sharing... why?

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PingPongPony

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I just wondered, why people don't want to share with under 18's? I have seen sooooo many ads of nice looking horses for share and all say 'no under 18's' I just wondered why?

Being under 18 myself and not being able to have my own i had to go through sharing for aprox 2 years but also being 5ft11 i found it hard to find anything suitable. I was looking for a horse 16h+ not a pony as am simply too tall for ponies and feel uncomfortable, but it took me around 4-5months to finally find a 16.2hh for share, which then turned out to be psycho, head butted the wall, fence, bronked like mad, not just under saddle but also in field and stable. as he became fitter with regular work, he became more dangerous and my parents weren't happy for me to ride him after he threw himself in front of a lorry and would not move when i was out on a hack (the lorry stopped luckily!), and yes he was checked all over by vet, dentist, back lady, farrier, saddler and everyone else you can think of, there was nothing wrong with him physcially. so my search began again, no luck for another 3 months, untill i got my mare on full loan.
But i just don't understand why people don't want under 18's... :)
Why?
 
i have the same problem.. but as i'm only 5"1 (stretching upwards) i can ride ponies but i haven't found it eaasy finding anything to ride!

i think its because some people think that under 18's dont know anything? (just a thought i have had)
 
I think it's because people see under 18s as children (which, technically, we are!), so are more likely to have less experience, be more childish and so less considerate and less mature and level headed, and also just less responsible. Of course, not always the case, but it's people's attitudes nonetheless.. xx
 
I have a horse who needs more exercise and i am thinking of sharing - tbh its not the age of someone who puts me off but their attitude - i would love to find a young person who would love him and give him some fun.
I know he would love it - what would and has put me off are sharers who dont respect him, me, or my belongings ie those that just want to jump on and ride.
I want someone who will love him, know i can trust them not to put their needs before his - tbh ive never found that and wont try again.

Show you love and care for the horse, respect the owner and the horses belongings
- i got put off when my horse was chucked out all sweaty, no rub down.
His bridle was chucked on the yard floor -

Apparently one text to let me know they were safeley back from a hack and he was comfy in his field was asking too much and intrusive !!!!
 
My sharer is 12 years old, but I don't leave her on her own, I pretty much teach her everything at the moment, but eventually when I do leave her to it I know she'll do everything I've taught her.

I'd much rather her than someone older who thinks they know it all.
 
For me it was that while an under 18, more so an under 16, is riding my horses I feel responsible if they get injured. Shiny-ish remember me having that 'horses are dangerous accidents happen and I am not responsible beyond making everyone as safe as possible regardless of age' talk with ur mom before u started riding mine? It sucks but that's the way it is. I suspect some people don't think under 18's are responsible enough to look after the horse maybe? For me it was worry of being responsible for what legally is a child.
 
VioletStripe said:
I think it's because people see under 18s as children (which, technically, we are!), so are more likely to have less experience, be more childish and so less considerate and less mature and level headed, and also just less responsible. Of course, not always the case, but it's people's attitudes nonetheless.. xx
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i dont agree with this - and im 44!!! I see young girls on my yard who love their horses, are so dedicated - ive only ever had adult sharers before and they were a nightmare!!! See above post x

I would share with a young teenager who loved my horse and repected my wishes - which arent much lol, ie dont over work him, keep you and him safe, respect look after my tack, dont upset yo or other liveries - thats it !!!
Most important - whatever your age - put the horse and his needs first xxx
 
I would think that over 18s are responsible for themselves and the horse under their control. Under 18's unless working cannot normally afford it or can't get to the stables unless their parents take them and they are also having to concentrate on exams.
 
It could be as simple as the horses owner wanting the sharer to have the horse in the week. So under 18's may not be able to do the stuff the owner may expect as they would be at school/parents at work (so no parental taxi service to and from horse) :)
 
No idea why I suppose people see under 18s as less responsible, immature etc. Not always true!!
The people willing to share to 18-s are out there - I started sharing when I was 12 and am still sharing with the same lady now (at 22!). She taught me everything I know about stable management and horse care :)
K x
 
I'm looking for a rider and asking for over 18's, this is because i am on an adult only livery yard and you would need transport to get to the yard.
 
i just find that trying to find a pony to share is soooo much easier for us than trying to find a horse. is it because if you fall off a horse theres bigger distance between you and the ground therefore doing more damage to our selves? :rolleyes: i really don't know. i just thought i'd like to see the responses from people :)

spotsrock: i do remember :)
 
There's also the issue of transport.

I found when looking for a horse to ride while at uni quite a few people offering shares didn't even want to meet me when they found I didn't, at that point, drive.

Yards aren't always easy to get to on public transport and if your reliant on parents you're less likely to be reliable (simply because there's 2 people rather than 1 who can be ill/get stuck at work or school etc).
It means that in an emergancy (such as the owner being ill) its more difficut for the sharer to step in and help (in the years I did share there were a couple of occassions I went up the yard late evening when the ponies owner's car wouldn't start or when the pony was having x4 daily vet treatments).

Edited to add - sorry teeni had already said this!
 
I want a sharer/part loaner for one of my horses and will be advertising in about a months time. I will not be specifying any age restrictions but will expect anyone who is under 16 to be driven to the yard and supervised by an adult (who will not be me) the whole time they are there. The reason being that I am only wanting a sharer due to lack of time so won't be able to offer supervision at all times or offer lifts and also it is not fair to existing liveries to put up with unsupervised children hanging about. All the children on the yard at the minute are sensible, mature and supervised so anything less wouldn't be fair. However, that said, I would really like for a family with children to be the ones to share/loan him as he is a fab 100% safe all-rounder with lots to offer all members of a family.
 
I'm currently in the process of looking for a sharer, and would never run out younger people, as long as they where a confident young lady/man,
He can be a strong little bugger, but never with somebody he know's in charge,
Nobody younger than 14/16 for him I think,
But I would supervise all the time anyway!

Protective mum!:) xxx
 
Sounds like you've not had much luck - yet.
When I was young (*coughs* ermm, rather a lot of years ago!) I had several shares, starting when I was 13, and it worked really well, sharing with people who were older. I had more energy than them, emptying stables and mucking out fields as payment for my riding.
I just think you haven't found the right person yet. Talk to everyone you know and tell them you are looking for a share, you might be surprised who knows of the perfect horse for you. My dad found a share horse for me whilst working at a local golf club.
Good luck!
 
I say under 16 generally.... the yard rules say under 16s have to accompanied by an adult for starters. I did loan my old boy to a 12 year old, but he was old enough and sensible enough that nothing she could do would mess him up.

Generally the reason I would not loan my old horse when he was younger or my current horse to someone under 16 is I don't want him messed around with. That means cantering round and round the school, jumping every time you ride, galloping across every field you get to, hours spent tied up in the yard while they gossip with friends etc etc. This may seem to tar every child with the same brush, but those are my thoughts and feelings after having experienced children of that age and it's not what I would want for my horse.

So because of the yard rule saying under 16s have to be accompanied it was easier to make the cut off 16.
 
When advertising mine I didn't specify an age as I didn't feel it was fair. However most of those under the age of 16 that contacted me lacked social skills and as a result came across rude and spoilt. I also found that the parents didn't want to be the bad one so would try and get me to say no (for the ones that came to view).

- I was also cautious as my horse can be strong and has had a history of napping. I didn't want the moral responsibility of a child getting hurt.

- The under 16s that did contact me hadn't even told their parents.

As it goes he has gone on loan to the horsey parent of a 16 year old that rides better than me, good positive attitude and most importantly my horse likes her.
 
galaxy23 said:
Generally the reason I would not loan my old horse when he was younger or my current horse to someone under 16 is I don't want him messed around with. That means cantering round and round the school, jumping every time you ride, galloping across every field you get to, hours spent tied up in the yard while they gossip with friends etc etc. This may seem to tar every child with the same brush, but those are my thoughts and feelings after having experienced children of that age and it's not what I would want for my horse.

So because of the yard rule saying under 16s have to be accompanied it was easier to make the cut off 16.
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^^^^
This plus I don't want the responsibility of looking after a youngster. I'm also terrified that they will start bringing their non horsey mates up and somebody will get hurt...

I got bitten very badly years ago when I let a young girl ride a pony I had rescued - she knew that she wasn't meant to be there unsupervised so her mum would drop her off at my house in the morning (7am some mornings, thanks) and there were times that she was still with me at 8pm as Mum had gone out to dinner!!! Oh, and when she did have a fall I waited at A&E for hours for her mother to show up and then got screamed at that she was going to f'ing sue me :mad: The kid was a lovely girl with huge family problems and I really felt for her but it got very wearing over the years.
 
nicelittle said:
Sounds like you've not had much luck - yet.
When I was young (*coughs* ermm, rather a lot of years ago!) I had several shares, starting when I was 13, and it worked really well, sharing with people who were older. I had more energy than them, emptying stables and mucking out fields as payment for my riding.
I just think you haven't found the right person yet. Talk to everyone you know and tell them you are looking for a share, you might be surprised who knows of the perfect horse for you. My dad found a share horse for me whilst working at a local golf club.
Good luck!
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Thanks, but i have now stopped looking for a share horse as parents decided i've showed enough commitment and showed that i'm responsible enough to have something on full loan (not enough money for my own unforntunately :( )


Interesting responses from people, so i gather its mainly that people just don't want to be responsible. Fair enough, the person i shared the psycho from didn't even bother to see what i'm doing with him, ever. she wasn't really bothered. she bought him from the meat market having only owned 2 donkeys before. she also fed him a 2 whole feed buckets of feed a day, half of which was sugarbeet :eek: when he started to go ape, i asked her if she could please cut down his food a little bit as he's getting too much for the amount of work he's getting (5 days a week, whatever the weather, at least 1 hour in the week and jumping and hacking at weekend) considering she didn't want to ride him when i wasn't riding him either. she said 'of course' and just put it all in a smaller bucket :mad: he was an obese TB, ex steeple chaser but with work i managed to get rid of some of that fat, then it started to go wrong, also when i told her that he threw himself into the fence with me on and i ended up lying on the floor and said that my arm kills and so does my back (i was wearing a bp) she just laughed and walked off. now im glad that i had the guts to walk away (i did give her notice). i've heard from a friend who keeps her horse at the same yard as the psycho horse, she said the owner doubled his feed after i went saying that he's too thin (he wasn't even average weight when i went, his belly was still huge and wobbled when he walked), she also rugged him up more, got him back to his very obese state so he was all tired, sleepy and lazy again and is now letting a 12year old novice ride him. :( its sad how some people really don't care. so i'd rather lots of people say no because we're too young rather than not give the monkeys about who rides their horse. :)
 
I started sharing when I was 12, I didnt know much but I could ride, just didnt know about the horse care etc. I was very very lucky and found the most amazing owner who taught me everything and the pony was a saint!
I had her for 3 years until i well and truely grew out of her, if only i was shorter or she could grow!
Ive also found a problem finding shares being under 18, but its not necessairly the owners (although saying that I have had bad experiances with them as well) its the YO's and the others on the yard. Everywhere I seem to go they automatically assume that being under 18 means that you are dangerous and unreliable etc when I have done nothing wrong and they assume that you dont know anything when they dont really know you etc. Rant over.
It will be so much easier when I can afford my own :)
 
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i have had 3 sharers for my boy 2 over 18 and one under (current one) and she has been the best (not to say the other 2 weren't good either) i wouldn't rule out youngsters but they would have to prove they are reliable and sensible not the type that wants to gallop everywhere and jump everything!
 
not read the other comments (sorry) but one of the reasons why alot of people dont like under 18's to share there horse is because they feel that they are immature (im not saying allunder 18s are like that) but... alot of teens i know that ride horses just get on a horse, spend hardly anytime warming the horse up, then trot, canter jump ect and then dump the horse back in the field (again no cooling down) they leave tack messy dont clean up after themselve ect ect.....

please dont get me wrong there are some fab little riders/sharers under 18 (i have just found a lovely lass to ride one of mine for me and she is just turned 17) i would not get a sharer under 16 however, but this is more to do with insurance, time at school ect. plus if the horse is forward, i wouldnt be keen in putting a young 14-15 year old on him/her incase he was too strong or there was an accident.

there are people out there who will consider younger people AS LONG AS YOU ARE MATURE FOR YOUR AGE and not "wet behind the ears" so to speak

i hope that helps a little and if i have offended any body ... sorry i didnt mean to xx
 
I am looking for a sharer for my mare at the mo and I am only 18 but I have said I want an adult rider. I have had a younger girl share her in the past and I felt a little too responsible. I was worried something might happen to her, or happen to the horse. I did call the share off because I didn't feel comfortable with it. I also found that in my experience with younger sharers they get a little too.... attached, and start calling my horse their horse, when they are just riding the horse 2 times a week. Might be a bit pathetic but I am the jealous type and that pi***d me off!!

Might seem a little hypocritical as I got my mare when I was 14 and was obviously only a child then, but I wouldn't want someone to 'mess around' with her and ruin the hard work I've put into her, and I feel that someone young and inexperienced may be more likely to do that - Im sure there are some great people under 18 looking for a share horse but I wouldn't go there again!
 
Totally depends on the mentality IMO. Growing up with horses I saw many kids that only wanted to gallop or jump or deck their horses out in gadgets to keep up with fashion. I also saw the other kids who would spend hours grooming, cleaning tack and enjoyed schooling and hacking as well as jumping - everything in good proportion. I was lucky enough to find a wonderful 15 year old girl who loved schooling and spends hours fussing over my pony. Two years later he's just gone on loan to her - I know he's in sensible hands. I also find yard policies play a significant role - some of the yards I've been on have a no under *insert age* policy.
 
I personally say no under 18/17s unless they live local and can walk/cylce to the yard as in my experience I have been let down as have others on the yard multiple times by people who dont have their own transport or parents saying they cant come up due to school/exams (for a month beforehand) and I do find that as I have got older I have changed a lot (21 now) to being much more mature and responsible and also knowledgable and thoughtful of others/my horse/ other peoples horse. I know a lot of that will be experience too but at 18 I considered myself to be incredibly independant and responsible when really I did rely on my parents and wasnt as responsible as I should be - I grew up loads at university too!

Having said that my best sharer ever was a 13year old girl who lived in walking distance to the yard and had the most controlling parents ever. She is still on the same yard now and 15, she shares another horse (I sold my suitable one and went to university then came back). She was so responsible, cared for my horse well and did whatever I asked every single time! I currently have an 18yr old hacking him for me when I am too busy twice a week now too.
 
Yard rules are no under 15s so that is what I have put in my ad. If someone that age did come forward I would need to know their transport arrangements - if they were relying on their parents I would need to make sure the parents were committed as well as the sharer.
 
From the ones on my yard that have been and gone it is all about transport. Most rely on their parents, and if they can not be bothered/ are busy then the young sharer ends up letting the horse owner down....... we have seen it time and time again from those who do not have their own way of getting to the yard.

We have also seen some very reckless younger sharers, as in "do not ride in the woods before 5pm, as they belong to the group who work with disabled/ learning difficulties people" only to be found at 3pm cantering through the woods when a group of the above people were in there doing a workshop- not ideal.

Some also simply seems to think they can come and go as they please, one girl was supposed to do Wed, Fri, Sat, but was often caught at the yard riding on days which were not hers- it is a very quiet small yard. The owner therefore had no way of knowing when the horse had been ridden and for how long.

We have also had the "gallop and jump, and gallop and jump" kids who only do "gallop and jump"

Such a shame as we have some nice ponies for share at our yard but now they are for adult riders only.......
 
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