Where are all of the reliable sharers?!?!

JadeyB

JadeyB

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I used to be a sharer before owning my own horse and it worked really well for me and the owner, i loved my days where the horse felt like mine and wouldn't have dreamed of letting her down unless it was an emergency but nowadays people just don't seem to have the same level of commitment with me... i've tried being easy going to having a contract in place, i've varied the financial contribution and additional duties but i still can't seem to find someone who does what they say they will so am beginning to think it may be easier to just not have one... although my current sharer is a lovely person.

Is any one else experiencing the same thing?
 
Yes, I tried to find someone for my mare back in the summer. I was offering the opportunity to effectively share her full time but for just a very small contribution ie nominal really, and no chores. I just wanted someone to 'share' her as with two in work, sometimes I struggle to find the time to just dote on them, and thought why not offer someone that doesn't have their own horse that opportunity. I had two very unreliable people and then the third and final straw, someone that turned out to be, well a bit of a nutcase really!! I won't try it again!
 
I advertised a few weeks ago for a sharer. Found a woman who was looking and she was 100% up for it. Que lots of messages and a phone call. I said I was ideally looking for someone who could commit to 3/4 days a week. She said she'd do 6/7 if needed as she was a housewife and she just wanted to get back into horses and spend time around them again.
Great, I thought.
Third rearranged meet up with my horse later and she text me half an hour before we were due to meet informing me that infact she was quite a poorly person who wouldn't even be able to commit to 1 day nevermind any more.. Ok, but why did you chat so much c*ap then a week earlier!?
I gave up after that!
 
I'm a sharer and never miss a day (3 per week) in fact do more than I should very often and will see to the pony she shares a field with on my days too. I also buy lots of extras like bedding and feed (most recently a lovely Weatherbeeta rug). I adore my share pony, who I don't actually share with any one as her owner doesn't currently ride. That said I'm the only one on the yard like me, others have sharers but they tend to do just one part day purely to ride. I'm not sure you'll always find the best type of sharers advertising on 'horsey' websites either. I think perhaps a very local newsagent or pet shop is better. Good luck I'm sure there is someone out there :) xx
 
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I seem to read these sort of threads all the time and makes me think i was a bad sharer (not moaning at you) but it seems that people just want a joy ride when they like and are fair weather riders! i used to go up as much as i could sometimes i couldn't due to illness (if it wasn't too bad i would go up), snow/bad weather as i used to get the bus!

But it just seems some people are putting people of loaning their horses!
Although i was looking for a horse to loan a while back but gave up as one women kept calling me in my work hours ( i had explained in our correspondences not to call between 9-5) then told me i was a time waster! But she was calling me arranging a day to meet and see the horse, but the next day got a call which was ''I'm sorry i am busy this Saturday so i won't be able to do it this week, how about next week?'' I gave up in the end as i felt exhausted trying to keep up with all the changing dates ectt..

I do miss my old loan! He was one of the best horses and i miss him terribly! I used to pay some towards his keep and stick to my days also doing the chores on my days and occasionally doing her other horse which didn't bother me, it wasn't even riding the horse it was being around him as he would follow me through the field stop when i stopped ect.. I loved it! unfortunately I doubt i will be able to find a horse/owners like him again!
 
It works both ways - it took me trying LOTS of potential share horses before I found one within distance who was suitable (and he's perfect!).

I was lied to numerous times by a wide selection of nutcases - one horse I wouldn't get on as the owner was too scared to ride her first (advertised as 'forward but safe schoolmistress'). She was sweating and spinning while I spoke to the owner and the fact she refused to get on made my mind up!

Another said they had a floodlit school so I could still ride on my week days after work in winter - this turned out to be a small, muddy potholed track round a field with one lamp pointing into it... totally unsafe to even walk a horse on - we would have gone into a hole like that episode of Vicar of Dibley!

Another advertised as a 15.2hh cob x, turned up to find a 13hh Welsh pony where my feet met under his stomach.

It was all very entertaining regardless... I won't even get started on the loopy owners who were threatening and weird when I was on my own at their yards... ended up taking my OH with me to view after the first two were weird! One woman left me 14 texts, 25 missed calls and a garbled voicemail offering to pay me to share her horse providing we didn't sign a contract...

Fun times :D
 
Lexi_ said:
I'm one, so that makes at least three of us out there :D
Click to expand...


Now 5 if we add me and Littlemonster :P

I pay £20 a week (works out over the year as £87 a month) for two days (three if I can ever make it) per week - one week night which varies due to my work, and every Sunday. I feed, groom, muck out, do hay etc on my days as well as ride, weather permitting. I get on really well with his owner who is so nice and keeps reminding me I can do what I want with him and treat him as my own :) And the horse couldn't be any more perfect - gorgeous 17hh Polish warmblood who is only young but really promising and has already improved my riding no end as I have to work hard to stop him getting bored and I've only ever shared littleuns in the past so I'm adapting to fit my riding to a biggun! :D

So, perfect share arrangements are out there! Just got to find one you click with. I found mine through a local horsey group on Facebook, but also viewed lots via Preloved.
 
I was one! Shared a lovely connie that I had 3 days a week, never missed a day and often did more. I mucked out, groomed and rode on my days. I also used to clean his tack and clip him for them. Only ended as daughter outgrew her pony and moved onto him which i knew was the deal anyway. Haven't been able to find something as good since then, a few nutcase owners. Thought I'd found a nice one until the owner expected me not to have a life/go to uni/work. Although I have now been offered the ride of a lovely mare, no duties though, just turn up, ride and leave. Kind of miss all the bits that go with it though :(
 
I was one! Never missed a day, treated them all as if they were my own.

It works both ways though. I can't stand threads that just sharer bash, there's an equal amount of awful owners out there too! One of my share horses owner didn't muck out on the days I wasn't there. Considering I was only there twice a week you can imagine the state of his bed!
 
They're with me sorry! I'm on my third in 7 years - the first two both got pregnant and moved to Wiltshire to get away from us! - and they have all been fab so there are good ones out there. I am also a sharer (long story but basically I have happy hacker sharers for my boy who can no longer jump so I can share one who can!) and would like to think I'm a good one - but then his owner's my best friend and has been since we were teenagers so she'd soon tell me if I wasn't!

I got all mine through word of mouth so keep asking everyone you know rather than advertising, it may take longer, but I definitely think you get a better sharer for it.
 
I was a very good sharer! Would do loads of odd jobs and spend lots of time with the horses I was sharing even if I didn't ride. Was reliable and would do extra days or swap whenever owner needed. Always paid on time without fail. Never made excuses - I even wen up and did my jobs when I had been in hospital that day all morning/afternoon in lots of pain! I was 150% committed.

Now I'm on the other side of it, finding a good sharer has been impossible. I still don't have one. They either only want to ride and aren't interested in doing other jobs or they will happily do jobs on their days but expect not to have to contribute towards cost! I have never asked for much money, in fact when discussing with potential sharer I have stated I will reduce contribution if you have a lesson every week! Apparently even this is too much to ask. And I do all jobs as do it all in the morning! So only a quick skip out in the evening to do!

I think I offer a pretty good deal, but nobody seems to want to know. Ok, horse isn't going to take you to Hickstead nor is he a safe happy hacking plod but still. When I was sharing I would have loved to have found an owner offering what I am lol!
 
I'm a sharer and I treat the horse as if he was my own. I also do his owners other horse on my days. I have to rely on lifts from my dad to and from the yard (I'm 18 and don't yet drive), so I do one morning a week and two evenings, though sometimes his owner will pick me up from my house for extra days. (Horses owner, not my dads!) I get on with his owner brilliantly, whenever we're there together she gives me riding lessons on him, we hack together, she lets me ride her other horse, she drops me off at home (This means a lot to my dad!) She's even walked on foot for hours while I rode the horse to and from a show. I never miss a day, she'll often text me in the afternoon to ask if I can be there in the evening to we can have a ride together, and unless it was something serious I never say no. I've learned so much from both my share horse and his owner - I don't know why so many people take it for granted. I find it lovely to know someone will trust me with their horses. I don't even ride mostly when I go in the week, as usually it's rather dark, wet and cold. But for me when I've done the two horses jobs I love to give my share horse a good brush and do some clicker training with him and generally just cuddle and pamper him. His owner even took me to Your Horse Live, driving about 3 hours each way!

Although, on the other side looking for a sharer seems very difficult indeed. My share horses owner advertised her other horse for share/part loan. I thought brilliant, I'll have someone else to ride with over summer, surely it can't be so difficult? Wrong! She organised it with THREE people to come and meet her and the horse and each time asked me to come to the stables at the same time so I could ride with the possible sharer. None of them showed up and none of them let her know beforehand that they wouldn't be there. So we were waiting around like plonkers for three people to turn up on separate occasions. That's when I realised good sharers maybe fairly hard to find!

As a sharer myself I couldn't imagine not turning up on my days, or taking advantage. I pay £20 a week for him but his owner has since said I don't need to pay at all and instead put it towards jumping lessons. But I just couldn't not pay her, so I've carried on paying too!

Good Luck in searching, I really hope you find someone suitable soon!
 
I'm another one - there are plenty of us out there, just hard to find! I never miss a day unless I really cant get there (she's on full livery anyway so not too terrible if I dont make it), I love her like she's my own and would do anything for her or to help her owner out. I've been the same with my previous share horses, even more so when they were on DIY livery I'd never dream of missing a day because in my head that is putting the horse's welfare at risk, and what is the point in me paying to share a horse that will be ill due to me missing my days and him not getting looked after properly.

As someone else said, it works both ways - I've tried a lot of horses and the owners are terrible for lying, it can be quite dangerous actually being a sharer when you go to try an advertised 'happy hacker, safe hacking alone or in company, perfect gentleman etc' only to have him rear and dump you at the edge of a field and then run off. Even when you find a great horse you can easily end up with problems with the owners so I do understand what you are saying, but us sharers get messed around, taken advantage of and lied to as well.

It took me months to find the right share horse after my old share horse went lame (he has the best owner in the world so was very hard to say goodbye), and I had to try (or in some cases just look at then walk away) a lot of horses before I found the right one. So I needed a lot of patience to find a good horse & owner combination - so equally for you it is going to take a lot of patience to find a good sharer.
 
I want to find a sharer for mine this year but I am a bit worried about going through the nutters/novices/timewasters. Good sharing stories give me hope!!!
 
The first person that turned up when I advertised for a sharer for my two was not what I asked for, but honest and lovely. She shares my husband's horse and is great. Unfortunately I've not had the same success in finding a sharer for mine. The horse is lovely, although not a novice ride, but I am offering a lot and not expecting much in return. I wonder sometimes if its me, but thankfully the other sharer being around still shows me that I can't be that bad hopefully! At the moment I have a friend sharing my horse after she sold her horse and until she finds another. She too is very down to earth and fits in well. I wish she wasn't getting another one, as I dread advertising again!
 
I think there are as many nutty sharers as there are owners and luck plays a huge part in bringing the right ones together. My advice is advertise months beforehand so you can make the right choice. I was so surprised at how many ponies I had to choose from and turned down several but wasn't turned down by any owners one didn't even ask to see me ride!
 
I am a reliable sharer! Just cannot find a good share! Agree with above....I have met a lot of nutty owners. I finally found a share horse...but it came with a nutty and overly controlling yard owner! So that didn't work out.
 
My sharer is amazing and I don't know what I would do without her! She does Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the week which helps me out no end, rides both ponies, poo picks, feeds and anything else I need doing like accepting the hay delivery. She never lets me down, even after having a car crash on the way to the yard a few weeks back she still came up and fed! She then comes up at the weekends and hacks with me too. She truely is amazing and I feel very lucky to have her.
 
Well we must have done something right, as after 8 or so months of part loaning/sharing whatever you want to call it, we moved up to a full loan and moved Boyo to a yard much closer to home. He is treated like royalty, and we are in regular contact with his owner, she visits fairly regularly (every few weeks), and is very happy with how we are keeping him. Considering she didn't want him to move yards at first, I think I'll have to put myself firmly in the 'good sharer' camp :)
Love him to bits! Even if he can be a rather opinionated boy at times! Who'd have a Welsh D eh? :D
 
ahhh... i knew there were good one's out there! :) Thanks guys!

I guess i just feel so lucky to have the horse i do, obviously i'm bias but he's awesome, he does everything, is lovely to be around and i don't ask for much time or money, and lots of people at our yard/shows admire him but when it comes to sharers we've not had much luck at all when it comes to reliability... which is a real shame.
 
I think I was a good one (17 years ago when at university) in that I did my days without fail, and made a lot of fuss of the horse; it lasted about 2 years and the owner is still a friend. I would say though that it took time to learn the yard routines and make sure I wasn't annoying anyone (it was rather a bitchy yard where everyone was keen to tell tales if the newbie did the slightest thing wrong). Probably for the first couple of months we each wondered about each other, but I tried hard and it worked out ok. I think you have to give sharers time and support in the early days, and not expect them to get everything right for the horse at first.

That said I have tried having them myself since but failed to find any that really work and/or fit the days I have needed them to do.
 
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