why is it...

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somethingorother

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That people seem to complicate things?

I'm starting to get confused by the oposite ends of the spectrum at the moment. People who desperately need help to not have to sell their horses are asking sharers to pay lots of money, which yes i can see but then some people are saying its hard to find one. Most sharers are people who cant afford their own and its doing the owners a favour and saving full livery costs. If not for them the horse would have to be sold, put on loan or put on full livery which costs a fortune. I'm not saying its cheeky to ask for money, and its not unreasonable for a small contribution eg towards shoes but then people say they can't find anyone and they'l have to sell/ loan by winter.

Opposite end people are paying 'freelance grooms and riders' to come and do their horses when there are people out there who would do it for free, at the most some travel money.

Then at least once a week there are people on here looking for these things! Posts about no horses due to work/uni/money who are willing to give up their time so others can have more and they can ride.

Sorry if i've pushed anyones buttons.
Discuss away.
 
Precisely why my share horse is free for me to ride, and I don't ask for anything to exercise her horse for her. Works both ways
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I'm currently sharing at the moment for £25 pw for a bombproof ride that I can take to comps. However, some share prices in this area are ridiculous! I know some1 who pays £30 pw and 1/2 shoes and she is doing the owners a favour as the horse is very unschooled.

Was looking into share prices when I move to London and they are around £40-50 pw! Eeeeek.....
 
I understand the financial contribution more for horses used to compete etc, since that's a great oportunity. 50pw is daft, taking advantage of people helping out i think, although i dont know how high costs of keeping are in london.

I had 2 share horses a couple of years ago, both for free since one of them no-one else would go near or get on so all i had to do was ride him most days, unless his owner needed help the odd night when he couldn't get up. the others owner was workign late and didn't have time, also she hadn't been schooled much in years so she was glad of someone to keep her fit. It was a mutual favour, she got family time, i got horse time
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It actually puzzles me too that some sharers are required to contribute financially.

Even if the horse is being used to compete, that's adding value to the horse surely?

You have someone who is exercising the horse, mucking out, turning out, bringing in - whatever and paying to do that - odd!
 
I get to compete my share and I even took him to riding club camp with me. I do think though that I have a fantastic open-minded sharer who bends over backwards to help people. I do my best to repay her for the opportunities she has given me by exercsing her horse, schooling him, having lessons etc. and not just putting miles on his clock - but honestly it was amazing of her to agree to let me take him three hours down the road for four days. Her argument is that it does him the world of good because he is 12 going on 6 and has never been partying or to sleepovers before, so it's getting him used to the big wide world! He's becoming more and more confident because of it, too.
If I weren't sharing all the chores (mucking out etc.) then I would have to pay.
 
I think people pay for riders for the same reason you pay for a trainer. You wouldnt want anyone coming in to teach you, just in the same way you dont want someone who is not up to the job coming to ride your horse.
You also have to think about insurance etc.
There are very few horses i ride for free. And if i do, it is for my benifit/enjoyment, not the owners.
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Unless the share rider is seriously talented and going to increase the horse's value so the owner can sell for more money, what is the point of getting a sharer if they don't share costs? Horses do not need riding so long as they get exercise in the field, another rider just adds milage. Sorry but I can't see where you're coming from at all.
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I don't pay anything towards my share horse, but do all the jobs when I'm up there, or if her owner is stuck at work or wants a weekend away then i do my share horse and check her other mare. It's a lovely opportunity for me as I can't afford the time or money for my own and it means her owner has someone who knows the horses to call on if she needs me or as a travelling groom when she's out and about. It works both ways!
Contributions depends on situ but i've never paid for my shares, but would contribute if there was something that was needed for horse by me.
 
I am guessing this post was aimed at me as I have just posted about sharing.

Thank you kvs

I am certainly not looking for someone to 'fund it'. I would keep my horse regardless BUT if someone was having the fun of riding my horse without all the problems of owning her then yes, I would expect some contribution towards shoeing etc.
 
well i see a lot of people saying they need someone else to ride their horse as they dont want it to be a field ornament or want it to get unfit. And yes they get some exercise in the field but it doesn't give them the muscle of being ridden properly. Also most sharers dont just ride, they do the jobs on their days which is what i'm getting at. In fact i've known sharers who don't get to ride very often at all due to lameness or other problems.
 
It is not aimed at you, every day people post about sharers on here, its a trend ive noticed. It is not aimed at anyone in particular and i dont actually recall your post so certainly not at you.
 
My sharer pays £10 per week which only covers his shoes and looks after the gang (4 geldings out 24/7) for 1 week when we are on holiday. she gets unlimited riding and the odd lift to a show/sponsored ride. If cob is off games then she takes baby horse. Its a mutual benefit thing with neither side taking the p*ss but i do agree that many people want to get a sharer who will pay most/all the bills so they can keep their horse for free.
 
I'd love to share.....

I think financial contributions depend upon the situation. I have never paid before but I have been more in the position of "doing" the horse for a couple of days a week to give the owner more time for other things. I think if you are getting a lot of riding and not much work then it wouldn't be unreasonable to contribute a bit.

On the other hand some people when they are looking for a sharer are looking for someone to take full joint responsibility for their horse like a part loan rather than helping them out a few days a week.

Generally though it is a mutual benefit thing, I was really chuffed when i was bought a gift as a thank you for looking after someone's horse a couple of days while they were away. It was on part livery and someone else did the other days so it wasn't a chore at all. But it saved them the cost of full livery and meant the horse got exercised.

If you just see another rider as putting miles on the clock and a negative thing then you aren't likely to be looking for a sharer because you don't need one. The people who do often need their horses fit to compete at the weekends and have work or family comitments that mean they can't ride every day so a sharer is a benefit and shouldn't be expected to fund the horse.

I think a sharers board might be useful where people can post details and get in touch with each other.
 
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