What is the 'going rate' for a sharer in Herts?

[kirstie]

Does anyone know what the going rate is?

Nice dressage horse, 3 days a week (one weekend day DIY, 2 weekdays on Livery)
Yard has lovely big outdoor arena, good hacking, really nice yard to be at, trainer on site, very near train line into central London.

Would have freedom to compete if they so wished.

I really have no idea what would be reasonable!

 

[Clofox]

Im in Herts and share a pony one day a week,turn up groom and ride for £15 a day, have outdoor school and amazinggg hacking, no trainer on site,i'm always willing to muck out so do not mind if the owner asks me to do so, sometimes will do more days depending on time off and work load!
Pony belongs to yard owner so thats why its a bit more flexible in terms of livery ect.
But as i love it sooo much down there and love my pony sooo much i'll go down there as much as possible whether i have chance to ride or just to see the girlies!
Owner says im always welcome to come down get her in and groom her.
P.S Theres a local farm up the road which holds shows which i could compete in (can hack to them) But no transport i could use to go further a field.
Hope this helps! X

 

[Mongoose11]

I think that a reasonable price for what you are offering would be £100 per month, possibly £120. The general rate for a sharer tends to be £20-30 a week depending on the horse and facilities.

My sharer pays £30 per month - she is lucky that she is blo*dy brilliant otherwise I would be asking for about £70 a month.

What were you thinking?

 

[kirstie]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

I was thinking about £30- £35 per week plus half for shoes.

She is a a lovely comp horse, 17hh Trakehner. Will need someone who rides well but has a lot to give and I am very willing to be flexible.

I wonder if I would be asking too much...?

 

[Mongoose11]

I could be wrong here but I think you MIGHT be pushing it at that price plus half shoes. Think how gutted you would be if the price put the right person off. I think that £35 per week could be achievable but would be suprised if you got someone to also pay the half shoes too. I could be completely wrong though as it sounds like your horse has a lot to offer!

Now I want to see a pic of her!

x

 

[maggie123]

I charged £35 per week for 3x a week on DIY, two years ago. This was in Surrey close to the London suburbs.

 

[timefort]

I'm in that area (now curiously trying to work out exactly where you are), and would think that £30 a week would be about right for three days, especially since the sharer would be doing all the chores on one of those days.

From the sound of it you have a very nice horse and don't want to be attracting "unreliables" but don't want to be putting off someone who would be right for you either. How about wording an advert along the lines of ...around £30 a week which would give you scope for negociation should you feel you need it.

 

[kirstie]

Thank you for the replies.

I want to find the right person for her and me but I am genuinely struggling money wise.
I keep her at an expensive yard but that is because I broke my back a year and a half ago in a riding accident (not my horse!) and I lost a lot of confidence.
YO is a fab rider and great trainer and has helped me so much, I can't leave as I would struggle on my own.
I am hoping that I can find someone for £30- £35 as it will really take the heat off. I really can't bear the thought of selling her, so am hoping a sharer will help.

I would love to post a pic but I don't know how!

 

[criso]

From the yards I know in North London and Herts I have seen anything from £100 pcm for a happy hacker on diy to £200 pcm for 2 days on a posh horse at a posh yard.

A nice horse and the ability to compete would mean alot to the right person but if she is a more challenging ride then you will struggle more. Bear in mind people riding at some of the riding schools could be paying £35 for one hour a week so the same for 3 days and the freedom to do a bit more isn't that much.

I was in a tack shop in Herts recently and there were 2 ads up for £140 and £160.

So I would ask about that which takes you to your £35 per week but forget about shoes. People want to know what they are paying and when and her shoeing needs could change.

 

[9tails]

I think you're pushing it with half the cost of shoes too. You may get £40 per week or even £45 considering the weekdays are full livery, but I reckon you need an all-in price rather than this plus that.

 

[kirstie]

Interesting, food for thought.

Her shoes are £65 every 6 weeks and have been for the past 4 years, so hoping that that wouldn't change too much!

I only say half for shoes because my YO suggested it...

I think I would feel really cheeky asking for £40 per week! Don't get me wrong, I know I'm biased because she is mine but she really is a lovely horse. But the person must ride well, as I don't want to be correcting someone else's faults every time I get on. It is hard enough trying to correct my own.

I generally ride 5-6 days a week and it is going to mean taking a step back for me, which will be hard but something I am willing to do to keep my horse. It just has to be worth my while financially. I am only looking for a sharer because of my financial situation, as I enjoy spending loads of time up the yard and love riding so much. It genuinely is a sacrifice!!!

 

[Suziq77]

Just a thought but could you take back shoes off to help a bit with the money situation too? Obviously only if she has good enough feet and the hacking isn't too stony etc. I only have my two shod in front (warmblood and full TB) and they both cope fine, even out hunting.

Sorry that's a bit off topic and I hope this doesn't take the thread in a completely different direction.

Re your pricing I think £35 a week for what you are offering sounds reasonable and in line with what friends of mine pay around the M25 area.

 

[kirstie]

I did have her back shoes off whilst she was off work when I was injured, was not good. Not something I would consider again, although would love to if I could!

 

[Suziq77]

I did have her back shoes off whilst she was off work when I was injured, was not good. Not something I would consider again, although would love to if I could!

Shame I'm lucky with my two sharing a set! Best of luck finding someone, she sounds lovely - where are you going to advertise her? Horsequest is my favourite website for looking on during my lunch hour!

 

[kirstie]

I have absolutely no idea where to advertise her to be honest.

My YO has someone in mind who she knows is looking but I am not convinced she will be a good enough rider.

I will have a look on horsequest, I am keen not to have loads of people coming to try her though!

 

[Theocat]

Unfortunately, the better the rider the less (generally) they will have to expect to pay.

If you're going down this route for financial reasons, I think you need to determine first what contribution you actually need, and then find ways to make it attractive for the right sort of person. For example, could you ask for £45 per week, but offer the opportunity to compete plus transport to shows and events, or perhaps work out how much extra another day of full livery would cost you so that you can say "no chores"? The extra day of livery might cost you less than the extra you could charge for that package, or you could muck out yourself that day? Those sorts of things add value but don't cost you a vast amount.

There isn't much point finding a brilliant rider and then discovering he or she has loads of offers and doesn't need to pay at all, or will only pay such a small amount that your sums don't work. Good luck, your horse sounds lovely!

 

[Bernster]

I'm in Herts - yard not quite as posh as yours I suspect but the going rate round here would be around £120 or so for x2 a week for very straightforward all rounder horses. Maybe a tad more for a nicer yard/chance to compete or similar.

As for how to find a sharer, word of mouth seems the best way so I'd get the word out around your yard, advertise in local tack shops, tell trainers and liveries etc. Sharers at our place tend to be friends of friends etc.

good luck

 

[criso]

If the yard is easily reachable from London especially by public transport you will have a big advantage.

London is full of lots of experienced riders from all over Britain and all over the world who are not in a position to have their own horse but want to carry on riding.

I know lots of people who have found paying sharers who ride to a very high standard but you will have to advertise and you will have to trawl through loads of replys some from complete beginners who haven't read the advert properly and it may take a while to find the right person.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

My yard charges £15 per day. Some people stay all day (younger lot) and can do what they like all day, hack, ride, whatever. We are the least posh yard in Herts.

 

[SO1]

I am on a DIY yard and people are paying about £10 per day for a sensible easy to handle and ride horse that is suitable for someone looking for their first share after being in a riding school. Some other people are not paying anything as people are just glad to have the help.

However if your horse is more quirky then you might not have such a large range of people to choose from so you might not be able to charge so much. Also because of the financial climate
more people are looking for sharers.

The chance to compete will make a difference, if you can get to the yard on public transport maybe try some of the university riding clubs as they might have some experienced people.

 

[Misog2000]

Agree with Theocat in that generally the better riders are willing to pay less, as they are actually helping school your horse while sharing it. I had to lower my expectations money wise in order to get someone who wasn't going to undo what I was doing on my days and who didn't want to just jump or hack everyday they were doing her (meaning that I would always have to school on my days). I ended up charging 45 a month for someone doing 2 days a week. Hope you find someone nice soon

 

[TinselTurkey]

I pay half of everything. I have the horse for four days a week (other sharer has two)

He's on full livery so depending on what extras he has had that month the bill works out at about £600-£700