Thinking about looking for a sharer...

[ridefast]

I've never had a sharer before so I'm not sure how to go about it, nor if even anyone would be interested as I have a little 13h pony needing work. Are people normally only interested in "proper" horses? The other thing I was thinking was making him available to a local family for pc stuff as he's a pc schoolmaster, but I keep him on the yard with my horse and I do all the work just they get to take him off to rallys and such, would it be fair to ask for a contribution or would it be seen as I'm just lucky to have someone using him? And would I need specific insurance or would I just get someone to sign a disclaimer thing?

 

[kc100]

I dont see why a child wanting to do PC stuff wouldnt want to share him - he sounds great! There are not many schoolmasters out there, and no parent wants to put their child on a dangerous pony so I'm sure you will get plenty of interest.

I think a part loan/share to stay at present yard would be ideal - and asking for a contribution is to be expected, they are not doing you any favours if you are doing all the chores, they are getting to use a pony and have fun on him so they are going to have to contribute to his keep in exchange for all the fun (without the hassle of vets bills etc). I'm a sharer (albeit an adult sharing a 16hh dressage horse) and I pay £150pcm - she is on full livery so I dont do any chores, and I can ride her as often as I want.

You need to decide how often the sharer can ride the pony first, and then factor in your facilities (if there is all year riding with a floodlit menage or indoor then you can ask for a bit more than if you just had a field to ride in with no lights). Look at other ponies for share in your area to work out how much people are asking for, then you should be able to price it competitively.

Preloved, equine adverts, horsemart and local horsey facebook groups are the best places to advertise. I'd also contact your local pony clubs as I'm sure they might know of some kids who dont have a pony that would love to share/part loan a pony like yours.

I think you need to speak to your own insurer to see how a sharer would affect things - I know some insurers can be funny about payment being made for the horse so you can ask for the sharer to buy a bag of feed and pay for shoes instead which can alleviate the problem. Just speak to your insurer first to see where they stand on the matter. You would need a contract (you can find a sample loan agreement on the BHS website) - you amend it to suit you (add what the sharer can/cant do with the pony, where it is to be kept, what they should pay for etc, days they can ride etc). It is a bit official but it covers both parties in case something goes wrong.

Also, they should have their own rider insurance to protect them if there is an accident whilst they are riding the pony. You can add that into the contract that you are not responsible for any 3rd party damage whilst they are riding the horse and the sharer is expected to have their own insurance.

I know that all sounds a bit daunting but generally shares are great, it will be nice for you to see a kid having fun with your pony, your pony will get some exercise and you will get a few extra pennies towards his keep. Just make sure you choose your sharer carefully, get them to come and try out the pony and watch them ride, and have a months trial in case things go wrong.

 

[ridefast]

Thanks for all the info, doesn't seem so bad written down, it was getting a lot trying to think about everything in my head