Would you mind if your sharer borrowed your hat?

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Rachaelpink

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As above really. I have someone who's meant to be starting sharer my horse from tomorrow. When she came to try her she didn't have a hat so had to borrow mine and was riding in wellies. Her mum said she's buy her one today and I've emailed her asking if she has any riding boots and she said she'll get some soon along with the hat. My hat is a HS1 so not cheap to replace, hope she gets her own soon! I don't really like lending mine, I was hoping she'd get one asap.
 
It would depend entirely, on whether I felt I could trust the person to tell me if they fell and bumped the hat. The price of the item would be irrelevant, as I'd already be letting them share my most precious "item" so to be silly about lending a high priced safety item would seem a little odd to me :)

However, as to whether I'd want a sharer who was so totally unprepared for sharing a horse...well... that's a different question entirely!
 
I borrowed a cheap one off the person I loaned off because mine was in the PC tackroom.

Is getting a cheap adjustable one from tesco (£15) an option ? She could use that until she gets one then you can use it for other people if family ride
 
I'm a sharer, and to be honest we share our hats amongst each other occasionally if ours are in the box/at the other stable etc - not cheap hats either! :o I can understand why you would prefer her to have her own of course, its always better as it will fit to you individually.
K x

ETA if we did have a fall in each others hats we would be honest about it and we mostly ride together anyway
 
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I wouldn't like it. Don't fancy someone else's sweat on my head. although, I would lend it in an emergency.

So if she hasn't got a hat and boots, I'm guessing she hasn't got rider insurance either ?
 
I wouldnt let them borrow an expensive one, as you said it wont be cheap to replace if they have a fall and also we found that often hats stretch/slighly change shape when shared and start after a while to not fit you properly - I learnt that the hard way and had to get another hat in the end as it would not stay on my head! :)
 
A hats a hat to me.

I would politely ask for safety reasons her mum buy her a hat and if not then id probably buy a dirt cheap one for her. If you really like her of course.

The welly thing i wouldnt mind at all- i grew up riding in my hunters. Im sure if she got more serious or wanted to compete etc, shed of course have to buy some boots!!! How old is she?????
 
She's 15 or 16. Hopefully her mum will get her one soon, fingers crossed, apparently she lost her last one.

At least it not just me then. I don't mind once but I don't want it becoming the norm that it's borrowed.

I don't like wellies for riding as they are more likely, I feel, to get stuck in the stirrups also they usually have a ridge that could rub on the saddle. I bought a nice one a couple of years ago after having a really old one so I'm quite anal when it comes to my saddle (and horse that matter!).
 
Sorry, but my hats are for me - they fit me nicely & are brought to fit MY head & not anyone elses.

I would not be happy for anyone to rock up to ride without having a properly fitting hat, so in an emergency ONLY would I loan my hat.
I would be worrying if a sharer could not afford to have their head protected properly - particularly if a minor.

I hope your insurance is ok for this?

Sorry to sound negative, but had a parent try to sue me once when I lent a 'helper' a hat to ride with & she fell off - even tho the hat didnt come off :(

Lesson learned, nobody on in my yard without correct SAFETY gear - properly fitting hat & riding boots (rubber or leather or jodh boots but NOT wellies) minimum.
 
I would NOT deffo lend my hat. I did once, to a "friend" who was riding my old horse, and she basically somehow ruined it! She'd ridden when I wasn't around, then put the hat back in the tackroom, and when I looked at it again it was all scuffed and horrible.

It was in the days of old-style velvet caps; and this particular hat was (and still is! - tho' can't wear it now as no longer "kosher") the most comfortable hat I've ever had. I had it right through from my little grey pony and it had so many wonderful memories, and she'd obviously gone under some trees and basically scuffed the velvet covering off, and it was ruined. I was sooooo upset, and angry ....... absolutely incandescent, and I would NEVER lend anyone my hat again.

Additionally, my feeling is that if someone is sharing your horse then they blimmin well ought to have the very basics, i.e. hat and boots. It's really not on to be borrowing someone else's - these two things are the most basic items anyone would need for riding.

Personally, I would never, ever let anyone ride my horse with wellies on either.

I think you need to be wise and get certain things written into your sharer's agreement, like "sharer is responsible for providing their own safety gear such as hat and other suitable apparel such as boots, and will at all times wear said equipment when dealing with the horse" etc etc.

Also you need to think about stuff like who's responsible for tack etc if damaged, grooming brushes going missing etc etc.

But no, I will never let anyone borrow my hat again.
 
PiebaldPeril- Good point about responsibilty of their own safety gear. I have already sent her a loan contract that she's apparently printed off or I would of included it.

It does say in the loan contract about riders insurance and that riding and handling the horse is entirely at her own risk which I've asked her mum to sign with her being younger.

I'll keep asking about the boots and hat.
 
However said:
I must admit when I went try a share horse after a break in riding I was so excited I forgot my hat. Despite spending the afternoon digging out all my stuff from the loft.
Owner lent me hers, never borrowed it again but it was the start of a great share till she moved 300 miles.
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No, if she cant be bothered to turn up with hat and proper footwear then she would not be trusted with my horse.

what else will she get wrong? no way couldnt trust her.
 
No way, I don't have my own horse but ride regularly for others and spend a lot of money on horsey clothes and looking proper. I'd ask how much riding she has done before, surely shes got an old pair of riding boots knocking around even if he's had a break.

And if her mums doing everything for her how responsible is she really
 
personally i wouldnt want my hat to be worn by anyone else... but i have been known to borrow other peoples hats to ride their horses or to catch horses from the fields (i feel safer that way, after being reared and galloped at)
 
Rachaelpink said:
As above really. I have someone who's meant to be starting sharer my horse from tomorrow. When she came to try her she didn't have a hat so had to borrow mine and was riding in wellies. Her mum said she's buy her one today and I've emailed her asking if she has any riding boots and she said she'll get some soon along with the hat. My hat is a HS1 so not cheap to replace, hope she gets her own soon! I don't really like lending mine, I was hoping she'd get one asap.
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Pretend you left it at home.

My sharer borrowed my hat and returned it dripping wet with sweat: utterly disgusting! Twice she borrowed it til I texted her and said I'd left it at home and suddenly, she produced her own. No way is anyone touching my hat again!
 
When my daughter recently had a new hat the lady fitting it went to great lengths to say that she should not lend it to anyone else. If she did it was unlikely to fit her properly. The fitter was saying someone borrowed her daughters hat recently without permission and she had to replace it as it had grown while being worn by the borrower - their head was obviously too big!

So no, unless it was an emergency situation I would not lend my hat.

I also agree with other posters that the minimum a sharer should have is a correctly fitting hat and boots. She could easily equip herself for £50 if she shopped around.
 
Absolutely wouldn't let anyone borrow my hat especially if I'm not there to supervise.

It's important that the hat fits the individual to be safe. TBH I wouldn't let her be a sharer until she has the hat and boots. Both are needed to be safe.

Keep it at home so there is no chance of her borrowing it.
 
Short answer, in these circumstances, not a chance!
I don't have my own horse and I am currently trying to find some rides but I didn't even start properly thinking about asking and looking until I had a properly fitted hat, boots and riders insurance.
There are loads of red flags flying when it comes to this share, I would want to see hat, boots and proof of insurance before the share started, if you can't afford to kit yourself out for safety they you can't afford a horse, if you can't be bothered to kits yourself out for yours and other peoples safety then you don't deserve a horse.
 
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