Horse Share: Would you let me?

[Aimeelou]

Hi everyone

I wanted some advice on if people would consider sharing me a horse with my limited experience? I know most people want someone who’s competent and been around horses for years but I don’t know how else to get the experience!

So I started riding at a local school and helping out there on the weekends for a few months. I then had an amazing share horse for a year two days a week. There no duties or real responsibility as I went up during the day and just groomed her, rode and the put her back out in the field. We would go to competitions but the owner was always with me.

I then had about a year break and have recently got back into riding. I’ve had a few lessons and have started helping out someone i met on Facebook with their poo picking, grooming and handling but no riding.

I feel like I’m safe to handle the horses and know the basics of horse care. My riding isn’t fantastic and I’d still class myself as a novice but I really want a share I can have lessons on and bond with. I also want to learn the ins and outs of horse health and care! I’m not sure how else to get experience.

Sorry this post has been so long but if you have any advice on if people are likely to let me share or how to improve my experience please let me know

 

[CharliesAngel]

when i still had my older highland i was desperately looking for someone to come and hack out with me on my youngster to give her confidence. I would have been very happy to have you come and do that with me. If Id been looking for an actual sharer then Id have looked to make a decision on that a few weeks in of me being with you all the time

 

[KP nut]

I have no idea how old you are but if I had a suitable horse or pony I would consider letting you share. There was a 13 year old girl at my last yard who helped out at weekends in return for lessons. I noticed her because she was so mature, calm, responsible and very good with the horses and ponies. Very different from most of the 13 year olds (mine included!) who were generally a bit more messy, disorganised and noisy! I offered her my daughter's pony Oscar one day a week and my own pony Cally one day a week. I did not really need a sharer but I liked her and I knew my ponies would benefit from 1 more session a week. She also looked after all mine whenever I was on holiday or away for the weekend. Her care of them was exemplary. I have now moved yards but she now has a fulltime loan pony.

I would normally never consider allowing a teenager to share mine (or indeed most adults either but I made an exception for her so my advice would be to model the behaviour you think owners would want: reliability, cheerfulness, competence, maturity. There are other teenagers/young adults around looking for shares but I would not let them near mine. So it really does depend on the qualities of the individual imo.

 

[carthorse]

I don't want a sharer so I'm not the best person to ask.

All I can say is reply to as many adverts as you think are suitable, from how you describe your abilities I'd say leave adverts for young/green horses, likewise anything that sounds like it's sharp or tricky. You sound like you need something fairly straightforward & that will limit the number or adverts but they do still come up. There'd be no harm in putting out a few wanted adverts either, just be careful how you word them - read them back to yourself & ask if you come across as someone you'd be happy to share your pride & joy with.

For me, if I was looking for a sharer (or even letting someone hack my horse) attitude & personality are as important as ability. I wouldn't care how good you were if you came across as wanting to change things or knowing better then you wouldn't get a toe in the door! So if I said I always do something a certain way I wouldn't want a "yes but" reply, though I could cope with a "why?". But as I said I don't share

 

[KP nut]

For me, if I was looking for a sharer (or even letting someone hack my horse) attitude & personality are as important as ability. I wouldn't care how good you were if you came across as wanting to change things or knowing better then you wouldn't get a toe in the door!

This this is what I was trying to say less well! Many of the teenagers/young adults around my old yard present themselves as confident, experienced riders offering to help 'school'. They show their confidence and competence by generally bossing horses around - the shouty 'pack it in' style of horsemanship.

I can see why they think their experience is a selling point but actually it really isn't. If I ever was going to let someone school my horse it would not be a teenage have a go hero! I'd far rather share with someone who wanted to learn and who looked after my horses EXACTLY as I asked.

 

[Jessey]

If I were looking for a sharer, for me the most important thing is maturity and honesty about their abilities. I would not consider anyone who thinks the sun shines out of their own ass because even after 35 years I can hand on heart say I still have a lot to learn! but someone who is honest and says they want to learn/have lessons and to build a relationship would be considered, as long as I had a horse suitable to teach someone the ropes. I think so long as someone has common sense and doesn't over estimate themselves they are likely to keep themselves and my horse safe, and for me that's my main priority.

 

[Aimeelou]

Thank you all for your responses!

To answer some of your questions I am 24. I have been riding on and off for the last four years.
I started a bit late compared to a lot of riders and I don't know many people in the horse community so I have found it difficult to find experience or people who will trust me.

I am not the type to question ways of doing things and thinking I know better. I just want to learn so ask a lot of questions that probably seem silly to others. I am hoping to do a few stable management courses with my local school and I am also looking to go on a confidence course with the Centre for Horseback Combat. I just don't want to always be riding school ponies - to me the most important part is spending time with the horses rather than jumping on for a ride on a horse I barely know. I actually really enjoy poo picking and grooming

 

[HaloHoney]

I am looking for a sharer, but I’m looking for someone who has the skills to help Flash build up muscle by working correctly.

He’s currently not being worked correctly and is failing to build muscle because of this.

So I’d be looking to have someone who is a more experienced ride.

If I had a pony that I need someone to exercise to prevent it sitting in a field for a week and being silly when my kids got on it at the weekend- then absolutely.

 

[Kite_Rider]

Everyone has to start somewhere and as long as you came across as reliable and sensible I wouldn't have a problem with you being less experienced, in fact I would probably prefer someone like you as a sharer.
If you were looking for a horse to hack and take care of and you lived near to me I'd invite you round for a chat. I often think I would love to give someone the lovely experience of one to one time with a horse that I had as a sharer before I got my own.
Edited to add - @Aimeelou there is no such thing as a silly question, ever, again I'd much prefer someone who asked lots of questions to someone who just blindly carried on doing something and get it wrong.

 

[Jessey]

@Amieelou have you considered doing the BHS basic horse care course, and maybe the riding and road safety, these might help you gain experience and also give you the 'sellability' to potential loaners plus you might get to meet owners while you do it as they tend to be held at bigger yards.

You could also join a local riding club, or volunteer to be a jump judge/scribe/checkpoint person for an event (depending on what disciplines interest you I would try to pick that and volunteer so you meet people with similar interests), its a great way to get tips and experience and meet people, and that might lead to a share One of the shares I had as a kid was from my mum sat watching my lesson chatting to another lady, the ladies daughter had got a new jumping pony and her old horse was doing nothing and she offered my mum the load there and then

 

[newforest]

I think the word novice can put people off, so I would drop it to happy hacker. Pretty much says the same thing!
I still view myself as a novice. My definition of experienced, confident and competent are those riders that can ride any horse in any situation, improve their way of going and or deal with what behaviour arises.
Can I do that, eh no! So you being honest about your ability will go further with an owner than trying to make yourself better than you are.

Although you are not riding can you lunge, can you longrein? If not ask if you could learn this.

It depends on what you share. With mine I bring in, work and put back in the field. She is fairly uncomplicated in that respect. I'm on a yard where everything else is done.

 

[Jessey]

I think the word novice can put people off, so I would drop it to happy hacker. Pretty much says the same thing!

Happy hacker and novice are not the same thing at all, you can be an experienced hacker but still be novice in a school and visa versa. I would happily take most horses out hacking based on your criteria for experience, but I wouldn't profess to be able to school on a show jumper.

I would agree saying you are novice will put people off, but you can say the same thing without using that one red-flag word which is, I think, what @newforest was suggesting, perhaps just stating you have XX years experience at a riding school and XX years with a share horse, and let people come to their own conclusions. For me I would want someone who is happy and capable to handle and ride the horse independently, as generally the point of a share is you don't have time to do it yourself (and in such a case you also won't have time to be there to help all the time), so stating that you are happy to do that/have experience of that will go a long way to showing where you are at even if you still feel that you lack experience in terms of riding.

 

[Kite_Rider]

I disagree too, I’m a happy hacker but I don’t consider myself a novice.
I think for me personally I’d prefer someone to be completely honest about their ability and tell me what they felt capable and confident with. Not everyone looking for a sharer wants someone who can ride anything, in fact round here those riders charge the owner for ridden work and wouldn’t be interested in sharing.
If it wasn’t for shares who’s owners didn’t mind a novice I would never have had one and I know I wouldn’t have the Horse care knowledge I have now.
It’s just a case of finding the right Horse/owner combo, now that is the hard part.

 

[chunky monkey]

When I got my second horse I found it difficult to juggle exercising two and working. It was also clear my youngster needed some company from my old sensibles boy to help him learn.
I needed help but not necessarily a sharer. I also needed a light rider for my old boy. Id had a couple of novices children ride him but it was clear they were too novice. Through word of mouth i ended up finding two teenagers to help out. One had only been riding two years but due to the lessons they had received they were very competent for what I wanted. I just wanted someone who could come and ride out with me whenever they could, if they could do a bit of poo picking in return that was a bonus. They knew from the word go that they would be riding with me rather than going out on the own. It has meant that they have gained experience riding and managing horses without having any responsibility. I have also offered the one the opportunity to compete and do funrides.
Try advertising on the local Facebook horse group for your area. I've seen people advertising themselves on my local ones and they get responses. Just be honest about your capabilities. Also ask if anyone is looking for a rider to ride with them. Dont feel you have to share, just offer help.

 

[Juliaa]

I was a sharer so can offer limited advice, but I started off Working at a yard, for free lessons every 2 weeks or so, within 3 months I could barely do rising trot, I was so eager to have a horse I started looking for shares or loans (I was 13 at the time, so ignore my irrational thinking) however I was willing to put in the hard work and not only focus on riding but also help out the owner. I did find someone who was willing to teach me and happy for me to share her horse, she was the most kindest person ever and granted me a huge amount of knowledge that allowed me to be able to ride confidently and was classified as an intermediate rider after a year or so and even a week ago got accepted into a level 3 equine course, but in return I was always there on time, helped with chores and the horses, and worked really hard.

My advice is don’t look for something specific, and don’t be afraid to ask people who have put their horses out for loan or share. As everyone else above said people are more willing to teach and let their horse be shared by people who want to learn and are kind and mature, not everything is judged by experience!

 

[PePo]

Another that definitely thinks mainly hacking does not automatiautomaticall to a novice.

I hack for miles for lots of different reasons - I enjoy being out in the countryside, it's stimulus for my horse's hooves keeping them healthy, an array of surfaces is better for them & it gets us out and about to places like gallops, XC courses, SJ courses, arena hire & even competitions & clinics.

But as an ex horse industry professional (I've ridden and worked with eventers, show horses, polo ponies, dressage horswa, hunters and most things in between) I'm not a novice & nor is my horse suitable for a novice. I'm no Charlotte Dujardin, either don't get me wrong ...

Be honest in your abilities & I'm sure you'll be fine