Get Your Own!

[hayley.t]

Ha ha, my local Facebook page went through a stage of people offering their 3-4 year old unbroken colts for loan, mostly coloured cobs. Now don't get me wrong, I like 3 year old cobs, so much so that I bought one, although he was gelded. However I knew that someone wasn't about to take him back once I'd put the hard work in. Unlike the advert I saw recently, offered for 6 month loan, needs experienced handler to continue education, yes I'm sure it does, its called breaking /schooling livery.
Apologies, rant over

 

[Gingerwitch]

I was asked to take a pony to a local show one day - i was taking a small pony up for 1 class anyway and the folks said they only wanted to do the one class too........ 5 classes later and they were in the jump off again - it was half 3, it was hot, the little pony i had taken was fed up - I said i had other horses to see too and got told that i could go now as they wanted to do yet anohter class and they would hack home.

And the one and only time i have ever let someone use my horse box - they encouraged the horse to pee on the box, straight onto the rubber matting that the horse had pawed up - so now i am paranoid about the floor.

 

[lastchancer]

This must be a conversation we've all had,

''can I bring my sisters boyfriends uncles daughter/grannie to ride your horse?''
''No sorry, he's not suitable for inexperienced riders''
''oh she can ride, she had a few lessons years ago''
''that's not enough experience''

And then they think you're really mean and selfish for not letting their relative get maimed by your snorting 3yo arab...

 

[Kelly1982]

I don't have my own transport and this really grates on me too. As if people are going to pick someone's horse up that they don't know for next to nothing!!

I use a transporter for the show season and my friend also transports part time so I ask her too if she is not busy and always pay the going rate. Running a horse box is expensive so why should people do things for peanuts.

 

[skint1]

I am afraid I am a b*tch and say no when people ask to borrow my lorry - except for proper friends where I always try and help.

On the other hand, I do wish someone would ask to borrow my daughter's tricky horse to ride!!

Funny how that never happens! My daughter's pony and horses were always a bit spicy so I had no idea how many people who are not friendly with you on a day to day basis will just rock up and ask to borrow your horse til I bought my lovely, novice friendly mare. I guess I could say "Oh sorry Maggie is busy but please do help yourself to Bellzilla" (quirky Tb mare- currently turned away)

 

[nosenseofdirection]

I'm flabbergasted by this! I don't have transport so I suppose I'm a bit naive. Is this really normal? Borrow your lorry FFS? My neighbour has no car, but she isn't round my house demanding the keys to mine every time she wants to go shopping! Whatever next? I have to admit to being spoilt though as our YO has a lorry (and an operators licence) and takes liveries to shows for silly money, but we all muck it out and no one takes the mickey.

 

[Dizzy socks]

Wow. Some of these are shocking!

 

[little_critter]

Not quite the same but there's a lady on our yard who winds me up. People are so 'lucky' to have xyz
Eg apparently I'm so lucky to have a horse box, no it's the result of hard work and saving up. Someone else is so lucky to have a well schooled horse, no it's the result of hard work and schooling practice.
It's as if this woman thinks that if she wishes hard enough a lorry will miraculously appear and her horse will become a Grand Prix level competitor.

 

[PolarSkye]

The one that keeps cropping up on my newsfeed at the moment is someone asking for someone to ride their 4 - yes 4! Horses and school them on as they have been out of work for a year due to the owner having a baby. The horses must stay at their present yard, she can't pay you anything and you must clean the tack at the end of the day. When someone commented that they thought she had asked xxx to do it the OP went on a rant saying that xxx was a selfish cow, only thought of herself, didn't want to ride another 4 horses after riding her own 2 and thus was banned from being spoken too lol! Yup! Someone really wants to ride for you chuck!

I am extremely fortunate to have found Z - who has ridden the Donkey for nearly two years now - I don't pay her a penny, but she gets a reasonably-talented horse to ride (her beautiful and much more talented boy was PTS) and compete. I do most of the donkey work (no pun intended) - muck out, groom, look after him, clean tack - I pay the entry fees for competitions and lessons - she provides use of the lorry (and pays the diesel) and her Mum maintains/repairs and has the lorry plated. It works for us. However, when I first approached her to ride him (after he had chucked me off and I had broken my pelvis) I offered to pay her - she refused because she recognized that this could be a win/win for all concerned - and it is!

Oh, and I should add that she has just bought a brand new jump saddle (Albion), new bridle, new breastplate and two full sets of new boots (sheepskin-lined SJ boots and eventing boots) for HIM. As and when our partnership is no more (which I'm hoping isn't until Kal pops his clogs), she will keep all of that clobber - but she still made the (not insignificant) financial outlay herself.

I'm a little off-tangent . . . what I'm trying to say (not very well, apparently) is that it's at best naive and at worst extremely rude to expect something for nothing - particularly in such an expensive sport. I can't count the number of acquaintances who, upon finding out I own a horse, immediately want to have a "go" on him . . . erm, NO! But you see the same attitude about all sorts of things - not just lorries and horses - how about wheelbarrows, hole-punches, clippers, etc.? I am all for lending - we all help each other out on our yard (there are only two liveries plus owner) - but EVERYthing costs money - and it all adds up.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that I agree with you OP .

P

 

[OwnedbyJoe]

Electric brakes.. Problem solved. ("Can I borrow your trailer?" "Do you have an electric brake unit in your car?" "Um, no" "Well then you can't".
Now have a 4 horse gooseneck - no one asks to borrow that!
Although it does peeve me when people say "You're lucky" or even better "Wow how do you afford that"? 1. - How I afford it is none of your business and 2. We bought it cheap and completely refurbished it from the floor up - spending every evening available till 10 p.m. in the shed is NOT luck!

 

[khalswitz]

I don't have transport. However I only enter shows I can hack to, or if someone I know is already going to something and has a space in lorry/trailer I then cover the diesel. I have also used hire companies - my problem is that I can't tow, and being under 25 I can't hire a 3.5t... So makes it difficult to organise. However I end up hacking to most of my comps these days!!!

Transport is also top of my list of thins to save for...

 

[HaffiesRock]

Glad it isn't just me then!

My friend somehow managed to scab a lift off a complete stranger to our local show. It fell through in the end, but she was moaning she had asked for £15! This was to pick her up at 8am, drive the 3 miles to the show, wait around all day till her last class finished at 3, then take her home. She was able to to use the trailer all day for storing stuff, tying up etc. The alternative was to walk over (20 mins max) but that was too hard work...

 

[HaffiesRock]

This also stretches to sharers etc. My sharer (soon to be ex I think, but that's a whole other story!) sometimes feels she is hard done to. She gets to ride my 2 ponies. First is a super star, turns his hoof to anything, fun wizzy pony, and the other is a rising 5 year old, safe as houses, just a little green sweetheart. She officially gets 3 days but tends to have a 4th at the weekend and hacks out with me. The only jobs I ask of her are to poo pick. She has use of a school and jumps, and miles of off road hacking straight off the yard, and hours of riding time a week. All I charge for this is £15 per week, which as we all know, is a tiny percentage of what it actually costs to keep horses! So after she moaned that she wouldn't be able to do a class at the show as it may clash with mine, then told me she couldn't come and bring my second pony, I suggested that if she wanted equal rights to my ponies, then she pay what I pay, which all in over a year and split over 365 is more like £15 a day (and that's cheap as I have natives on very cheap livery and they live out 24/7) She sometimes complains that she has to miss meals to afford the ponies (she's a student) so I offered to reduce her days, reducing the cost. She didn't like this as wanted them 3 days, she wanted the price reduced. I had to point out AGAIN that I work damn hard to afford them and they are a luxury not a right. If she wants to share them, she needs to make the minimal contribution I ask for. It just infuriates me!

 

[samleigh]

I too saved to afford a small 4x4 and a trailer, to transport myself and my horse to events, I was without a box for a year or so and forever grateful to friends who would give me a lift to events they were going to. I always insisted paying far above the going rate for fuel, we are grown ups after all and know the price of fuel, the cost of running a vehicle and maintenance & it was always far cheaper & nicer than hiring a box & going alone. I now help a good friend, just ferrying her to a very local venue for dressage once a month or riding club rallies, I know what its like not to have transport, I can have a natter with friends and be her groom, she gives me fuel money, but have also had the free loaders asking for lifts but luckily I have the perfect excuse my 4x4 is only an X trail and can only pull 1 horse!

 

[pip6]

I never let anyone borrow my trailer, though good friends I would help out as I knew they truly appreciated it & always paid the fuel. You know who your real friends are.

Personally I get jumpy when people start asking about my horses. Several times I've had people trying to invite themselves over for a ride, always get a no. My arabs aren't riding school ponies there for you to have a freebie because you don't want to pay rs prices. I did let a girl ride once a week at the request of a good friend. She'd lost her horse, & girl had been through beareavement & horses were helping her. It got to a point though she was always late, expecting me to have groomed & tacked up ready for her. I said she could ride if she had 30min lesson fornightly with very reasonably priced instructor (£10), as my horses were much sharper than my friends & she needed to improve before she was safe to hack. Dad didn't like this, thought it should all be free! I was only thinking of his remaining daughters safety ffs. Got to a point they'd be an hour late, so I turned horse back out, rang them & called it all off. I know girl loved the horses, but I don't work my nuts off to keep them for her convenience.

 

[LeedsHorseys]

SO agree with this!

I have a box that holds 3 and continuously get people asking for a lift for a fuel contribution. Errr no, I like my own horses and my own family/friends with me at shows, not putting up with some random people and horses for £30!

 

[skint1]

This also stretches to sharers etc. My sharer (soon to be ex I think, but that's a whole other story!) sometimes feels she is hard done to. She gets to ride my 2 ponies. First is a super star, turns his hoof to anything, fun wizzy pony, and the other is a rising 5 year old, safe as houses, just a little green sweetheart. She officially gets 3 days but tends to have a 4th at the weekend and hacks out with me. The only jobs I ask of her are to poo pick. She has use of a school and jumps, and miles of off road hacking straight off the yard, and hours of riding time a week. All I charge for this is £15 per week, which as we all know, is a tiny percentage of what it actually costs to keep horses! So after she moaned that she wouldn't be able to do a class at the show as it may clash with mine, then told me she couldn't come and bring my second pony, I suggested that if she wanted equal rights to my ponies, then she pay what I pay, which all in over a year and split over 365 is more like £15 a day (and that's cheap as I have natives on very cheap livery and they live out 24/7) She sometimes complains that she has to miss meals to afford the ponies (she's a student) so I offered to reduce her days, reducing the cost. She didn't like this as wanted them 3 days, she wanted the price reduced. I had to point out AGAIN that I work damn hard to afford them and they are a luxury not a right. If she wants to share them, she needs to make the minimal contribution I ask for. It just infuriates me!

Yeah, I had a similar thing but with a woman who made tons more money than I did. She meant no harm but it was clear she had no idea of how much of the cost and work was being carried by me

 

[susie2193]

After my landrover and trailer were written off I scrimped and saved for a lorry. It wasn't the smartest but it was mine. Other people seemed to think that because it wasn't a posh lorry that they could borrow it and didn't need to look after it. In the end I only insured it for myself and one named driver who I trusted. I told people that if I was free, and felt like it, I would give them a lift, I also worked out diesel, it was amazing the number that thought i was making a big profit when all I was charging for was the fuel plus about £5. It would also only seat 2 people, and no living. One 'friend' wanted a lift with me and my daughter and didn't think she should have to pay for her share of the fuel as she had to take her car as well. Not to mention those who when you get back to the yard have to rush off and don't have time to help clean it out.

I didn't use it that much and having worked out how much it cost to run per journey I decided to sell it and i now hire. Amazing how many people now think I have paid £100/day to hire a lorry, but they can have a lift and just pay half the fuel.

On occasions I do still borrow a friends lorry, he tends to keep a full tank of fuel, but I ALWAYS return it full, even if it was nearly empty when I collected it. I do think that it isn't until you have owned/hired you realise the true cost of transporting a horse 5 miles to a show.

 

[asommerville]

Drives me mad, I work hard for my trailer! Thankfully small pony won't travel with anyone and I've had to take the pArtition out! Took someone jumping once and she never have any fuel money or even helped clean the trailer - never again!! Also took someone in the lorry once with my horse who's horse absolutely trashed the box, broke the central partition and we had to get someone to come to the show to fix it so we could get home! Not a penny for the fuel or repair, and I thanked god that day that my mare was so good as it could have been a very bad situation!!

 

[fatpiggy]

Parasites, the lot of them. I had one who used to help herself to my stuff when I wasn't there. Came down to muck out one Saturday and she'd had all my spare bedding. Apparently she didn't have the time to go and buy any for herself. So I had to find the time a second time to go and replace it. I suppose I should have been grateful she left me the money. Another time I came down and she had broken my fork. She had a fork of her own but it was cr£p compared to mine - mine cost over £40 that's why. So she left me with a horse on box-rest and no way of mucking out except with a shovel. And no, she wouldn't pay a penny towards it because it was clearly due to wear and tear. Cheeky b%tch. She has since retired to France and I live in hope that she will fall overboard off the cross Channel ferry one day. You can probably see that I loathe her!

 

[smja]

I have no qualms lending things to people I know, and will offer if they're in need. However, anyone using without asking is in trouble!

 

[PaddyMonty]

Oh dear. I did post an advert on pre-loved looking for horses to ride for free. Also dont pay a penny towards current ride.
I do own a horsebox though.
I shall withdraw from this thread immediately!

 

[skint1]

Yeah but you're likely to improve the horse, take it competing properly, that kind of thing

 

[Quadro]

3 horses and a 3 horse lorry, don't take them all to shows at once but no one needs to know that
Q

 

[Fallenrose]

Just seen a post in a Facebook group I am a member of that made me think of this thread.

Someone doesn't want to pay for riding lessons - just wants someone who owns a horse to give her and a friend lessons in riding and stable management so she can get a loan over summer!!! I work long hours and have to cut back in other areas to afford my horse. If you want lessons you need to go to a riding school and PAY. Bet she hasn't given a thought to insurance - imagine she wouldn't want to pay for that either!

 

[Magicmillbrook]

I so agree. I would help a friend out in a heart beat, but some people just take the piddle. I too get cross when people say I am lucky to have transport/stables/arena. No I am not lucky, I work blimmin hard, never go on holidays, buy new clothes, hair cuts, manicures, iphones etc etc. I and scrimp and save to be able to afford them - and breath....Good this letting off steam business

 

[Copperpot]

I would always help a friend in an emergency and either lend them or drive my lorry.

On a fb group a while ago a friend of a friend wanted a horse she had bought collecting the next day. Apparently it was urgent. OH had no plans, so said he would do it. It was a 3 hour drive away, so 6 hours driving plus diesel. She wanted to pay him £50! Needless to say he didn't go, but she then messaged me in fb every few weeks asking if I could take her to shows. I'd never met the girl and she always wanted a lift to said shows for free.

 

[exracehorse]

Preloved have a cracking advert nr me. Lady wants a dressage rider to exercise, muck out, lunge, groom etc and accompany her to shows. Says no payment required. So, basically you want a groom who can ride, puts fuel in their car to get to your yard and will do it for nothing