Sharers - is it worth it? and should I ask for a contribution?

[Katastrophy]

I suppose that I'm an oddball- I pay my sharer! She started with me back in June when I was still coming around from a smashed collarbone and already 3 months pregnant, and I needed a rider to keep him fit alongside me driving him. I advertised for a part loan or paid position, £20 per day paid (tack up, 10 miles approx under saddle taking an hour and a half, untack, hose, walk off and put back in stable) and once she was established with him, we agreed on a half and half- one day paid, anything else she wanted to do was FOC and she could school/jump/hack in company etc to her pleasing. Turns out that she also rather enjoys grooming on the carriage, so does that for me too, including at competition. She's softer with him than I ever am, but loves him to death and along with the loaner of my sec D and my Dad, in the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy and since Bump arrived, they've sorted both horses between them and been genuine stars. I pay her monthly, she's at Uni and lives at home so uses it as a 'top up' to her student loan but TBH, it probably barely covers her fuel on days when she's not passing on her way to or from uni. She's worth every penny to me just now, and has competed and shown him herself as well.

 

[View]

It's difficult isn't it?

I can see arguments for and against charging, and I can see it from the viewpoint of both owner and sharer.

Currently, I am looking for a share. I'm more than happy to do chores on my days (I miss spending time grooming, tack cleaning and everything else that helps keep a horse safe and comfortable) but I'm not willing to pay an owner's livery bill for the week (happy to contribute towards) and do the chores and re-train their badly behaved monster for two days a week. If as owners you aren't willing to pay for someone to work with your horse, don't expect me to pay twice over for the "privilege".

But as a former owner I totally understand that you need reliability and commitment. Honestly, there are such sharers out there - and we are just as fussy about the owners we want to work with

Owners, please describe your horse and the facilities honestly in your advert. Please remove the advert when you have found someone and are content after the trial period. Please understand that I find you insisting that you are always there when I ride too constricting - it means that I can't have freedom to plan my day or re-arrange things on the day (but I will ALWAYS ensure your horse is looked after properly).

Sharers, please be honest about your abilities and do understand why an owner wants to see you handle and ride the horse before trusting you with their pride and joy.

I'm still looking for the share that I can commit to - but when I find it, I will care for the horse as I did for my own.

 

[Spottyappy]

Best sharer We have had was a teenage lad who did not contribute money but did contribute time and helped when ever possible.was totally reliable.
We now have another one, as the original one purchased his own horse, and hopefully he will be as great as the first one. So far been both reliable and keen.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

To provide another p.o.v. from a sharer I can honestly say (from experience) if I saw an advert offering free riding I would genuinely steer clear. The rationale behind this is that when I have enquired/been contacted about these sorts of arrangements it has always ended badly - turned up to get stood up - horse needs completely restarting - horse has dangerous quirks which were not communicated by owner - owner won't ride horse first - horse bronced within seconds of mounting etc.

I find this really sad. I'm one of the cash rich, time poor brigade working an incredibly high pressure job that often sees me travelling abroad for a week at a time minimum most months of the year. As such my boy is on full livery as I know I can't offer him the consistency and routine he needs without help. He has no dangerous quirks, though may throw in the occasional buck when in high spirits. Hacks happily alone and in company. Always gets placed at shows. And whilst he's still a tad green in the school, he has weekly lessons with me and is schooled by our trainer once a week too.

In order to keep him fit I ride between 6 and 7am each morning before work and at weekends take him out for a good blast (often 2-3 hours). It would be great if I could find someone reliable and competent to ride him, but I would never dream of charging them as firstly I don't need the money and secondly they would be doing me a huge favour in freeing up my time so it would feel incredibly cheeky to ask someone to pay to exercise my horse for me, when I'd normally be paying my trainer or YO to do that.

All that said, having had two totally incompetent riders show up to try him several years back he will never be up for share as I don't have the time to deal with the hassle of finding a decent sharer and would rather pay for someone to ride him when I can't so I know the standard of riding he's being exposed to and can dictate (if needs be) what is done with him that day.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Because they're offering a "horse for X number of days per week as if it was your own" experience, something people can't get at a riding school. .

well, I guess if I wanted anyone to help ride mine, I would want then good enough to charge me-I certainly wouldn't expect yard chores other than setting the animal right on their return. I was however a groom for many years so I'm afraid if someone wants me to play ponies, they'd have to pay for it. Personally I think its a shame that the yards I spoke of are taking away business from local riding centres-you know the ones struggling to keep going that also generally work as competition centres.


As for the sharer getting the best of both worlds-you only have to look at past threads on here to see how shabbily some are treated. Maybe if we adopted the US term of lease it would sound more honest to me-and if it was treated more like a business transaction rather than as a gigantic favour to the person having to pay.

 

[_Annie_]

Before I bought my own, I shared to gain experience. Paid £20 a week, plus half shoes, hay + straw. Did all jobs on my days (which was usually the whole week as horse's owner was really struggling), rode as much as I could. Without that share, nothing would've prepared me so well for owning.

I now have two of my own and have a sharer for the younger lad - she's fab, found her on Preloved of all places but genuinely couldn't have asked for better. She contributes £10 a week & rides maybe 2 or 3 times, usually has a lesson on the weekend.

She has improved his way of going no end, I often feel as though I should be paying her!

Good sharers are out there!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I think it really depends on the individual circumstances.

The good shares that I have known were paid ones (the sharer paid the owner) but they got an awful lot for their money as they were fresh out of the RS so the owners took them under their wings, so to speak. They learnt horse management, basic health care, injury/emergency care and had riding lessons from the owner. They generally hacked out in company, but not always with the owner. Really it was a good introduction into horse ownership but with lots support. As time went on, the sharers became more independent. Both of the sharers I'm thinking of went onto have their own horses and the owners had had a bit of extra cash when they had needed it, so it worked out for everyone.

I could imagine that it could go wrong if the owner didn't have the time to help such a novice (especially at the beginning), the novice thought they knew everything (which I have experienced) or they just didn't get on.

I did dip my toes into having a free sharer for CM but it didn't work out as the rider was a novice (which was fine) but didn't listen to advice or care about the horse (which was not fine). She just wanted to rag CM over jumps, so I ended it.

 

[SuperH]

I have a couple of sharers for my two, simply as I don't know anyone else who rides and it is more enjoyable to go to places together.

I don't ask for a contribution, other than I ask they pay their own entry fees for anything we go to and the odd fuel contribution is always nice.

In general I don't ask them to do any sole responsibility, we usually agree on a day for riding based on the weather and then they come and help me groom, muck out, do hay and ride with me. If I happen to be away (which doesn't happen often, probably 12 days a year) then usually one of them will come up and look after them for me.

Mine aren't novice rides but they are great fun for a confident and capable rider. I offer mainly hacking but also fun rides, gymkhanas, jumping, xc, polo, shows etc so there is variety. I don't generally offer solo riding, one is very nappy on her own and not in any way suitable for hacking out solo. The other I ride out by herself all the time but she has one of my sharers under her hoof and the other hasn't been coming long enough yet for me to be sure.

I find a sharer will either stick around for a year or so (usually until they get their own horse or move away) or they only last a couple of months. Finding the right person is hard, I tend to find I'll have noone for a while and then suddenly 10 people are interested. Lots of people I have had enquire haven't been experienced or confident enough and I'm not keen on risking my horses on the roads with someone who isn't use to hacking in traffic. I've also had loads of people want me to move them to livery closer to them (and them still get free riding) when I keep mine at home.

So all in all I only have someone for selfish reasons of wanting company and helping to keep them both fit! I do feel that I offer a good deal though, in spite of it being mainly for my personal enjoyment.

 

[bouncing_ball]

I think if you insist on payment you may be losing out on a good person. I know when my current cushings horse(who cannot be ridden at the moment)goes I will not be able to afford anything as I have huge credit card bills to pay off due to vets bills and the hefty cost of medication...however, although I am an oldie, I am a decent rider, can school to a reasonable level, am more than capable of handling difficult horses will happily do all chores and am reliable. as I am a pensioner have the time to devote to a horse but if an ad came up in my area asking for a contribution I wouldn't even answer it..

I have two horses and have and have had a range of sharers. I ask for assistance can be financial or chores or a combination. Good share arrangements work because both owner and sharer benefit from the arrangement. This means totally different things for different people.

I don't think paying bears any relation to reliability. Some people are reliable and some aren't. I've largely been very lucky with wonderful sharers who enjoy my horses and give them extra TLC.

I think you have an idea about sharers send if they'll work pretty quickly. Mine enhance me and my horses life.

 

[bouncing_ball]

I don't think there is anything wrong with stating contribution negotiable dependent on experience .

Absolutely. And for some people I'd prefer they put money to regular lessons to have a schooling plan for horse versus a contribution. I benefit from us all being on same schooling path

 

[bouncing_ball]

Conversely why should someone ride for free? They'd be paying £20-30 a time at a riding school and would be a lot more limited with what they can do. Horses are expensive and it is wrong that someone should ride a horse for nothing just because they want to...

But they are not riding for free, in most cases they are doing all the daily jobs, saving the owners either time or money and riding is the reward, or should be, if they were going to a RS they would not have to trudge across a muddy field, bring in an equally muddy horse, get it ready so they can ride etc. they turn up have a nice lesson, possibly help get the horse ready and put it away but they are not expected to muck out, sweep yards, fill haynets, part of the sharing set up for some is a step towards ownership and learning about the reality of the daily care but there do seem to be many owners that expect to get paid for the use of a horse as well as getting work done .
I think it seems to work in many cases but it often seems to be a money saving scheme for the owner with the sharers paying as well as saving the owners money, usually with limited opportunity to really "share" the horse in the true sense.

I've two horses. Both nice horses competing aff elem and medium. I've sharers - paying and non paying. My sharers have lessons, do clinics, we box out for fun rides, beach rides, did Christmas pub hack. I'm the main competing rider, but competing is an option for all.

At this time of year horses are a slog in the mud for all of us Both my sharers rode today in torrential rain (no chores as I'd booked horses on livery as I was away). Not sure they relished riding in rain though.

My paying sharer (doesn't do chores) seems a bit AWOL in winter.

 

[bouncing_ball]

why should horse owners get their horse looked after, exercised and paid for the privilege? Back in the day they'd have to pay for someone to exercise it. From what I've seen around here paid shares are a complete racket.

My sharer loves my horse. She likes building a relationship with him and nurturing him. She loves fussing over him and loves looking after him as much as riding him.

She finds the care stuff as important as the riding. And good stress relief.

I value having someone who understands my horse, notices and cares about the small things eg a smelly frog etc. someone I can discuss my horses foibles with.

Lots of good adult sharers have had horses of their own in past and miss the bond and nurturing.

I view sharing as sharing the trials and tribulations of horses. Upsides and downsides.