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What is a ‘Share Horse’ or ‘Horse For Share’?

This does not mean you will be owning a share in the horse, unless of course you are looking at buying into a racehorse syndicate which is an entirely different scenario.
When we refer to a ‘horses for share’ we mean the owner of a horse seeks another rider to share the responsibility of riding and often help with the chores/ tasks associated with looking after the horse, such as mucking out, rug changes etc.  Owning horses is a huge commitment both financially and in terms of the time required to both exercise and care for the horse.  Many owners find managing this commitment a great deal easier if they can find a like-minded sharer for their horse to lighten the load.  

This is why they seek to Part Loan or find a sharer for their horse. Sharing a horse is a great way for less experienced riders to have a taste of what it is like to own a horse before taking the plunge themselves or for people who don’t have the time or finances to own or loan a horse but still want to ride a horse and care for it on a regular basis and build that special bond. 

The owner of the horse will maintain full ownership and legal responsibility for the horse. The horse will remain at the yard of the owner’s choice and all management decisions remain that of the owner. They do however seek to build a partnership with another like minded equestrian. This person is the ‘sharer’ and they will be given a set number of days per week where they can care for and ride the horse. In return, they will usually be asked to make a financial contribution and/or to help with the horse’s care by carrying out certain chores such as mucking out on the days that they ride, tack cleaning and poo picking fields.

The beauty in this relationship is that the horse is at the heart of the partnership. The owner benefits from having extra help with the horse’s care, exercise and cost. The sharer benefits from being able to ride and spend time with the horse every week without the full commitment required when owning a horse. Each partnership / share arrangement will vary from horse to horse and is negotiated between the owner and sharer. A share agreement is advisable from the outset to outline exactly who is responsible for what, the costs payable by the sharer and which days they are permitted to ride to ensure there are no misunderstandings and that the continuity of care for the horse is maintained.

The owner will want to seek someone who has the right level of experience for their horse. A sharer could find themselves being able to ride a talented horse that can teach them a great deal or maybe they prefer to have a horse to hack out  a couple of times a week. The matching process is key to a long and fulfilling share agreement.

How Right Horse Right Home Can Help

At Right Horse Right Home we help horse owners find suitable sharers. For example, Luna found a sharer very local to her in just 2 weeks.

Luna is a 15 3 hh Irish Sports 14 year old bay mare.
She has successfully evented to BE 90, British Dressage to prelim level and had done BSJA with the owner’s teenage daughter. Luna’s owner, Gillian Sawyer had used RHRH previously to find loan homes.

Gillian Sawyer said “I have used Right Horse Right Home on two occasions and found a lovely loaner for my horse both times. It is an excellent, well run service . “

Gillian was looking for someone to school/hack/jump Luna and she was kept on their very friendly private yard with stables, a large arena with jumps and good hacking accessed down a country lane, and lots of company available if wanted. There would be no livery costs, just shoeing and feed cost. Insurance included. 

Kirsty, Luna’s new sharer had evented to BE100 but since going to University was unable to afford to keep her own. She was thrilled to find Luna and has been sharing her for a couple of months now.

It is important to have your own accident insurance if you do decide to share a horse. 

We welcome anyone looking to find a sharer for their horse or for sharers seeking horses for share. 

List your horse with us and we will help with your advert and promote your horse to anyone registered with us who has a wanted advert looking for a horse like yours.  If you choose our Premier Membership we will also include your horse in our promotions via our E-newsletter sent to thousands of buyers, loaners and sharers every week and via our social media accounts. These actively drive more people to your horse’s advert and anyone interested would need to register with us and submit an application form for you to consider, detailing their riding experience.  If you have any questions whatsoever, do email us or call us and we will be very happy to assist.