# Stable management courses / horse loan or share



## Shitzulover (Sep 25, 2012)

I have recently started riding again after a long break (10 years). Needless to say I am addicted again. It's always been my dream to have my own horse and now I'm riding again I want it to be sooner rather than later. I can't afford my own so I was wondering about sharing. 

Firstly I need to brush up on my stable management and I'm looking for courses which aren't too expensive. Any recommendations? 

When it comes to loaning should I wait until I've had more lessons and done a stable management course or start looking for something now, perhaps an owner who would also be a bit of a mentor (Prob asking too much!) 

What sort of terms can you expect with a loan? Would I be responsible for vet bills etc? 

At moment I pay a fortune a month for lessons and go home at the end of each desperate for more. Patience had never been my strong point.


----------



## RachJeremy (Sep 14, 2012)

As for sharing, i think it's a brilliant thing! I know if i owned my own, i would be putting it up on share... But for me, it's vice versa, i am sharing a horse off a friend of mine.  It's really good, as i am on the yard Wednesday, Friday & Saturday evenings, Friday mornings for certain and have full control more or less of what i do with my boy and since i'm quite close to his owner, it's a nice share. And we always talk and meet up often for a catch up. And sometimes i ride an extra day a week if she can't, so it's worked out really really well. 
But do be careful as some people are quite picky when it comes to shares and same as if you were looking to buy the horse, make sure you check it over and visit more than once before you make your mind up! 
But dependent on the livery of the horse in question you could be paying from £80 up... I know some people who are paying £250apx a month for a share. 
With a loan, you basically take the horse on completely... So you pay for everything, apart from you don't 'own' the horse. When i was little, that's how i got my ponies, my mum would loan them off someone, which worked out, as i would outgrow them and we didn't have to worry about buying and selling, just the livery fee ect. 
Whereas a share, you normally pay half or just under or over, depending on how many days you wish to do and what the owner wants to do. 


As for courses, most colleges i know will do evening courses. I went to Shuttleworth and they used to run night courses, and i believe they were the BHS Horse Owners. And i have done Level 3 & 4 at my previous job. It's hands on, and theory... And gets more and more in depth each time. But you don't need a BHS membership to take the exam. And you obviously attend weekly classes, get homework ect and you pay for it and you sit a written test at the end. 
I don't know if there are any other small courses you can do. But i am actually on the hunt for NVQs to take during work, as i work with horses. Whereas if you're working full time somewhere else not with horses, you may only be able to attend evening courses or take online ones.


----------



## Shitzulover (Sep 25, 2012)

Thanks for your reply. Your horse looks lovely. 

I work full time in London which is another reason I couldn't full loan. Ideally I'd want an evening or two in the week and then weekends. As I've only just got back into riding though I'm worried owners would prefer someone more experienced. 

Local stables offer stable management lessons but it'd work out cheaper to just do an actual course!


----------



## RachJeremy (Sep 14, 2012)

Shitzulover said:


> Thanks for your reply. Your horse looks lovely.
> 
> I work full time in London which is another reason I couldn't full loan. Ideally I'd want an evening or two in the week and then weekends. As I've only just got back into riding though I'm worried owners would prefer someone more experienced.
> 
> Local stables offer stable management lessons but it'd work out cheaper to just do an actual course!


Thanks! He's amazing 

Yer.. Most shares want someone 2-3 days a week and 1 weekend day... You can get both, but it really depends on who you find. But it's not all about experience, as many people have horses that are perfectly suitable for people still learning and have no problems with the horse being cared for someone who is still learning, as long as you ask for help when you need it and don't tell fibs about what you know, of course you probably won't, but i've seen many people let their horse out on share and end up getting cross with the person sharing as they have lied about experience or something. But my understanding, is it's not because they lack experience, it's because they lied and said they knew something or could do something, when they couldn't. 
Honesty is by far the best policy with horses!!! 

Maybe it'll be work checking the local colleges to see if you can do an online one? Like an NVQ.


----------



## Mia123 (Aug 25, 2012)

i think it really depends on the share, some people only want 1 day a week. I shared a naughty pony and helped 3 times a week and only got to show it once and i had to pay 200 pounds a month :O waste of money... thankfully that was a while ago. I would keep doing lessons until you can canter maybe jump a small cross pole, then you could share. I'm sure there will be lots of people who don't mind a sharer that is learning stable management! Ask if you can just hang around and help them. also ask your yard at the moment. I work at my yard (we don't get paid, but i love doing it  ) they don't mind beginners at all. if you want to spend more money and have proper, good quality stable management classes then just search it up 

Training & Qualifications | British Horse Society

the best one but warning! it will be expensive!!

hope you do well


----------

