jwallismartin
New User
It's over 40 years since I served my time in various hunting/racing yards and riding schools. I well remember the long hours, the terrible accommodation, the appalling pay, and the lack of rights relating to employment, sick pay, holidays, etc. Eventually, I moved to Europe where I was fortunate enough to get the training I was clearly never going to get as a working pupil, though quite rightly, I had to pay for it. When I returned to the UK, I built my own business, and owned my own horses which I kept at livery. I then married and had a family, so paying school fees took priority. However, with the family now standing on their own two feet, I recently decided to buy another horse. As I was scrolling through the classifieds, I came across an advert by somebody who wanted to share their horse in return for a contribution of £120 per month, plus stable duties. In addition, the 'successful applicant' had to be capable of schooling the horse on the flat, and over jumps, and give the owner riding lessons. In other words, what they wanted was a trainer/groom who would pay for the privilege of mucking their horse out, schooling it, and training them as a rider. Furthermore, they expected the 'successful applicant' to pay for the privilege. I'd be interested to hear what people think of this arrangement.
