Realistic charges for a sharer

ihatework

ihatework

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My lovely older horse will at some point in the nearish future either be going on full loan or part loan. I have someone in mind for him, and am fairly sure they will want him.

It looks like it will come down to 2 options for them, either a full loan where they obviously have complete control over him, they would move him to their yard and would be responsible for all associated costs.

The other option is they would part loan him and he would stay with me.

They would essentially have as much use of him as they wanted but with me there to cover for them if they couldn't make it to the yard or just preferred the part time comittment. I am very laid back so would do my best not to interfear and leave them to get on with things. They can have lessons on him and are free to compete him if they want.

I would prefer the second option as I kinda like having him around! How much should I be looking to charge?
I have worked out that his basic running costs are around the £240 a month mark, so if I were to ask for half of this at £120 would that be fair? I would on top of this cover vets fees and the additional cost of his shoeing (he has mild navicular) and his joint suppliment. In addition she can have use of my horsebox at no extra cost.

The horse has won/placed BE/BD/BSJA and the girl I have in mind is looking for a hack and dressage schoolmaster for prelim/novice level, he is more than up to the job!
 
As they more or less have free reins I would say that is very reasonable. I know girls that had to pay £10 everytime they ride and they were always dictated to
 
It depends how part time she is - if you just provide additional cover on an ad hoc basis such as if she is ill/on hols etc, rather than a set number of days a week, I would ask her to contribute the full costs. However if you still plan to ride him or have set days to look after him I think your offer is very fair.

TBH I'd be more inclined to offer her the loan at cost, then say she can keep him where he is and you are happy to cover days if she is ill etc as long as you are happy to only ride him occasionally if she needs/wants you to unless she really only wants 2 or 3 days a week.
 
as an ex sharer i would say thats fair
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good luck.
 
I think it would probably end up being me doing him a couple of days a week for her and maybe riding one of those days. Not fixed days, just those that suit her, she isn't the type to ride 7 days a week in all honesty.
I quite fancy the idea of being able to take him sj'ing once a month or so, therefore am concious that it wouldn't be a true full loan for her.
 
Still think that is pretty cheap though - put it this way, if she had him on full loan she'd have to pay someone to lok after him, which she won't with you there. I guess what it comes down to is this - if you want to take him SJing on the same day she wants a lesson, who would get priority? If it is you, then £120 is fair, if it is her, then I think it's not unreasonable to ask a bit more IMO.
 
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She'd have priority, I'll get a lie-in
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PMSL, might have known! It's the intensive manner in which you backed R that gave it away...

In that case basically she gets a horse to do everything she wants, whenever she wants, and free cover when she can't make it/goes on holiday etc, plus someone to keep him ticking over for nothing too...and you plan to only ask her for half the running costs? In her position I'd bite your hand off for that!!
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Perhaps I am totally out of the loop nowadays but I think that £120 per month is an extortionate amount to charge for a loan....it would almost be cheaper for her to have her own horse; perhaps not at your yard but elsewhere. Having said all of that, if she is happy with that price then go for it!
 
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Perhaps I am totally out of the loop nowadays but I think that £120 per month is an extortionate amount to charge for a loan....it would almost be cheaper for her to have her own horse; perhaps not at your yard but elsewhere. Having said all of that, if she is happy with that price then go for it!

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Think you may have misunderstood - that is half the cost of keeping the horse - not £120 on top of keeping costs. I have always paid 100% of all costs when loaning - I thought that was the norm?
 
I've never known anyone loan and not have to cover all costs, including usually vet, insurance and farrier (unless there was a pre-existing condition). To all intents and purposes the horse was 'theirs', they just didn't own it, and (for example) did not have to think about selling it when the child outgrew it.

I loaned a pony 15 odd years ago from someone and we paid all the costs, I loaned out a pony a year or two ago and they (the loanees) paid all the costs. I just thought that was how loaning worked!
 
But it is totally situational. It's a business relationship and the owner has to look at not only what he/she has to "make" to cover their own costs (I get freaked out when people tell me they *have* to have a sharer - it's not a reliable situation!) but what the horse is worth to a potential leaser/sharer. The fact is there are lots of horses in the world so if all someone wants is riding that's pretty easy to get for free. The trick is, if one wants someone good (in this case the deal seems to be with a particular person so truthfully it only needs to suit the two of them) then one might have to be more reasonable on costs. If someone is wlling to pay over market I'd be curious as to why.

But if the owner has "something to sell" - most often a schoolmaster/show horse, but it can also be a great, accessible location etc. - then he/she can afford to charge more. The only horse I ever had who honestly made money was a schoolmaster who showed and was suitable for Instructor testing. I was always able to lease him out for costs+ and arranged similar deals for similar horses over the years. But for "regular" horses with conditions on them costs were usually a more reasonable expectation and for a green horse or one with an issue or lots of conditions I usually told people to be happy to get the help.

Ben_and_Jerry's, it sounds like you have a nice horse who can really do the job for this particular person, including showing. For such a horse, though, I agree you need to put conditions on the horse's management and try to keep him "home" if you can. So on balance, a fee to cover half his costs seems very reasonable.
 
That is exactly how much my sharer pays for mine. It is almost exactly half what it costs me to keep him on average over the whole year (stable, hay, straw, feed, shoes, insurance). I pay all vets fees and any additional cost i.e replace tack, clean rugs etc etc, jabs.

She has him for half the week and is free to do what she likes with him (up to a point of course). We are best mates so it works out well, we share comps aswell but hes out nearly every weekend so we both get an equal share.
 
You're right. It really does depend on the situation. I have never loaned a horse but I used to be a rider for a few - I was paid to ride these horses, not the other way around, so it perhaps seems odd for me to expect anyone to pay to ride a horse LOL!!

The ones I have loaned out to people have been horses who were in tip top condition however were no use to me but I didn't want to sell them. I guess the benefits to me were greater hence no charge other than shoeing.
 
I think that is more than fair. The horse that I used to loan cost me £175 pcm + shoes + physio + hay + feed + shavings + 1/2 the vets bills as well as a whole world of trouble!!

As long as she treats him well and you treat her well I think it is fair. and that she is lucky!!
 
When we loaned a pony we paid for all its costs, but used it as if it were our own. I think that £120 per month is very reasonable for what she'll get with him.
 
I would say more if she's going to get as much riding/use as she wants from J. Assuming you don't want to ride him then she will essentially have him 7 days a week if she wants.

I'd sit down with her and ask her whether she wants to do full loan and take him, or whether she wants part loan and if so which/how many days she wants to do. If she decides she wants to do 6 days a week, then bearing in mind you are paying vets bills and all shoeing, I would have her paying more TBH.

Glad it's working out, even after the incident (did she make it to her fun ride?!)
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Agree SC - Rhyn's loan covers ALL costs. They take full responsibility for him, pay for shoeing, vets fees, livery, feed, insurance, everything. They have him on a different yard so he's essentially their own horse but they haven't handed over the lump sum for him. Contract states he's my horse and not theirs, but I expect them to pay all costs.
 
I would say its fair. Mine pays roughly the same, and she is a student so she gets to use him whenever she wants as she can ride any time of day. If there is a show it will be discussed, but I would be fine with her taking him as we would be doing totally different classes so she could do intermediate and I could do novice etc. I have had sharers the whole 3 years I have had my boy, and all bar one (she was 14 and I now will NOT let kids share him, too much stress!) worked out brilliantly. My boy loves the attention to.

I know some people think its unfair to charge, but if they wanted a a horse they would have to pay the whole cost, so its beneficial to both of us.
 
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