What are the Ups/Downs of Loaning or Sharing a horse?

[Returning_Rider]

I've wondered about this very thing many times and although I've still got a great deal to learn before ever considering this option, I was wondering what are the good and bad points about both loaning or sharing a horse?

All replies and views are welcomed and appreciated as this is something that I may consider in the future, but first things first, I'm going to concentrate on learning to ride to a much better standard and to learn much more about horse care, which is most definitely a must :)

[Murphley Moo]

Hiya,

I don't know much about loan horses but i have recently taken on a share horse.

It works beautifully! I share 4 days a week on my days off which makes life a lot easier when i have to work. It is also financially a good option. For example last week he had to have the vet out for colic which cost £90. His owner paid it - i just pay for him to be shod every 5 weeks and take up the odd bag of carrots, apples etc.

It is a great way to be introduced into the horsey world and learn all about their care. I'm sure in time you will be able to find a lovely horse to share / loan

Edited to say that the only down side is that when i leave on Mondays, i am really sad that i won't see him again until Friday!

[summercandy]

I used to loan before owning my own.It's a great way to
1)get to learn about taking care of a horse
2)a good inbetween step between learning to ride and owning your own horse
3)you can do more with a share/loan horse than you can in a riding school
4) depending on the cost of lessons it can work out cheaper to share providing you don't have to pay too much towards shoeing,worming and other care costs
Now for the cons
1) the horse is never your own to do with as you wish
2) sometimes you can get very attached and the owner can take the horse back for no apparant reason
3) you don't usually have a say in how the owner wishes to care for the horse,even if the owner is doing something that you disagree with
4) if it is a full loan you are paying for everything and sometimes improving the horse,only for it to be taken away from you at a later date with very little thanks.

[Heucherella]

I am now on my second share, my first having ended recently by my choice after a very successful year. The benefits are, as atc says, that it is cheaper than owning, loaning, or riding a RS horse. You get lots of practice at owning, but if there is a problem then there is someone else to sort it out. So it is less stressful.

The downs, I suppose, are that the owner always comes first, so if there is a competition or a sponsored ride, then they get first choice. Many owners are generous and will ensure that loaners get to take part in plenty of things though :). As you get more knowledgable you may start to want to make changes, either to the way the horse is treated, fed, or to the tack, such as the bit. That is unlikely to happen, as the owners usually do things their way for a reason, so you have to put up with the way things are. And the big downer of course is that at some point you have to say goodbye :(

All in all, if you find a good owner (both of mine are the best :D ), then sharing can work very well.

[sophie33]

I am on my third share and have found them all very beneficial. There are so many things you don't get to do when just riding at a riding school. I remember the first time I rode on my own, without anyone telling me what to do, scary - but what a buzz! - made me realise I could actually ride.
Also you get to learn about caring for the horse. I couldn't even tack up when I first shared.
As others have said you don't have the responsibility or cost of owning. The other day the horse I share was taken badly ill on my day - terrifying - but all I had to do was call the owner in a panic and wait for her to turn up - the responsibility, and the vet's bills, are hers.
Having said that I don't find it cheaper than just having lessons, as I feel I badly need to still have lessons whilst sharing.
And I must say I do hanker for a horse all of my own but sharing is a very good middle road between lessons and owning.

[Bubbles1989]

I'm on my 4th share at the moment and this one is definately working out best so far. the pro's for me are that i dont have the responsibility of worrying about my own horse every day, just the days hes mine, no early morning feeds or anything (except sundays) as hes on full livery. and if theres a problem or im confused about something his owner is more then happy to pick up the phone and answer anything.

the cons are definately the saying goodbye part, having to do it 3 times to all lovely horses, its extremely hard. and i guess the knowing that you're not really mum! Sure you can act it on your days but the owner is always first in the horses eyes!!

I would definately recommended it, i dont think i could ever go back to a riding school!

[melmo1313]

I like sharing a lot, it helps me out financially and time-wise as I could never affors a horse on both those issues right now. I learnt at a riding school for 10 years though, including working there for 2 years, so I knew the basics of riding and horse care which is always good as you can be independent on 'your' days. Cost-wise it costs me the same as an hour group lesson to share him 2 days a week ... bargain! On the other hand, there are always going to be things 'you' would do differently but I think having a good owner/sharer relationship helps that and being clear from the start what you both want.

[Happy Hacker 01]

I started sharing my share horse in May, and I couldn't be happier! I have ridden on and off since I was around 9 (25 now) but I think I have learnt so much more in the past 4 months than I ever did in a riding school.

I ride him 4 days per week and do all stable chores etc (although he still lives out at the mo). I pay £160 p/m. I live in Guernsey where unfortunately livery, feed etc tends to be slightly more expensive than UK from what I've gathered. I'm not sure what the average costs are for sharing in UK, but I don't think it would be much different in alot of cases.

I mainly hack and school, and have just started to do a bit of jumping. I'm going to start having some lessons on him soon, and hopefully compete a little next summer! (scary! :eek: :o)

Luckily his owner is really nice and very encouraging. She's just started riding another horse in order to compete at a higher level, so we're both happy as she knows her old boy is being kept fit at the same time!

All in all, I'd definetly recommend sharing, I think the only con is on the days I don't ride him, I'm bored!! :D

[spikeylaura]

From the other side of the fence as it were, I have my horse on full loan and all it has saved me is the cost of the boy himself! I pay all of his upkeep, bills including vet and insurance but on the plus side I can do whatever I want with him (although there are some exclusion in our contract). He has been with me for comming up to three years and to be honest I don't think he'll be going anywhere any time soon!

I think it depends on what you want out of it - I have exactly the same responsability of someone who owns their horse, it's just not my name on his passport. If you are after getting some experience then look at a share, as everyone has already said there is always someone there to help/advise etc

[Xandoz]

I'm not 100% sure what the difference between loaning and sharing is as we only loan in South Africa. I have put Daisy out on part-loan twice.

The first time, I ended it. The rider had lied to me as to how much riding experience she had and after 2 months, Daisy became hard to catch (which she's never been otherwise) becuase she was so unhappy with the rider. The rider used to jump Daze, which she hates, gallop her at the same spots everytime on outrides, making her dangerous as she'd just take off and just made Daze into a general grump.

The second lessee was a little 10-year-old girl who was learning to ride. She had a ball with Daisy and Daze enjoyed working with her. They did very light work and it went very well. After 6 months, the lease ended because the girl would be learning to jump soon, so her mom bought her her first pony for Christmas. We stabled at the same yard though, so they still had the odd ride on Daze and would give her carrots and bath her.

So I've been on the owner's side, with a good and bad lease.

[Returning_Rider]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies so far, I really appreciate it alot :)

Prior to posting this thread, I had been thinking that sharing would be a much better option all round and from what you good people have said, that sharing is indeed the way to go :)

As I said though, it is an option that I don't want to think about for 2 seconds and jump in with both feet way too soon and so, before I consider it more seriously, I'm going to concentrate on improving my riding skills and horse care knowledge a fair bit further before considering this option more seriously :)

Thank you once again everyone, I really appreciate it alot :)