Is it just me who's on a different planet?

Caol Ila

Caol Ila

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I've been trying to get a little freelance training thing going, so one of the things I do is look for adverts from people wanting their greenies schooled. I've gotten one horse this way, so it's not an entirely unsuccessful way of going about it. Anyway, I am perpetually surprised by the amount of people wanting an experienced rider to school their youngster and pay the owner to share it. Does anyone else find this cheeky, or is it just me? It seems like one thing to share a schoolmaster or at least a solidly well trained hack, but another to be putting schooling rides and training something that's green as grass. It seems as if some of these adverts are saying, "I would like someone with the knowledge and skills to bring on a green horse, because I don't have them, and they can pay me for the privilege."

I'll try that with the mechanic next time my car needs an MOT. :D
 
I have been on the other side of this, having three horses at the time and not enough time to school all three as well as run the livery. I put all three up for share. One, I was happy for complete novices to apply, the other two I wanted experienced riders. And yes, I wanted a contribution to their keep. As it happened, I got loads of people turn up to try the horse that was suitable for novices. One of my others needed a confident experienced rider as he would bolt with novices in the school. I never found anyone for him. My third was my current mare, who was trained up to advanced medium and I didn't want novices sharing her for obvious reasons. I found a BHSAI who had lost her confidence. She and my mare were well suited as she could give her good schooling whilst getting her confidence back. After a year she ended the share as she had bought herself a new young event prospect. :)

I think if a person is horseless, then they are more likely to expect to pay for a share. If they are a professional rider, then I would expect to pay.
 
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Ha ha Caol, cracks me up as well. The scary thing is they don't see anything odd about it. The sad thing is some inexperienced person who thinks they know what they're doing will probably do it and between the two of them will ruin the poor horse.
 
You seem more realistic, Wagtail. It seems as if there are a lot of horse owners out there who want someone with the skills of a professional rider to share their horse and train it for them.

If I were horseless, something like your medium horse would be a fun share. Riding greenies, as you know, is different. I love getting back on my medium schoolmaster after working a greenie and thinking, "God, riding her is a piece of piss. I love it!"
 
Yes, bugs me. I've lost count of how many horses I have been offered the privilege of backing &/or schooling for free. I don't mean arrangements where I get something out of it either, like a quality horse to ride, or competing etc, just free donkey work. Daughter often gets small, either naughty or green ponies offered to her to ride. Fine by me, as a good range is great for her, & even when she got a rather ploddy, not her cup of tea first pony fit again, it suited her cos pre sale, owner took her to a few little shows, & daughters own pony. And its people I am friendly with. Pony on nearby yard is good as gold, but the girl had a confidence issue from another pony, & no amount of her mum getting on her own pony would convince her it was safe. So we stuck my daughter on, who's younger, to convince the girl that pony was safe. Worked fab, older girl knows she's a better rider so it was a case of 'if she can ride it I can'. I've now been approached by some woman I've never met, asking if daughter will ride her kids pony for free. Pony is an unbroken sec a, 4yrs old & came from auction unhandled a few months ago. Woman had a few years of lessons in her teens, kids have never rode. And yet she expects it turning into a suitable first pony free of charge. Of course, told her where to go.
 
Littlelegs said:
Yes, bugs me. I've lost count of how many horses I have been offered the privilege of backing &/or schooling for free. I don't mean arrangements where I get something out of it either, like a quality horse to ride, or competing etc, just free donkey work. Daughter often gets small, either naughty or green ponies offered to her to ride. Fine by me, as a good range is great for her, & even when she got a rather ploddy, not her cup of tea first pony fit again, it suited her cos pre sale, owner took her to a few little shows, & daughters own pony. And its people I am friendly with. Pony on nearby yard is good as gold, but the girl had a confidence issue from another pony, & no amount of her mum getting on her own pony would convince her it was safe. So we stuck my daughter on, who's younger, to convince the girl that pony was safe. Worked fab, older girl knows she's a better rider so it was a case of 'if she can ride it I can'. I've now been approached by some woman I've never met, asking if daughter will ride her kids pony for free. Pony is an unbroken sec a, 4yrs old & came from auction unhandled a few months ago. Woman had a few years of lessons in her teens, kids have never rode. And yet she expects it turning into a suitable first pony free of charge. Of course, told her where to go.
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I feel better now. It's not just me. I was right crabbit about it the other week, as I'd been in touch with someone who wanted an older horse reschooled and a greenie brought on and she wanted someone out there two to three times per week to do it. For free. Well, in that case, free for whom? Diesel isn't free.
 
I really don't understand it. I wouldn't expect a mechanic, builder, plumber etc who lived near by to do free work, why do they expect it with horses? The way I see it, I gained my experience through hard work & low wages, if any. Why should I then share that for free if I'm not getting anything from it? I'm of the opinion that if your experience level means you need a ready made horse, you put your hand in your pocket & pay. Different if its a favour for a friend whose circumstances have changed since purchase, or there is something you can gain from it. But not just free services.
 
Caol Ila said:
I feel better now. It's not just me. I was right crabbit about it the other week, as I'd been in touch with someone who wanted an older horse reschooled and a greenie brought on and she wanted someone out there two to three times per week to do it. For free. Well, in that case, free for whom? Diesel isn't free.
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Nope, neither is having to get someone to do your horse for you when their lunatic has planted you in the nearest hedge!

Never understood how people can expect someone to do what they won't/can't and pay for the privilege. Once again it seems to be something peculiar to the horse world. :rolleyes:
 
A while back I was asked to ride a horse that was very bad in traffic and had frightened the owner witless. I rode it four times a week, always out on the roads and had few problems. I took it to places with tractors, HGVs and where the roads were a lot busier until he was fine with all vehicles.
After the month she asked if I would pay for his shoes as I had been doing so much road work with him.
 
So Foxhunter49, basically they wanted you to fix so that their horse became traffic safe, but they forgot to think about that it could lead to some extra wear and tear on the horseshoe front?

Or maybe they thought you would just stand with the horse on a grassy road verge and smell the flowers, while traffic passed by?

Or maybe they thought you would give the horse a pair of wings so you could fly to the places that you needed to go to...

:confused:
 
Yup ,take me back to when I was 11 ish - I answered an ad to share a horse, was paying for the share, got a very fat, lazy pony really going - only to come down to the field one day to find he'd gone - been sold. Never heard from the owner again.

Horsey people are the strangest, often most selfish folk imho. Such a shame.
 
I have got a reputation for breaking and schooling shetlands and other small beasts as I do my own and the results are there to be seen in the show ring. I broke one in gratis free for a friend as a favour - the owner made my name in shetland showing so I owed her.

Another guy I break for has a horrible tendency to tell people I do it for free and so I get bombarded with people every spring asking if I will break theirs or straighten out its problems and they get offended when I say how much it will cost. I don't break this guys ponies for free, its in return for various things. One I did in return for a months free full livery for one of my tb's whilst I was building another stable. Another one I did he brought me 6 bags of Top Spec feed along with the pony and brought another 6 along when he collected the pony again. When I dont have the space to take one in we do a swop. I punt one of y youngsters out on his hill for the summer and take his home in return.

I am not a crash test dummy!
 
I'm often accused of being on a different planet by a poster that's just about to lambast something I wrote earlier - ironically, I usually find loads of folk with my exact point of view in other threads but hey ho, we're all Horsey on here so technically mad I suppose!

My daughter was once approached by a girl just down our lane - she had truly stunning features, knew it and used to go about with that permanent Victoria Beckham pout/snarl years before she made it de rigor for models - so this coupled with that fact that Mummy & Daddy were so filthy rich and catflap that you could fit our house in one of their garages - we were rather surprised to have the invite even though she and my daughter attended the same school. Ms Goodlooking was two years above but she gushingly opened diplomatic relations all smiles and white teeth as if we were embarking a new entante cordialle.

It soon materialised that Ms Goodlooking was off to Uni and her loan had fallen through and we were obviously last on a very long list. However; said daughter was quite taken with the horse concerned so we actually did the familiarisation ride and full checks on the stabling at their place - timed turn-outs and bring-ins - no admittance outside of strict hours, do this, do that, poo pick the paddock, check/repair the fencing that had been erected by an illegal immigrant from the third world - then, right at the last possible moment - over a cuppa in the Aga warmed kitchen - the fees were mentioned! Not a token amount either but more like buying the thing on H.P.

I take my hat off to my daughter because she didn't wait for any input from me - just said - "You must be flipping joking! It's me that's doing you a favour - not the other way about."
They must have been desparate because the amount suddenly shrank and then disappeared but by that time daughter was giving me "let's git outta here" glances.

Mum & Dad Goodlooking went back to blanking us in the lane after that even when we had to slide passed each other in the narrow bits.
 
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