yours2share image showing house on island, classic sports car, grand piano, necklace, surrounded by the people who share them yours2share logo - share valuable assets with like-minded people
What is yours2share? - Sharing - Legal - Home
Browse - Search - Post ads - My account - Login
Newsletter - Template contracts
+44 (0)208 133 1234
Hello, Guest (register)
BLOG

Sharing horses and ponies

yours2share's latest category of items that can be shared is horses (and dogs). Click here to see the current horse shares available. As this is a new category, there are only a few ads to date, but if you are looking for a horse share, registering posting an ad and replying is completely free and easy to do (in other words it doesn't cost anything to use yours2share!)

There are three common scenarios where people share the ownership of horses and ponies.
Riding for pleasure top

Two riders get together to co-own a horse or pony which they ride for pleasure. This saves them a considerable amount of money. They usually keep the horse at a third party livery and ride the horse on alternate weeks. Alternatively one owner rides during the week and the other at weekends.

If the horse is kept at livery, this is a straightforward arrangement and common across the country. If one of the owners stables the horse, then the owners need to agree the livery costs to be paid to this owner.

The partners need to agree upon:
  • the type of horse and likely cost, if the horse has yet to be bought
  • where they will look to buy the horse, if the horse has yet to be bought,
  • when they want to ride the horse
  • how the costs will be split up and paid for - costs include livery, food, rugs, tack, veterinary, farriery and dental care and insurance
  • where the horse will be liveried, whether full livery is taken, or are the owners performing some or all of the feeding, watering, mucking out, grooming, exercise, and how this is decided
  • whether you require a horse box or trainer, and if so, does one partner owns this, or it is bought in joint ownership
  • who decides upon key issues for the horse's wellbeing
  • who is responsible for ensuring that the horse is insured and decides upon the insurer
  • who holds the horse's passport.
Horses and ponies can also be shared by loaning either part-time, where owner and sharer split the riding time, or full-time where the sharer loans the horse permanently for a period. Horse loan is popular for hacking and riding for pleasure. There are many variations in sharing and loaning. Horses and ponies are often loaned part-time in return for help in looking after and riding the horse, rather than for rental.

This kind of sharing is ideal for people who, for a variety of reasons, cannot devote the amount of time or money that the horse requires. Usually, the owner is still very much involved with their horse and it usually stays at the same yard.

The owner and sharer share the responsibility of owning the horse and have agreed times when they will look after and ride the horse. Each sharing arrangement is different and designed to suit the needs of the horse and owner. Sometimes the owner requires a contribution towards the cost of keeping the horse, sometimes the share is set up on a 'work for rides' basis. In these cases, the sharer does stable chores such as mucking out and rides the horse in return.

Templates contract for sharing horses are available here for both pleasure and competition. You are strongly advised to write down the agreement formally - horse and pony sharing agreements have tended to be recorded badly in the past and, as a result, have often ended in litigation.
Competition riding top
Joint ownership of a horse to enable competition riding is also common. This applies at all levels of competition. Usually the rider holds a small motivational share and the non-rider pays the rest. Normally, the non-rider has the bigger share and pays all the bills. The rider may pay some expenses or not. Often the horse has been trained by the rider for a period, as their own, and there then comes a time when it must either be sold at a good profit or taken further. The costs are high and the rider often cannot afford to take all the risk themselves. So they find a wealthy partner to buy the horse and allow them to continue to train and ride it. This is common in dressage, eventing and show jumping at all levels.

All issues for riding for pleasure scenario above apply to competition riding, but there are a few additional upon which the partners need to agree:
  • the non-rider owner's access to the horse and training sessions
  • the level which the rider is expected to attain
  • the competitions at which the horse will compete
  • how expenses will be paid
Templates contract for sharing horses are available here for both pleasure and competition. You are strongly advised to write down the agreement formally - horse and pony sharing agreements have tended to be recorded badly in the past and, as a result, have often ended in litigation.
Polo and race horses top
Polo and racing horses are a well established area of shared ownership with many syndicates. There is good advice at the British Horseracing Board on setting up syndicates.

Version 1.0 December 2007

Like what you've read?     Subscribe to our newsletter
Digg it      del.icio.us Save To Del.icio.us     
About us - Articles - Blog - Case studies - Links - Membership - Press - Testimonials
Contact us - Privacy - Site map - Terms and conditions - What's new

Copyright © yours2share ltd 2006 - 2008