sharer options!

juliecwuk

Well-Known Member
Mar 2, 2006
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Wolverhampton
I have had my sisters cob living up with me since August. In september i started having two sharers for him...

Permanent sharer - Tues/Fri/Sun pays £65 per month DD.
Temp sharer - Mon/Sat and pays £15 per week but only when she rides...so could be £0 for no riding, £10 for one ride, £15 for two rides....originally set up as i thought she would only want to ride once every other week - turned out she LOVES it and rides pretty much twice a week every week depending on weather.

However the permanent sharer pays regardless and although some of you may wonder why this is the case - those three days are hers, if she chooses not to ride that's up to her....originally the temp sharer could only ride when i am there as she was a total beginner, so if i cant be there then i feel bad asking her to pay....plus when we first started it she wasnt sure how much she would want to commit etc etc...however as it turns out she LOVES riding and goes up on days when i cant be there and rides in all weather and arranges lessons when i cannot take her on a hack.

so for the last four months the permanent sharer hasnt been working so rides tues/fri in the mornings, i ride with her when work allows, but unfortunately i have realised that she is heavily dependent on me - if i cant ride then she wont go up even though she is more than capable of getting him in and riding in the school (shes experienced)....im finding it a bit of a bind now and also shes not 'pushing' herself anymore and just avoids going there without me....i was understanding for the first 3 months but now i feel she should go up without me if i cant be there...i just feel a bit under pressure to ride alot when sometimes i would rather not.

Now in my opinion a proper part loan is a set 3 days, if you cant ride on 1 or 2 of those days (as is the case for most people in the winter) then thats unfortunate but the money shouldnt change as the horse is 'hers' on those days?

the permanent sharer has said she has a job for three months starting jan which means no tuesday riding - but the way she was talking did sound like she was hoping i would drop the contribution?

(for those who think thats an option its not - my mother has said if he isnt covered rent wise then she will sell him...which isnt what me or my sister want so i have to make sure at least his rent is covered)

also the temp sharer has said she would consider taking an extra day in the next few months...which could work well as she would have mon/tues/sat and the perm loaner is flexible with her days and would have say wed/fri/sun....BUT i was thinking about then swapping the temp/perm around - so temp becomes perm and pays £65 per week for the 3 days, and the perm becomes temp and pays £15 depending on the amount she rides - BUT i run the risk of loosing money since as it has turned out she wont ride without me and there could be alot of chances of :( and i dont want to risk my mum making us sell him :(

mind you writing this all down has made me realise i perhaps need to see if they want to swap around...the temp sharer is dedicated, will feed mine if i cant make it...the perm sharer is just too dependent on me, although its fine whilst work is quiet i am finding it a bit of a bind! and perhaps if she starts really dropping days because i cant be there or she doesnt want to ride then i could look for someone a bit more dedicated or use him myself/for friends if she doesnt go up....

hmmm think i need to have a chat with them over the next few weeks!

i think originally i was hoping for a bit of help too from the perm sharer and since theres no stable duties (only poo picking in winter) i thought they could occassionally feed mine so i could have a weekend away or was working late but i didnt realise it would end up meaning i had to be there MORE to ensure the perm sharer actually went up and rides/poo picks....hmmmm
 
I think I kept up with all of that :unsure: !! I would be wary of the permanent sharer being given the option of changing to a pay per ride thing as it sounds like she's losing interest and would become even more reticent about taking part.
But it might be the push she needs to just not bother with it anymore, which would leave you space to find a new sharer perhaps?
 
I would talk to them both, and pretty soon. Asking what each of them would like from your horse, rather than telling them anything. You could use the excuse that you are working so short of time and your Mum is looking at the situation.
Just to get clear what each of them would really like and can afford both money and time wise - both short term and long term.
I wouldnt talk to either of them in terms of swapping over. If you need a sharer like the person paying per ride , and the person paying per ride would like to share and can afford the cost, terminate one share and begin the other.
To soften the blow of terminating the previous sharer you can offer her the chance to ride when both you and the horse are free?

I think it is worth discussing how you and she perceive a pay per ride share. I share and pay per ride. It suits me and it suits the owner as I adjust what I do with my share to allow for what the owner needs her for. But at the same time, I look on my pay per ride riding as an annual expenditure. I am not clock watching. I have never fretted if due to bad weather or tired horse or rider, we had to cut a hack short. It is my on-going relationship with the horses that is important.
Their owners treat me with consideration - respecting my attachment to their horses and the many hours I have ridden them since 2004. I never ride without thinking how lucky I am and what a priviledge it is.
As the owner of a horse, dont underestimate the value to both your sharers. be kind, but at the same time be practical about what you need from both of them. It has to be a two way thing.
 
I would talk to them both, and pretty soon. Asking what each of them would like from your horse, rather than telling them anything. You could use the excuse that you are working so short of time and your Mum is looking at the situation.
Just to get clear what each of them would really like and can afford both money and time wise - both short term and long term.
I wouldnt talk to either of them in terms of swapping over. If you need a sharer like the person paying per ride , and the person paying per ride would like to share and can afford the cost, terminate one share and begin the other.
To soften the blow of terminating the previous sharer you can offer her the chance to ride when both you and the horse are free?

I think it is worth discussing how you and she perceive a pay per ride share. I share and pay per ride. It suits me and it suits the owner as I adjust what I do with my share to allow for what the owner needs her for. But at the same time, I look on my pay per ride riding as an annual expenditure. I am not clock watching. I have never fretted if due to bad weather or tired horse or rider, we had to cut a hack short. It is my on-going relationship with the horses that is important.
Their owners treat me with consideration - respecting my attachment to their horses and the many hours I have ridden them since 2004. I never ride without thinking how lucky I am and what a priviledge it is.
As the owner of a horse, dont underestimate the value to both your sharers. be kind, but at the same time be practical about what you need from both of them. It has to be a two way thing.

thank you :) i appreciate your advice. I am waiting for confirmation off the permanent sharer tomorrow as to whether its the Tues or the fri she wont be wanting after xmas...then i will approach them both and ask what they were hoping for....

I do know the temp sharer is keen to have an extra day soon enough as she mentioned it a few weeks ago, and she has asked if we would consider selling him to her in the future (its a possibility in a few years we think but for now my sister is clinging on tight to him...and so am i in all honesty!)

whereas the permanent sharer returned to riding in Sept after a 4 year break and has mentioned that she would like to purchase her own horse again (not sure when though)....and there is talk of her moving away in the summer anyway....

as you say i think i need to find out what they want from the horse/me and see if i can accommodate them (which i will try as i really like them both and we get on great!)
 
I don't have anything to add in relation to the decision you are trying to make.... just needed to mention that I think both of these sharers are getting an absolute BARGAIN!

£15 a week for 2/3 days where they get to ride and don't have any jobs (apart from poo-picking) - they really are getting a good deal.

I pay £20 a week (negotiated down from £25 a week) for 2/3 days for a 12.3hh pony plus ALL JOBS as on 100% DIY. Often get asked to do extra jobs on other days too to help out the owner who has two small children and works long hours.
 
wow didnt realise it was this easy to do a multi quote! haha

I don't have anything to add in relation to the decision you are trying to make.... just needed to mention that I think both of these sharers are getting an absolute BARGAIN!

£15 a week for 2/3 days where they get to ride and don't have any jobs (apart from poo-picking) - they really are getting a good deal.

I pay £20 a week (negotiated down from £25 a week) for 2/3 days for a 12.3hh pony plus ALL JOBS as on 100% DIY. Often get asked to do extra jobs on other days too to help out the owner who has two small children and works long hours.

thats interesting! i worked it out on the total cost of Major being rent (£90, farrier £15 pmth, insurance £25 pmth, then divided it in half - my mum covers the other half less anything that the temp sharer contributes that month. My mum still covers any extras like dentist & vets etc)

Could you make both permanent? £65 per month for 2/3days per week?

yes have toyed with that idea except this is where my sister comes in with a complication!! lol! the reason for one permanent and the one temp was because my sister wants to be able to ride when she comes up to visit (usually a visit once every 3 months) so i didn't want to feel bad asking for us to be able to use Major whilst she visits....originally we thought my sister may have come up a bit more than that but shes just too busy with school work so it prob wouldnt hinder loaners much anyway! and with the temp person i could say that my sister was up so was riding him on that specific weekend (this was already discussed with both loaners prior to them riding him anyway and they both agreed they would allow her to ride if she visited)
 
Hmmmm, I think I follow it.

If I were in your situation I would just have a chat with them, see how the situation is working out for them.

I started off paying cash to my share's owner every week, though it wasn't done on a pay per ride basis, if I couldnt make it up one week then I wouldnt pay her for it. But to be honest I found it a total nightmare! It meant always having cash on me and having to remember to give it to her when I was at the yard. I invariably forgot and would end up forking out for 3 weeks on the trot feeling horendously guilty that I had not given his owner the money for so long :redface:. So, we have now switched to DD, and I dont care if I can't ride for whatever reason, my share is very flexible and I can usually make it up some other time or ride one of her other horses. But like you say, technically he is mine for the day, so if I cant ride for whatever reason then that's just the way the cookie crumbles! If you owned your own there would be plenty times you wouldn't get to ride when you wanted to.

When having your 'chat' with the perm sharer I would ask her how she is getting on, and maybe just re-affirm that she is able to come up to the yard herself. Possibly make up some ficticious reason that you might not be able to ride so much in the coming weeks (works getting busy or something like that), so she needs to be comfortable coming and riding by herself. Or, simply come out and ask her why she doesn't come up by herself.

Be as honest as you can, as a sharer I would really appreciate that. I told my share's owner from the start to call me up, or question me on anything she might not like me doing.
 
Shoot me down in flames but it the only way to keep him is to have a sharer then maybe its not the right thing to do.
Its relying on someone else to help with the bills but what if something happens and they can't pay etc.
 
Shoot me down in flames but it the only way to keep him is to have a sharer then maybe its not the right thing to do.
Its relying on someone else to help with the bills but what if something happens and they can't pay etc.

Wont shoot you down at all as i know why you are saying it. That's not the case though...its not the 'only' way to keep him. I took the care of him on as he lives with my two, so the care is not in question, which i am happy to do.

Financially my mother pays for half his costs (and has paid for him fully for the last 6 years without any issues whatsoever). The sole reason he moved up here was that my sister wasn't having time to ride as much and with her final year in A-levels didn't have time for the mucking out through the winter. That was the main reason for him coming up here...

However as rude as it may come across i feel that if someone is riding/loaning a horse then i feel they should financially contribute (i know obviously others disagree) but as they would have to pay for riding lessons or pay to own their own then i feel strongly that they should contribute. It is greatly different i suppose if the loaner is offering help/stable duties etc in return but as he lives out 24/7 and i feed/hay daily there isnt any 'help' as such to do instead of financially contributing.

I suppose my main question in the initial post was that is it fair for the permanent sharer to ask to pay less if they are only able to ride 2 out of 3 days (as i felt they should still continue to pay as others in the situation have to)...however i think that question has been answered anyway by the replies.

I see why you got that impression as i said 'my mother has said if he isnt covered rent wise then she will sell him'....that was so that people didnt offer advice along the lines of allowing the loaner to pay less, sorry that was misleading on my part as my mum isn't quite that heartless it was just a shorter way to explain that the financial contribution was important to us.
 
Wont shoot you down at all as i know why you are saying it. That's not the case though...its not the 'only' way to keep him. I took the care of him on as he lives with my two, so the care is not in question, which i am happy to do.

Financially my mother pays for half his costs (and has paid for him fully for the last 6 years without any issues whatsoever). The sole reason he moved up here was that my sister wasn't having time to ride as much and with her final year in A-levels didn't have time for the mucking out through the winter. That was the main reason for him coming up here...

However as rude as it may come across i feel that if someone is riding/loaning a horse then i feel they should financially contribute (i know obviously others disagree) but as they would have to pay for riding lessons or pay to own their own then i feel strongly that they should contribute. It is greatly different i suppose if the loaner is offering help/stable duties etc in return but as he lives out 24/7 and i feed/hay daily there isnt any 'help' as such to do instead of financially contributing.

I suppose my main question in the initial post was that is it fair for the permanent sharer to ask to pay less if they are only able to ride 2 out of 3 days (as i felt they should still continue to pay as others in the situation have to)...however i think that question has been answered anyway by the replies.

I see why you got that impression as i said 'my mother has said if he isnt covered rent wise then she will sell him'....that was so that people didnt offer advice along the lines of allowing the loaner to pay less, sorry that was misleading on my part as my mum isn't quite that heartless it was just a shorter way to explain that the financial contribution was important to us.

I'm with you now.
Good luck with whatever transpires.
 
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