Sharing- Doing the owner a favour?

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niaismyname

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I recently found a suitable horse for share (ive already posted about him), and im gunna go see him on the 26th. But my parents aren't completely convinced about the whole sharing situation (not just with this horse, but the whole thing in general). They think that by sharing a horse you're doing the owner a favour, therefore shouldnt need to pay. I told them you're not mean't to look at it like that, but I can't really argue against that. How do you all look at it, is it doing the owner a favour, therefore the sharer should be paid? Or is it actually having kind of 'half a horse', so therefore the sharer should contribute?
 
Try and explain to your parents by sharing the horse, you pay half the costs, BUT you did not have the inital outlay for the horse in the first place and although you pay towards insurance/shoes etc if Heaven forbid anything happened to the horse and he was unriddeable you are able to walk away whilst the owner still owns and has the responsibility for an unriddeable horse, I know that sounds a bit extreme but it may help your parents understand. Also point out how much one or two lessons per week would cost.
 

It's a two way street - you are doing the owner a favour by exercising their horse and you are getting the benefit of a horse to ride.

I have paid to share a horse, but that horse was on full livery and I did not have to do anything but turn up and ride if I didn't want to. If I actually had to muck out, deal with farrier etc I probably wouldn't be prepared to pay.
 
Its like half a loan, of course you take on about half the maintenance costs. A horse costs a lot to keep and there has to be a financial incentive for an owner to let you share the use and the care of their horse. You have no initial outlay that they had to buy that horse to use. You don't have the long term responsibility of it when it breaks down/gets ill needs retiring or vet fees. Sharing some of the workload is hardly a worthwhile contribution for half the use of a healthy horse. You won't get even half a horse to ride for free unless you're last name's Whittaker or unless you'd like my mare. You'd be welcome to her. She's currently dumped in a field lame and bonkers, help yourself!
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If the owner doesnt interfere too much then you should contribute, unless they treat you like a groom. A lot of people share to help financially and with time but they still have the responsibility which you dont (tell your parents they are the ones who are responsible and if it doesnt work out then you can always give notice, bare in mind the owners costs, have to insure the horse, pay for liver, feed, vet bills etc.)
 
I think different people want sharers for different reasons. Some are just happy for someone to excercise their horse/s others want a bit of help in return and some people need to share the cost for whatever reason. If you find a horse to share then you either have to accept what the owner wants in return or look elsewhere.

How do you know he is suitable if you haven't seen him?
 
Definately a 2 way street, you get a horse to ride, usually more often and for less per ride than a riding school. the owners get help, and a contribution........
 
I suppose my sharer is doing me a favour in that she is riding Bob at least 3 times a week instead of the once a week (if you're lucky) that he has been getting.

All I asked was a small contribution towards livery but (God love her) she insisted on paying half for shoes. He only has fronts so we own one each - her's is which ever one falls off!!! Only joking!!!

She has had her own horses (sold her last one to start a family) and I've told her that she probably knows far more than me so she doesn't have to run everything past me. She was almost in tears when I said that she should view him as half hers as she's doing half the work.
 
It sort of depends on what the agreement is and how restricted by the owners you are in what you can do. If you feel it is a proper share, with you gaining lots of experience from it, then it is fair to pay something towards the costs.

If the owner is telling you (for example) that you can only ride once a week at a time to suit their own convenience, then maybe they should be paying you to exercise the horse!
 
sorry to reply to my own post but I should have said - and fun - if you pay it is because you enjoy riding the horse, which makes it worth it!
 
We're looking for someone to help us out with exercising our horses, not necessarily a formal share as such, although that is available to the right person.

We don't expect any financial contribution at all, but some help with stable duties - mucking out etc.
 
I've had sharers who just turned up to ride and I did ask them to contribute and had a share agreement.
Anyone who rises either of mine has restrictons upon what they are allowed to do, these are mostly common sense though.
The young girl who rides my pony, has lessons on her and gets to compete her as well as doing limited hacking doesn't pay as she helps me with chores and also hacks out my horse 2/3 times a week.
Her father has just started paying for half the entry fees and lesson costs but nothing else. I've not really wanted to accpet any money as she's a real gem and without her the pony wouldn't be ridden as I'm too heavy.
 
I think most people now treat sharing as part-loan.

Personally I've shared horses in the past, and not paid as the horse is getting schooled and exercised and in return I've helped with jobs, which also helps the owner out. I didn't expect any real input into the day-to-day management of the horse. I turned down a few people who wanted me to pay, for the very reason that I was doing them the favour as much as the other way round.

I've part-loaned as well, and did pay half costs then, as I had a lot more responsibility for the horse, but could also treat him as my own.

As an owner now, with a fellow livery riding my horse a few times a week I don't expect or get a contribution from her. She gets to ride on longer rides (her horse is an elderly boy now) and helps out with my mucking out when I let her.
I'm 6 months pregnant so limited to what I can do with my mare, so it means she gets ridden out properly and I don't need to turn her away for a few months.
In other words it's working well for both of us at the moment
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It definitely depends on the owner and sharer though, and is a bit of a minefield
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when I shared a horse for a while all they asked me to pay for was his shoes, although I used to buy the odd bag of food and stuff. His owner didn't ride him much and I had free rein to ride whenever I wanted - I also used to muck out but that was entirely my choice, they didn't ask me to.
 
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They think that by sharing a horse you're doing the owner a favour, therefore shouldnt need to pay. I told them you're not mean't to look at it like that, but I can't really argue against that.

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Surely the arrangement would be benefitting you too otherwise you wouldn't be bothering and would buy/loan/go to RS instead- all of which would incur financial cost?!
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Agree with the others, it's a two way street.
 
It is a real two way street and depends upon the agreement you have.

I have shared twice before and neither time did I pay but both times it was more a case of I helped the owner out by exercising her horse and doing stable duties when she was unable to or to give her more time for other things (family in one case studying in the other). Both occasions I had no real say in the horses routine etc and fitted in with the owner. I did pay for any lessons I had on the horse. It was mutually beneficial, they paid me for helping with stables duties by allowing me to ride and I paid them for allowing me to ride by doing stable duties. They benefitted by getting more free time, I got more riding.

If your arrangement is more like a half share in the horse then payment is fair although I think should probably reflect a proportion of the costs of the horse rather than a fee. If you are paying 50% of the horses keep then you should have significant input on what the horse does and how it is looked after. I think these arrangements are really difficult because the owner obviously has the final say as the owner but if you are paying half the upkeep and doing half the work you want half the benefit!

Having said that I would happily make a small contribution to be able to ride a couple of times a week. Especially if I had schooling facilities and was able to have lessons, compete etc. Just purely because it costs so much to ride in a riding school and I would enjoy being able to ride more regularly. The section D I shared a couple of years ago saved me a fortune, I got a weekly lesson for half what I paid on a school horse and got to hack once a week too in exchange for catching/turning out, feeding and mucking out on the days I rode.

Negotiate a deal that seems fair with the owner, most people find it difficult to get reliable sharers so should be prepared to compromise.

If you are paying make sure you get a written agreement though. My share on the section D ended abruptly with no notice (she didn't even tell me herself) and for no reason that had anything to do with me. Couldn't complain much in the circumstances, just took the view that it was nice while it lasted but would have been well narked if I'd been paying!!

Good Luck, and if anyone wants a sharer in Derbyshire pm me!!
 
Shares seem to be more like part loans now.

I part loaned a horse with my friend while the owner worked away for months. The fees were split 3 ways and we all had equal say in how he was kept and his routine. We could also do what we wanted with him.

Second was a share, i did the mare 3 days one week and 4 the next alternate. I didn't pay but did all jobs those days as onwer needed more time due to working lots. Also giving unfit mare schooling as owner only hacked, keeping her fit and supple. Helped us both out as she has time for family but could still ride and didnt have to pay for livery whilst on holiday (i also cleaned tack religiously whichc she didnt). However i had no say in management, which if i had payed i would have liked as horse was obese and needed dental work because she was quite old.

Third was a gelding i just rode. Didnt pay because owner was too scared to ride him sober and no-one else would ride him (he reared constantly) so i schooled him, got him going nicely and did him a favour. Also if he couldn't get up to yard i did jobs now and again. He upped and left without warning though and horse was deposited back in field. Couldn't complain although bit upset, was nice while it lasted.
 
Yeah, thanks everyone now i know both sides of the story.

With the horse i'd be sharing i'd get to ride 3 times a week, I dont think there will be any commitment to stable chores, the owner often gets an instructor down to teach her, so I can still be taught by a qualified instructor, so I do think its fair to pay for it, as i'm paying £80 a month on riding lessons at the moment, & the sharing deal would probably mean I get lessons every week or every couple of weeks.
 
I have had sharers in the past. If they pay, they get a certain number of days to ride and care for the horse without me there if they're confident, but I'll help if needed. I will not interrupt their days and that is their time with the horse. If they are paying, it's like a part loan and if they cannot get up to look after the horse, they need to arrange for someone else to do so and pay for that if needed.

If they don't pay, their days are flexible and the whole thing, while respecting them as people, revolves more around what I want done, and when - for example, if I want to go to a show on one of their days they can either come too or not ride and I choose the classes etc. If they can't come up, they let me know and I do the horse.
 
I have had sharers in the past. If they pay, they get a certain number of days to ride and care for the horse without me there if they're confident, but I'll help if needed. I will not interrupt their days and that is their time with the horse. If they are paying, it's like a part loan and if they cannot get up to look after the horse, they need to arrange for someone else to do so and pay for that if needed.

If they don't pay, their days are flexible and the whole thing, while respecting them as people, revolves more around what I want done, and when - for example, if I want to go to a show on one of their days they can either come too or not ride and I choose the classes etc. If they can't come up, they let me know and I do the horse.
 
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