Green on Green?

[starbucker]

How on earth do I find these people????

Shy bairns get nowt, no harm in putting yourself out there on local fb horsey groups, just be upfront about your experience you never know, "reliable adult, keen to learn" etc If not just make sure you try the horse, watch them be rode first, and take someone more experienced with you ( who is willing to be guinea pig even better) for a second opinion. You don't have to get on any horse just to be polite, no matter how far you drove, if it looks like it will be too much for you or something feels off. I got bronced off the back off a "safe as houses cob" when I was looking before I even got my other stirrup in! and don't forget, underhorse yourself you're sure to still have loads of fun, over horse you will spend the whole time paying someone else to ride and worst case damage your confidence, you can always step up later Best of luck, trust your gut ask loads of questions and whatever you do don't buy a pity case you deserve a sound one!

 

[Titchy Pony]

It would never occur to me to advise that! I think its bad advice tbh. As you say who is going to want a novice dealing with their precious horse on their own. And a new owner needs to be able to find their own way with their new horse.
The best thing is to find a sensible, confidence giver that knows its job as your first horse, work out a routine that suits you both and let the horse look after you.
Our first horse was a R&D cob, who was retiring from a commercial driving job, with a bit of p/t RS work in winter. That worked out very well, he was kept on a local farm, where he was companion to the farmer's daughter's pony, on a DIY arrangement and we learned as we went along, having spent 7 yrs at RS before buying him.

I think a share is a good idea, if you can find the right one. I didn't officially share before buying (I was a teenager at the time) but I hung around at the RS and separately helped a retired instructor with her ponies in exchange for rides. I have the impression that it is harder to just hang around and help out at riding schools in the UK these days, also in my experience very different to RS in France. The RS I tried or worked at in the UK had the horses standing ready tacked up for you and then whisk them away at the end of the lesson for staff to untack. That's pretty unheard of in France where everyone learns to groom and tack up from day one. The galop exams include a care component and you can't compete without at least a galop 2, so most RS riders who stay long enough will take them.
I wouldn't leave a novice unsupervised with my horses (though come to think of it, my dad does chuck them hay and water for me every so often and he wouldn't even qualify as a novice) but if I had an ageing horse that slowing down and a younger horse that I ride regularly, I would enjoy the company of someone else and supervise until I judged they were ready to go it alone. It is something I might do in a couple of years when my youngsters are backed, though a certain amount of stickability is required to ride Little Madam.