I might've found a share horse, yippee!

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mollyblob

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I'm going to try a possible share horse tomorrow and I'm really nervous! I went to meet him and his owner briefly last week and he seems lovely, though a lot bigger and chunkier than I'm used to. He was advertised as 15.1 but I reckon he's bigger- he looked huge! He's a bit of a fatty (I think there were ribs under there somewhere) as he hasn't done any work for a while.

So now I just have to not do anything daft tomorrow evening. If there's a bucket to be tripped over, a bridle to be somehow buckled on wrong, or a barrow of muck to be overturned into a clean bed it's usually me that's managed to do it... fingers crossed I can hold it together enough so the owner doesn't think I'm a complete numpty! Mental note to try not to fall off either :)

I'm not even sure why I'm so nervous- it's ridiculous! I just need to man up a bit :rolleyes: So some calming vibes and/or kicks up the bum would be great :)
 
As an owner who has looked for loaners, someone who is a little apprehensive and keen to please is what we want. The big 'I am great and experienced' can go elsewhere. Be honest in what you want / expect from a loan and it can work really well. Good luck
PS I am a control freak but still managed to find good people, one who is a good friend now even though my boy has gone to Rainbow Bridge
 
Be honest about your abilities and ask lots of questions.
What the person wants in summer there may be more jobs in winter?
what happens about insurance?
What is the hacking like, is there anyone to ride with?
What you can do with the horse?

Good luck hope it goes well.
 
I am a fairly new sharer so I know how you feel - I was very nervous when I went to ride my horse for the first time and didnt want to do anything wrong!

Main thing to do is be honest with the owner - if you dont know how to put a piece of tack on then say 'Can you show me how to do this please'. If you are unsure how to do something, then ask - the more questions the better. If you try and pretend you know how to do something just to look better in front of the owner then it will backfire because when you are left on your own you wont have a clue, you will miss something important and then she will find out on her days that you are not doing something right.

Try and find out as much as you can about the horse, dont forget that you are making a big decision here just as much as the owner is. With my share horse as time has gone on I've found out about lots of little illness and ailments that he has which has meant I've not been able to ride him much, now I dont mind about this but I would have rather known before I agreed to share him.

Write yourself a list of questions to ask the owner so you dont get side tracked by riding - ask about illnesses/injuries he has, any allergies (believe me these can cause major problems!), what he is fed, any supplements he has, how often he is normally ridden, if you can ride him every time you see him or if he needs a rest day, does she have insurance for him, is she going to put together a loan agreement (you can download these from the BHS website), what activities are you not allowed to do, how high can you jump him (I'm limited to 2"6), does she have any transport, can you compete on him, what he is like in the stable/tacking up, what his overall temperament is like....make sure you get the full picture before you agree to anything.

I know how exciting it is to be seeing a horse that you may be sharing, and you can forget about all the things you need to know because you are so excited about the prospect of having a horse.

Dont worry about impressing the owner too much, she will be worried about the horse impressing you as well so you are both in the same boat. Relax and enjoy your ride, and ask loads of questions and you will be fine.

Good luck!
 
mollyblob said:
I'm going to try a possible share horse tomorrow and I'm really nervous! I went to meet him and his owner briefly last week and he seems lovely, though a lot bigger and chunkier than I'm used to. He was advertised as 15.1 but I reckon he's bigger- he looked huge! He's a bit of a fatty (I think there were ribs under there somewhere) as he hasn't done any work for a while.

So now I just have to not do anything daft tomorrow evening. If there's a bucket to be tripped over, a bridle to be somehow buckled on wrong, or a barrow of muck to be overturned into a clean bed it's usually me that's managed to do it... fingers crossed I can hold it together enough so the owner doesn't think I'm a complete numpty! Mental note to try not to fall off either :)

I'm not even sure why I'm so nervous- it's ridiculous! I just need to man up a bit :rolleyes: So some calming vibes and/or kicks up the bum would be great :)
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oooooh you dark horse ;) How have you got on today? Hope it went ok :)
 
Thankyou everyone for all the useful comments- really good to get ideas for things to ask. I haven't ended up riding him this evening after all- the owner's other horse (which she was going to ride out on the hack with me and Dougal) lost a shoe so can't be ridden. So I'm going up tomorrow instead... the nerves continue! I'll definitely try and get as much info as I can, and not get carried away in all the excitement :)
 
You did fine when you came to ride Dolly! ;)

It makes a big different to find someone reliable and who looks after the horse like it's their own! You were a big help and I'm sure it'll work out if you like the horse!
 
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