People never ask me and I’ve actually made offers to people I know who ride.
3 Likes
People don’t ask me all that much.
I actually really love sharing horses with people. I kind of wish they would ask me more sometimes. But I do have different responses to the OP’s 3 categories:
Category #1: The clueless “I’ve always wanted to gallop a horse” crowd-- this is a hard no. I’ll often offer, “if you want to come learn to ride, I’m more than happy to let you get on my horse and I’ll give you a basic lesson.” If they take me up on it, great! If they still insist they want to go yahoo about, then we are back to a hard no. They usually give up pretty quickly because I just end the conversation after I tell them my horses would literally kill them if they tried.
Category #2: “Can my kids ride your horses?” Yes yes yes a million times yes! I don’t have school mounts, so it will probably just be a pony ride, but as long as you aren’t looking for a law suit, I will make something happen for your kids. I love introducing kids to horses.
Category #3: “I already know how to ride can I please ride yours?” Eh, this is the group I’m oddly most likely to say no to unless I know the person and their riding ability well. It’s not that I don’t want to share, but this is the category I’ve consistently had the most incidents with because people’s experiences are so variable. And again, I don’t have appropriate school horses to to boost confidence or fitness.
If we want the general public to stop asking us stupid questions about our horses, we have to expose the general public to horses. 
17 Likes
I don’t let people ride my horses, either, but I sort of get it. If you don’t know about horses, you don’t know. Like, I’d love to ask friends who sew to teach me how, or someone who, say, does rock climbing to tag along. No, I won’t ask because I know it’s annoying, but there is a pull there when you know people who do something you want to do.
I find it MUCH worse when you have a horse for sale and someone says all the right things (I’m a trainer, I broke TBs for years) that come out to give your horse a test ride and don’t know how to ride at all. I just had two of these in the last two weeks and I had to pull them off my horse. Ugh. (One, the “trainer” said she previously had a 21 and a half HH horse [21 and half an inch? 21 plus two inches?]…okay, you can leave now. 
I almost asked about the Guinness world record certificate, haha.)
5 Likes
Telling them your insurance wont cover them/their kid is not a lie. You are liable if they come off and get hurt. Whether you have insurance or not. So just tell them the truth, you do not want to be liable for any injuries and accidents around horses are common. Just say no.
Oh…those equine liability signs in many states do not protect everybody in all situations, they can claim negligence or lack of foresight on your part for over mounting them/their kid.
7 Likes
Man all these people looking for legit riding buddies, why are you not closer?!?? All the people I know (and I’m admittedly a bit of a hermit) are wimps and not fun to ride with.
Let’s go long trot for dayssss
7 Likes
And more fun threads on the topic:
And this one:
And the Craigslist Ad:
8 Likes
I do not ever bring up my horse in casual conversations.
I do have a photo of my horse on my desk (along with a photo of my dog and Mr. Trub).
3 Likes
Well, when you put your life on social media and show your well behaved ridable horses doing all that fun, exciting stuff what do you expect? Just be flattered and say " no ".
People asking to ride is nothing new. It has been a while but I was asked all the time " can I ( someone they know, family etc) ride your horse?" I just politely said “no, I don’t let other people ride my horses” ( which was and still is true) and moved on.
What is new is people putting their life on SM for the world to see. That is something I don’t understand??
5 Likes
So you do not consider this horse forum as a form of social media?
11 Likes
It is but not like the things people do on Facebook or blogs etc… Here you are nameless, faceless.
A nude person on horseback in a public place is just not something I find share worthy?
4 Likes
And a kid cannot waive their rights (nor can a parent waive their kids’ rights).
5 Likes
Yes, there have been a lot of cases of children who were injured while a parent waived it, and when the child becomes a legal adult they sue the parents, and whatever authority was supervising the activity. Some states have tried to do legislation to prevent that, but I’m guessing that won’t hold up.
And the kid’s “next friend” can sue on their behalf (another adult).
“I know a great instructor who has really quiet horses.”
3 Likes
I don’t put my entire life on social media but if I have a nice ride and take some nice photos, why shouldn’t I post that I had a nice ride and share pretty photos from whatever park I trailered out to?
I have a guy I’m “friends” with on FB that I worked with 30 years ago, and have seen maybe once since, hinting he would like to ride my horses when I post about my horses. “That looks like fun. I sure would like to ride.” I would love to take my girl riding." Etc I keep telling him places he can go to ride and telling him my horses are unsuitable. I get the usual “I used to ride when I was a kid.”
What I’d really like to say - Dude, I don’t know you! I didn’t like you when I worked with you 30 years ago! Just no!
I think I finally unfriended him. He actually is still friends with my husband or I would have blocked him a while back.
7 Likes
In the past when I’ve had more difficult horses I’d say, “Eh, he’s not really that kind of horse.” Meaning, if you can’t ride, he’ll know it and it won’t go well and you’ll likely get hurt.
My current horse is pretty darn safe as long as nothing scares him or makes him start questioning his eyesight (What…what the…what the hELL is THaT, MoM???) These moments are rare for him but he can still go from a slug that a dog could ride to a snorting dragon that requires magical abilities to tame in the blink of an eye of the situation presents itself. I raised him so I can read him like a book and know when sh*t’s about to get real with him. But an unsuspecting newb who’s lulled into complacency by said horse’s docile, slow demeanor would be in mortal peril because when the dragon awakes, look the hell out
I have an opposite problem. I have a lovely fellow boarder who always wants me to ride HER horse. She rides him a lot, he’s an older horse and she’s had him pretty much his entire life and he’s a very successful former show horse. He’s a lovely guy, but…I don’t really want to ride him. I’m lucky when I get time to ride MY horse, I don’t want to spend that time riding somebody else’s horse. He’s kind of creaky and old and she rides him in a huge bit of some sort that looks medieval because he can be a bit headstrong. But she’s always talking about how great he is and how much I’d love him and I really need to ride him some time because he’s so awesome, blah blah blah. I’ve smiled and nodded and kind of said, “Sure maybe one day,” and tried to change the subject. She kept at it and kept at it, and I think she’s finally gotten the message that I have no interest in riding him. I like riding MY horse. I’ve been riding for 36 freaking years and I’ve ridden LOTS of horses. I don’t understand why she thinks I’d be so impressed with hers (again, nothing against him, he’s a cool old dude, but…so?)
I like riding MY horse because he’s mine and I raised and broke and trained him. He’ll be 16 next year (I just turned 50) and we’re very well-suited to one another. Other people’s horses just don’t interest me, sorry. LOL.
5 Likes
“Ooh, you have a Delahaye! Can I drive it?”. No.
“Ooh, you have a horsie! Can I ride?”. No.
I might refer them to a lesson barn, but there’s no reason for any answer other than NO.
4 Likes
I tell them my horses aren’t safe and then show them a pic of my foot hanging off my leg from when I had an easy fall and landed on my feet…
2 Likes
I would not do it either.
But I am never going to tell others that if that is what they think is the best thing ever, that it is not OK. No harm was done, so enjoy what you enjoy.
Heck, I itch just thinking about it.
12 Likes
I gave up riding in 2000 because my balance had become impossible to deal with, and sold the one horse I had at the time. We got the Paint mare and two ponies in 2003, and I took up driving. The mare was my husband’s riding horse, but he didn’t ride very often–mostly just to look after our daughter while she was riding her pony. I would occasionally get on the mare and plod around on our property. She definitely moved to help me if she felt me going off balance. She was very much a been there, done that horse. We didn’t know her background because she came through an auction, but the day my neighbors got some cattle, she was eyeing them like she was thinking “I know what to do with those suckers!” She was a smart girl and kept the ponies in line.
Rebecca
11 Likes
