If you were getting a horse to ride for free in return for chores

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horsemad32

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How much in the way of chores would you expect to do if the owner had other horses? On same yard as other people who share, pay towards keep and do the chores for their horse on their days?
 
I'd probably look at it in terms of what a minimum wage worker would have to do to earn whatever the others are paying to have their shares. So if they pay £10 a day I'd expect to do two hours of poo picking or mucking out or whatever's been requested. I'd also expect this to be on top of looking after the horse I'd ridden that day too.

But it isn't me doing it so I suppose it really comes down to what you think you should be doing as well as what the owner thinks.
 
It depends really on the circumstances, I have someone that rides some of mine, they need the exercise and it helps me so sometimes they help out with jobs other times they may just groom and ride usually under supervision as it is often a jumping session.
I dont really want to be hiring my horses out or "sharing", the girl gets the occasional chance to compete and is lovely to have around when she can get here, will be more often soon when exams have finished:)
 
Depends on the horse, depends on the person etc etc

Ie - for me, working hard to get a ride on a fab horse, would be worth it. Working hard to get a hack on a happy hacker, might not be.
 
I had an agreement like this when I was about 14 and did poo picking, mucking out, keeping yard tidy, pulling up ragwort/weeds when I was at the yard and full strip down tack cleaning once a week. I then went on to pay for shoes/feed as got more involved with the horse and started competing.
 
I am hoping to find a share in a few months and was envisaging that it would entail Riding 2 or 3 times a week and caring for the horse whenever I rode it or whenever the owner couldn't be there. Sharing isn't just about riding is it? I'm happy to pitch in with whatever is required as I enjoy the horse chores and it is all part of the experience.

I suppose it depends whether the owner is looking for a share for financial reasons or because they don't have time?

I'd be interested to know what is the norm.
 
horsemad32 said:
How much in the way of chores would you expect to do if the owner had other horses? On same yard as other people who share, pay towards keep and do the chores for their horse on their days?
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I wouldn't. At a riding school under supervision and instruction one would work for rides. A private owner needing help with exercising (for whatever reason) and expecting you to muck out/groom etc for the pleasure of it, almost surmounts to extortion. I would pay someone if I needed my horse exercised. I've got five dogs that walking, I know, I'll get the walker to turd pick my garden, groom my dogs and make up their dinners, just for the privilege of walking my dogs!
 
I think an hours work per ride is fair??

(an hour for me would be- stable done, hay nets/ feed/ water done, horse groomed)

V x
 
Contribute half the farrier costs,other than that clean and oil tack every so often and of course properly smarten up the horse before venturing out on hacks.
 
Erm it totally depends on your circumstances. I have two fab students who ride my boy once a week each for nothing, I don't pay them they don't pay, nor do they do any chores, I even pick them up and drop them home again.

They both started when I was in an ankle cast and couldn't ride for 8 weeks and they both rode twice a week for me. They're fab and have been reliable, very sweet and patient with my horse.

They both want to keep riding and I'll probably keep them both on if they want to, to ride once a week each. Yes its a good deal for them but its good for my horse, they're lovely girls and I actually enjoy the company up at the yard a couple of times a week when usually I'm on my own!

So really there are many many types of loan/ share arrangements out there, you just have to find one that suits you!
 
Jewkes said:
I am hoping to find a share in a few months and was envisaging that it would entail Riding 2 or 3 times a week and caring for the horse whenever I rode it or whenever the owner couldn't be there. Sharing isn't just about riding is it? I'm happy to pitch in with whatever is required as I enjoy the horse chores and it is all part of the experience.

I suppose it depends whether the owner is looking for a share for financial reasons or because they don't have time?

I'd be interested to know what is the norm.
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I had one girl, a potential sharer, who stated, yes she would be available to ride my horse three times per week, school holidays and weekends, but not otherwise, as she had a very tight school schedule [like every other teenager perhaps?] Obviously she needed a well schooled horse with experience of X-country and medium dressage, as she needed to "raise the bar" She would need transport and entry fees to be paid, but would be happy to contribute her "experience".
sorry... you were saying...... I am a narky old bird, sorry..........
 
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I help out with some mares.

The owner has 3 cob mares and a miniature.

We generally work through the jobs together on days i'm there so;

Muck out 4 stables between us, Do hay and water, Groom them and if we ride we clean whatever tack we've each used afterwards and turn them all out. Sometimes we just lunge though which i enjoy aswell, and her daughter taught me how to drive with the miniature!

Usually takes about 3 - 4 hours.

I enjoy it, we get on well so that is a plus, And i adore her daughter too.
 
My current sharer will catch in, clean, hose him off if filthy, muck out, replenish hay and water, turn back out. She rides twice a week and doesn't pay. I didn't ask her to do all this but I do think I'd expect her to at least catch in if he were out and I wanted him out. Also think all the rest ie mucking out, is standard for a free ride, given it's about £40 to hire a horse for an hour at one local RS. I know I could ask more eg tack cleaning and she'd do it, but I wouldn't.

Some kids on my yard share one horse each and often look after the other horse (both owners have two each). They do everything, muck out, turn out, bath, ride, clean tack, prepare them for shows. They do a whole day at the yard and treat the horses like their own.
 
I will be honest with you, if you are under sixteen and not PC " B " standard, , therefore, you need to be supervised and trained, then you are lucky to get someone to give you a ride on their horse, sorry I am being blunt.
 
Its a tricky question and one I have a lot of experience of as its the only way I get to ride.
In my situation I am generally more experinced than the owner and riding the horse(s) to bring them on. I cant think of a single ride where I have been expected to do jobs but if I arrive at yard and jobs need doing I will do them.
For me its not just about riding, its the whole horse experience that I enjoy which includes all the looking after, macking out, brining in, grooming, clipping etc.
I also end up teaching owner most of the time and will normally look after horses when they are away. All of which is FOC.
So I guess I bring a fair amount to the arrangement but if anyone tried to use me as a free groom service I would be out of there like a shot.

On the other hand if I wasn't improving the horse and just getting free riding then I would expect to be required to help out in other ways.
 
blazingsaddles said:
I wouldn't. At a riding school under supervision and instruction one would work for rides. A private owner needing help with exercising (for whatever reason) and expecting you to muck out/groom etc for the pleasure of it, almost surmounts to extortion. I would pay someone if I needed my horse exercised. I've got five dogs that walking, I know, I'll get the walker to turd pick my garden, groom my dogs and make up their dinners, just for the privilege of walking my dogs!
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I think mucking out, poo picking, general yard chores are all part of the 'horse experience' and when I started sharing my cob, before buying her, I happily did my bit as well as paying £25 for three days. I also helped the owner with her other horses. Mug? Maybe :)
but I felt like a proper part of the yard and just enjoyed getting stuck in with everyone else on there.
If you're not 'into' chores - hire a horse from a riding school! Sharing means precisely that,
and includes all the things a horse needs.
 
I rode and looked after someone elses horses when I was a kid, from the age of 11, (after I had pestered the life out of the poor old fella who owned them.. since I was 8) ..he had 4 rescue horses, I had none.. he finally gave in to my nagging and begging, (bless him!) and I looked after the 4 of his horses, one was 'my' horse, and I used to muck out, water, hay, poo pick everything, in return I could treat them like my own, I learnt lots from him, he was a real 'horse whisperer' .I had those horses until I went on my travels, and I was the one that held them as they where pts years later, ..he has died now and all his gorgeous horses have gone, but I am so grateful to that man for giving a horse mad kid who knew nothing a chance. ..so as to answer your question, lol, I done all the work that was needed and was more than happy to do it .. x
 
I think you have to differentiate between sharing, exercise riding, and schooling work.

Shares tend often to have an element of chores involved, as often (apart from financial reasons) the owner can primarily be looking for help with the jobs or to make free days for themselves where the other person takes over the horse, and letting someone use your horse I see as reparation for that work. Shares arent all about the riding imo.

Im more likely to be offering a share for financial or time reasons, than getting the horse exercised. There is no way I would want to share with someone who thinks they are doing me a favour by riding my horse and swan in and out and leave me with all the jobs.

If I was looking not for a sharer but purely for an exercise rider or someone to school my horse, Id be expecting to pay them.
 
If it was an adult then I would ask them to 'do' the horse on the morning/afternoon they rode (turnout, muck out, groom etc or bring in, put to bed etc) plus tack cleaned every time they rode.

If young person then I would ask them to say spend a morning helping me with chores (so under supervision) and then I either give them a lesson or a hack out with them.

When I was a teenager I used to work very hard all day (flogged to death in fact) and got a short ride on something nappy if I was lucky.
 
I expect the horse to be done on their day, whether they are riding or not -- I am also happy to offer lessons on the horse for some extra work, like tack cleaning (which I would not normally expect to be done). Generally, I've found people are more than grateful to be getting a regular free ride and will really shift their weight, often going above and beyond what I'd expect. Friendships sometimes develop ;)
 
Capriole said:
If I was looking not for a sharer but purely for an exercise rider or someone to school my horse, Id be expecting to pay them.
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Mind if I ask why? There are plenty of us around who can ride to a reasonable standard that for one reason or another dont own a horse and are happy to do this for free.
 
At the moment I "share" a pony.

I pay £10 a week + half her shoeing costs (fronts), for 7 days where I care for her fully and exercise her 5 days a week. I do all tack cleaning etc too - full clean weekly, plus a wipe over if it has rained or been really muddy.

Owner sometimes rides her on one of the other days, but even then I look after her, the owner pays all other costs, she also determines what levels of exercise I can do etc.

She originally started the share because she had lost interest and wanted a little extra money towards the horse, whilst also knowing the horse was in safe hands and getting the work she wanted. She found me through word of mouth and offered me her. Now she is more into her riding, but has just brought her youngster into work, so she has to prioritise her for consistency.

The best part of the deal is that I am only here during uni holidays, but when I am home I get my share again. I love the arrangement and I am incredibly grateful for having such a generous owner. To me, doing the chores, and also extras around the yard (it is privately owned so we are in charge of all maintenance) is the least I can do.
 
Because Id rather keep it as a business thing, not favours to or from people.

I think its too easy for lines to get blurred and Im just happier if everythings black and white. Paying a professional to school my horse equals I hand over money, I dont owe any favours, and I'm not beholden to someone.

Does that make sense? (Its a moot point at the moment anyway.)
 
Well we offered the chance to compete on Murphy as long as the person was prepared to put in the ground work in keeping him fit, hacking out etc. No other contribution was asked at all but we had 2 people who were happy to go out and win on him but didn't want to do the boring stuff, so now he is slobbing round in the field doing nothing! Sad really, when I was younger there would have been no end of teenagers who would have jumped at the chance.:(
 
I don't pay for my current share as his owner has no need of it (and wasn't actually looking for a sharer, but that's a longer story), but I will do things she's not so keen on atm, i.e. taking him out for decent hacks (he is exceptionally spooky and she's quite a bit older than me and understandably doesn't want to find out how well she bounces these days), and I will go with her to shows and lessons as a spare pair of hands/driver.

Day-to-day, I muck out on my days, groom, keep the tack clean, poo pick once a week, clip him, plait him for outings and do whatever else needs doing when I'm around. I've just had him to myself for a week while his owner's been on holiday, which has saved her some livery fees and given me a nice week of good exercise :D

I occasionally ride and clip other horses on the yard, usually for a 'consideration' ;) I'm nowhere near PaddyMonty's level, but I've ridden at elementary and had very good instruction over the years, and since I've started sharing I've been capable of improving almost all the horses I've ridden, so I'm not keen to start handing over large sums when I'm effectively schooling horses even when hacking out. I just enjoy the horses and as long as the owners and I get on well it works nicely all round :)
 
I look after G 24/7 as if he were my own. Owners cover all costs as kept on yard at their home and occassionally use him for a quiet hack on a weekend. They only got him on the proviso I'd look after him most of the time.

Before I got G, I paid half the part livery costs and 'did' horse three or four days a week, regardless of if I rode or not. Seemed very fair.
 
When I've had sharers for my cob they always took responsibility for everything to do with him on the days they were over. We would normally do everything together, e.g. bring in, muck out and go for a hack, but they would do all the chores relating to him and I would do the other horses. Once the sharer got to know him well I would ocassionally ask her to bring in all the other horses before she rode the cob but I don't think that was a big ask for a free horse. I would also keep the cob fit on days when the sharer couldn't come and was very flexible about riding days.
 
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