Is she being taken advanteage of? And a what coul dbe wrong?

[WishfulThinker]

My mate rides horses for someone........there are 2 at different yards - so she has to drive between the 2.
One is currently lame, but she still helps look after it. The other that she rides is a rearer - does it without warning then doesn't know it has just done it and goes back to being normal.

She doesn't get paid to do them, not even petrol money. And she is spending about 10 hours a week looking after them. She has a lesson a week (paid for by the horses owner) on the rearer - which she is schooling so the owner can sell it, and she hasn't even been offered a token amount for her work, and she also pays for shoes for this horse - but she has NO written agreement and the horse is NOT on loan to her.
She is too scared that if she asks for ££ then no one will let her ride their horses. She is a good rider - will ride anything as she is no fear, and people know this.

I feel they are taking advantage of her.

Also, any idea WHY the horse could randomly be rearing? It is not to unseat the rider as she never manages, but she has done it for years. It is without warning she will just go up, then go back to normal.

 

[Booboos]

I've had three sharers (not all at the same time!!!) who helped look after the horse in exchange for rides while I still owned it and paid for all expenses, so I don't think there is anything wrong in this in and of itself. They all had to drive to me to ride, they had to commit to a certain amount of riding a week (I had to do the rest and I don't fancy keeping a horse fit for someone to ride once a month), they had to help out with mucking out that horse, they paid for their own lessons but I would take them to shows for free. This seems to me a pretty reasonable sharing arrangement. Some people ask for a contribution towards the costs but that is entirely between sharer and owner to decide, so if your friend has agreed to pay for shoeing that is also fine. If the owner is looking to sell the horse and your friend has been told this, I don't see the problem. It sounds like your friend is sharing this horse and the owner is rather nice to be paying for her lessons. If your friend is unhappy with the arrangement she should re-negotiate the terms.

If your friend is a good enough rider to specifically school and bring on horses I am sure she could charge for her services, but that seems quite a different thing from sharing which is about enjoying a horse without necessarily owning it (and all the responsibilities which come with that!). A professional rider expects to be paid for their time, whether riding or grooming, and is entirely unlike a sharer.

Could the rearer be in pain? Or perhaps it's just a nappy habit?

 

[WishfulThinker]

It isn't a share tho, as she originally agreed to help out a bit, then gets asked to do more and more.

Could be either, cos she doesnt think the vet has been out to see it

 

[TarrSteps]

To be brutal, it's her choice to be doing what she's doing and she's the only one who can change it. Sure the people *should* be grateful to have her help but then again up to this point she's allowed them to feel that she's okay with the situation.

For whatever reason she feels tied to this situation - maybe she gets something out of it you're not seeing, maybe even something she's not willing to admit. (Some people like feeling needed even if it looks a lot like being taken advantage of.) Maybe she's friends with the people or really likes the horses. Who knows? If she's not changing the situation it's because on some level she's okay with it.

If she rides as well as you say then she should be able to find a much more beneficial situation but it's true she might have to look a bit. But on the other hand she only has to improve on a lame horse and a dangerous horse so that shouldn't be too tough.

(Look how many people on this board need help with horses but aren't in a position to pay!)

Part of the problem is, unfortunately, that people tend to value things by what they pay for them. When you offer a service for free (which means nothing in it for you, not necessarily no money changing hands) some people either see it as a favour or, more likely, something not worth putting themselves out for. They may even see it backwards, as in they are doing the person doing the work a favour! In which place I'm inclined to say good luck to them. There's a reason successful people charge and, as we know, you tend to get what you pay for.

As to why the horse is rearing, no one can tell you without seeing it. From what you say your friend has no control over the situation and no way of actively pursuing an investigation or a solution.

Now, this is also where it gets a bit sticky. If your friend has said she can "fix" the horse then she needs a) to know how to do that and b) have the resources to do so. On the other side she is riding a horse that might very well have the potential to hurt her - honestly, you'd think the people would be a little more worried about liability. But all that is theoretical - we don't know what they've discussed, what promises have been made, anything.

Bottom line, if your friend wants to continue let her. She might have her reasons. I certainly rode some difficult horses in not great situations when I was younger just for the experience and the reputation. If she's doing it for fun . . . well, perhaps her definition of the term is different from yours.

 

[Booboos]

Well she needs to decide whether she wants a horse to share (or two) or whether she wants to make money out of horses. If she wants to share then she needs to decide how much time and effort she is willing to put it in exchange for what kind of horse and whether she would be prepared to make a financial contribution. There are many people looking for sharers so she shouldn't have a problem finding something if the current owner is taking the mick.

If she wants to make money from horses, then she needs to offer her services for a price. She needs to have a price per hour for general grooming services and a price per hour for schooling. She can also offer a 'schooling for sale' service where she gets a cut from a sale price.

Either way she needs to decide what she wants to do and do it! No one is going to turn around and say you are so great, here is some money!

 

[bhpride]

At the end of the day if a rider is good enough to school and improve a horse they should be paid not the other way around unless you're a total mug. And they should also be offered a percentage of the sale price.

"School my horse that rears, do the work so I can sell him for more money and please foot the bill for his shoes as will. Also I won't be giving you any money from the sale." - does that sound fair to you? Nope. Sounds like crap to me.

 

[Natch]

Hmm it does depend on the slant put on it. From one perspective she is sharing the horses, getting the bonus of a free lesson and free rides from one and giving the looking after and shoes as return for the pleasure she gets from the ride. From the other perspective she is doing them a favour by schooling their horse in her own free time and they should be jolly grateful. Its probably a combination of both, hence this dilemma??

The other one we don't know enough about to comment on really - what is the situation, was she riding it before it went lame, was there a verbal agreement etc?

If she feels she is being taken advantage of and being used, then she can tell either/both of them that she doesn't have enough time to do jobs as well as ride, and that she can't afford shoes for the horse she is schooling, and that she is going to have to cut back on hours spent caring for the horses to take on paid clients. That might kick them up the backside to pay her or at least show gratitude, but she has to be prepared that they might tell her where to go.

Personally, the mind boggles as to why she would want to ride the rearer in the first place! I would be asking the owner to get vet/whatever to investigate, and if they weren't forthcoming I'd walk away before there was a serious accident.

 

[Rayado05]

HI, I agree with comments here, why would you want to ride a rearer?
If the rider is so competant (I always question "KNows no fear" as a dangerous attribute) then she surely must be able to find other rides in the local area that need help or schooling or just a bum in the saddle.

I am sure as an adult (Assumed - as she's driving) that she knew what the circumstances were when she agreed to do this, therefore it really is up to her to make any changes that she feels necessary.

People are always grateful for help with their horses and someone experienced to school them on, so there should be plenty of work out there for a good rider!

Hope she sorts this out, or at least finds paid work for her efforts.

I will say though, that I have and will help people out when I have time if they are willing to learn and need some support. As it is a hobby and passion, despite having our own, I will help - and never charge.