is without seeing them in a few different situations isn't it.
 
Well i am currently sharing although owner doesn't actually ride the horse, just likes to look at him due to illness.
I would say Im fairly experienced ridden for nearly 18 years and until last year had my own. However due to living with OH doing house up and paying for our wedding i couldn't justify buying another last year.
Found this local one to me and basically iv bought him on from straight off track to now starting out as a dressage horse. I have loved every minute and treat him as my own.
And in the likely circumstance that owner decides to loan or sell next year i will no doubt take on all cost.
 
Anyone of you experienced riders want a share near hartley Wintney hook??? Been looking for couple of months now for my horse and have struggled to find someone. Very easy to handle just a little cold backed from an old injury.
 
I have an experienced sharer for my horse. She has her AI, and has worked on pro eventers yards and hunt yards, but hasn't ridden for a few years. She got sick of riding riding school things so answered my ad. She hasn't got the money to buy the calibre of horse she would like, or pay the full livery she would have to have because of the hours she works.. I don't charge anything, but both my sharers help around the yard without being asked when they ride. My other sharer shares the easier horse, and is not that experienced, but very honest and never needs to be taught anything more than twice. She even shared the looking after of the horses when we went away on a weekend trip.
 
I had a lovely lady reply to a preloved ad to share my boy, she had owned her own horse in the past but give up when her job became too demanding. She was coming back to riding so a little out of practice but a really nice sensitive rider who got her fitness back quickly and did really well with my boy out at dressage comps.

So yes they are out there if you can weed out all the idiots !! She really undersold herself on the phone and if I'd had believed her own 'very inexperienced' description I might never have let her have a go.

IMHO I let everyone who called come to try him, if they could catch him (use headcollar properly), groom sensibly and tack up unassisted then they usually could ride to an OK standard. I had plenty turn up that would looked at a bridle with great supprise and those I suggested they went and had lots more lessons before they took on a share (and didn't let them ride obviously)
 
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