Talk to me about sharers.

[05jackd]

As we hopefully see some light at the End of the Covid tunnel I have been thinking about looking for a loaner /sharer for my two boys (when it’s safe to do so).

I have three horses capable of being ridden but between work and farm commitments I have only really had my mare in constant work. So I have 2 lovely geldings sitting doing nothing.

Both are easy rides but Not for total numpties as they are responsive. One has evented (15.2hh Tb) and the other mostly endurance (14.2hh).

We keep them at home - Unlimited riding/ arena access and there would be minimal if any chores to do. Happy for them to compete when they start up again.

Is this something that would interest people? We are relatively new to the area and this I have little idea what the horsey scene is like. How do I go about finding the right/ competent people?

Does anyone have any words of wisdom to share?

 

[Sail_away]

Depends on the area but for a lot of people that would be the ideal share - nice horses, no yard politics and no chores. They don’t however cover much of the costs, standard rate for a share in Surrey is £15 a day although yours do sound nicer than the average share horse - lots of ads for people essentially wanting to charge for someone mucking out and schooling their horse.
Probably worth contacting a local riding club/pony club and seeing if they know anybody looking. People do advertise on Facebook, preloved etc but it tends to attract the numpties.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I was very lucky with my sharer. He used to work as a groom at my previous yard so I knew he and my horse were already very happy in each other's company.

The sharer has to be a good match for both you and your horse. My sharer is a very different rider to me (he is bold, brave and has incredible balance. I'm the opposite) which is perfect for my horse because he shouldn't have to always be dealing with my nerves and limitations. I can trust them to look after each other and I know my sharer cares for my boy as his own.

I set the cost based on the daily cost of keeping the horse. I'm on 5 day livery so the sharer is free to choose DIY days or full livery days. I don't set days because he works shifts. When my horse was struggling with dermatitis and his work was limited, I didn't charge for any of those days. I also don't charge if he has to cancel for any reason (bad weather etc, there was only one time during the floods I encouraged him to cancel because I didn't want him driving in that weather). If for any reason I can't do a diy day, I'll offer it to my sharer as a free (no charge) day because he's saving me the cost of the full livery cover.

I realise my approach is the generous end of the scale (possibly more expensive) but my sharer is bringing so much to the arrangement, I want him to be comfortable. He is taking more days at the moment while he cant go to a riding school and I've offered to pay for lessons he has on our yard because they benefit the horse as much as him. I'll also pay entry fees if he wants to compete.

He has his own insurance. I leave him to it but he knows I'm at the end of my phone for any support or questions. I keep him up to date with the horses appointments in case that affects his plans and also to give him an insight into the sort of stuff he'll need to consider once he has his own horse.

 

[05jackd]

Costs are not a major issue as they are fairly cheap to keep.

If I managed to find a good rider that I thought could actually bring horses on and improve them I would be happy with minimal or no payment. I would expect them to have their own insurance though and cover any lesson / entry fees.

If the person was more novice and needing various training then I would try to find a local loan rate to reflect this.

We are south Scotland if that helps anyone!

 

[Polos Mum]

I had sharers when I was pregnant in similar circumstances (nice competition horses at home).

I advertised quite widely and let everyone remotely sensible sounding come to meet them. I would hand them a bridle and stand back - those that couldn't tack up unaided didn't get to ride. I had a fair few tyre kickers but mostly found nice people.

I found 2 people doing 3-4 days each worked better than looking for someone willing to commit to 7 days

I also found people who I didn't charge at all didn't turn up when it was cold, wet, dark, windy etc. etc. - so I stuck to a £25 a week flat fee - which for 3- 4 rides a week on a nicely schooled horse is still a good deal for them.

 

[05jackd]

I had sharers when I was pregnant in similar circumstances (nice competition horses at home).

I advertised quite widely and let everyone remotely sensible sounding come to meet them. I would hand them a bridle and stand back - those that couldn't tack up unaided didn't get to ride. I had a fair few tyre kickers but mostly found nice people.

I found 2 people doing 3-4 days each worked better than looking for someone willing to commit to 7 days

I also found people who I didn't charge at all didn't turn up when it was cold, wet, dark, windy etc. etc. - so I stuck to a £25 a week flat fee - which for 3- 4 rides a week on a nicely schooled horse is still a good deal for them.

excellent advice re the tacking up!

 

[J&S]

If they can put the bridle on ok you could withhold the saddle for the first ride! No, only joking, but it did happen to me......... went try a pony when I was in my early 20's (long ago) in Mid Wales, the old boys gave me the bridle and legged me up and let me show them I could ride the pony bareback. It was a lovely, well schooled pony so I had no problems, H & S would have a few things to say about that now a days.

More to the point: I have ridden some one elses horse for nearly 5 years now (Covid lockdowns excluded). No money passes hands at all, except for travelling expenses to Trec. I have generally ridden him 2/3 times per week and can compete him, we just did Arena Trec. He is 27 now but when I first rode him I had the job of fittening him for the Hunt Relay at the Cornwall Show. I knew the family through Pony Club when our respective children were members and competitors. I would second the idea of contacting local PC DC to see if there were any instructors/parents/teens who would be suitable.

 

[Sealine]

I also found people who I didn't charge at all didn't turn up when it was cold, wet, dark, windy etc. etc. - so I stuck to a £25 a week flat fee - which for 3- 4 rides a week on a nicely schooled horse is still a good deal for them.

I think a charge is a good idea as it shows some commitment. I've never had a sharer or been one myself but I've seen a lot of angry and frustrated owners when sharers don't bother to turn up. This is usually at relatively short notice, leaving the owner to do the yard jobs and the horse not exercised.

 

[Billyandme]

Wish I lived in your area. Sounds just what I would be looking for. I am struggling to find a part share in my neck of the woods. 30 years experience of horse ownership but the only shares I have found are basically wanting someone to sort out their covid impulse buy for free.

 

[Wishfilly]

I think you would definitely get takers. There are lots of people who can't afford horses of their own but are pretty much competent (If you're anywhere near a uni, you can often find students in this position). On the other hand, if someone is a bit more novicey and you have the time to show them how to do things, it can work out well- provided you are happy with how they ride!

I would definitely charge if there are minimal chores- as other say, it often encourages reliability. Over time, if you find someone you like, you can always drop their contribution. Around here, about £10 day is fairly standard- which as others have said is a very good deal compared to riding schools.

Getting them to tack up, or even better, bring in, groom and tack up, is a good way to sort the numpties from those who are reasonably competent!

 

[muddybay]

I used to share at £15 a session

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I have 3 lovely people that ride my oldie. As he’s the age he is and they only ride with me I only ask for £5 a time towards shoes plus some chores. Not usually ridden more than 4 days a week or more than 2 consecutive days although he’s still a bit of a lad! I had to ride him on Saturday and I was a little apprehensive as he hadn’t been ridden all week. ?

I was inundated last time I advertised on FB and the first person to try him was an ex-BHSII before going on to teach more generally. She’s 72 but obviously rides well and knows her horse care. She doesn’t want anything too challenging and he’s perfect fit her, spicy enough to give a good ride but not nuts. I also have 25yr old who’s been great fun and a godsend all last year during COVID. Sadly for me she’s just started her career as a Met police officer but hopefully I’ll see her occasionally when she’s on leave and comes home. I also have another lady who I had the previous year but has more commitments now but again as and when she can make it she rides or sometimes we just walk the dogs. It keeps the old boy ticking over.

As they’re not unsupervised I don’t need to worry about what they might do or whether they are going to turn up as I’m there anyway. They’ve all been brilliant though and I’d trust them to do what they say they will.

 

[doodle]

I have had a couple of different type share arrangements with my horses. First was abbey. She was lovely, safe and sensible but a little older and so not a competition horse. I had a lovely lady share her. She used to have horses until she went to uni and was looking for get back into it but not ready for her own. I think she paid £10 a week. Abbey lived out so all she did was feed her on her days. I think she had her 3 days a week. I charged simply so that she would be more committed. It worked very well and she actually then took her on loan, with her staying at my yard. She must have had her for a year when she was pts.

Robin had a “sharer” a couple of times but it was a different arrangement. I did all the work and paid all the bills but a lovely lady rode him and competed him. She used to have a horse at the yard but had to sell when pregnant. She had ridden be novice but didn’t have time for all the care of a horse. So she rode him 3 times a week (quite often at 7am before getting children up and to
School etc) and did be etc with him. I got him to shows/lessons etc and she paid entries (and kept prize money). Suited us both. She had a nice horse to ride and do what she enjoyed doing and I had the enjoyment of seeing my horse doing something he loved as i would never jump him. We both had the same ideas about horse care etc and she was always careful to keep him suitable for me to ride.

Sadly she hurt her shoulder and he was just too strong for her to manage. Tried another of the same situation but it really didn’t work so that lasted a month. Then another similar but actually he was a bit tricky and they never really gelled so I ended the arrangement.

 

[05jackd]

It sounds like you’ve all had some great experiences and I can only hope to find someone as nice as some of the arrangements you’ve described.

I’m pretty easy going but I think it’s important to get the right personality match too.

 

[mossycup]

Costs are not a major issue as they are fairly cheap to keep.

If I managed to find a good rider that I thought could actually bring horses on and improve them I would be happy with minimal or no payment. I would expect them to have their own insurance though and cover any lesson / entry fees.

If the person was more novice and needing various training then I would try to find a local loan rate to reflect this.

We are south Scotland if that helps anyone!

There is a horses for loan/share fb group covering Scotland - worth posting in there as your set up and horses sound fab. If you have any horsey connections with your local riding school or pony club, putting the feelers out that way might find a sensible older teen/student or mum coming back to horses who would jump at the chance of a horse fix without the full time commitment

 

[HorseMaid]

I keep my mare with my best friends mare. We both work in the NHS (I'm currently a student), I put an advert up for a sharer for my mare as I was struggling for time and we've somehow ended up with two great friends that now help out with both of our girls. They're lovely, easy to get on with and have helped out so much. My sharer does bung me some money from time to time but to be honest I don't ask for it as she takes the pressure off massively and we feel very lucky to have found them!!