What's the best way to go about finding a share horse? I'm a complete novice, only been riding since Feb but the only way I'm going to improve is more saddle time. The only way I can see I can do this is to take on a share/part loan. Where should I be looking? Ps I have no horsey friends, so can't just impose myself on them!
Sharing a horse
- Thread starter Laura44
- Start date
It is very easy for new riders to work out that what they need is saddle time and that the best way to get this is by sharing. I am going to be blunt and tell you that this is not the moment.
Let us suppose you did find an owner who was looking for a sharer. In return you will either have to help look after the horse or use up some of your lesson budget. And you may well need the owner to teach you as well? Remember that riding is only part of the picture - you need to learn how to manage a horse from the ground, how to pick out the feet and groom it.
You may be lucky and find free tuition from an owner, but your best bet is to do a BHS Stable Management course or help out at your riding school. It wont get you more saddle time, but it will equip you to start looking for a share a year from now. In the mean time, do indeed look for saddle time but going on trail rides perhaps, riding in a group or riding as many different horses as possible.
I was offered my share by someone who had ahorse that needed hacking and knew me - networking is the best way. After I had ridden for about 2 years and was happy hacking and cantering, we went round local livery yards asking if anyone was looking for a sharer and I was offered a horse on the spot. I didnt take that one. But it is what I recommend doing. But as I said, not yet.
Let us suppose you did find an owner who was looking for a sharer. In return you will either have to help look after the horse or use up some of your lesson budget. And you may well need the owner to teach you as well? Remember that riding is only part of the picture - you need to learn how to manage a horse from the ground, how to pick out the feet and groom it.
You may be lucky and find free tuition from an owner, but your best bet is to do a BHS Stable Management course or help out at your riding school. It wont get you more saddle time, but it will equip you to start looking for a share a year from now. In the mean time, do indeed look for saddle time but going on trail rides perhaps, riding in a group or riding as many different horses as possible.
I was offered my share by someone who had ahorse that needed hacking and knew me - networking is the best way. After I had ridden for about 2 years and was happy hacking and cantering, we went round local livery yards asking if anyone was looking for a sharer and I was offered a horse on the spot. I didnt take that one. But it is what I recommend doing. But as I said, not yet.
Thanks Skib, that's EXACTLY what I want to do... I want to get involved any way I can! I think I'm just frustrated (and a lot impatient!) and just want to get on. I've left it so late to start riding, now I just want to do everything NOW! Not sure I can cope with years of one/two lessons a week! Argh, why do horses have to get inside your head so much?!
They do do shares at the RS but as there's only two horses I can ride there, the chances of one coming up is slim to none. I try to help out now, but there's literally an army of little girls that are all trying to do the same.... they're also only open to owners/sharers in the evenings when I'd have the time to do anything (I work full time) 
Going to keep my ears open for that elusive share though... I'd love a share of either horse, they're wonderful!
Going to keep my ears open for that elusive share though... I'd love a share of either horse, they're wonderful!
I think you;ll be very lucky to find a share horse when you are so new to riding. Most people who want a sharer lack time! So they want someone else to ease the pressure. And even easy horses need to be ridden competently. You might find that RS horses do the riders job because they basically listen to the instructor (terrr-OTT.... and waaa-aaalk!!) or follow the horse in front or just know their job. But a private horse ridden independently is a very different prospect. I would not allow a beginner to take solo responsibility for a horse no matter how well behaved the horse. I don't mean to be discouraging but I think your best bet is to loan or share a riding school horse who will be staying on working livery in the riding school. Or even buying one for working livery. That way the horse is worked while you pay for lessons on your own horse and practice in between lessons, with expert help on hand and a horse who knows what its doing. That may mean finding a more adult-friendly riding school.
Hey at laura, I can identify with your situation a little. I'm not a beginner but I would class myself as a novice as, even though I've been riding over 10 years, I have let my confidence hold me back. I only decided to start loaning after getting back into it 2 years ago and, while it should be straight forward, it isn't. Loaning when you've never loaned before automatically sets people off on the back foot and I got refused a lot when looking for my first loan as I didn't have experience and as @KP nut says people didn't really have time. Then you've also got the situation of what you do once you have the horse. Unfortunately, the horse world isn't always full of nice people and people will watch to get the measure of you - so you want to be sure for your own mental wellbeing that you know what you're doing.
I felt annoyed that I couldn't find anyone to loan off at first but then the tables turned when I got my own horse (for all of 2 weeks). I had a few offers to part loan/share as he was a bit much for me with my nerves but I was wary as I'd just paid a lot of money for him and I didn't really want anyone just riding him - I know that is hypocritical but try to think from the other side - horses are people's pride and joys and so they will want you to handle them and ride them in a certain way.
In the end, I decided loaning/sharing wasn't for me. I wanted a horse of my own so that I could be confident that I wasn't 'ruining' anyone else's horse for them (not that I was but if you're anything like me, these things will concern you). I tried a few loans, met some lovely people with some bonkers horses and some bonkers people with some lovely horses but never managed to find a happy medium.
I totally sympathise about the riding school helper girls, I'm 30 and still intimidated by bunches of teenage helpers at riding schools. They all seem to know what they're doing and, even when I do, I still feel that I'm somehow less knowledgable. I offered help to someone I'd been chatting to, telling her if she wanted to show me how to do things, like mucking out, tacking and unpacking, grooming and bringing it, turning out, then if she ever got stuck I could do it for her. She was fab and taught me loads and I helped where I could - she's never had to call on me but sometimes asks if I'd like to go down with her and I even ended up riding one of her horses in the end. When you get your toe in, start chatting to people, it really helps.
I know what you mean about feeling impatient. I've been looking for a horse for a fair amount of time now and it's frustrating because one lesson per week doesn't feel like I'm moving fast enough towards any end goal but I suppose that's one of the things with horses.
Don't forget also if you are loaning or sharing you will most likely also need third party liability insurance.
I felt annoyed that I couldn't find anyone to loan off at first but then the tables turned when I got my own horse (for all of 2 weeks). I had a few offers to part loan/share as he was a bit much for me with my nerves but I was wary as I'd just paid a lot of money for him and I didn't really want anyone just riding him - I know that is hypocritical but try to think from the other side - horses are people's pride and joys and so they will want you to handle them and ride them in a certain way.
In the end, I decided loaning/sharing wasn't for me. I wanted a horse of my own so that I could be confident that I wasn't 'ruining' anyone else's horse for them (not that I was but if you're anything like me, these things will concern you). I tried a few loans, met some lovely people with some bonkers horses and some bonkers people with some lovely horses but never managed to find a happy medium.
I totally sympathise about the riding school helper girls, I'm 30 and still intimidated by bunches of teenage helpers at riding schools. They all seem to know what they're doing and, even when I do, I still feel that I'm somehow less knowledgable. I offered help to someone I'd been chatting to, telling her if she wanted to show me how to do things, like mucking out, tacking and unpacking, grooming and bringing it, turning out, then if she ever got stuck I could do it for her. She was fab and taught me loads and I helped where I could - she's never had to call on me but sometimes asks if I'd like to go down with her and I even ended up riding one of her horses in the end. When you get your toe in, start chatting to people, it really helps.
I know what you mean about feeling impatient. I've been looking for a horse for a fair amount of time now and it's frustrating because one lesson per week doesn't feel like I'm moving fast enough towards any end goal but I suppose that's one of the things with horses.
Don't forget also if you are loaning or sharing you will most likely also need third party liability insurance.
^^This!^^ Nail on the head.... I'm so glad it's not just me (I'm well known for lack of patience!) and somebody has been through it! It's so frustrating because I know I learn best by doing (over and over and over ad infinitum) but I totally get why people are so against novices. If only I could afford my own..... one day! Xx
I learn best by doing too. And I know what it's like to be impatient but also can tell you, from unfortunate experience, jumping in with all guns blazing can send you so far backwards you can't even remember how to get back to where you were.
What area are you in? Helping someone out is most definitely the best thing I did. It helped me know that when I got my own I'd most certainly know what I was doing and not feel like a million eyes were watching me blundering around. Xx
What area are you in? Helping someone out is most definitely the best thing I did. It helped me know that when I got my own I'd most certainly know what I was doing and not feel like a million eyes were watching me blundering around. Xx
I hope you find what you are looking for @Laura44 for what it's worth, when I first started sharing while not new to riding I was a returning adult with NO clue about stable kept horses what so ever, the horses and ponies I'd ridden as a child were field kept, I didn't even know how to put on a rug.
The lady who's horse I shared was very kind, very patient and was happy for me to share as she wanted someone who was willing to learn and most importantly someone who very obviously cared about her horses welfare and would love and treat him with respect.
I used to have weekly lessons on him with her instructor on one of my 'share days' and just ride and care for him on the other, there are people out there who will offer a share to a novice - not everyone shares because they don't have the time to care for their horse themselves, some like me, it could simply be that they can't physically ride as much as they would like their horse to be ridden, some also like me, while caring for their horse very much would like to share that joy their horse can bring.
Not everyone only wants someone who is already a great rider, to be honest most of those will either already have their own horse by that point or want you as an owner to pay them to exercise your horse.
I don't know about everyone else who's looking for a sharer but I would want someone who was prepared to listen and learn, someone who cared about my horses welfare and was reliable and honest. At the end of the day we all start out as 'novices'.
Keep looking and don't give up.
The lady who's horse I shared was very kind, very patient and was happy for me to share as she wanted someone who was willing to learn and most importantly someone who very obviously cared about her horses welfare and would love and treat him with respect.
I used to have weekly lessons on him with her instructor on one of my 'share days' and just ride and care for him on the other, there are people out there who will offer a share to a novice - not everyone shares because they don't have the time to care for their horse themselves, some like me, it could simply be that they can't physically ride as much as they would like their horse to be ridden, some also like me, while caring for their horse very much would like to share that joy their horse can bring.
Not everyone only wants someone who is already a great rider, to be honest most of those will either already have their own horse by that point or want you as an owner to pay them to exercise your horse.
I don't know about everyone else who's looking for a sharer but I would want someone who was prepared to listen and learn, someone who cared about my horses welfare and was reliable and honest. At the end of the day we all start out as 'novices'.
Keep looking and don't give up.
How about volunteering at a rescue? People aren't 'against' novices but a share is a 2 way thing: owners get competent help and sharers get a horse! Riding schools are often inundated with children helping but reliable help by an adult is much more what a rescue would be after.
Cross posted with Kiterider. When i was looking for a sharer in pregnancy for my first pony I considered novices as he was very easy and well behaved. But it just wouldn't have been safe. They could not ride a lap of the arena. He just ambled back to the gate and stood there! It was the first time I had really realised that RS ponies fill in the skill gaps of their novice riders. And I may have misunderstood but thd OP does not have handling skills rither which is equally unsafe if you are in sole charge. But obviously I wish you well Laura and hope you find what you are looking for!
I had a share pony as a novice. I was nearly 50. He was a 14.2 Highland called Arran, a very strong stocky boy and quite slow although he was only 6. His owner was looking for adults (not even teenagers - she wanted grown people) to share him, and she was a very fussy teacher who wanted everything done just so. And the best thing was she showed me how to do it. So she showed me how she wanted his tack taken care of, how she wanted his rugs hung up, how to tack him up and report any faults in the tack to her (honestly, she was like a sergeant major!) and she and I went out 2 or 3 times around the local hacking routes and she pointed out good spots for a canter - not that I often got him in to canter! - and made it clear that I should NOT ask him to canter in the same place every time, and so on, and so on.
I only rode him one day a week - I had him on a Monday - but I learned masses from her and also met Sarah who is still my RI and showed me how to get Arran more forward going. I shared him for 9 months before I got Ziggy.
So there are people out there who will let you share as a novice, you have to get lucky though!
I only rode him one day a week - I had him on a Monday - but I learned masses from her and also met Sarah who is still my RI and showed me how to get Arran more forward going. I shared him for 9 months before I got Ziggy.
So there are people out there who will let you share as a novice, you have to get lucky though!
I was in your position not too long ago, I had been riding for a few months, the bug had bitten and I just wanted more! I would agree with the others who say it's too soon for a share, but would recommend some kind of volunteering or helping out at a yard to really build your experience while still having lessons. I have volunteered at my local RDA for over a year now and learned so much about groundwork, tacking up etc that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.
I took on my first share in Feb and i love it. Even so, I'm still learning and I'm sure i always will be. Little things like doing your girth up when you get on were things i had to learn, and a privately owned horse is of course so, so different to a RS one. It's hard to be patient, but build your experience, and then when the time comes, be honest with horse owners about your level of experience and I'm sure someone will think you're a good fit. The lady who owns my share has been fantastic with me, she wasn't as bothered about me never having shared before but more that i was responsible and wasn't going to do anything reckless with her horse.
Keep at it and you'll get there! Let us know how you get on.
I took on my first share in Feb and i love it. Even so, I'm still learning and I'm sure i always will be. Little things like doing your girth up when you get on were things i had to learn, and a privately owned horse is of course so, so different to a RS one. It's hard to be patient, but build your experience, and then when the time comes, be honest with horse owners about your level of experience and I'm sure someone will think you're a good fit. The lady who owns my share has been fantastic with me, she wasn't as bothered about me never having shared before but more that i was responsible and wasn't going to do anything reckless with her horse.
Keep at it and you'll get there! Let us know how you get on.
Native Lover
Native Pony Fan
Hi Laura, i do hope you find what you are looking for and dont think people wont take on complete novices .......I have....I have a small herd of ponies, and have often shown new, novice people how to look after my ponies and even given nervous people rides on my two almost bomb proof ponies a Highland and a Fell. And also dont discount ponies for riding esp the larger breeds they are quite capable of carrying adult riders. All my ponies are ridden by adults.
Agree KP nut safety is important, however, as I said above, I would happily have a novice sharer, but then I've the time to teach horse care, handling etc and a very good RI to teach ridden skills, so while a novice may not be for everyone and could potentially be dangerous, not all share owners are looking for someone who can do everything already. In fact I would imagine it's quite nice to help a novice learn how to take care of a horse, I know if my old shares owner had been looking for 'competent' I doubt I'd have my own now.
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