Sharing my own horse?

[TheAntiDramaLlama]

Hi, I've wanted to own my own horse for as long as I could remember and I know owning a horse costs a lot (I worked out a monthly upkeep cost that comes to £196) and my parents said if I could find a way to make it cost less I could have a horse. I had the idea of sharing my horse with someone else. there's a horse I've been offered that I've rode before and she's amazing, she's kept on DIY livery, 8 years old, quite showy, good jumper, easy to ride paces, good to clip and load etc but occasionally a bit mareish (mostly just pulls faces and can be a bit difficult to catch) I was considering sharing her 3 or 4 days a week in the week and I was wondering how much it would be reasonable to ask from the sharer (in terms of a set amount per month). thanks

 

[Leo Walker]

You cant rely on sharers. They give up with no notice and it can be months before you find another one. £196 does sound reasonable to me for the basics, but theres always more money to be spent, usually when you can least afford it. Why dont you look for a share? The same amount of horse time but without the big financial commitment, and if the horse develops lameness problems etc or needs a new saddle or lots of physio, then you arent the one worrying about it

 

[TheAntiDramaLlama]

I tried looking for a share but there are very few near where I live, that's mostly why my parents agreed to actually buy me a horse, because there are none to share 😟 but thanks

 

[Leo Walker]

Put a wanted ad up and people will snap your hands off I have riders for mine, they turn up, no jobs to be done, spend as long as they want fussing and brushing him, ride and go home. I pay for trips out to shows and offer advice if needed, but stay out of the way if not required. I dont charge them anything

 

[Barnacle]

I think FrankieCob is right about not relying on sharers...

If it's at a riding school or livery yard with decent facilities (i.e. indoor school), you could probably charge £20-25 a day for a sharer to come up once a week. Most people won't pay more than for a cheap riding lesson (cheapest I know of is £30). And it's not that easy to find sharers who will commit to more than 1 or 2 days so don't count on that. If you keep it at a school you could get that cost down by letting her be used in lessons too - not sure if that's in your calculation. A lot of sharers, in my experience, need supervision early on - a lot are inexperienced and may not be confident on their own. Particularly if it's their first time not on a school horse, which seems to often be the case. So you'd want to factor that in with respect to your own time. Might be easier in a school or livery context though - where sharers might be familiar with the place already. My experience of trying to find sharers is from a private yard only.

 

[CBAnglo]

Definitely agree with others re not relying on sharers. Horses are unpredictable; what happens if it goes lame and can't be ridden? Can you afford to keep a horse on box rest? £200 a month I think is the bare minimum; if you can't afford that I don't think you can responsibly afford a horse.

 

[Theocat]

A sharer would probably net you £100 a month, assuming you find one that suits you. But - and I'm really sorry to say this - I think £196 a month is simply unrealistic. There are always the unknowns, like vet bills, but for less than £200 a month you won't be able to afford lessons, and certainly not travelling anywhere or competing. Even if you got a sharer I don't think it's really doable, sorry.

Have your parents said how much they would be prepared to pay?

In your shoes I would ask if you could take on a share yourself for three or four days a week, and perhaps get a part time job to start saving towards a horse - that will give you some money to get started with, will show your parents your committed, and will give you an idea of just how expensive horses can be!

I'm not sure how you get to £196 - do you want to share your figures with us and we can see if they look possible, or point out any pitfalls? Better to know them before you start!