Pay to share and train my horse?

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granddonkey

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So I've just moved to the Edinburgh area and have been trying to sort out some sort of horse fix. Preferably something fairly casual perhaps at first (if you want to know more about me do check out my other thread!)

But anyway, quick observation. So far, I've seen a few ads looking for sharers. Most of which are looking for someone to educate their inexperienced green horse...Okay...And, also contribute towards the upkeep costs on top?!

Really? The way I see it, if I like your horse I'm certainly more than happy to invest my experience into he/she as a freebie. However, if I had a super novice horse, I'm not sure I'd expect an experienced person who'd be doing me the favour of bringing on my horse to pay for the honor....?

Maybe that's just the way things work up here? Dunno.
 
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It seems the done thing these days with some people wanting schooling and them being paid for it, not sure if they ever get anywhere with it but it doesn't seem to stop them trying, I saw a loan advert last week 3 year old filly for a 2 year loan so basically loanee teaches it manners backs it rides it away then owner takes lovely backed schooled horse back for themselves yeah right!
 
Except that in practice most of the 'experienced' people who turn up to ride your vulnerable, easily confused and upset young horse are actually numpty freeloaders who have nowhere near the skill and experience they pretend to have. Asking for a contribution is the only way to weed out some of these. If you really are half decent, OP, the owners will be happy to have you, and contribution will be negotiable.
 
pennyturner said:
Except that in practice most of the 'experienced' people who turn up to ride your vulnerable, easily confused and upset young horse are actually numpty freeloaders who have nowhere near the skill and experience they pretend to have. Asking for a contribution is the only way to weed out some of these. If you really are half decent, OP, the owners will be happy to have you, and contribution will be negotiable.
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If said contribution is even required, once they realise you're not one of said freeloaders.
 
I'm having the same issue. My horse is out for the year due to a ligament injury just as we were preparing for Badminton grassroots and eventually stepping uo to novice at the end of the season. I had a look for another ride just to keep my hand in but found people wanting £30+ a week for someone experienced to school their horse which really I cant afford while I have one on box rest
 
pennyturner said:
Except that in practice most of the 'experienced' people who turn up to ride your vulnerable, easily confused and upset young horse are actually numpty freeloaders who have nowhere near the skill and experience they pretend to have. Asking for a contribution is the only way to weed out some of these. If you really are half decent, OP, the owners will be happy to have you, and contribution will be negotiable.
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How does it weed them out?
Those with no experience are often happy to pay and those with skills and experience are often not.
I am looking for something in my area to ride a couple of times a week, have many years experience but even those wanting horses bought back into work after injury want paying, I currently don't have the money even if I wanted to pay.
I have had 2 offers from people I know but one horse has gone lame and the other is on a yard I won't go to so I shall continue to look.
The only way to weed people out is to invest some time in getting to know how good people are before entrusting them with your vulnerable, easily confused and upset young horse. Owners need to spend some time with them and watch them ride a few times.
 
Bexx said:
I'm having the same issue. My horse is out for the year due to a ligament injury just as we were preparing for Badminton grassroots and eventually stepping uo to novice at the end of the season. I had a look for another ride just to keep my hand in but found people wanting £30+ a week for someone experienced to school their horse which really I cant afford while I have one on box rest
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Put out a wanted ad with your experience, I'd be surprised if you can't find something.
 
If somebody wants their green horse to be brought on by somebody more experienced than themselves as an owner, surely they should be seeking out help from a professional? I wouldn't just let anyone get on my pony if we were having significant issues/were green (not referring to you O.P I'm sure you're fantastic, just speaking hypothetically). Moreover on that, if the horse was green, surely you'd want to pay somebody professional for their time and risk.

If it was an equal share of an experienced animal, I would understand contributing towards their upkeep as that only seems fair, but if the horse is green, it's not always rainbows and sunshine haha!

I have a young horse and I've been riding for over 20 years and I still ask for a professional producer to come down and work mine at least once a week and I'm more than happy to pay her for her time. Maybe I'm just too polite to be cheeky enough to ask for help that way and maybe i'm missing a trick :D hahaha!
 
And conversely, on the few occasions I've advertised for people to ride my horse, I've been inundated with people wanting to be paid to do so. With all due respect, he's not a horse that needs schooling/improving (and if he did, I'd do it myself!). I'd honestly thought that people would be queuing down the road for the chance to get free use of a PSG schoolmaster, but I was wrong!
 
Auslander said:
And conversely, on the few occasions I've advertised for people to ride my horse, I've been inundated with people wanting to be paid to do so. With all due respect, he's not a horse that needs schooling/improving (and if he did, I'd do it myself!). I'd honestly thought that people would be queuing down the road for the chance to get free use of a PSG schoolmaster, but I was wrong!
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I'd happily pay somebody to get the chance to use something along those lines!!!
 
But on the hand if you've got a nice horse you've invested time and money into why would you not want a contribution toward shoes and insurance and whatever you see fit seeing as someone else is getting a horse for x number of days a week to treat as their own - why would someone expect to get that for free? If that's the case I'll my own and have two or three a week to ride entirely for free rather than being an idiot and paying for the upkeep and cost of running my own!
 
If you're in Edinburgh I know of an amazing, fabulous, safe horse who's owner wouldn't mind someone to give a helping hand - depend on how casual is casual? (He's my old share horse)

Feel free to message me if you want to know anything specific about horsey life in Edinburgh :)
 
Auslander said:
And conversely, on the few occasions I've advertised for people to ride my horse, I've been inundated with people wanting to be paid to do so. With all due respect, he's not a horse that needs schooling/improving (and if he did, I'd do it myself!). I'd honestly thought that people would be queuing down the road for the chance to get free use of a PSG schoolmaster, but I was wrong!
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Yes. I'd donate an arm / kidney/ part of my liver for a sit on something like him!
 
Auslander said:
I still look at him on a daily basis, and can't quite believe he's mine!
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I do the same with mine, and we're still working on doing circle shaped circles, never mind PSG stuff!

Can't believe you can't get someone to come and potter about on him. An arrangement like that could benefit someone's riding no end.
 
granddonkey said:
So I've just moved to the Edinburgh area and have been trying to sort out some sort of horse fix. Preferably something fairly casual perhaps at first (if you want to know more about me do check out my other thread!)

But anyway, quick observation. So far, I've seen a few ads looking for sharers. Most of which are looking for someone to educate their inexperienced green horse...Okay...And, also contribute towards the upkeep costs on top?!

Really? The way I see it, if I like your horse I'm certainly more than happy to invest my experience into he/she as a freebie. However, if I had a super novice horse, I'm not sure I'd expect an experienced person who'd be doing me the favour of bringing on my horse to pay for the honor....?

Maybe that's just the way things work up here? Dunno.
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welcome to Scotland :) I won't say what I think of paying to share a horse as its an unpopular view ;)

I would try sending your details around local riding clubs and endurance clubs-they are pretty competitive some of them with multiple horses. I think you are north of the bridge? If so, and you have transport, there are studs and producers in Fife that might have something or know of something if you are experienced enough for that.

The central belt seems to be a migration spot for boatloads of green Irish horses that people buy and then can't do anything with-they then want others to subsidise their hobby.
 
Jenni_ said:
I do the same with mine, and we're still working on doing circle shaped circles, never mind PSG stuff!

Can't believe you can't get someone to come and potter about on him. An arrangement like that could benefit someone's riding no end.
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I gave up after a couple of ads tbh. I mostly enjoy having him all to myself, and he gets ridden a couple of times a week by friends of my regular jockeys. He's super safe in the school, so pretty much anyone can ride him there!
 
Auslander said:
And conversely, on the few occasions I've advertised for people to ride my horse, I've been inundated with people wanting to be paid to do so. With all due respect, he's not a horse that needs schooling/improving (and if he did, I'd do it myself!). I'd honestly thought that people would be queuing down the road for the chance to get free use of a PSG schoolmaster, but I was wrong!
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Where can we start queuing?!

But yeah OP, I found exactly the same when I started looking to share. Went to try one mare, and only when I was legged up did the owner tell me that she'd only been broken in six months ago and hadn't done anything since. She needed someone to bring it back into work while paying her a couple of hundred quid a month...
 
pixie27 said:
Where can we start queuing?!

But yeah OP, I found exactly the same when I started looking to share. Went to try one mare, and only when I was legged up did the owner tell me that she'd only been broken in six months ago and hadn't done anything since. She needed someone to bring it back into work while paying her a couple of hundred quid a month...
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Eek - I'm glad you were okay. It's an owners responsibility to fully disclose what their horse is capable/not capable of doing. I'm going to wager on the fact that the £200 stayed firmly in your pocket though :D?!
 
I think I've come up with a sensible formula

Horse better than sharer sharer pays level dependent on jobs done too

Sharer better than horse then sharer doesn't pay

:p
 
Laika said:
Eek - I'm glad you were okay. It's an owners responsibility to fully disclose what their horse is capable/not capable of doing. I'm going to wager on the fact that the £200 stayed firmly in your pocket though :D?!
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Haha! You guessed right! Once on I was told that you can't put your leg on, and you can't touch her mouth. Oh, and she'd never been in this school before with the lights on. I got off pretty sharpish, made my excuses and left!
 
It's interesting isn't it. I've seen a few offers of very young horses to share and wondered why anyone would bother with that (unless you get a kick out of teaching handling manners to a 2/3 year old and paying for the privilege!).

There seems to be mixed views on paying for shares - I have been wondering about whether I could get someone to ride my boy a few times a week for a contribution. Obviously it benefits me as it would free up my time (for a second horse!), he is a native who has competed up to novice level BD, is an all round fun pony, easy to handle, safe with opportunity to compete. But he's only 13.1hh which limits me with finding a rider.
 
ester said:
I think I've come up with a sensible formula

Horse better than sharer sharer pays level dependent on jobs done too

Sharer better than horse then sharer doesn't pay

:p
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and if a sharer is wanted to further educate a horse that has terrified the owner. is half broken. rude or in need of reschooling the sharer gets paid
 
Are you nearish (and I mean ish) Glasgow? I've got a 23 (nearly 24-year old -- yikes!) fun schoolmistress who could do with an extra friend sometimes. It's more kind of an as and when thing, as I'm working as a freelance journalist and my schedule gets a bit random. I usually go mountaineering on weekends, but sometimes I don't and I go to the barn. Or when I go away for a week, she ends up doing nothing. Neither is ideal for a sharer as it's a pretty irregular schedule, and I quite like riding her myself so I'm not giving up days I can ride!

There are a couple other horses at my yard who's owners are looking for sharers. They're nice enough horses. Need tuning up due to lack of steady work recently, but not green. Owners not riding due to medical conditions/work commitments/yadda yadda, so would be a good regular ride for someone who knows what they are doing. And full livery, so no chores. Owners won't advertise because they are afraid of all the idiots who might show up. They're hoping for word of mouth, but nae luck so far.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
welcome to Scotland :)
The central belt seems to be a migration spot for boatloads of green Irish horses that people buy and then can't do anything with-they then want others to subsidise their hobby.
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*Waves* Green Central Belt based Irish horse over here haha!

Don't want a sharer though, I'd worry they wouldn't watch out for her legs as much as I do, she's a bit soft just now.

I'm not selfish with her though, I let my trusted friends ride her, my instructor (I pay her), and I offered her for Riding Club teams at levels above me if anyone was lacking a horse... but I'm still her care giver. I trust people to ride her, but I like when they hand her back to me straight after ;)
 
Jenni_ said:
*Waves* Green Central Belt based Irish horse over here haha!
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I wasn't referring to the better end of the market :) or clued up riders. If you are a half decent rider, you'll find rides without paying to ride something that needs professional help ;) its just finding the right yards and proving yourself to be reliable.
 
I saw a brilliant advert the other day
Sharer wanted for unbroken 3 year old.
Owner didn't have time but horse needed poo picking, grooming and feed/watering all this fun for just £25 a week.....
strangely she'd had very little interest
 
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