£750 a month for horse share - two days a week!

[Cancelyourcheque]

Just reading through some comments on an H&H article about sharers and experiences. While I know there must be some nightmare sharers out there it reminded me of some crazy owner stories I've experienced and heard

I saw an ad a couple of years ago looking for a sharer. Lovely horse on what sounded like a great yard but only competing elementary in teens so not an out of this world opportunity - the contribution was around £750 a month! If I were going to spend that much I'd buy my own youngster to bring on.

Another good one was somebody who contacted me to offer the ride on their horse which they didn't ride themselves because it reared whenever anybody got on. They said I didn't need to pay anything but if I could school it out of the rearing then once it was rideable then perhaps I could then pay a monthly contribution (what a reward for the hard work!)

Luckily I've had some fantastic experiences with brilliant owners too. Having had my own as well I always think it must be so hard finding and getting used to having a sharer

Any other CF sharer/owner stories out there?

People who want horse shares, who want a nice straightforward horse, no yard duties and can offer no financial contribution. Fuck. Off.

Started a horse 'share' years ago when I was a young and naive twenty-something. Owner wanted the price of livery and shoes for 3 days a week. DIY livery, so worked out about £200 per month and you do the chores on your day. Then I found out that she had another sharer doing the same for another three days a week and another for one day. Basically, she didn't/couldn't ride the horse anymore so was using it as an income stream with very little maintenance.

I've had some lovely and awful experiences as a sharer. The awful ones mean I haven't ridden in 3 years (despite riding all through my childhood and even into uni).

My worst one was riding a pony for a woman. She was too big and it was a rescue. Really sweet pony. Thought it was going great. I was working so only rode on the weekends over winter as there were no facilities for dark evening riding. As it got lighter she took on someone else I knew from the horsey world for the week nights I wasn't doing. I didn't pay, I just offered an experienced rider and help with all the yard chores for her other horses. The other girl did the same but had to pay for the privilege. Everything carried on as we had different days. Until the other girl had more availability. Then I got dropped. Fair enough I thought, I wasn't paying. Then BOOM suddenly I struggled to find another ride.

Turns out the woman was spreading horrid lies locally about me despite telling me she'd happily provide a glowing reference!!! I couldn't believe it. Only found out she was doing this when the owner of the saint of a horse I finally loaned off next gave me the benefit of the doubt and bothered asking.

6 months later the woman had done it to the girl who replaced me after finding someone who would pay even more!!

I've seen the same pattern over and over. Every girl (even young teens) left with their reputations being torn to shreds by her for no reason.

Most I've ever paid is £200pcm + shoes but I was the only rider, and any days I didn't make the owner did so covered effectively like full loan with part livery.

Is it Pegasus?

I don't pay towards my share. It is a friend's horse and is mutually beneficial. There are a couple of days a week she can't get to the yard due to work so I do those days. he also isn't the most "straightforward" horse so I have been schooling him. i am by no means Ms Dujardin but I am competent lol and he is looking and behaving great from the consistent schooling. I do skip the field and feed on my days too. Also groom and if there are feed buckets etc needing cleaned then I do that too. She has had other sharers/riders but none have stuck at it or weren't reliable whereas I turn up on my days and any days I can't I just let her know and its no probs! I am considering leaving a contribution now and then though towards shoes etc.

I don't charge anything to my helpers. There's a very specific order to how the work and rides are allocated: I get first dibs on my horses for days I want to compete or hunt, my helpers need to stand in for me on the 8-10 days a month I can't do my own horses. In exchange they get the next choice of riding days and I do the remainder of the yard chores. I also pay for everything. I have a small band of fabulous helpers who are loyal and make sure I never need to worry when I am away, and I look after them as best I can - one has had her first tastes of showjumping and XC competitions on my ponies, another is taking my horse to a national level competition and I'm giving her lessons in the hope she will do well. We are all very happy with this.

However..... there are lots of ways to share a horse. My sharers have been known to walk to my house in the snow to make sure the horses are looked after. A different owner might look at how much her horse is costing her and ask for half the costs. Trust me, I can easily think of ways a horse could cost £1500 a month to own - I know of full luxury livery yards that cost £250 per week and for that you want for nothing (I kept my horse on one of these before children - they were baffled that I would want to tack my own horse up. The other liveries had one groom tack their horse up while another staff member made them a coffee!) Add in peripheral costs and it can add up. Someone somewhere may be happy to pay £750 per month for 2 rides and not otherwise having to lift a finger. Let's face it, if there isn't anyone happy to pay that cost she isn't going to get it.

Elsewhere people advertise their riding skills and demand payment for them. I wouldn't pay anyone to ride my lovely horses, they are well schooled enough by me, and I have enough people asking to ride that I don't need to pay people to keep them fit. Other people may find they have to pay people to ride their horses.

Everyone is different and has a different approach. Look hard enough and you'll find a deal that keeps most people happy.

Pay £420 pcm for a share on a quality dressage horse on schooling livery. This includes lessons and I can generally ride whenever I look. The yard has really good facilities. I went from having my own horse to this share and the costs are very similar so I’ve not felt it financially but this is fairly expensive for a horse. I do toy with getting another of my own

Wow! 750 a month! Is that a 7 day a week share. Mine is only £80 a month for each day I share. She’s on livery - London fringes so minimal work and shes a lovely sane ride... more a great hack that a competition prospect ( and older lady now...) but still!

Keep worrying that people will think I'm being cheeky if I try to share my horse. I'm not gonna be asking for money, other than during winter but the money goes to the yard owner directly. Basically, I will be paying for the base DIY livery costs, and then any extras like mucking out, turn out bring in etc get charged separately. I would ask the sharer to pay for those things on their days only if they want them. So if they want the horse mucked out, turned out and brought in on their days, they pay for it not me. As I'm only gonna be paying for bringing in on my days.

Does that sound fair enough? I'm not gonna ask for shoes or anything else, he's a walking catastrophe and loses shoes often so that's not fair asking for them to pay for that.

But he is a nice enough horse, easy to school, he knows some more advanced dressage moves. He can jump, but only small and not often as he's had surgery on his legs. Needs a confident rider for hacking though as he thinks everything will kill him. But he doesn't rear, buck or do anything bad, he doesn't knows how to be bad.

I’m just thinking of finding a sharer for my horse for £20 a week as many days as they like and no yard duties, amazing horse who can jump 1.20 Sj round, great XC, can do a decent dressage test, hack out alone and in company, goes passed anything, very calm on the ground and ridden, is that amount to much?

I'd snatch your hand off for that Gin96 ! 😃

Well I’m in Milton Keynes if anyone is interested

Too far away sadly but I'm sure you'll get someone 🙂

I’m sure I will I haven’t put an advert up yet 😊 thanks

@Gin96 I would bite your hand off if you were nearer. Sounds a great deal for me! I don't pay towards my "share horse" as stated above but would definitely pay towards that!

Thank you 😊

If the horse is on schooling or competition livery in a professional yard £750 pcm would generally be half the livery with no contribution towards farrier, worming, vet, shows etc. It usually includes training from an experienced trainer who specialises in that discipline (one lesson often around £75+ per session on your own horse) and the opportunity to be on a yard where most are working towards similar goals and there us lots to be picked up from being around/watching others. Like everything it depends what you’re after. If you wanted a “proper dressage horse” in a professional yard for example, it’s actually a cheap way of doing it. If you want a fun horse to school yourself with occasional lessons etc then it’s a very silly and expensive way of doing it!

@Gin96 that sounds probably too cheap. I'm in Scotland and here we'd pay £30-£50 a week for that and probably the top end for your horse. If I was nearer I'd love a horse like that for my daughter, I'm sure you'll get someone no problem. My daughter likes a share as can get the riding pleasure without the full financial commitment and you can change if not working for either party x

Jeez I pay £10 a day 😂 at the moment I'm only riding one weekend day but on that day I do all duties. I work at the yard too so it's not difficult. Pony lives out in summer, she's in at night in winter but is dead easy to do. I get on really well with her owner and the yard owners, I've been riding there on and off since I was a kid so it's like a second home.

I put a lovely pony out on loan a few years ago as she was just too nice to leave as a field ornament and I was busy competing a bit of a bonkers Arab.
Family decided I was then responsible for babysitting their stroppy daughter all day every Saturday on the yard while they went out for the day without her.

They ended loan without any notice or discussion by leaving pony’s tack shoved in an empty feed bin on the last Sunday of summer holidays.
Nice.

That's definitely more than the average share but if it's on a top yard, livery & costs could be double that.

I'm thinking if looking for a sharer for my 148 Connie, and suspect I'll advertise at £25 - £30 per week, I'm in West Sussex.