people needing occasional help?

[old_girl]

Hi all,

I am generally a lurker here, but felt the need to post today.
I have now been horseless for just over a year, and am missing it terribly.

The problem is, I can't afford a horse on full livery, and I don't have the time for a DIY. I just about managed with my last horse, but work and marriage suffered badly because I was just spread too thin!

What I need is someone looking for a rider/muck-outer on the odd day or two a week. I could contribute a sensible amount if necessary, but committing to certain days is hard, my job often means that I have to work very late, and never on the same day, annoyingly.

Where can I find such a person? It used to be dead easy, but these days everyone wants a part-loan with agreements and suchlike, which I'm not really in a position to do.

I'm in Bristol, if anyone local has any ideas?
Thanks for any wisdom you may be able to offer

 

[hannah_karina]

I cant be of much help, however keep looking because people do want that out there! i have just started sharing a horse, i contribute a small amount and we dont have set days that i ride, we kind of go with the flow!! keep looking!! and good luck! x

 

[Luce1504]

I'm not really of much help to you because I live in the opposite end of the country to you, but I would say keep looking as there must be someone out there who would jump at the chance of someone like you.

I had an arrangement similiar to what you require for 2 years. The girl who helped me has only stopped coming because she lived 40mins drive away and had a baby in September and now hasn't got the time to travel to me, but it worked out fantastically and I really miss having her come up.

She used to muck out roughly 2 nights a week in winter and then we rode one day at a weekend and as they're out 24/7 in summer we used to ride during the week as well as at the weekend too- the days she came changed from week to week she just used to send me a text to say what she was doing. Some days I would be there too and we'd do them between us, others it gave me time to do other things and I'd know they were still being spoilt rotten. For me the agreement started because my 2 wont be separated and I don't have a school and so I needed someone to hack out with- the fact that my friend wanted to do some of the hard work was just a bonus!!!

It all started through me whinging to a collegue at work that I wasn't able to ride anymore as my sister had given up and the horses wouldn't be separated and he said he knew of a friend who would love to ride and it started from there so my suggestion would be to tell as many people as possible and hope that someone knows of somebody desperate for some help!

 

[old_girl]

Thats exactly the sort of thing I need!

I have done it several times in the past, for people who needed company, or mostly for people who just needed a hand a couple of days a week.

It just seems that with the cost of horse ownership rising a lot of people are looking for share arrangements with financial commitments. I've seen some asking so much weekly that could could have 2 private lessons instead, which seems mad!

 

[dieseldog]

There have been a few people advertising on Trade-It for people to ride their horses latley - worth a look

http://www.trade-it.co.uk

 

[Mid]

i'm in bristol too! perhaps put a note up at some livery yards?

are you a member/helper/something to do with SORCY by any chance? a lady at our yard said her friend was looking for something to ride a while back...

 

[monica987]

We are in Cirencester, and I think someone on the yard *might* want someone soon to help with riding their horse? I will PM you when/if she does if you like?

 

[old_girl]

Thanks, but cirencester is a bit of a trek for me. It would take me an hour to get there after work, if not more in the rushhour traffic.

I'm not in Sorcy, have done a couple of their things when I was a younger, but I never had a trailer with my horses so couldn't really join.

 

[ttt]

I'm just off junction 16 of the M4.
Probably too far for you but let me know if you want to chat.