wwyd... Loaning!!!

lauren123

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2007
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East Yorkshire
I have been meaning to do my monthly... 3 monthly... dreaded budgeting and bills....
Having worked it out. Taking into account the boys livery ( Around £340 per month) I buy his balancer as its extra at (£19) for 20 days worth. Including his meds and insurance. I am going to check on his insurance , as its 25 quid per month for public li / 3rd party and accidental injuries ( Last time he cut his leg it was ultrasound, a lot of visits, antibiotics and bute as it wasn't clearing!) Given the above and that I am quite tight when it comes to month outgoings.... more that he costs me...over £400 per month the spoilt boy!!!!
I was debating about a sharer. Due to my job I can only ride... 3/4 times per week. Though as I am still taking things quite slowly ( With schooling hacking. We are still walking and trotting though can go out hacking for a hour at a time, a mixture of walking and trotting. School wise. I keep these short really. Haven't cantered him yet. Personally I am in no real rush to get him cantering as such. I am quite happy sticking to walk and the trot for now and slowly building up to cantering. Or if the ground is suitable and sox decides to pop himself into a steady canter that's fine. But I dont want to be galloping around fields soon. Dont get me wrong I like having a few or more canters at hacking at times. But I want to be sure he can happily handle it so he is less likely to cause himself a injury or pull something. So almost I want him fitter then the actual work we will be doing...

I guess the... concerns I have is given my job I can work any day of the week, which isn't a problem. However if I was to have set days and saying I do mon, tues, wed and sun and I happen to be working them days I wouldn't be able to ride on my days that week... and I wouldnt want to ride on their days. So to speak. I would worry that someone.. wouldn't break me, but just ask too much too soon. I have worked too hard, emotionally and physically for too many years to get him well.Just for someone to ruin it as they wanted to canter him, for example on very hard ground. Though I wouldn't let anyone ride him... I have very light hands... Sox doesn't 'do' heavy hands at all. You can see it in his face straight away he isn't happy!
The money I can afford, can be a bit of a struggle at times... Though its also I love him... But over £400 per month!?!? My bills dont even come to that!!
 
Wish you were near me Lauren.
As for your finding a sharer, I myself shared an elderly horse and as she aged and sometimes needed time off, I brought her back into work. I loved her and I loved riding solo. Some staff I later learned were afraid to hack her but I was living my dream.
There is however a big difference between sharing and riding in walk and trot or sometimes even just walk a horse one has known and ridden for years and having the same limits on a horse one doesnt know. Sharing is a bit of a market and people looking for a share may not want to bring a horse back into work.
My share ended when a friend of the owners told her it wasnt fair to charge me for just walking out.
 
I personally think you will struggle to find a paying sharer, as lovely as I'm sure your horse is, with the limitations on him.

If he's physically sound, could you pay for someone to help bring him into full fitness and then advertise him?

It's tough, as I would love a sharer for Pete, but it just wouldn't work as he has a few special needs.

Where abouts are you? As £400 isn't actually a bad price at all, but suspect that might be a North/South divide!

Are there other ways you can cut your costs?
 
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I have no advice on getting a sharer, just sympathy lol on the costs!!!! Sox is quite high maintenance isn't he??? I suppose if you made it clear to a potential sharer he has limitations then you might find someone that's okay with just walk and trot? I would be fine with that.
 
Like @Pete's Mum I think you'll struggle to find a paying sharer given his limitations. If they do too much and he breaks you'll have even more expense & a sharer who's very likely to walk away, plus if he breaks will you then assume the sharer has been doing more than they should? He probably isn't the sort of horse that will appeal to someone looking to just go out for quiet walks with the odd trot, and he probably isn't sound for consistently more than that. Given his issues I suspect 3 or 4 rides a week is sufficient, it allows him time to recover.

Also, and not wishing to be unkind, are you going to be happy sharing him or will there quickly be problems between you and any potential sharer? You do have to be willing to let them get on with it if they're paying to share, yes you can set some rules but you can't micromanage them & keep looking over their shoulder.
 
I personally think you will struggle to find a paying sharer, as lovely as I'm sure your horse is, with the limitations on him.

If he's physically sound, could you pay for someone to help bring him into full fitness and then advertise him?

It's tough, as I would love a sharer for Pete, but it just wouldn't work as he has a few special needs.

Where abouts are you? As £400 isn't actually a bad price at all, but suspect that might be a North/South divide!

Are there other ways you can cut your costs?
I have no advice on getting a sharer, just sympathy lol on the costs!!!! Sox is quite high maintenance isn't he??? I suppose if you made it clear to a potential sharer he has limitations then you might find someone that's okay with just walk and trot? I would be fine with that.
As he is on full livery its 85 per week. His meds are 44 per month. His insursnce is 25 per month snd balancer 40 for month
 
It's the livery that costs but you have to ask yourself is sox happy where he is. If you think he is then it's a cost you have to afford. You know it was difficult finding a suitable yard, reading your thread a couple of months ago.
I'm very conscious about my horses and I wouldn't trust people riding my horses out on there own. People take it upon themselves as they think the horse should be doing this or that, so I wouldn't trust people if I said dont canter my horse. Some do as they please. You've worked hard to get the horse sound for it to be messed up by someone else. Paying someone when your already on a tight budget isn't an option
Not knowing your work hours or how far your horse is away from work or home. Now the nights are lighter is there anyway you could go after work once or twice a week. I think you had issues with lunging if I remember right. But my go to on busy work days and would rather do something than nothing is a 10 minute lunge. No messing about grooming, just in get in lunge feed and go. Could you maybe consider this. Or if you have enough time make this a speed/short hack night.
 
What balancer is he on? Could you change that for a cheaper one or a good vit & min powder that goes in his feed? It's not your biggest cost, but it is one that you could probably save on & over a year it adds up. Likewise his meds - could you save if you had a prescription & shopped around?
 
3 or 4 rides a week is probably enough given the issues he's had, especially as the intensity increases.
If it's purely from a financial perspective then I'd look elsewhere to make money. Even if you were lucky enough to find someone who is happy to just walk and trot a horse prone to trying to buck people off, they are very unlikely to be willing to pay much for it.
 
Having been a sharer for years before I got my own, it's a difficult relationship. I have had some that worked brilliantly and one that didn't as the owner neglected the horse and then I had to watch him being sold. I paid £30 a week and for that I rode at weekends. It worked best with a mad Irishman who had 3 showjumpers that did nothing but stand in the stables or in the arena - he didn't hack out so I used to hack whichever one he wasn't talking to!

I would find it very hard to let someone else ride Buddy, my costs are less but I have to do all the work and no days off. I am very particular about what he does at his age. No real advice except hope you have more time in the summer
 
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