Buying to share?

[Hanfleur]

Hi all! So I came back to riding a few weeks ago after a couple of decades off and have been bitten hard by the horsey bug again! I think I have some months of lessons to get through before I get up to my previous standard and confidence but I'm already hankering after having my own at some point in the future.

I've been trying to price up monthly costs to see if it would be financially feasible and as I no longer have my previous childcare bill of £450/m, I think it would be doable as I know I can cover at least this amount without having to look elsewhere in the budget. I know I would likely be looking at more than this per month however.

I was wondering though, what your thoughts are to buying already with a view to have a part-time sharer, say 2-3 days a week just to have that extra contribution to costs or to go into an emergencies fund? I've never owned before - I was just one of those kids constantly at the stables so I don't know how that would affect the horsey/human relationship or if it's just a bad idea!

What are your thoughts horsefolk?

Thanks!

I would be tempted to try to find a share in the first instance. It would give you a taste of ownership without the responsibility and you would then know what sharing is like from that side.
I have never has a sharer but know people who have had awful problems with people not turning up when they are supposed to or not followimg the owners rules on horse care. I think as a novice owner taking on a sharer might difficult.
Are you looking at diy livery or full?

Not a bad idea at all to look for a sharer to get some help with costs and care duties, very sensible in fact but I would never count or absolutely rely on it, if you see what I mean? Depending on where you and your yard are and the type of horse you get it can be hard to find a reliable sharer, particularly if you want them to do stable duties as well as pay, and of course if horse is injured or develops any behavioural problems it's not really reasonable to expect a sharer to hang around and keep paying whilst not being able to ride. You wouldn't want the stress of that hanging over you if you were depending on the money! So providing you have the budget to pay everything yourself, including emergency/contingency fund and for 7 day livery (or freelance groom costs for any days you can't make it to the yard) plus enough to pay someone to ride or lunge or walk out the horse any days you can't ride yourself, and treat any sharer contribution as a bonus you should be good. That way when you get the horse you can take your time getting to know one another and settling in without pressure to find a sharer immediately. Some horses are much more unsettled than others by a change of owner/yard/routine and if you end up with an anxious one you might want to give them time to properly settle before adding a new rider in as well - other horses are totally fine with multiple different riders and handlers though so may not apply but you won't know until you have him/her. Also if you aren't desperate to find someone quickly, then you can also pick and choose someone who is a good rider, mature, committed, responsible, reliable etc. Sadly there are lots of people out there looking for shares who are none of the above and prepared to lie about it to boot, so you want to give yourself plenty of time to thoroughly vet and hopefully find somone who will become a friend as well as a sharer!

If it all sounds a bit much and you aren't 100% sure you can manage the full commitment without a sharer, then perhaps as PP said better to be a sharer yourself first?

I would definitely get your own share first before you think about buying. It's sensible to brush up you knowledge and experience before jumping into owning unless you're thinking of going full livery with lots of support. I came back to riding at the start of this year after a couple of years off having my dds and I wanted to buy my own as soon as I went on that first ride. I've reluctantly gone down the share route first but I'm SO glad I have. A share is more than enough time and responsibility atm. Lots has changed in the riding world and my body has changed too. In my head I can still do everything I used to but the reality is quite different!

Thanks so much for the comments! I think my ideal would be to be on assisted livery but considering full as well. I’ve been looking at potential shares but realistically for me to make it work around my job and 3 kids it would need to be within a 10 min radius of me which restricts choice somewhat and makes me want to have the freedom of having my own in a local yard (I have several within a 5 min drive). In any case I think I’m looking at next summer at the earliest or even the following spring so plenty of time to think and get more experience I guess! I’m just trying to figure out if it’s a realistic goal to aim for or not!

Thanks again!

Ive had mine for 8 weeks now and previously shared a horse.
I dont think I would want a share for her at the moment as we are still bonding and I am still getting to know her and her tweeks. I wont let anyone ride her at the moment because I want us to bond together

Yes agree to getting a share yourself for 6/12 months first... see if you like it as much in December

If you’d rely on a share to afford the horse I’d have a really long hard think. Sharers can be unreliable, they may have one fall and decide to stop sharing. If the horse needed a few months off for a vet issue it’s unlikely they would hang around...

The local yards might have Facebook groups you can check out/ post on for sharing opportunities - just a thought.

To answer your question - I think it’s fine to plan to have a sharer to help out, but no way would I buy a horse I couldn’t afford to keep without a sharer. Too much risk that you can’t find someone reliable, or your horse develops issues (health, behavioural, anything!) and your sharer wants out.

I shared for years before I bought my own horse, and as a reliable adult sharer who was basically competent, I was in demand. People tried to poach me, and I was offered plenty of rides for free. So getting someone who is reliable and an okay rider AND willing to pay isn’t a given.

I can sympathise about not wanting to share and having the freedom of your own, I had about 5 years off with kids then started back with a share but quickly realised I wanted my own (poss because the woman I shared for treated my like her lackey!) the only thing I’d say though would be that with a shared you don’t totally have freedom in that most people want to ride at a weekend so you’d have to give up a weekend day unless you were happy for the horse to be ridden twice, and the same with weeknights-you might want to come up when your share is there if it’s a nice evening for a hack etc. But I’d definitely encourage buying-there’s nothing like owning your own! If you’re an experienced rider then I bet you find it comes back quick-is maybe look going into winter as generally prices are a bit lower (although horse prices are generally a bit crazy at the moment so maybe not)

Thanks so much for the comments ladies! Much food for thought!

I’ve just got back into riding after 20 years off for small children and have taken in a share, 2-3 x a week. I’m reliable and can still ride (I did have some lessons / practice Before I took on the share). I love this, as a preliminary to buying my own, which I will do sometime, I’m learning loads that I had forgotten, including some quite basic stuff 😳 but everyone is very friendly and there are people to ask.
A friend of mine said, the horse you want now, may not be the horse you want in 6 months, so take some time and find out what you really want and can mange (InTerms of time And commitment) before you make the plunge. I think that was very good advice, and I’m super happy with my share.
Just my 2p ...

I agree that it's probably not possible to rely on a sharer to cover your costs- as others have said if you have an issue like lameness, then a sharer is unlikely to continue to pay. It can also be tricky to bridge the gap between sharers when one moves on.

Depending on where you are in the country, £450 for assisted livery may be doable (especially for something cheap to keep that can manage without shoes behind and with minimal hard feed over winter and so on).

Another possible option might be working livery- there are downsides to this, but it would reduce your costs and might be more reliable than a private sharer.

Thanks so much for your advice folks! As it happens, I have been in touch with a lady who has a teenage ISH gelding plus miniature shetland on a yard 30 mins away from me. She has young children and feels that her gelding isn't getting enough riding and is worried about him getting unfit and she has offered for me to ride him and groom the pair of them 2-3 times a week in return for the odd bag of carrots!

I'm going to meet her at her livery yard at the weekend to see if it's a partnership that could work. Trying not to get my hopes up in case it's too good to be true, but cross fingers for me please!

PS I've also been doing a bit more research for a potential purchase next year and assisted livery locally seems to be around the £45/wk mark with year-round turnout. Do you think planning for an average monthly budget of around £500 sounds about right? I'm not planning on competing which I know can add a lot on!

PPS said ISH was purchased from a riding school 5 years ago and is apparently very kind and patient! I was very honest about my current riding level being fairly novice after a long break so hopefully he's not too much horse for me!