How Much Can You Ask For?

[Q.H.D.Q]

When you’re looking for a horse to ride or do ground work with?

I have a friend who is doing ground work with a horse whose owner doesn’t have time to ride him (owner rides his other 3 horses). My friend doing the ground work doesn’t care about riding, lessons, as much as just working with this horse.

I want to find a horse to work with, too, this summer. My horse is going to be so busy in lesson programs/day camps/camp shows that he won’t be available very often at all for me to ride.

My dream summer horse would be a bombproof, preferably gaited steady eddie whose owner has moved on to younger/more athletic/whatever horses but doesn’t want to retire their bombproof horse (my dream summer horse). I would get to go to the barn and groom/work with/ride this horse. I would help clean tack, feed, etc., in return.

But can you ask around for such an arrangement? I’m not exactly a horse-crazy kid (well, maybe I’m a grown-up horse-crazy kid). But I want the emphasis on “horse” not “crazy”–
I don’t want to antagonize any members of the local horse community. But I can’t put ads at barns offering to exercise anyone’s hunter/jumper/dressage/barrel horse while they’re away at summer camp/school/the beach/the lake/Europe/etc. I’m not just not that experienced or bold a rider anymore.

I just want to ride (or at least do ground work) with a summer horse buddy.

[Invite]

Here and there, I see ads on local classified boards where someone is just looking for a trail riding buddy and will provide a horse for the person. I find that these situations are rather rare.

I am currently getting the opportunity to ride a fantastic mare. She is a little much for her owner. She is boarded with my trainer and I have lessons on this horse. My own riding horse is ill, so this situation fulfills the needs of both the horse owner and me. The owner cannot afford, financially or timewise, additional lessons on her mare. Full training board is out of the owner’s budget. Because the owner is kind enough to see past my disability and share her horse with me, the green mare gets 2 additional session per week with the trainer. I am doing the riding and I am learning, but the mare is also being worked and is supervised by the trainer. The owner is so thrilled with the results since I have been riding her mare. It is a fantastic situation for both of us. Because I have been doing so well with this mare, her owner is allowing me to ride her in my NEDA Flextime lesson. I was going to lose the lesson, as my horse will not be ready to lesson with my Flextime instructor before October, when the Flextime instructor leaves for FL. I always leave the tack perfectly cleaned!

I have also had 2 chances to ride a fantastic schoolmaster. I actually got to piaffe.

My opportunities are not freebies or barter situations, but they are worth every dime. Every single time I have been in a barter situation, things have gone from bad to worse. Sadly, I have learned the hard way it is usually best to pay your way. There are kind generous people out there who will gladly let someone ride their “old timer” in exchange for giving that horse love and attention. When I was young, a woman in town owned a large show barn. She had an old campaigner who needed attention. In exchange for grooming him and giving him some TLC, I got the chance to ride him.

Good luck in finding a situation that works

[Rackonteur]

Sorry I don’t have any feedback to give but I think this question is worth bumping up. Someone else may have a similar question.

Good luck, Q.H.D.Q. !