Horse share question

Puzzle35

Hi, I am looking at sharing a horse in the Dublin area.

Just wondering if someone could let me know what to expect from a cost point of view. It seems to be in the region of €200 per month on full livery with access to the horse 3 times a week, flexible days.

Should I expect any additional costs on top of this. One owner mentioned shoes which is fair enough. Another owner also metioned vets fees and sharing the cost of insuring the horse which I wasn't expecting.

Any horse owners out there who can let me know what is standard in these arrangements? Thanks.

doctor evil

I'm not a horse owner but I have been involved in two shares.

Each arrangment is different.

There are basics, get your insurance sorted (I recommend BHS) get everything in writing insist the owner shows you how they like things done and make sure any previous damage to tack (prior to you) is already known to the owner so you don't get the blame.

Communication is the most important thing, have more than one method of reaching the owner. It is also a good idea to have farrier, vets, YO no. too. Find out what rules there are on the yard, don't wait for others to tell you.

Remember, you are helping the owner cover their livery don't let yourself be messed about. The owner should pay attention to any valid concerns. Don't be afraid to haggle on the arrangement, try to get an extra day or half a day. A fit healthy horse will have no problem being ridden twice in one day, it just depends on what is being done and has been done that day.

Puzzle35

Hi Doctor Evil for the advice, much appreciated.

I think I will have to be more firm with regard to my expectations rather than just asking the owners what they want.

My expectations may be unreachable but basically I dont want to buy a horse for several reasons one of them being the responsibility aspect.

If I am paying half of full livery I expect to have to brush the horse, tack her up and ride her on a specified number of days per week. I dont expect to have to deal with anything much to do with the horses health, feeding, catching, mucking out etc as, A, the horse is not mine and B, I would not have the time (another reason for not buying my own horse).

Of course I would be ensure the horse was in good health and certainly would take perfect care of the horse to ensure no harm came to her / him.

I am quite interested in the horse whose owner wants half of the horse insurance paid by me but for some reason that just doesn't sit well with me. Why would I be insuring a horse I don't own? Could I then be in some way considered part owner?

I will do as you suggest sort out my own insurance and go from there so if the question of insurance arises I can just say I have my own.

Would you say overall you had a good experience sharing? Would you do it again or is it more hassle than it is worth?

Thanks again for the advice.

doctor evil

If the horse is on full livery then you shouldn't have to muck out but if the horse poops in the arena or outside its stable than its polite to shovel it. In many yards this is a rule.

Its good if you clean the tack, even a quick wipe down unless the owner is very anal and insist on just doing it themselves. Always rinse the bit though, manky not to. If the horse is on grass or you ride while its out you may have to bring it in. Some yards will tailor each horses feed but a lot don't so the owner may want you to add something supplement/fly spray/etc, they should give you access to whatever locked storage they use if using their stuff.

The owner who wants you to pay half the insurance is definitely pushing it! You can't insure what you don't own.

Overall I had a not bad experience, in some ways very good experience but I would have prefered to have things in writing as some folks may take the piss or have a very laissez faire attitude to what doesn't belong to them.

One thing I have learnt, if there is a second set of sharers then it quick becomes a crowd!

silverfox88

ive shared my mare a good few times and generally had positive experiences with sharing. the most important thing is groundrules - these need to be laid out at the start by the owner so that the sharer can ride and look after the horse knowing what is within their scope as a sharer. for example, while i have numerous pieces of tack in my tack box, different bits, training aids etc - the horse is to be ridden ONLY in what i have said she is to be ridden in by the sharer etc.

with regards to feeding and catching, obviously if the horse is out you willhave to bring it in to ride it! in my shares, my mare is on full livery and as such is fed twice a day but i expect sharers to feed her after she is ridden; i supply the feed, they just feed her after they are finished. this is reasonable and in terms of horse care not too taxing in my opinion! same goes for mucking out - she is mucked out as part of her livery and i dont expect sharers to muck her out - however it would be common sense that if you were to walk into the stable on a particular day and find it absolutely disgusting for some reason, common sense would dictate they should give it a quick once over for the horse's sake!

in terms of cost, dont expect a generalised rate. also, i really think its important to understand that you cant expect to enforce what you want to the owners - people are entitled to charge what they like for half share and also to give whatever amount of days, times and so on they like - at the end of the day, it is their horse. that said, most people are quite flexible - but id really advise against being bullish about what you want; i know there is nothing that would put me off a potential sharer more.

you have to take into consideration as well in thinking that 200 is standard that the rate of share is relative to the rate of livery in each respective yard - you cant expect someone who is paying 600 or 700 a month in livery to give you three days full access for 200 euro!

i do think the insurance cost is pushing it a bit far, while owners can insist on you having your own insurance, and i think thats probably a good idea, making you pay half to insure something you dont own is a bit rich!!! as i said above, i cover feed costs in my share, but i do expect sharers to pay half the shoeing costs and i think this is reasonable in most shares as realistically its about €30 every 8 weeks, and as they say, no foot, no horse

another big thing i have to say about sharing is flexibility - i try to be as flexible as possible with my sharers in that if their particular day doesnt suit them for whatever reason i will do my absolute best to sort out another day for them either that week or an extra day the next week; in return i expect the same courtesy and it has always worked out well for me. i also try, once i am sure the rider is happy and competent in dealing with horse both riding and on the ground to stay away on their particular days; i know if i was in the same position id hate someone breathing down my neck every time i went up to ride! ive no problem coming up to give a hand if ever there's a problem though. also my yard is a busy one and so id always get reports back if the horse wasnt being ridden/treated properly.

im sure theres things im forgetting, ive shared my horse a good bit and it has always worked out very well for me, fingers crossed!its great if you arent ready to take the leap into ownership just yet, and provides a graet stepping stone; a number of the sharers ive had in the past have gone on to get their own horses in the yard im in and have found it a great way of figuring out whether actually owning a horse is the right way to go for them!

doctor evil

silverfox88 wrote: »

were to walk into the stable on a particular day and find it absolutely disgusting for some reason, common sense would dictate they should give it a quick once over for the horse's sake!

If you have time it is good to skip out or at least move it to the side of the stable but most yards do skip out in the evennings.

you have to take into consideration as well in thinking that 200 is standard that the rate of share is relative to the rate of livery in each respective yard - you cant expect someone who is paying 600 or 700 a month in livery to give you three days full access for 200 euro!

Not strictly financial, a sharer may be there to ensure the horse is ridden more.

Flexibility is key but decent notice must be given.

Puzzle35

Thanks Doctor Evil and Silver Fox for all the very useful information. Having weighed things up and spoken to a few people I have decided not to go ahead with sharing. Not that they had bad experiences but they still had to pay the same for lessons as they did before getting involved in the share plus they had all the additional costs and work involved with the horse at the same time. Will have to wait til I have the time to own my own. Good luck with yours