Questions to ask a sharer?

[Trotting]

So, tomorrow I'm going to speak to a lady about a horse she would like to share. He's an ex-racehorse, 4 years and has been back in work for about 2 weeks after a injury. Absolutely fine on ground, lovely attitude, works nicely in walk and trot, does poles and been introduced to show jumps. Points to work with are that he's green and unbalanced in the canter along with other mishaps you can expect with a youngster. Of course, these are things that you can fix with time and eventually find yourself with a nice horse.

Obviously, she's going to want to find out about me, my riding experience, whether I’m capable with her horse etc... but, I was wondering what questions I definitely need to ask her?
On my list was:
- the money side of things
- how much I'll be involved
- do's & don’ts
- her conditions
- more detailed information on the horse

I'm sure I've missed something but, that’s why I'm posting.
So, what else do you reckon?

Cheers

 

[Twizzel]

If it's a share with money involved I'd want a contract outlining the owner and the sharer's responsibilities. That way if you can't ride the horse due to it not being shod for example, you can refer back to the contract and ask for money back. I had to do this a few times with the share I had where money was exchanged.

What can/can't you do riding wise?

What is the horse's routine, does he come in at night?

Are you expected to do yard work on your days?

If you're paying for the share, is it per calendar month or 4 weekly?

 

[michelleice]

if you need rider insurance would be one but i would get that anyways,

routine of horse if it has any bad habits like biting when girth/rugs being done. erm cant think of anything else

 

[Trotting]

Thanks both of you, I'll add to them to the list.
If I turned up with a paper list, do you think she'd think I was a numpty?

 

[michelleice]

nah she will think you are organized

 

[Tickles]

Also ask about
- the yard facilities: what you can use and when, if you have to share with others, if you have to pay for lights etc
- yard times: when you're allowed to be up there and how many people are around
- plus anything else you'd ask when looking for a yard. Most sharers can't choose to move their horse so you're actually looking at the yard, the owner /and/ the horse to make your choice.

Also: a good owner will arrange for themselves or someone else to show you what the horse is like to ride before you get on. Don't be afraid to ask them to get on first if they don't offer.

And do feel free to ask to untack it/brush down/turn it out or whatever afterwards if you're still interested so you get a feel for what it is like to handle.