Would you let someone like me share your horse?

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Charmaine18

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I really want to start looking for a share horse soon (when I'm a bit less skint), but I'm worried that nobody will want me riding their horse! I'm a COMPLETE novice - even though I used to ride when I was younger, I had such a complete loss of confidence that I've basically had to start from scratch again. The other day I had my first canter in five years, on the lunge and holding the saddle! I'm a sympathetic rider - I try to sit lightly and keep my hands soft and generally be nice to the horse - but I'm thinking people will see me ride and think I'll ruin their horse or something!

Am I just being silly, or would you have misgivings about letting a very novicey novice ride your horse? Obviously I mean if you had a safe, forgiving horse in the first place!
 
Personally, I would want someone who could walk trot and canter competently to share any horse I (hypothetically!) owned. I'd want to leave them to it and not be watching/instructing them. Sorry
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I'd stick to lessons until you are a little more competent and confident.
 
I agree with duckling and you will probably find it works out cheaper for lessons than actually sharing costs of a horse then when you are more competant and confident you may find someone to share with. Keep up the riding and good luck !
 
I personally wouldnt - when i decided to loan mine out i had a few people come to try and they were similar to yourself and as soon as i could see they werent able i stopped them and said no sorry not gonna work. I think if your honest about your capabilities you may find someone with a real saint of a horse you could share but agree with others that i would have a few more lessons till you were a bit more confident and able then have a crack at sharing - best of luck x
 
I have to agree with everyone else. I have a saint but she can get a bit giddy from time to time and canter a few strides, so even with a total schoolmistress you would need to walk, trot and canter. I used to work at a riding school to get my lessons for free and experience in the saddle and on the ground (just as important). Would you have the time/inclination to do this?
 
I agree with the others about lessons, have a couple more. However take into consideration that RS horses are not like horses which people own most of the time. Having said this we have two very good school mistresses which wouldn't put a foot wrong.

I think with a couple of more lessons you could look for something very safe and sane
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Which will hopefully give you your confidence etc
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Hope this helps and good luck!
 
Agree, I would suggest a few more lessons to get your balance/seat/independent hands etc, then take it from there.

RS horses are generally different to owned horses. Therefore, look for a sane and safe schoolmaster/mistress to share to help with your confidence.

Everyone has to start somewhere, so good luck!!
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Definitely wait until you can confidently canter freely on a riding school horse. When you can do this see if you can privately hire one of the school horses and play around with them for an hour - this will start to give you an idea of what you can do on your own when suddenly you don't have an instructor telling you waht to do. I think unless you are incredibly lucky you will find any independently owned horse even the sanest and quietest very different from a school horse and will need a period of adjustment. Not rushing into it will hopefully mean that you will have good experiences with horses.
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A few more lessons to establish canter would be best but depends on the type of horse you are looking to share. One of my boys will just go as slow as he can get away with with an inexperienced rider but with an experienced rider will do what they want (as long as they encourage him to do it!).

I am sure it won't take you that much longer to get your confidence up.
 
Shame you're not closer to me, as i'd love someone as enthusiastic as you to help out/ride at my yard TBH...

I have a, shall we say, more mature, very nervous lady who comes and helps every Sunday...she mucks out, grooms, cleans tack, poo-picks...all the jobs most teenagers find beneath them...and in return all she ask's for is a quiet plod round the school not even once a fortnight...


she also makes a lovely cup of tea!
 
Don't rush into things, take you time, enjoy having lessons and then when your more confident in yourself and your own riding abilities, then I'm sure loads of people would like share with you.

It won't take you long, only thing is you really need to be riding more than once a week, otherwise it will take ages to really get the hang of things, ideally if someone did have schoolmaster type, its not like your forced to do things that your not up to scratch with, you could stick to walking and the odd trot for a while, while the person who you share with, gives you a lessons, so really it just depends if you can find someone that enjoys your company, appreciates your help and you can enjoy the horse together and learn as you go along, so long as you are being watched and taught well, but I'd stick to having some more lessons first.
 
If I had something comparatively sane I'd love you to come and help
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I wouldn't count it as a share as such, but rather getting you involved and learning from the ground up as it were.

Unfortunately I am surrounded by four legged eejits!

I hope you find someone close by who will help you get involved
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I have to say I would go against the trend and say yes I would share with someone like you - but I do have a very special horse (god that sounds arrogant!) He has taught people to ride before at a private school but he has also gone hunting (including jumping 5 bar gates) and I am planning to start hunter trials with him next year. He is the kind of horse who would be more than happy just bumbling around in a riding school, but is talented enough to do much more. But I agree, there is usually a gap between riding school and non riding school horses and therefore if you are looking to share at this stage of your riding, you are going to have to be very selective horse wise - there may not be anything suitable in your area and if so, carry on riding lessons until you are a bit more established, and look again.
 
If you lived a bit closer I would happily let you come and ride either of mine in return for doing some yard jobs. They will both happily tootle around the school and go on tootles around the lanes and fields without being total eejits - but are more than happy to behave like said eejits if you ask/let them!!
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Try and get to know people on local yards (RS and private) the more people that know you are looking the more likely you are to find someone - we have a couple of sensible older horses that just enjoy a trundle and tick over but can teach some one like yourself loads so they are there you just have to look.
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Good luck and hope you find something!!
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Keep up with the lessons in riding and stable management and make sure you have insurance. I am a half livery myself and if I was an owner looking for a sharer insurance and lessons would be key.

If your lucky you might find a owner who has the time to train you.
 
I would carry on with lessons and start looking, as long as you are 100% honest in your ability there will be plenty of people out there with 2 horses usually one of which is after a quiet life
 
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