Sharing

T

Toz

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 July 2013
Messages
184
Visit site
Hi
I was wondering what exactly is involved in sharing a horse... Could anyone tell me? What are your experiences of sharing? Also what are the advantages financially sharing rather than loaning or buying?
Thanks
 
Hi Toz. Sharing a horse means that you have the ride on somebody's horse on a set number of days each week. It depends on the situation as to what you are required to do with the horse. For example, if the horse is on DIY livery then you would probably be expected to muck out, groom, fill haynets, feed, fill water buckets, turn out/bring in, etc. If the horse was on full livery there would not be any chores to do, you would turn up and ride, but you may be expected to contribute a higher amount towards living costs as everything else is done for you. I know of some people who don't want a financial contribution at all, they just need a helping hand and someone to exercise the horse for them, although I would say that most people would want some sort of financial contribution from a sharer. You may possibly be offered the chance to compete with some share horses.

I think the advantages of sharing vs loaning/buying are that you don't have the responsibility for vets bills and all those hidden costs that can come with owning a horse. Also, it's a great way of building a personal relationship with a horse, even if you only have the time to ride 2/3 times a week. It is also more cost effective than riding 2/3 times a week at a riding school.

Hope that's helpful :)
 
I've had several shares through the last few years. Each has worked a little differently. The first I paid £100 a month, had the horse two days a week and treated him as my own on those days, going to the yard twice a day, mucking out, feeding, riding, turning out etc. He was a schoolmaster to ride and taught me a lot.

The next share I could go up whenever I wanted as long as I mucked out when I did. Didn't pay anything. Took him to a couple of shows too.

Next one I went up twice a week and did yard duties whilst there but didn't pay anything.

Current one I pay £35, half of a new set of shoes, whenever he's shod. I go up pretty much every day and treat him like my own, I've bought various things for him and am planning some shows for this summer too. I have lessons on him whenever I have the money, basically it's like having my own but for very little money!

It works well for me as I have a huge amount of flexibility and it's low cost. I wouldn't be able to afford a full loan let alone buying at the moment. Granted you'd be pretty hard pushed to find another one like it though!
 
Thank you very much for your replies.
Do you think people would be less inclined to share with a 12 year old, even if a horsey parent accompanied them at all times?
Also, should the horse have an accident when in the care of a sharer, would the sharer have to pay emergency vet bills?
Thanks for any replies
 
Personaly I wouldnt be inclined to share with someone under the age of 18 unless I knew them.

Too much relying on parents for lifts, even if supposed to be supervised by parents I'd be worried incase they left unsupervised, and the yard im at is private, only myself and a couple of friends, so the situation wouldn't be ideal.

Also the horse should be insured imo. Unless savings to pay for such eventualities. The owner should cover all vets fees etc. having said that I wouldn't be best impressed should sharer cause injury to the horse doing something reckless. Another reason I would only share with an adult if I wanted a sharer.

I'd also expect sharers to have their own rider insurance.
 
Gentlegiant88 said:
Personaly I wouldnt be inclined to share with someone under the age of 18 unless I knew them.

Too much relying on parents for lifts, even if supposed to be supervised by parents I'd be worried incase they left unsupervised, and the yard im at is private, only myself and a couple of friends, so the situation wouldn't be ideal.

Also the horse should be insured imo. Unless savings to pay for such eventualities. The owner should cover all vets fees etc. having said that I wouldn't be best impressed should sharer cause injury to the horse doing something reckless. Another reason I would only share with an adult if I wanted a sharer.

I'd also expect sharers to have their own rider insurance.
Click to expand...

So wouldn't you even see the potential sharer before saying that you aren't going to take up their offer? Would age completely put you off, even if they were a competent rider and carer for the horse? Just wondering :)
 
I think if I was at a livery yard I'd consider a younger sharer, but as I said I'm on a private yard, so there usually isn't anyone about, and because of my working hours I wouldn't always be there when the sharer was, this would be my main concern. If I knew the person I'd be more inclined to try a younger sharer. Although would strictly depend on having horsey parent supervision, mainly due to the yard set up. Plus I think yo would be rather miffed about younger riders around without supervision, putting it lightly.

However it's not something I've really considered, my current horse is a full loan, so wouldn't share, and my new mare ive bought, comming in a month or so I'm not planning on getting a sharer for, so it's not really something I've considered.

I know plenty of people would consider younger riders, but it depends on individual circumstances with horses and yards etc. :)
 
I understand your reasoning for a private yard! Thank you for your help, it is much appreciated :)
 
I currently have a horse on full loan but looking for a share to help me out.. I did have him on a share basis with his owner a couple of weeks ago though ... But thats another story!! Anyway I've had two so far. The first was perfect but ended up pregnant and didn't want to take the risk which is fair enough and the 2nd was a 15 year old girl who from first meeting her I didn't like her.. Smoking near the horses so much so that he inhaling it, and after being told not to ride on her own yet she tacked him up and let her and her mate have a go when I wasn't there.. Safe to say I wasn't impressed. It hasn't put me off someone her age though as I know I was horse crazy when I was 15! I have a younger girl coming up some point this week to see him and also an adult.. From the initial messages I received I am already swaying towards the younger girl as she sounds ideal although I haven't met her yet and might be shooting myself in the foot. So I would definitely consider a 12 year old if they were suitable. I am asking for a contribution towards his keep and they will get to do him 3 days a week.
From my personal sharing experience.....
My advantages of sharing is I have been the beach and can do anything I want with him, it is also flexible as I am a student so I would struggle to do full time. I am lucky as he is out 24/7 at the minute. I also paid a minimum amount which would probably cover the cost of 1 riding lesson a week but get the freedom of hacking him out 4 days a week if I wanted.
My disadvantages would be unfortunately my relationship with his own owner has turned pretty sour and the only reason I'm still doing it at the moment is because I am so attached to him so I don't know how much longer it will last. it is also bloody hard work in winter if they are on DIY as I am at uni and the yard is 25 mins away so it was usually dark, wet and cold by the time I get there.
If I didn't have this horse on full loan at the minute would I look for a share.. Probably not, it has been a lot of stress and hard work. If I was you and you wanted the share I would definitely find something which the owner will allow you to go to the beach with/fun rides/shows(obviously depends on your capabilities too) as it makes it well worth it in summer. Sorry it's so long.. Any more questions feel free to ask :)
 
I'm currently sharing and paying £50 a month for an ex hunt/race horse. I have 3 days a week which includes a weekend day and we have a rota for competing/clinics so we don't double book. I'm allowed to take him to shows and clinics but everything is discussed beforehand and approved by his owner. We're both adults in our 30's.

I pay nothing extra, £50 is all inclusive. I have my own rider and public liability insurance which I obviously paid for myself and I made a contribution to be added as an additional driver for the lorry. When I take the lorry I put fuel in it.

He's on DIY live out livery so my duties for the days I go down are poo picking, ragwort pulling, filling of troughs, bedding and mucking out the field shelter, grooming, feeding and if any vetting/shoeing is taking place on my day I'm there for that and sort him out.

I've treated him to some new boots recently and a fly mask, again anything bought for him has to be approved by the owner first. You always need to remember that they aren't yours so cannot do as you please.

I wouldn't have a problem with an enthusiastic 12 year old being a sharer but I would put restrictions on the share due to the age. I would ask for them not to hack out alone and I would be asking the Yard Manager to keep an eye on them both for their own safety, the horses and to make sure that everything was being done correctly. There would be very clear and strict rules about riding too as many younger riders do tend to only be interested in galloping everywhere, seeing how high they can jump and making youtube videos teaching a horse to rear. Sorry it's a stereotype but it's true for many! It's a huge responsibility and can be a bit of a shock for younger riders as well as adults. I would also be making sure that they had pretty comprehensive insurance so my back was covered for all eventualities.

I agree with another poster above (sorry my phone isn't scrolling to quote you) that the horse really should be insured and if you do find a share then get a contract drawn up, signed and witnessed.

If you get no luck try helping out at a riding school in return for lessons/hacks. When I was young I did just this and they let the helpers take RS ponies to shows as well.
 
Thanks very much for all your help, I really appreciate it and understand where you are all coming from. I get the whole 'galloping around everywhere' thing, lots of people are like that
Thanks very much :)
 
I think that I would be vary wary of entering into a share with a 12 year old - not least because a minor cannot enter into a contract as far as I understand?
 
With the parents signing contracts, supervising child at all times with understanding of all parties regarding rules and the contract in general?
 
I had a share for nearly 2 years, she was a riding school horse but i had her whenever i wanted (well she also had another sharer but we fitted round each other as they hardly rode) - i paid £250 a month + 1/2 towards shoeing which does seem like quite a lot when i look back, but i didn't have any stable duties etc i could just turn up groom, tack up and ride. Only reason i stopped was because they ran out of riding school horses to use and kept using her in lessons when they knew that was the regular time i rode every week. It Became a big issue especially when i was paying that much! The yard i was at was a livery/small riding school yard. Loads of younger girls shared horses/ponies both from the liveries and the riding school ones. Also all the younger girls were lovely, really cared for the ponies they shared. Parents would sometimes be up but sometimes not - maybe its to do with what your covered with on insurance im not sure. I never had to pay any vet bills and i actually never signed a contract either?. Once i stopped sharing i brought my own which unfortunately did not work out - sharing definitely worked for me though!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top