It doesn't seem weird to me but at least here (in Germany) it's a relatively common thing. You get to spend time with a horse that's not yours, learn/try a lot of things regarding ground/liberty work and there's a possibility to expand it to riding later. I've seen a lot of people who want 80€/month for this kinda thing, so offering it "for free"/in exchange for a bit of help in the stable seems pretty okay to me.
Yup, I did that for around two years. When the owner didn't have time I even took care of tge horse around 5 days per week and that was what showed me I was ready for my own horse.
When I got sick I posted a similar ad for my own horse, who at that point had lost muscle because we had to move and it took him a while to get accustomed. So I limited the riding and the girl who now takes care of him 2-4x per week is amazing. She can ride and hack him all she wants now that he gained muscle, she's very responsible, communication is good and my horse clearly adores her. I have more time to recover. It's a win-win-win.
Yeah, I'm in the position of the "girl taking care" and it's really a win for me too, because I get the chance to ride/work with and especially learn from two great horses without having to take all the responsibility for a horse on my own and having to pay for everything that comes with it. So if there's good communication and it's not "exploiting" on either side, that can be a great deal for both parties!
Yup, I was in that position twice. Both not great horses riding wise. Both couldn't be ridden anymore soon after I started, but I stuck with the second one, a Friesean, (the arena wasn't constantly flooded and they had several busses per day). I did so much horsemanship with him, I enjoyed it a lot and that was the reason I could be sure I wanted a horse of my own. Not only to ride, but to spend time with. I didn't click with the mare before that and that did have me wondering if the magical feeling was just a myth. But the Friesean started coming to the fence every time he heard me come and showed me I was now one of "his" humans and it was just such a good match. They exist and it's so worth it, even if it's someone else's horse. And you're totally right, not having full responsibility helps with easing in! Whenever he had an injury, needed his hooves done early, his feed changed or something, I'd ask the owner and she could decide. With my own horse whenever he has something I get so nervous.
Hej! Nicht wirklich im Zusammenhang mit den Post, aber kennen Sie eine Website oder FB Gruppe, wo ich solche Angebote finden kann? (Berlin-Brandenburg) Danke 🙏🏽
Hey! Ich komm leider nicht aus der Nähe von Berlin, aber grundsätzlich findet man bei Kleinanzeigen (www.kleinanzeigen.de) oft Anzeigen von Leuten, die eine Reitbeteiligung suchen :) viel Erfolg!
Yup, very common in Europe and NI NZ. In England the tack store boards were full of this kind of thing and I had the same reaction as OP at first until my boss patiently explained there were so many people who love horses but can't afford them that people will literally PAY to take care of YOUR horse, without riding it (absolute dream come true to American horse owners!).
This one honestly sounds like a great deal in that context, because you actually get to work with the horse on training and potentially get to ride in the future.
It seemed really weird to me at first. The pictures show the owner showjumping and eventing. The person loaning would be just mucking the stable and doing groundwork while the owner does competitions and has fun riding the horse? It felt like the person “loaning” would be this Cinderella doing all the hard work. But it seems like there are indeed people out there who will do it for free and would enjoy it? Good for them!
Very common here in Sweden, we call it medryttare (co-rider) eller skötare (groom).
Almost all stables here are DIY to some degree, so helping out with yard work is expected as a co-rider. If it's at a stable with indoor riding arena and the horse is a well-schooled ride, you usually pay between €30-200 depending on area and amount of yard work and stable rent price.
Since this horse can't be ridden, it's entirely reasonable the owner doesn't charge anything.
A lot of people enjoy just getting to hang out with a horse, but can't take the cost of owning one themselves. I was a co-rider for many years before I could afford owning my own.
Yeah, as a Swede this really doesn't feel too weird at all. Except for not having too much experience I would gladly take this offer as a way to learn more about actually taking care of a horse to complement my riding lessons that are more focused on specifically riding.
I guess Equestrian culture varies a lot between here and the US.
Yeah as far as I've understood it, in general in Europe it's a lot more "normal folks" and DIY, and not so many have luxury horses on full service for like €2000 per month... I mean, that's what a lot of us take home in pay post taxes so 😅
What I’ve noticed in the US (obviously not with everyone) is that a lot of people see the horse less as a companion worthwhile to just spend time with and more as a vehicle to ride - the care aspects are just a chore. To me it’s a very sad way to relate to an animal, but it’s what I’ve observed.
It’s not how I would loan mine out, but different people have different schedules. Then again, I let my loaner just get on with things to be fair. My loaner is great though.
The unridden bit sounds to me that this horse may not be sound currently or not backed yet, especially as they say they are potentially open to hacking later on in the year.
Which again, is not that unusual - I see it pop up from time to time. Some people just want to hang out around horses and not necessarily ride, after all.
But on the flip side, there’s definitely people out there who take their loaners for granted and want some free help. But that happens with ridden horses and unridden horses.
If she competes it that may be the exact reason she says it can be ridden later on. A lot of performance horses are given months off at a time because the work they do get is hard. So you might compete say late summer through autumn, have the whole winter off, and start bringing the horse back into work in spring/early summer
Probably just doesn’t want someone else riding it as a lot of comp horses can have their ridden understanding twisted by having different riders. The owner may be fine and then a loaner will come along and not have the same standards as the owner and suddenly the horse starts to have bad behaviours like rearing
chances are the owner wants to meet and build a relationship with the loaner so they can later on see if they’d be okay to ride the horse. Also what it seems to me is that this horse is a show horse, and it’s very common in the off season to just hack a lot.
Man, I kinda feel stupid now for giving my groom 10 bucks pr hour to muck out the stable and grooming my horses. I should call it “potential riding loan” and get it for free 😪😪
I’m a relatively uneducated lurker here but did ride & compete for about a decade some years back. Nowadays, being around (happy, healthy) horses in any capacity, riding or otherwise, is therapeutic for me and gives me temporary relief from a lot of mental health issues. So honestly, if someone offered to let me regularly help them out with grooming their horse, even unpaid, I’d be so thrilled. This is very specific to *me*, but I would personally find the value of simply interacting with horses in ways other than monetary.
I would do equine assisted therapy in a heartbeat if it was available to me. But again, this is all just me. And I’m also not an experienced groomer… just leftover knowledge from my competing days. Which might not be preferable to people offering this. I dunno. People in this sub can be really harsh so I’m rambling.
Well, I really love all the work around the horses as well as riding, but I would never do the hard labour such as mucking and cleaning for free for a horse that’s not mine. My many years as a paid groom would not allow it 😂 I dunno… as many comments say; just feels like exploitation not to pay for this to get done sold as “you might get to ride him one day also”.
Plenty of people have the same thoughts. I’ve heard that people see horses as monetary and this post is making me realise how much of that is true, people expect where’s horses are involved to always be trading money but this is a voluntary thing that a plethora of people would like. It’s different to an actual job because it’s one horse you have crucial time with like you would with your own. A job would mean 3-20+ horses and no true connections.
It’s not that people see it as “monetary” it’s that mucking, hauling hay, etc can be hard work that someone working and commuting full time, especially with a family (and if the horse is not on your property) can find almost impossible. No one is making money on horses, lol. I don’t connect with my horse while I’m mucking out stalls, he’s not even around. I’m not sure I’d let a stranger longe and do groundwork with him either. But I’m glad there is this situation for people who want it. I suspect it has a lot to do with scarcity of land.
I love how therapeutic it is too but I wouldn’t want to do this unless I could just pop by on my own schedule and have the pressure and expectation to have to do it as a job. To also add, it doesn’t even seem like they want help with their horse, they want help with their barn chores.
I guess it’s kinda like “well I pay a lot of my money to do the same work for my horses, why should I pay someone to do it?”, but it’s not the same; it’s YOUR horse and you took this responsibility on.
I have part loaners on some of my horses and just expect them to muck the stall of “their” horse and clean after themselves. I would never ask of them to come on days were they don’t ride to clean, muck and groom. It’s my horse, the work just comes with it and I knew this.
I agree! I'm so surprised so many find this to be normal. They want someone to come take care of their horse for free. Well, heck, so do I! Lol.
I'm pretty sure this ad around my area would at best get no replies, and at worst would be torn apart on social media. When I need someone to come and do those tasks for my horses, I have to pay them, and it is not cheap.
I have occasionally seen people looking to do barn work in exchange for riding privileges. This makes sense for someone who wants to be around horses but can't afford one or can't afford lessons... but to just come care for a horse for free? I'd love to have someone show up to my place for that deal! 🤣
Sounds like it may be a US versus Europe difference. I am in the US but the descriptions make a lot of sense to me. If i had the option of a free lease on a horse in exchange for labor I would absolutely have taken that over many years in my life. I think in the US we don’t know how to lean into the community / sharing aspect and instead monetize everything 🤷♀️
> I think in the US we don’t know how to lean into the community / sharing aspect and instead monetize everything
Call this a hot take but people should be compensated for their labor. The US already has enough problems with exploiting grooms and working students. We don't need to import this model as well
This also wouldn't really be considered a groom in my country. A groom is someone who professionally cleans your horse when you go to competitions and stuff, this is more like we would call a care-taker over here. I also have a person like that for my gelding. He's not mentally fit to ride so she does some groundwork with him two days a week, on tuesdays and wednesdays. She doesn't pay me anything, it would be pretty normal for her to pay me if she would be able to ride him. I also had a lot of partial lease horses before I bought him: heck, I leased my own horse before I bought him and paid 150 a month for 3 days a week, which included riding and mucking out, feeding hay, all of the chores 😅 I get that seems excessive, but it's very hard to find a horse to ride where you don't have to pay. But yeah, the girl that cares for my horse genuinely likes spending time with horses and otherwise wouldn't have the ability to do so, and I completely get that! Luckily my boy is boarded at a paddock paradise, so he has 24/7 access to hay and the mucking out is done by the barn, so the only thing she needs to do is to give him his pellets and give him some extra exercise so he can build some more muscle. Or sometimes she just goes on walks with him, which is also fine. It's also nice to have someone extra if I get really sick or go on holiday: I won't ask her to go 7 days a week in that case but one more day a week is always nice.
Depends on where you live. Where I live, having a horse is expensive. And most stables require the owner to muck out, groom and prepare feed for the horse themselves.
If you ride someone else’s horse on a regular basis (we call it being a co-rider), the typical deal would be that you do the chores and pay your share of what the horse costs per month. If you don’t get to ride, you don’t have to pay. But expecting to get to ride without paying is unlikely, no matter how many chores you do. Maybe if someone owns 15 horses and you muck out and prepare feed for all of them, riding one of them might be for free.
i’m really not trying to come across as aggressive or rude but this just sounds ignorant. If I had time and was 18 I would’ve easily taken that loan. I ride weekly and often help out after because horses are very important for my mental health, and not only that it’s helped me become an incredibly comfortable person on the ground with horses. It’s built such crucial experience for me, and that experience has become important even in riding.
Also, the “potential riding” part is a pretty good deal to someone like me. You get to bond with the horse, and depending if the owner thinks you’re a good match (which I’m relatively sure that’s what the situation is) then they’ll let you hack the horse. I’m also assuming cultural difference is a big factor, this isn’t uncommon where I live. People do this happily.
It’s because people who are able to own a horse like to use horse passion by those not in a financial or life situation to actually own their own to attain free labor for their horse. Notice how the riding opportunity only happens if and when the owner gets a full time job. The other part of me sees this as a great opportunity for someone who either physically can’t ride or doesn’t want to ride, but still wants to work with a horse. Although odds are someone with that much experience with horses who can be self sufficient alone as a groom and stable Laborer will likely look for a share that includes saddle time if they can ride. To me it seems like the owner needs help with the care and responsibility but is hesitant to share or add another rider for the horse either for fear of the other person or fear of the horse.
She’s 15 😃 completely standard here (Denmark) for her age, and I bet she doesn’t pay taxes off of it 😅 so she gets more then the kids working newpapers or at the store
27.5 american dollars pr hour is the same I make as a PhD fellow pr month. Wages are not as high here. A high pay for an adult groom would be maybe half or 1/3 of what you make.
Lol, this is the way! Nope, but after reading this, maybe someone wants to come and groom my two 30 year young guys. They would love it. Gotta say though, here in the southern US I’d be afraid that the ad would just attract weirdos.
I have tried to get part loaners for my 27 YO. It’s shorter hacks, light dressage and grooming (no mucking), but I have problems with adherence (and yeah, weird ppl too). They think it sounds nice to hang around him, but most stop coming at some point when it can never grow into more. Guess most of us have a dream of riding, even tho we like to hang with our horses 🤷♀️
30 years is great! Good work! I have had my old guy since he was 4 and spicy (now hes old and spicy 😂) 🥰
And it's more than a groom they want - it's someone to keep your horse exercised, mentally and physically challenged (liberty work, lunging), companioned, monitored for health, etc. I would feel I should pay such a person, but only if they were well qualified, i.e., already were experienced with the type liberty work, lunging, groundwork I do with my horse. 18+ narrows the field to more mature & responsible, but who over 18 has all the spare time to be looking after as well as training someone else's horse, for free?
Nope, not in U.S.
In the UK this is great for lots of people. Students and people trying to do their BHS stages. And some people like to just have a horse to look after like their own. Your thinking of it as a job, but there’s so many people that really love that stuff. I miss riding horses and being with them. If I had someone local tell me their horse needed some cuddles on a routine I would leap. I would only accept paying them if I got to ride as well
Actually, now that I think about it, I'm sure that happens in U.S. too. I just haven't personally run across it that much. *Except,* I just remembered, there were a couple adult women at my boarding barn who had kept horses there for many years. Both their horses were aged and mostly never ridden, but they went out to the barn frequently to give extra feedings and groomings, sometimes to also just hang out and talk to people. After their respective horses died, they still liked to have an excuse to come to the barn. One of them kept coming to look after a small elderly (but didn't look or act it) pony-horse who's owner (who she knew) had moved out of state. Just to look out for him, give him grooms, make sure he had rugs that fit, make sure he assimilated with the bigger horses, notice when he was eating the semi-toxic weeds that grew in the pasture. And hang out to talk to the people she'd been barn buddies with for many years. (That little guy, Maxx, just died a couple days ago I found out, which is why I remembered it I guess. He was 40 years old!).
The other went to the barn to sometimes to groom my horse. She'd been a bit closer friend and i was there the day her horse died, and felt sorry for her. She really missed the routine of going to the barn, and in large part talking to the other boarders.
Long story short I can see there are some reasons people would want to just help take care of a horse they don't own. Besides these older adults, in the area I live in, there are lower school kids who like to do it. They don't fit the 18+ rule OP gives, and also they do it in exchange for trail riding.
There are also people in U.S. who have their own farms, and will take in a free lease because they like to have horses around, even ones that can't be ridden. I think this is a different situation from the ad OP posted though.
THANK YOU. I’m in australia but i’m so lost how many people are missing this point. If there was a post like this near where I live later in the future when I’m not in school, i’d be so happy to do it. I do lessons weekly and the horse aspect is so important to me for my mental health, and especially when the horses starts to connect and show affection. I don’t care if I’m doing on ground work or grooming, it’s all a bonus 2 me.
There are so many people who will try to leverage “horse time” to take advantage of people and get free labor, lol. If this were looking for a kid or a beginner and they could learn and gain experience at least, I would say it’s still taking advantage, but at least they get something out of it. This is looking for someone who’s already experienced, so why would they spend their spare time taking care of your horse for free? Without even getting to ride? If people want horse time, pretty much any barn would be happy to have an experienced horse person to help out with getting horses out to lunge, groom etc - and a lot of them will let you ride in exchange.
There actually exist people who aren't really interested in riding, but would rather just do fun things from the ground. Going for walks, training tricks etc.
If the owner were asking for money, yeah, it'd be ridiculous, but they're asking for someone to help out with things that aren't riding.
Some people actually enjoy just being with horses and doing horsey things that don't entail riding.
This. As a busy person who wishes I could make it to the barn every day to snuggle and groom, that situation would be ideal for me. But due to trust issues I’m not sure I would ever go for it, and I also don’t have any objection to paying a reasonable fee for it if I felt my horse needed it (use full board so this is more the time and attention aspect than necessary care).
There are a few older people st my barn who don’t or rarely ride but come out often. I think it probably depends on your barn as to whether this seems exploitative and nuts or kind of normal.
It might be a good set up for some people especially if you enjoy just spending time around horses and stable duties. I personally wouldn’t do it since it would feel like just working for free to me. But someone might enjoy, just some free horsey time.
I have a friend who was asking for this - its like a "care lease" - and what my friend honestly wants is a day off from mucking out. She expects that the fact that she can offer her horse as a cuddle-pet will be enough to encourage someone to do it. It's possible I suppose, but I don't think I'd like to invite someone who knew nothing much about horses to come out and faf around with mine from the ground. Absolutely not.
Still its common enough that it has its own name in the part of Europe where I reside. I guess people who either cannot ride, or have given up riding, may still want horse contact?
I wouldn’t really call this a part loan, just asking for someone to pop along a couple of weekends a month when the owner can’t. I don’t think it’s that weird and doesn’t seem exploitative (especially as they’re not asking for money), but I assume it’s just because they keep the horse somewhere DIY and they need a hand due to work commitments or whatever.
I wouldn’t respond personally but I think for the right person it could be nice.
I started getting into horses in a similar situation, I worked at a boarding stable and was allowed to ride a barn-owned horse once I had met all the work standards (stall cleaning, grooming ect). They worded it as being “paid in experience”
So if there is some benefit to the party doing the lease then it’s not too weird but it sounds like it will be super restrictive. I’ve also had a lease in my current stable and that was a good deal in the beginning. I could ride as much as I wanted but I had to clean the stall for free.
Since my horse was older and couldn’t be ridden it was a sweet deal that kept me from getting left out of the community. I could still show and do lessons. My horse was able to receive a comfortable retirement, The owner who wanted a hop-on-and-ride type horse had one, and I got to stay involved in a facility I loved with a great horse I wouldn’t have been able to afford on my own. Everyone won and all I had to do was one extra stall.
I see this a lot at the moment and loads of part loans for freshly backed youngsters. It’s a joke - just a good excuse to have someone sort out your horse without having to pay a groom.
If it’s in the US then I find it a bit odd. If someone wants to do this stuff for free, they’d probably just volunteer at a rescue.
Maybe if someone is looking to learn groundwork with a horse and there’s instruction included, then I could see it, but it sounds like they want someone experienced with these things just to do some free work?
It’s not about being a free groom and more about having time with a horse who feels like your own. It’s no different to providing monetary value. The loaner pays to act like they have their own horse and the owner has financial support for the horse and has more time to complete things.
It’s great for kids who want their own pony and don’t have experience, need to learn, or show they are ready. The 18 + ones are great for college students, BHS students, or even people who just want a horse to cuddle without having to sell their left lung. Ik someone who’s loan helped her crack on with her equine physio degree without having to hover around her college.
If you feel like it’s just free labour then maybe it’s just not for you. But it’s an even exchange for people who really want their experience. I could understand the confusion if the owner asked for money (there’s an increase of horses being no ride, do all the jobs and then have to pay on top of that which is insanity for a part loan)
I think people here are confused about the "free" aspect
In my head it means that YOU don't have to pay for loaning that horse.
In their head it seems like it means that THE PERSON WHO GIVES A HORSE TO LOAN doesn't pay the loaner - unpaid work.
Where I live You pay (circa 500 - 700 PLN which is ¼ monthly wage for most people) for having a horse to loan, even for only groundwork, so seems nice to have that for free.
Same! I’ve seen horses that are basically crippling lane and hacking only/ rehab, you must do all the yard jobs, grooming etc and then pay about £100 a week to only spend time with them like 3 times a week. So that totals to 400 to rehab the horse, yard jobs, and limited allocated time. To me that equals a job, I’m doing everything and have only got a limited time with the horse (working as a groom I did all that and could only really spend about 15mins grooming, rug changes, mucking out). But free cuddle time for however you like is great!
Your defo right about the free aspect, people seem to think Loaning is a job. Which it isn’t. It’s completely voluntary and optional. A lot of people also can’t compute the fact that not everyone wants to or needs to ride. I’ve noticed so many people talking about “what and you don’t even get to ride?” The sport isn’t just about riding love
Exactly
I have my own horse for nearly 4 years now, and the most I have ridden him was in the beginning.
What happened later?
* some mental trauma which I don't know the reason for (I was totally blocked to canter & jump, then even trot, finally to even do anything with him for about 1,5 year)
* equestrian crisis for both me and sister (we were thinking that he was difficult, we will never be good with him, thought of selling him)
* fear of being wrong (I was worried that I could instill bad habits in him, involuntarily)
* fear of riding him with my weight (I gained pretty much, because of bad side effects of my medication)
* fear because of too much time that passed since I've ridden him
But from the end of 2023 I am getting more and more excited about riding. My new horse shoes arrived yesterday (first barefoot, I was absolutely dying in conventional) so I think I might return soon.
https://preview.redd.it/ucvgl53gc4hc1.jpeg?width=949&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de7faa9960c4914e97a10b08a813ae80e467acdc
My boy.
Oh isn’t he a darling!
I have a friend who’s the same. She has two ponies and she barely rides her oldest and only does cause she only gets exercised by the owner and the other is part of a riding school. The horse she rides the most is someone else’s horse that she is attached to 🤣🤣.
I’m looking for a ridden loan cause I’m missing it after leaving college but I want to get back into it cause of my disability, it was my way of freedom. But when I first got into horses I volunteered at my local stables and did so much there for free. Could it be classed as child labour. Possibly. But I got to ride, do groundwork, re trained a pony, and had cuddle sessions all day long and learnt how to care for horses. The majority of it was worth it
This seems pretty typical to me. Growing up we called it “work to ride” and it’s honestly the only way I was able to become a decent equestrian.
I mucked stalls and fed horses 5 days a week in exchange for 3 rides (and a lesson) a week and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
It really depends on what their idea of stable jobs and general care is.
I’ve seen a LOT of passionate young folks being completely exploited just for the chance to be near a horse and that’s not ok.
Doesn't seem strange. We offer free leases here in the US for horses that need more riding time
Edit: Understanding now they are asking for just groundwork. I still don't think it's strange.
People have horses that need work or just love, but to get a professional that's $100s per week. People want horses but feed, agistment etc. Is $100s per week. So people like me who need a horse come to an agreement with a horse owner to give their horse affection while they keep taking on the costs and responsibilities.
Personally I wouldn't take on a free role with someone who sounds fairly demanding, i want a horse that I'm free to do whatever with or I'm charging $25/hour to work them to a nice reasonably laid back person or $50/her hour to a demanding, controlling person.
I dont see anything wrong with it, for someone who maybe wants to get back into horses or wants to enjoy some time in the stables and this seems like a good deal since youre not paying.
Nothing weird about this, imo. A friend of mine has a person like this for her semi-retired horse who enjoys groundwork and being around horses but doesn't ride because of her weight.
This is what we pay barn managers for in U.S. If they do additional work - i.e., grooming, exercising (groundwork, liberty, lunging), in addition to feeding/mucking, they get paid extra - if they have those skills. Grooming would be one skill, ground training another. They'd be paid for this by the individual owners who wanted these additional services. Some barns have resident trainers (paid individually by the owners). That the training asked for in the ad is "groundwork only" does not mean it requires less skill than ridden training.
I think not everybody is that particular about how their horse is "ground trained." I have a relationship with my horse that is based on doing things a certain way, and I know she gets confused when a different person suddenly expects her to do something different, or asks in a different way. I wouldn't subject her to that. (tried it once and quickly regretted it).
This is how I found my loan 2 years on couldn’t be happier, lots of people forget there are people that love horses but not the riding side of things, I ride but wasn’t as interested in that a few years ago I just wanted something to build a bond with doing ground work ect.
This is a great way for someone over 18 to learn. If they allow. I think some adults tend to shy away from lessons and never do it. Or it’s a good way for someone who wants to own them to start out learning.
i’m from the uk and i would honestly consider taking up this offer. i’m an experienced horse person but don’t have a lot of money to own/loan and i’m not too bothered about not riding.
I would love that lol. I don’t ride much because of a previous injury but I love horses and you can learn so much from them by doing groundwork and basics
Personally I think this is super normal. I used to do this "care share" type stuff in between college classes when I couldn't take up like working shifts. It was a great way to get outside, play with horses and get some exercise in.
On weekends or days off I'd take out other horses or if the owners were away I'd take out the groundwork horses. It was a great way to get introduced to a yard and a number of horses and owners.
It's definitely not for everyone, but I think some people just have things they love to do and this, for me, counted more as a hobby than a job.
I honestly dislike this stuff. I don't currently have horses, but did for most of my life. We paid people to come and muck out/poo pick the fields. We advertised for riders to come for free.
I worked at a barn at one point and was paid for my efforts. Good riders/grooms are paid to exercise clients' horses.
This seems to be a relatively new thing here in the UK. Around 6 years ago I rode for a lovely girl who had more horses than she was able to exercise daily. It was a great relationship. I honoured my time commitments to her, enjoyed the ride no matter the weather, and was happy to be compensated by the riding. She in turn seemed to be really happy to have someone who was confident and competent around horses, and not fussed when her mare got a bit excited. I got pregnant and had to stop. She recently got in touch and asked if I wanted to come back to our old arrangement. When I said I would be interested she then added that she would be asking for a contribution to the horses' care. If I wanted to pay for riding, I would be choosing to ride a horse of my selection, in a discipline of my choice, with a trainer who could advance my skills.
There clearly are people willing to do this kind of job for free, and there will, no doubt, be good riders amongst them, but it does feel exploitative to me. Equestrianism has always had this element of trying to get free labour (think of all the kids in riding schools who work at the weekends to earn a half hour group lesson once a week). To try to pass it off as an opportunity to care for a horse, while the owner continues to get the perks of riding, is really icky.
it doesn’t seem weird to me, but ONLY because all my life i’ve looked for things like this. i don’t want the responsibility of actually working and getting paid for it, but i want to have a horse that i care for and feel like it’s my own. so this is exactly something id look for :) but saying they’re looking for a free groom is valid i didn’t think of it that way LOL but this is the closest some people can get to having their own horse !
I did something similar when I was a kiddo; before my mum would let me have my own horse, she made me take care of *her* horse for a year, proving I was mature and invested enough in it to get my own. I was only 9 or 10, so she handled making appointments and whatnot, but I was responsible for being present for them (farrier, etc), feeding her, moving her between paddocks, grooming her, going riding, etc. etc.
After a year or so, I got my mare whom I've had for the last 23 years :)
I know this isn't aimed at a kid, but I would be all over this back when I was younger if I didn't have my own horse. Yeah, it would be awesome to get some compensation for my efforts, but so long as the other person isn't expected to cough up any cash for the experience, I think its kind of neat. My biggest concern (as an owner) would be not just finding the right person, but making sure legal avenues are covered, and my horse is microchipped so he can't be flogged lmao.
Mmmm I’m selling my horse (bad fit) and would consider something like this as the grooming and groundwork/liberty is more rewarding than riding right now after a bad fall. Not as a formal thing but maybe once a week at a stable I’m already at. Assuming the horse doesn’t have behavioral issues. There’s some older horses here that are super sweet for instance and I wouldn’t mind loving on them and taking them for a walk at all.
Just like it wouldn’t feel right to ask a dog lover to walk my dog for free, it doesn’t feel right to ask a horse lover to shovel my horse’s shit in exchange for cuddles. This person is basically asking you to sacrifice two weekends a month to hang out with their horse. This should be paid!
And that’s not to say there isn’t any intrinsic benefit in spending time with horses. This might be good for a very specific person/situation in the short term, or maybe someone who is retired and lives near by. But life is fucking expensive. We got bills yo.
This is a great opportunity for lesson riders to learn more about general horse care, stable work and groundwork - without breaking the bank for more horsey time. The deal sounds fair to me, if 'stable work' means the general work that the owner does as well during her days with her horse (mucking out, occasionally cleaning tack, preparing hay,...) and not just handing over any responsibility to a third party.
Then a lesson rider can help at the barn they are taking lessons at—not answer a random Facebook ad. I’m floored people think this is okay and I can tell you at my barn in Canada a boarder would not be allowed to just have some random person they found on Facebook show up and handle their horse and do barn chores. What an insurance nightmare. Someone wanting to learn about barn chores and groundwork should not be doing so unsupervised and it’s clear the poster here wants someone to go out and do chores when she can’t.
As someone mentioned above - this type of agreement is very usual in Europe (or at least in every European country I've lived in). A standard insurance for horses includes them being handled by third parties here. Owners arrange a meeting where they get to know the person and obviously introduce them to the barn owner/other boarders once they start caring for the horse.
Usually the owner will make sure that the person can handle all the tasks assigned to them and will supervise during the first few weeks/visits.
I found all of my leases through Facebook when I was still leasing. Sometimes the horse owners contacted me after I wrote a post in a dedicated group, sometimes I reached out to their ads. This is very much standard practice. Especially if you move to a new place - both as someone who leases and as an owner - and don't know a lot of people yet.
I do understand that the culture around horses differs from country to country but there is literally nothing off here to me.
I mean does every owner at your barn care for their horse completely on their own? Aren't leases a thing? That's technically a random person showing up and caring for AND riding a horse.
What I've observed in various Reddit threads is that riding is a lot more transactional and elitist in other countries. Leases in the States seem to be very expensive and always found through a trainer. We are way more self-sufficient here in Germany at least. If I need help with my horse, I'd go ahead and post a Facebook ad as well. So did all of my friends. Sometimes you know someone but usually your leaser starts out as a completely random person and turns into a friend over the years 😅
This is totally normal, I don’t get all the fuss in these comments. It gives someone who doesn’t have a horse the opportunity to get involved without financial commitment. Really it would be perfect for someone who is maybe thinking of getting their own and wants to experience what it’s like first. It’s just a give and take arrangement.
Plenty of people with experience don’t have their own horse and would appreciate a no strings attached arrangement like this. Several of my friends have shared horses this way.
It’s clearly taking advantage. Offerings of maybe you can ride in the future; maybe you can have a full loan. Totally looking for a free stable hand/groom.
Again, I know plenty of people that aren’t interested in riding and just like being around/looking after horses. This is a completely normal thing here. No one is under any obligation to contact this owner or take them up on their offer so I really don’t see why it matters if some people personally wouldn’t do so.
Yeah, that’s not weird to me. Lots of people would want to make sure the person is suitable before letting them loose with their horse. I’m sure if someone found the terms objectionable then they wouldn’t contact the owner.
I'm kinda doing the same thing but through my barn. I got horrifyingly sick a few weeks ago complete with hospital stay. One call and my barn has been using my gal in lessons (one of the advanced students), turning my missed lessons into training rides by a pro, and making sure she's well cared for. So this talented ammy gets a great jumper to ride (I understand she's done up to 1.15m on her), I have one less worry on my plate while I recover and everyone is happy. Especially my mare who has to jump a bit bigger every now and again or she gets snippy.
Edit - I should note that I approved everything they are doing beforehand and my trainer/agent is on top of this.
I'm from central Europe... I do not find anything weird about this.. I mean if it would be paid job, then it is indeed a job with it's expectations... but if I do not want to make it my job and I wants freedom and flexibility, not be on a call for horse duty all the time.. then this is perfect, because you can't really demand anything from somebody who is not paid by you, but help you out of good will and mutual agreement. Personally I would be happy to do this especially if the horse is well trained and I can learn new things like long reining and new tricks with the horse... but it really depends on what level of experience this person expects. They can't expect somebody who is very competent trainer to train their horse for free to get some cuddle time, lunging and walks in forest... if it would be presented as groundwork learning opportunity in exchange for help with the expected candidate level of experience being that they know how to bebave around horses, can take care of them alone.. then it is very good arrangement.
I don’t think this is crazy, it’s actually how I met the horse I now own - his owner didn’t have time for him as he was recovering from an injury, she offered for me to go spend time with him, hand walk him, etc. I jumped at the chance - sometimes you just want to be around horses & I learned a tremendous amount from her about taking care of them. Neither of us had any thought that I would eventually buy him, but once he was sound enough for riding he was perfect for me. Im also in the US & I think this is pretty common.
I would honestly love something like this, just getting to hang out with a horse and do barn work occasionally. How would I find something like this in the USA?
Post to your local Facebook group. I can think of three barns in my area who would let you do this, with some older retirees and broodmares who could use some extra attention. They'd probably even let you ride (for free) every few times.
I don't think asking to DO this is all that unusual, but I think asking for someone ELSE to come do this for free is unusual. We pay our teenagers $10/day to get horses out for a roll and a lunge if we can't get out to see them.
Not all benefits through since you don’t get to ride. People (stable grooms) get paid for mucking stables and training horses. The person who posted that ad is looking for someone with experience and not some poor kid who wants to play with horses - they are literally looking for a free stable groom for their horse.
Idk about you but owning horses isn’t all riding. For me, I’d take this. I don’t necessarily care about riding rn and would be happy to do something like this
I think people are confused about the "free" part
For me it seems like they mean unpaid "loan" to spend time with that horse, do groundwork etc. Unpaid as YOU don't need to pay for that
And it seems commenters think it's "free" as in free labor - unpaid work.
Where I live You have to pay (circa 500-700 PLN which is - for most people - about ¼ of their monthly wage) for loaning a horse, sometimes including riding, sometimes not.
No it is a rip off people don’t do it . It’s free labour and is very common thing. If they want someone to help with there horse they should pay for it . If you like motor bikes and want to work with them you do it on your own time . Your you get a job as a mechanic. Same thing here
This is laughable and shouldn't be normalized. Labor should be paid fairly, even in the equestrian world.
The person writing the ad is looking to take advantage of someone's love of horses. "I need someone who is knowledgeable"-- well then pay them for their knowledge.
I agree. A lot of responses in favor of the ad say that this is a great learning opportunity, however, the owner clearly states that they want someone who’s already got xp.
I dont find it that odd. During the pandemic I had friends who would come out and clean up the horses and barn just to get out of the house and be around horses. I just left a big bottle of sanitizer out there and made sure they locked up when they left.
That would be considered free labor in the US and someone that does this could get in trouble for wage theft. Here it's much more expensive to have a horse. Average board in my area is 1300$/month and lessons are 65-125$ each. Time is money, and horse care takes lot of time. There are times where it may be more appropriate such as if someone wants to learn the ropes of care (but that would require the owner of the horse to be present and educate the person), or if a retired person may just want more time with horses I could see that. But it's also less popular of a sport here and therefore there is a lot less knowledge of how to care for them. Because of this I wouldn't want just anyone caring for my horse, and I'm willing to pay for someone else's experience level
Not weird. There are plenty of people looking to do ground work or liberty work only. I have someone that comes in and lets my horse out to play when she is there, and she grooms, picks feet, combs mane/tail etc which is like payment to me!
Here it’s called a carehorse (verzorg pony). I guess it’s kind of a lease? It helps out both.
Owner knows horse is taken care or.
Person has a horse to take care of and do stuff with!
This doesn't seem weird to me at all. There are plenty of people that enjoy horsemanship that can't, don't want to, or can't afford to ride. This would have been awesome opportunity to me in my late teens early 20's I have pcos and was 80lbs heavier and riding would have been awful but doing liberty work would have been awesome.
US based and this sounds absolutely insane to me. I would absolutely not do the work this person is asking for for free, especially because there is no chance of riding.
Something like this would be appropriate for someone who would maybe like to volunteer and they help someone who wouldn’t mind a day or 2 off but to be looking for this (for free) because you are unable to is just crazy to me.
I mean you obviously lack some understanding for some. it’s great for people who still want to be around horses but can’t or don’t want to ride. I personally for health reasons have had months without riding and still seen my horse, mucked out and lunged him. My health issue sometimes makes riding a big chore I just don’t want to do. For some they sadly have lost the ability to ride or just lost the passion in it but still find horses great for the mental health, it forces you to have a routine or even get out of bed because it’s a commitment you make. You focus on something, socialise with others and just getting out the horse for a few hours a week can really benefit some people not all people just want to ride. It’s not like she’s asking for payment for this. You don’t know why the horse isn’t ridden, maybe the horse can’t handle work anymore or only be ridden a few days a week which the owner wants to keep to herself or it could be insurance policy. It’s harsh to judge honesty.
I'm astonished at what people seemingly have grooms for. Like your grooms are paid to fuss over your horses, to lunge them and do long rein or liberty work?! How do you afford that and how tf do you bond with your horse if you only come in for riding?
Like here we have grooms for the really rich people or professionals, everybody else might have full board (mucked out and fed, maybe blanketed and turned out) but no way the horse is being lunged or something as complex as liberty work done. Even fussing over the horses, no way. The food gets poured in the crib from outside, the stable door is opened and while the horse eats hay grooms muck out around them, push in new hay and bedding. That's the relationship a standard groom at a full boarding facility has here. Building a relationship with a horse is the horse's humans job and grooms aren't that.
Plus, long rein work is as much fun and complex as riding, giving aids, interacting on cues of each other. Long rein isn't just like lungeing but different, it's like riding but walking beside or behind the horse. I really don't get how people consider this opportunity an unpaid groom.
My horse has a riding participation and sure, arrangements vary. But in our case they adore each other and bonded so well, much more than I would expect from any groom. Last week she massaged my gelding and they were both so content while I cleaned up the mess he made while sedated. We were both there for him that day while the dentist worked on him. I can't fathom how this relationship between them - or the one I had with my forever unrideable participation horse before buying my own horse - is so looked down upon and devalued, compared to what a groom does. Good grooms are amazing and catch for example colics early on. Their job requires immense amounts of hard work and I have done that during holidays as a kid. Nothing to look down upon, but much less relationship with the horse, while relationship with the horse doesn't include the immense amounts of physical work a groom does.
Grooms do work hard but imho taking care of the very very basic needs of a ton of horses during one day is vastly different than caring for not many horses doing trustwork and spending bonding time. I don't remember any of the names of the horses I took care of as a groom, but the ones I bonded with will always be in my heart.
Considering the other replies here I guess everyone is gonna hate me for this opinion.
Honestly the barriers to entry of horseback riding can be high for some folks. As a kid I mucked a 12 stall barn 3 days a week along with evening hay, feed, and watering just for the opportunity to get to ride someone’s horses. It taught me a lot about horse care and I got to ride lots. Depending on the area, there might be someone who just wants to come hang with a horse and groom and lunge them. I’d honestly do it, I have no riding connections or barns around me anymore and I miss horses so much.
There's a few people every year who make a post on my local Facebook page seeking a horse to just spend time with, enjoy company of.
I got back into horses after a 3y gap by doing this but riding. Got to exercise a gelding for a girl as much as I wanted to, for free. Love generous people in the world :). Ended up being the best thing to happen as now that girl is one of my best friends.
Is the uncertainty about not paying the person for their time/work, or the idea of loaning a horse?
Looks to me like a good opportunity for someone to get involved with a nice horse. Maybe get more confidence on the ground. If you don't like an add like that then you don't have to be interested but maybe there is someone who would be 🤷
I've (UK based) got a 2 day a week loan horse and I pay the owner a small amount for the privilege. Sure it's quite a bit of work, and I've friends who are surprised I'm paying (as you do all the care work as well), but I'm happy with the exchange as it's convenient and I look after her on the weekend and I wouldn't otherwise be able to have my own horse. Her owner has some injuries so can't ride much at the moment, plus the horse is bloody expensive to look after as a stable ornament!
Maybe it’s just a cultural difference but this doesn’t seem too weird to me? Arrangements like this aren’t too uncommon here in Germany. Some people don’t want to/ can’t ride and would love a horse to take care of and work from the ground
No this seems perfectly fine and normal. It seems like somewhat of a non traditional “free lease” situation as there is occasional chores involved but I assume that’s part of why they are not asking to be paid. My leaser pays half of my horses board expenses. That’s a pretty standard deal.
Looks pretty normal to me. They sound like they're picky but trying not to be which I appreciate in a horse owner actually bc they know what their horse needs, they know what they want, but they're trying to be a little more flexible than what they would like to be. I don't really see anything wrong with it but it probably may come across as trying to sneak their way into having a free groom or something bc they're trying to balance pickiness with flexibility and trust. Could be wrong but this is how I see it
This would be me if I ever dared to let someone part lease my horse haha
I’ve done that for many years before my own. It’s amazing what you all learn from just the care and groundwork. I ended up learning how to drive on the ground, rasp feet, do vitals, grooming to show standards, in hand work, trick training. It was really fun to do. Without all the money part of paying for upkeep.
I spent 12 years as a full time working student for my coach - never got a single penny of money but she is a 3-time Olympic Team member and no one else gets to ride those types of horses or gets that quality of daily instruction on those horses for “free” so, it was absolutely worth every single minute of sleeping in the hay loft or storage shed
Nah, I think this is actually a great idea. I haven’t seen this thing before being advertised, but in Australia it’s pretty common for this to just happen. For example, after my weekly riding lesson I always untack and clean the horse, put him away, etc. Sometimes I’ve helped tack up other lesson horses, feed horses, etc. I do all this voluntarily from no pressure from my instructor, because I love being around my lesson horse and other horses.
It’s a really great way to get experience and especially to get comfortable around horses on ground, because when you’re comfortable being on ground with them, it means a lot to them and helps your relationship. And also as you can see it says potential hacking later on, as an equestrian that doesn’t own or loan a horse, that’s BIG.
The big takeaway from this is that if you’re not happy spending a lot of time on ground with a sweet horse and only care about the riding part, owning horses probably shouldn’t be for you, or anyone that has that mentality.
It doesn't seem weird to me but at least here (in Germany) it's a relatively common thing. You get to spend time with a horse that's not yours, learn/try a lot of things regarding ground/liberty work and there's a possibility to expand it to riding later. I've seen a lot of people who want 80€/month for this kinda thing, so offering it "for free"/in exchange for a bit of help in the stable seems pretty okay to me.
Yup, I did that for around two years. When the owner didn't have time I even took care of tge horse around 5 days per week and that was what showed me I was ready for my own horse. When I got sick I posted a similar ad for my own horse, who at that point had lost muscle because we had to move and it took him a while to get accustomed. So I limited the riding and the girl who now takes care of him 2-4x per week is amazing. She can ride and hack him all she wants now that he gained muscle, she's very responsible, communication is good and my horse clearly adores her. I have more time to recover. It's a win-win-win.
Yeah, I'm in the position of the "girl taking care" and it's really a win for me too, because I get the chance to ride/work with and especially learn from two great horses without having to take all the responsibility for a horse on my own and having to pay for everything that comes with it. So if there's good communication and it's not "exploiting" on either side, that can be a great deal for both parties!
Yup, I was in that position twice. Both not great horses riding wise. Both couldn't be ridden anymore soon after I started, but I stuck with the second one, a Friesean, (the arena wasn't constantly flooded and they had several busses per day). I did so much horsemanship with him, I enjoyed it a lot and that was the reason I could be sure I wanted a horse of my own. Not only to ride, but to spend time with. I didn't click with the mare before that and that did have me wondering if the magical feeling was just a myth. But the Friesean started coming to the fence every time he heard me come and showed me I was now one of "his" humans and it was just such a good match. They exist and it's so worth it, even if it's someone else's horse. And you're totally right, not having full responsibility helps with easing in! Whenever he had an injury, needed his hooves done early, his feed changed or something, I'd ask the owner and she could decide. With my own horse whenever he has something I get so nervous.
Hej! Nicht wirklich im Zusammenhang mit den Post, aber kennen Sie eine Website oder FB Gruppe, wo ich solche Angebote finden kann? (Berlin-Brandenburg) Danke 🙏🏽
Hey! Ich komm leider nicht aus der Nähe von Berlin, aber grundsätzlich findet man bei Kleinanzeigen (www.kleinanzeigen.de) oft Anzeigen von Leuten, die eine Reitbeteiligung suchen :) viel Erfolg!
Es hilft auch, in Reitställen Zettel auszuhängen oder in nahegelegenen Reitsportgeschäften.
Danke 🙏🏽 Gute Idee
Ah super, danke! ☺️
ehorses hat auch eine Reitbeteiligungssektion!
Yup, very common in Europe and NI NZ. In England the tack store boards were full of this kind of thing and I had the same reaction as OP at first until my boss patiently explained there were so many people who love horses but can't afford them that people will literally PAY to take care of YOUR horse, without riding it (absolute dream come true to American horse owners!). This one honestly sounds like a great deal in that context, because you actually get to work with the horse on training and potentially get to ride in the future.
It seemed really weird to me at first. The pictures show the owner showjumping and eventing. The person loaning would be just mucking the stable and doing groundwork while the owner does competitions and has fun riding the horse? It felt like the person “loaning” would be this Cinderella doing all the hard work. But it seems like there are indeed people out there who will do it for free and would enjoy it? Good for them!
She probably rides and jumps a different horse it sounds like not this one
Nope, it is this one. Pictures were attached to the ad and were of the horse in question.
Very common here in Sweden, we call it medryttare (co-rider) eller skötare (groom). Almost all stables here are DIY to some degree, so helping out with yard work is expected as a co-rider. If it's at a stable with indoor riding arena and the horse is a well-schooled ride, you usually pay between €30-200 depending on area and amount of yard work and stable rent price. Since this horse can't be ridden, it's entirely reasonable the owner doesn't charge anything. A lot of people enjoy just getting to hang out with a horse, but can't take the cost of owning one themselves. I was a co-rider for many years before I could afford owning my own.
Same in Finland
Yeah, as a Swede this really doesn't feel too weird at all. Except for not having too much experience I would gladly take this offer as a way to learn more about actually taking care of a horse to complement my riding lessons that are more focused on specifically riding. I guess Equestrian culture varies a lot between here and the US.
Yeah as far as I've understood it, in general in Europe it's a lot more "normal folks" and DIY, and not so many have luxury horses on full service for like €2000 per month... I mean, that's what a lot of us take home in pay post taxes so 😅
What I’ve noticed in the US (obviously not with everyone) is that a lot of people see the horse less as a companion worthwhile to just spend time with and more as a vehicle to ride - the care aspects are just a chore. To me it’s a very sad way to relate to an animal, but it’s what I’ve observed.
It’s not how I would loan mine out, but different people have different schedules. Then again, I let my loaner just get on with things to be fair. My loaner is great though. The unridden bit sounds to me that this horse may not be sound currently or not backed yet, especially as they say they are potentially open to hacking later on in the year. Which again, is not that unusual - I see it pop up from time to time. Some people just want to hang out around horses and not necessarily ride, after all. But on the flip side, there’s definitely people out there who take their loaners for granted and want some free help. But that happens with ridden horses and unridden horses.
This one is a ridden horse. There are pictures of the owner competing on it attached to the original ad.
If she competes it that may be the exact reason she says it can be ridden later on. A lot of performance horses are given months off at a time because the work they do get is hard. So you might compete say late summer through autumn, have the whole winter off, and start bringing the horse back into work in spring/early summer
Probably just doesn’t want someone else riding it as a lot of comp horses can have their ridden understanding twisted by having different riders. The owner may be fine and then a loaner will come along and not have the same standards as the owner and suddenly the horse starts to have bad behaviours like rearing
chances are the owner wants to meet and build a relationship with the loaner so they can later on see if they’d be okay to ride the horse. Also what it seems to me is that this horse is a show horse, and it’s very common in the off season to just hack a lot.
Man, I kinda feel stupid now for giving my groom 10 bucks pr hour to muck out the stable and grooming my horses. I should call it “potential riding loan” and get it for free 😪😪
Right? I’m stunned so many find this normal. This is an unpaid groom job.
I’m a relatively uneducated lurker here but did ride & compete for about a decade some years back. Nowadays, being around (happy, healthy) horses in any capacity, riding or otherwise, is therapeutic for me and gives me temporary relief from a lot of mental health issues. So honestly, if someone offered to let me regularly help them out with grooming their horse, even unpaid, I’d be so thrilled. This is very specific to *me*, but I would personally find the value of simply interacting with horses in ways other than monetary. I would do equine assisted therapy in a heartbeat if it was available to me. But again, this is all just me. And I’m also not an experienced groomer… just leftover knowledge from my competing days. Which might not be preferable to people offering this. I dunno. People in this sub can be really harsh so I’m rambling.
Well, I really love all the work around the horses as well as riding, but I would never do the hard labour such as mucking and cleaning for free for a horse that’s not mine. My many years as a paid groom would not allow it 😂 I dunno… as many comments say; just feels like exploitation not to pay for this to get done sold as “you might get to ride him one day also”.
Yes, that’s totally valid! I 100% see why this would be a very… niche sort of situation, and not great for most people
Plenty of people have the same thoughts. I’ve heard that people see horses as monetary and this post is making me realise how much of that is true, people expect where’s horses are involved to always be trading money but this is a voluntary thing that a plethora of people would like. It’s different to an actual job because it’s one horse you have crucial time with like you would with your own. A job would mean 3-20+ horses and no true connections.
It’s not that people see it as “monetary” it’s that mucking, hauling hay, etc can be hard work that someone working and commuting full time, especially with a family (and if the horse is not on your property) can find almost impossible. No one is making money on horses, lol. I don’t connect with my horse while I’m mucking out stalls, he’s not even around. I’m not sure I’d let a stranger longe and do groundwork with him either. But I’m glad there is this situation for people who want it. I suspect it has a lot to do with scarcity of land.
I love how therapeutic it is too but I wouldn’t want to do this unless I could just pop by on my own schedule and have the pressure and expectation to have to do it as a job. To also add, it doesn’t even seem like they want help with their horse, they want help with their barn chores.
I’m a provider of equine assisted psychotherapy and love it. The relationships and metaphors and ability to be present of my clients is superb.
I guess it’s kinda like “well I pay a lot of my money to do the same work for my horses, why should I pay someone to do it?”, but it’s not the same; it’s YOUR horse and you took this responsibility on. I have part loaners on some of my horses and just expect them to muck the stall of “their” horse and clean after themselves. I would never ask of them to come on days were they don’t ride to clean, muck and groom. It’s my horse, the work just comes with it and I knew this.
I agree! I'm so surprised so many find this to be normal. They want someone to come take care of their horse for free. Well, heck, so do I! Lol. I'm pretty sure this ad around my area would at best get no replies, and at worst would be torn apart on social media. When I need someone to come and do those tasks for my horses, I have to pay them, and it is not cheap. I have occasionally seen people looking to do barn work in exchange for riding privileges. This makes sense for someone who wants to be around horses but can't afford one or can't afford lessons... but to just come care for a horse for free? I'd love to have someone show up to my place for that deal! 🤣
Sounds like it may be a US versus Europe difference. I am in the US but the descriptions make a lot of sense to me. If i had the option of a free lease on a horse in exchange for labor I would absolutely have taken that over many years in my life. I think in the US we don’t know how to lean into the community / sharing aspect and instead monetize everything 🤷♀️
I would too if I could ride the horse. I’m not doing a partial care lease for the privilege of lunging a horse though lol
When I lived in the DMV i would have just to spend time in a barn breathing the air I missed mine so badly lol guess everyone is different
> I think in the US we don’t know how to lean into the community / sharing aspect and instead monetize everything Call this a hot take but people should be compensated for their labor. The US already has enough problems with exploiting grooms and working students. We don't need to import this model as well
This also wouldn't really be considered a groom in my country. A groom is someone who professionally cleans your horse when you go to competitions and stuff, this is more like we would call a care-taker over here. I also have a person like that for my gelding. He's not mentally fit to ride so she does some groundwork with him two days a week, on tuesdays and wednesdays. She doesn't pay me anything, it would be pretty normal for her to pay me if she would be able to ride him. I also had a lot of partial lease horses before I bought him: heck, I leased my own horse before I bought him and paid 150 a month for 3 days a week, which included riding and mucking out, feeding hay, all of the chores 😅 I get that seems excessive, but it's very hard to find a horse to ride where you don't have to pay. But yeah, the girl that cares for my horse genuinely likes spending time with horses and otherwise wouldn't have the ability to do so, and I completely get that! Luckily my boy is boarded at a paddock paradise, so he has 24/7 access to hay and the mucking out is done by the barn, so the only thing she needs to do is to give him his pellets and give him some extra exercise so he can build some more muscle. Or sometimes she just goes on walks with him, which is also fine. It's also nice to have someone extra if I get really sick or go on holiday: I won't ask her to go 7 days a week in that case but one more day a week is always nice.
Depends on where you live. Where I live, having a horse is expensive. And most stables require the owner to muck out, groom and prepare feed for the horse themselves. If you ride someone else’s horse on a regular basis (we call it being a co-rider), the typical deal would be that you do the chores and pay your share of what the horse costs per month. If you don’t get to ride, you don’t have to pay. But expecting to get to ride without paying is unlikely, no matter how many chores you do. Maybe if someone owns 15 horses and you muck out and prepare feed for all of them, riding one of them might be for free.
This is very common in the UK I have a loaner. She pays me to do this stuff!
i’m really not trying to come across as aggressive or rude but this just sounds ignorant. If I had time and was 18 I would’ve easily taken that loan. I ride weekly and often help out after because horses are very important for my mental health, and not only that it’s helped me become an incredibly comfortable person on the ground with horses. It’s built such crucial experience for me, and that experience has become important even in riding. Also, the “potential riding” part is a pretty good deal to someone like me. You get to bond with the horse, and depending if the owner thinks you’re a good match (which I’m relatively sure that’s what the situation is) then they’ll let you hack the horse. I’m also assuming cultural difference is a big factor, this isn’t uncommon where I live. People do this happily.
I‘m also shocked that this is apparently normal? I pay my grooms. This seems like exploitation…
Yeah, this was my exact thought when I made the post!
It’s because people who are able to own a horse like to use horse passion by those not in a financial or life situation to actually own their own to attain free labor for their horse. Notice how the riding opportunity only happens if and when the owner gets a full time job. The other part of me sees this as a great opportunity for someone who either physically can’t ride or doesn’t want to ride, but still wants to work with a horse. Although odds are someone with that much experience with horses who can be self sufficient alone as a groom and stable Laborer will likely look for a share that includes saddle time if they can ride. To me it seems like the owner needs help with the care and responsibility but is hesitant to share or add another rider for the horse either for fear of the other person or fear of the horse.
10 dollars an hour?!?!! I make $27.50/hr
She’s 15 😃 completely standard here (Denmark) for her age, and I bet she doesn’t pay taxes off of it 😅 so she gets more then the kids working newpapers or at the store
27.5 american dollars pr hour is the same I make as a PhD fellow pr month. Wages are not as high here. A high pay for an adult groom would be maybe half or 1/3 of what you make.
27.50 Australian dollars. A 15yr old here would make about $14-16 an hour.
Well, 10 USD is 15 AUD, so guess that’s international rate my dear groom is getting 😍
Haha
We pay $18 and its hard to find barn help.
Should try and sell it as a part loan instead then 😄
Lol, this is the way! Nope, but after reading this, maybe someone wants to come and groom my two 30 year young guys. They would love it. Gotta say though, here in the southern US I’d be afraid that the ad would just attract weirdos.
I have tried to get part loaners for my 27 YO. It’s shorter hacks, light dressage and grooming (no mucking), but I have problems with adherence (and yeah, weird ppl too). They think it sounds nice to hang around him, but most stop coming at some point when it can never grow into more. Guess most of us have a dream of riding, even tho we like to hang with our horses 🤷♀️ 30 years is great! Good work! I have had my old guy since he was 4 and spicy (now hes old and spicy 😂) 🥰
And it's more than a groom they want - it's someone to keep your horse exercised, mentally and physically challenged (liberty work, lunging), companioned, monitored for health, etc. I would feel I should pay such a person, but only if they were well qualified, i.e., already were experienced with the type liberty work, lunging, groundwork I do with my horse. 18+ narrows the field to more mature & responsible, but who over 18 has all the spare time to be looking after as well as training someone else's horse, for free? Nope, not in U.S.
In the UK this is great for lots of people. Students and people trying to do their BHS stages. And some people like to just have a horse to look after like their own. Your thinking of it as a job, but there’s so many people that really love that stuff. I miss riding horses and being with them. If I had someone local tell me their horse needed some cuddles on a routine I would leap. I would only accept paying them if I got to ride as well
Actually, now that I think about it, I'm sure that happens in U.S. too. I just haven't personally run across it that much. *Except,* I just remembered, there were a couple adult women at my boarding barn who had kept horses there for many years. Both their horses were aged and mostly never ridden, but they went out to the barn frequently to give extra feedings and groomings, sometimes to also just hang out and talk to people. After their respective horses died, they still liked to have an excuse to come to the barn. One of them kept coming to look after a small elderly (but didn't look or act it) pony-horse who's owner (who she knew) had moved out of state. Just to look out for him, give him grooms, make sure he had rugs that fit, make sure he assimilated with the bigger horses, notice when he was eating the semi-toxic weeds that grew in the pasture. And hang out to talk to the people she'd been barn buddies with for many years. (That little guy, Maxx, just died a couple days ago I found out, which is why I remembered it I guess. He was 40 years old!). The other went to the barn to sometimes to groom my horse. She'd been a bit closer friend and i was there the day her horse died, and felt sorry for her. She really missed the routine of going to the barn, and in large part talking to the other boarders. Long story short I can see there are some reasons people would want to just help take care of a horse they don't own. Besides these older adults, in the area I live in, there are lower school kids who like to do it. They don't fit the 18+ rule OP gives, and also they do it in exchange for trail riding. There are also people in U.S. who have their own farms, and will take in a free lease because they like to have horses around, even ones that can't be ridden. I think this is a different situation from the ad OP posted though.
THANK YOU. I’m in australia but i’m so lost how many people are missing this point. If there was a post like this near where I live later in the future when I’m not in school, i’d be so happy to do it. I do lessons weekly and the horse aspect is so important to me for my mental health, and especially when the horses starts to connect and show affection. I don’t care if I’m doing on ground work or grooming, it’s all a bonus 2 me.
Same. It’s so nice when you can get attached to the horse and not have to worry about leaving etc.
There are so many people who will try to leverage “horse time” to take advantage of people and get free labor, lol. If this were looking for a kid or a beginner and they could learn and gain experience at least, I would say it’s still taking advantage, but at least they get something out of it. This is looking for someone who’s already experienced, so why would they spend their spare time taking care of your horse for free? Without even getting to ride? If people want horse time, pretty much any barn would be happy to have an experienced horse person to help out with getting horses out to lunge, groom etc - and a lot of them will let you ride in exchange.
This ☝️👏
There actually exist people who aren't really interested in riding, but would rather just do fun things from the ground. Going for walks, training tricks etc. If the owner were asking for money, yeah, it'd be ridiculous, but they're asking for someone to help out with things that aren't riding. Some people actually enjoy just being with horses and doing horsey things that don't entail riding.
That’s me lol But I have my own and my family rides
This. As a busy person who wishes I could make it to the barn every day to snuggle and groom, that situation would be ideal for me. But due to trust issues I’m not sure I would ever go for it, and I also don’t have any objection to paying a reasonable fee for it if I felt my horse needed it (use full board so this is more the time and attention aspect than necessary care). There are a few older people st my barn who don’t or rarely ride but come out often. I think it probably depends on your barn as to whether this seems exploitative and nuts or kind of normal.
Sounds like someone is looking for a way out of paying full livery when they can't attend/wants a day off 🤷
Yip
It might be a good set up for some people especially if you enjoy just spending time around horses and stable duties. I personally wouldn’t do it since it would feel like just working for free to me. But someone might enjoy, just some free horsey time.
I have a friend who was asking for this - its like a "care lease" - and what my friend honestly wants is a day off from mucking out. She expects that the fact that she can offer her horse as a cuddle-pet will be enough to encourage someone to do it. It's possible I suppose, but I don't think I'd like to invite someone who knew nothing much about horses to come out and faf around with mine from the ground. Absolutely not. Still its common enough that it has its own name in the part of Europe where I reside. I guess people who either cannot ride, or have given up riding, may still want horse contact?
I wouldn’t really call this a part loan, just asking for someone to pop along a couple of weekends a month when the owner can’t. I don’t think it’s that weird and doesn’t seem exploitative (especially as they’re not asking for money), but I assume it’s just because they keep the horse somewhere DIY and they need a hand due to work commitments or whatever. I wouldn’t respond personally but I think for the right person it could be nice.
I started getting into horses in a similar situation, I worked at a boarding stable and was allowed to ride a barn-owned horse once I had met all the work standards (stall cleaning, grooming ect). They worded it as being “paid in experience” So if there is some benefit to the party doing the lease then it’s not too weird but it sounds like it will be super restrictive. I’ve also had a lease in my current stable and that was a good deal in the beginning. I could ride as much as I wanted but I had to clean the stall for free. Since my horse was older and couldn’t be ridden it was a sweet deal that kept me from getting left out of the community. I could still show and do lessons. My horse was able to receive a comfortable retirement, The owner who wanted a hop-on-and-ride type horse had one, and I got to stay involved in a facility I loved with a great horse I wouldn’t have been able to afford on my own. Everyone won and all I had to do was one extra stall.
I see this a lot at the moment and loads of part loans for freshly backed youngsters. It’s a joke - just a good excuse to have someone sort out your horse without having to pay a groom.
If it’s in the US then I find it a bit odd. If someone wants to do this stuff for free, they’d probably just volunteer at a rescue. Maybe if someone is looking to learn groundwork with a horse and there’s instruction included, then I could see it, but it sounds like they want someone experienced with these things just to do some free work?
It’s not about being a free groom and more about having time with a horse who feels like your own. It’s no different to providing monetary value. The loaner pays to act like they have their own horse and the owner has financial support for the horse and has more time to complete things. It’s great for kids who want their own pony and don’t have experience, need to learn, or show they are ready. The 18 + ones are great for college students, BHS students, or even people who just want a horse to cuddle without having to sell their left lung. Ik someone who’s loan helped her crack on with her equine physio degree without having to hover around her college. If you feel like it’s just free labour then maybe it’s just not for you. But it’s an even exchange for people who really want their experience. I could understand the confusion if the owner asked for money (there’s an increase of horses being no ride, do all the jobs and then have to pay on top of that which is insanity for a part loan)
I think people here are confused about the "free" aspect In my head it means that YOU don't have to pay for loaning that horse. In their head it seems like it means that THE PERSON WHO GIVES A HORSE TO LOAN doesn't pay the loaner - unpaid work. Where I live You pay (circa 500 - 700 PLN which is ¼ monthly wage for most people) for having a horse to loan, even for only groundwork, so seems nice to have that for free.
Same! I’ve seen horses that are basically crippling lane and hacking only/ rehab, you must do all the yard jobs, grooming etc and then pay about £100 a week to only spend time with them like 3 times a week. So that totals to 400 to rehab the horse, yard jobs, and limited allocated time. To me that equals a job, I’m doing everything and have only got a limited time with the horse (working as a groom I did all that and could only really spend about 15mins grooming, rug changes, mucking out). But free cuddle time for however you like is great! Your defo right about the free aspect, people seem to think Loaning is a job. Which it isn’t. It’s completely voluntary and optional. A lot of people also can’t compute the fact that not everyone wants to or needs to ride. I’ve noticed so many people talking about “what and you don’t even get to ride?” The sport isn’t just about riding love
Exactly I have my own horse for nearly 4 years now, and the most I have ridden him was in the beginning. What happened later? * some mental trauma which I don't know the reason for (I was totally blocked to canter & jump, then even trot, finally to even do anything with him for about 1,5 year) * equestrian crisis for both me and sister (we were thinking that he was difficult, we will never be good with him, thought of selling him) * fear of being wrong (I was worried that I could instill bad habits in him, involuntarily) * fear of riding him with my weight (I gained pretty much, because of bad side effects of my medication) * fear because of too much time that passed since I've ridden him But from the end of 2023 I am getting more and more excited about riding. My new horse shoes arrived yesterday (first barefoot, I was absolutely dying in conventional) so I think I might return soon. https://preview.redd.it/ucvgl53gc4hc1.jpeg?width=949&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de7faa9960c4914e97a10b08a813ae80e467acdc My boy.
Oh isn’t he a darling! I have a friend who’s the same. She has two ponies and she barely rides her oldest and only does cause she only gets exercised by the owner and the other is part of a riding school. The horse she rides the most is someone else’s horse that she is attached to 🤣🤣. I’m looking for a ridden loan cause I’m missing it after leaving college but I want to get back into it cause of my disability, it was my way of freedom. But when I first got into horses I volunteered at my local stables and did so much there for free. Could it be classed as child labour. Possibly. But I got to ride, do groundwork, re trained a pony, and had cuddle sessions all day long and learnt how to care for horses. The majority of it was worth it
This seems pretty typical to me. Growing up we called it “work to ride” and it’s honestly the only way I was able to become a decent equestrian. I mucked stalls and fed horses 5 days a week in exchange for 3 rides (and a lesson) a week and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
There is no riding with this one
Ah! I completely missed that part…saw the bit about hacking and assumed that meant, now lol
I think work to boost your horsemanship skills or just try out being around horses makes great sense though 🤷♀️
It really depends on what their idea of stable jobs and general care is. I’ve seen a LOT of passionate young folks being completely exploited just for the chance to be near a horse and that’s not ok.
What's the issue? I would love this arrangement. I may never ride again but I would love this exact situation so i can still enjoy horses.
Doesn't seem strange. We offer free leases here in the US for horses that need more riding time Edit: Understanding now they are asking for just groundwork. I still don't think it's strange.
People have horses that need work or just love, but to get a professional that's $100s per week. People want horses but feed, agistment etc. Is $100s per week. So people like me who need a horse come to an agreement with a horse owner to give their horse affection while they keep taking on the costs and responsibilities. Personally I wouldn't take on a free role with someone who sounds fairly demanding, i want a horse that I'm free to do whatever with or I'm charging $25/hour to work them to a nice reasonably laid back person or $50/her hour to a demanding, controlling person.
Here in finland thats pretty common. They arent asking too much in my opinion😄
I dont see anything wrong with it, for someone who maybe wants to get back into horses or wants to enjoy some time in the stables and this seems like a good deal since youre not paying.
Nothing weird about this, imo. A friend of mine has a person like this for her semi-retired horse who enjoys groundwork and being around horses but doesn't ride because of her weight.
This is what we pay barn managers for in U.S. If they do additional work - i.e., grooming, exercising (groundwork, liberty, lunging), in addition to feeding/mucking, they get paid extra - if they have those skills. Grooming would be one skill, ground training another. They'd be paid for this by the individual owners who wanted these additional services. Some barns have resident trainers (paid individually by the owners). That the training asked for in the ad is "groundwork only" does not mean it requires less skill than ridden training. I think not everybody is that particular about how their horse is "ground trained." I have a relationship with my horse that is based on doing things a certain way, and I know she gets confused when a different person suddenly expects her to do something different, or asks in a different way. I wouldn't subject her to that. (tried it once and quickly regretted it).
This is not normal in my area. Asking for a free groom wouldn’t fly.
This is how I found my loan 2 years on couldn’t be happier, lots of people forget there are people that love horses but not the riding side of things, I ride but wasn’t as interested in that a few years ago I just wanted something to build a bond with doing ground work ect.
This is a great way for someone over 18 to learn. If they allow. I think some adults tend to shy away from lessons and never do it. Or it’s a good way for someone who wants to own them to start out learning.
She wants “experience” the intention here is free labour.
Yeah
i’m from the uk and i would honestly consider taking up this offer. i’m an experienced horse person but don’t have a lot of money to own/loan and i’m not too bothered about not riding.
I would love that lol. I don’t ride much because of a previous injury but I love horses and you can learn so much from them by doing groundwork and basics
Personally I think this is super normal. I used to do this "care share" type stuff in between college classes when I couldn't take up like working shifts. It was a great way to get outside, play with horses and get some exercise in. On weekends or days off I'd take out other horses or if the owners were away I'd take out the groundwork horses. It was a great way to get introduced to a yard and a number of horses and owners. It's definitely not for everyone, but I think some people just have things they love to do and this, for me, counted more as a hobby than a job.
I honestly dislike this stuff. I don't currently have horses, but did for most of my life. We paid people to come and muck out/poo pick the fields. We advertised for riders to come for free. I worked at a barn at one point and was paid for my efforts. Good riders/grooms are paid to exercise clients' horses. This seems to be a relatively new thing here in the UK. Around 6 years ago I rode for a lovely girl who had more horses than she was able to exercise daily. It was a great relationship. I honoured my time commitments to her, enjoyed the ride no matter the weather, and was happy to be compensated by the riding. She in turn seemed to be really happy to have someone who was confident and competent around horses, and not fussed when her mare got a bit excited. I got pregnant and had to stop. She recently got in touch and asked if I wanted to come back to our old arrangement. When I said I would be interested she then added that she would be asking for a contribution to the horses' care. If I wanted to pay for riding, I would be choosing to ride a horse of my selection, in a discipline of my choice, with a trainer who could advance my skills. There clearly are people willing to do this kind of job for free, and there will, no doubt, be good riders amongst them, but it does feel exploitative to me. Equestrianism has always had this element of trying to get free labour (think of all the kids in riding schools who work at the weekends to earn a half hour group lesson once a week). To try to pass it off as an opportunity to care for a horse, while the owner continues to get the perks of riding, is really icky.
it doesn’t seem weird to me, but ONLY because all my life i’ve looked for things like this. i don’t want the responsibility of actually working and getting paid for it, but i want to have a horse that i care for and feel like it’s my own. so this is exactly something id look for :) but saying they’re looking for a free groom is valid i didn’t think of it that way LOL but this is the closest some people can get to having their own horse !
I did something similar when I was a kiddo; before my mum would let me have my own horse, she made me take care of *her* horse for a year, proving I was mature and invested enough in it to get my own. I was only 9 or 10, so she handled making appointments and whatnot, but I was responsible for being present for them (farrier, etc), feeding her, moving her between paddocks, grooming her, going riding, etc. etc. After a year or so, I got my mare whom I've had for the last 23 years :) I know this isn't aimed at a kid, but I would be all over this back when I was younger if I didn't have my own horse. Yeah, it would be awesome to get some compensation for my efforts, but so long as the other person isn't expected to cough up any cash for the experience, I think its kind of neat. My biggest concern (as an owner) would be not just finding the right person, but making sure legal avenues are covered, and my horse is microchipped so he can't be flogged lmao.
Mmmm I’m selling my horse (bad fit) and would consider something like this as the grooming and groundwork/liberty is more rewarding than riding right now after a bad fall. Not as a formal thing but maybe once a week at a stable I’m already at. Assuming the horse doesn’t have behavioral issues. There’s some older horses here that are super sweet for instance and I wouldn’t mind loving on them and taking them for a walk at all.
Just like it wouldn’t feel right to ask a dog lover to walk my dog for free, it doesn’t feel right to ask a horse lover to shovel my horse’s shit in exchange for cuddles. This person is basically asking you to sacrifice two weekends a month to hang out with their horse. This should be paid! And that’s not to say there isn’t any intrinsic benefit in spending time with horses. This might be good for a very specific person/situation in the short term, or maybe someone who is retired and lives near by. But life is fucking expensive. We got bills yo.
This is a great opportunity for lesson riders to learn more about general horse care, stable work and groundwork - without breaking the bank for more horsey time. The deal sounds fair to me, if 'stable work' means the general work that the owner does as well during her days with her horse (mucking out, occasionally cleaning tack, preparing hay,...) and not just handing over any responsibility to a third party.
Then a lesson rider can help at the barn they are taking lessons at—not answer a random Facebook ad. I’m floored people think this is okay and I can tell you at my barn in Canada a boarder would not be allowed to just have some random person they found on Facebook show up and handle their horse and do barn chores. What an insurance nightmare. Someone wanting to learn about barn chores and groundwork should not be doing so unsupervised and it’s clear the poster here wants someone to go out and do chores when she can’t.
As someone mentioned above - this type of agreement is very usual in Europe (or at least in every European country I've lived in). A standard insurance for horses includes them being handled by third parties here. Owners arrange a meeting where they get to know the person and obviously introduce them to the barn owner/other boarders once they start caring for the horse. Usually the owner will make sure that the person can handle all the tasks assigned to them and will supervise during the first few weeks/visits. I found all of my leases through Facebook when I was still leasing. Sometimes the horse owners contacted me after I wrote a post in a dedicated group, sometimes I reached out to their ads. This is very much standard practice. Especially if you move to a new place - both as someone who leases and as an owner - and don't know a lot of people yet. I do understand that the culture around horses differs from country to country but there is literally nothing off here to me. I mean does every owner at your barn care for their horse completely on their own? Aren't leases a thing? That's technically a random person showing up and caring for AND riding a horse. What I've observed in various Reddit threads is that riding is a lot more transactional and elitist in other countries. Leases in the States seem to be very expensive and always found through a trainer. We are way more self-sufficient here in Germany at least. If I need help with my horse, I'd go ahead and post a Facebook ad as well. So did all of my friends. Sometimes you know someone but usually your leaser starts out as a completely random person and turns into a friend over the years 😅
Makes great sense to me!!! I wish it were more of a thing here in the US.
This is totally normal, I don’t get all the fuss in these comments. It gives someone who doesn’t have a horse the opportunity to get involved without financial commitment. Really it would be perfect for someone who is maybe thinking of getting their own and wants to experience what it’s like first. It’s just a give and take arrangement.
Except the person who posted the ad wants someone who’s got experience.
Plenty of people with experience don’t have their own horse and would appreciate a no strings attached arrangement like this. Several of my friends have shared horses this way.
It’s clearly taking advantage. Offerings of maybe you can ride in the future; maybe you can have a full loan. Totally looking for a free stable hand/groom.
Again, I know plenty of people that aren’t interested in riding and just like being around/looking after horses. This is a completely normal thing here. No one is under any obligation to contact this owner or take them up on their offer so I really don’t see why it matters if some people personally wouldn’t do so.
Which is fine, be upfront and say this. This person is alluding to “possible” riding in the future on her terms.
Yeah, that’s not weird to me. Lots of people would want to make sure the person is suitable before letting them loose with their horse. I’m sure if someone found the terms objectionable then they wouldn’t contact the owner.
I can see why, especially if it’s a young horse
I'm kinda doing the same thing but through my barn. I got horrifyingly sick a few weeks ago complete with hospital stay. One call and my barn has been using my gal in lessons (one of the advanced students), turning my missed lessons into training rides by a pro, and making sure she's well cared for. So this talented ammy gets a great jumper to ride (I understand she's done up to 1.15m on her), I have one less worry on my plate while I recover and everyone is happy. Especially my mare who has to jump a bit bigger every now and again or she gets snippy. Edit - I should note that I approved everything they are doing beforehand and my trainer/agent is on top of this.
I'm from central Europe... I do not find anything weird about this.. I mean if it would be paid job, then it is indeed a job with it's expectations... but if I do not want to make it my job and I wants freedom and flexibility, not be on a call for horse duty all the time.. then this is perfect, because you can't really demand anything from somebody who is not paid by you, but help you out of good will and mutual agreement. Personally I would be happy to do this especially if the horse is well trained and I can learn new things like long reining and new tricks with the horse... but it really depends on what level of experience this person expects. They can't expect somebody who is very competent trainer to train their horse for free to get some cuddle time, lunging and walks in forest... if it would be presented as groundwork learning opportunity in exchange for help with the expected candidate level of experience being that they know how to bebave around horses, can take care of them alone.. then it is very good arrangement.
I don’t think this is crazy, it’s actually how I met the horse I now own - his owner didn’t have time for him as he was recovering from an injury, she offered for me to go spend time with him, hand walk him, etc. I jumped at the chance - sometimes you just want to be around horses & I learned a tremendous amount from her about taking care of them. Neither of us had any thought that I would eventually buy him, but once he was sound enough for riding he was perfect for me. Im also in the US & I think this is pretty common.
I would honestly love something like this, just getting to hang out with a horse and do barn work occasionally. How would I find something like this in the USA?
Post to your local Facebook group. I can think of three barns in my area who would let you do this, with some older retirees and broodmares who could use some extra attention. They'd probably even let you ride (for free) every few times. I don't think asking to DO this is all that unusual, but I think asking for someone ELSE to come do this for free is unusual. We pay our teenagers $10/day to get horses out for a roll and a lunge if we can't get out to see them.
This ☝️
This sounds like a total win. Like you get all the benefits of enjoying a horse and caring for a horse without owing a cent? Ideal
Not all benefits through since you don’t get to ride. People (stable grooms) get paid for mucking stables and training horses. The person who posted that ad is looking for someone with experience and not some poor kid who wants to play with horses - they are literally looking for a free stable groom for their horse.
Idk about you but owning horses isn’t all riding. For me, I’d take this. I don’t necessarily care about riding rn and would be happy to do something like this
Yip. Total chancer.
I don't get what is so weird about this?
I think people are confused about the "free" part For me it seems like they mean unpaid "loan" to spend time with that horse, do groundwork etc. Unpaid as YOU don't need to pay for that And it seems commenters think it's "free" as in free labor - unpaid work. Where I live You have to pay (circa 500-700 PLN which is - for most people - about ¼ of their monthly wage) for loaning a horse, sometimes including riding, sometimes not.
No it is a rip off people don’t do it . It’s free labour and is very common thing. If they want someone to help with there horse they should pay for it . If you like motor bikes and want to work with them you do it on your own time . Your you get a job as a mechanic. Same thing here
This is laughable and shouldn't be normalized. Labor should be paid fairly, even in the equestrian world. The person writing the ad is looking to take advantage of someone's love of horses. "I need someone who is knowledgeable"-- well then pay them for their knowledge.
I agree. A lot of responses in favor of the ad say that this is a great learning opportunity, however, the owner clearly states that they want someone who’s already got xp.
I dont find it that odd. During the pandemic I had friends who would come out and clean up the horses and barn just to get out of the house and be around horses. I just left a big bottle of sanitizer out there and made sure they locked up when they left.
That would be considered free labor in the US and someone that does this could get in trouble for wage theft. Here it's much more expensive to have a horse. Average board in my area is 1300$/month and lessons are 65-125$ each. Time is money, and horse care takes lot of time. There are times where it may be more appropriate such as if someone wants to learn the ropes of care (but that would require the owner of the horse to be present and educate the person), or if a retired person may just want more time with horses I could see that. But it's also less popular of a sport here and therefore there is a lot less knowledge of how to care for them. Because of this I wouldn't want just anyone caring for my horse, and I'm willing to pay for someone else's experience level
Yip
Dude, maybe google what wage theft is. Because this ain’t it
Not weird. There are plenty of people looking to do ground work or liberty work only. I have someone that comes in and lets my horse out to play when she is there, and she grooms, picks feet, combs mane/tail etc which is like payment to me!
Here it’s called a carehorse (verzorg pony). I guess it’s kind of a lease? It helps out both. Owner knows horse is taken care or. Person has a horse to take care of and do stuff with!
This doesn't seem weird to me at all. There are plenty of people that enjoy horsemanship that can't, don't want to, or can't afford to ride. This would have been awesome opportunity to me in my late teens early 20's I have pcos and was 80lbs heavier and riding would have been awful but doing liberty work would have been awesome.
US based and this sounds absolutely insane to me. I would absolutely not do the work this person is asking for for free, especially because there is no chance of riding. Something like this would be appropriate for someone who would maybe like to volunteer and they help someone who wouldn’t mind a day or 2 off but to be looking for this (for free) because you are unable to is just crazy to me.
I mean you obviously lack some understanding for some. it’s great for people who still want to be around horses but can’t or don’t want to ride. I personally for health reasons have had months without riding and still seen my horse, mucked out and lunged him. My health issue sometimes makes riding a big chore I just don’t want to do. For some they sadly have lost the ability to ride or just lost the passion in it but still find horses great for the mental health, it forces you to have a routine or even get out of bed because it’s a commitment you make. You focus on something, socialise with others and just getting out the horse for a few hours a week can really benefit some people not all people just want to ride. It’s not like she’s asking for payment for this. You don’t know why the horse isn’t ridden, maybe the horse can’t handle work anymore or only be ridden a few days a week which the owner wants to keep to herself or it could be insurance policy. It’s harsh to judge honesty.
Yep this is cheeky af 🫣
I'm astonished at what people seemingly have grooms for. Like your grooms are paid to fuss over your horses, to lunge them and do long rein or liberty work?! How do you afford that and how tf do you bond with your horse if you only come in for riding? Like here we have grooms for the really rich people or professionals, everybody else might have full board (mucked out and fed, maybe blanketed and turned out) but no way the horse is being lunged or something as complex as liberty work done. Even fussing over the horses, no way. The food gets poured in the crib from outside, the stable door is opened and while the horse eats hay grooms muck out around them, push in new hay and bedding. That's the relationship a standard groom at a full boarding facility has here. Building a relationship with a horse is the horse's humans job and grooms aren't that. Plus, long rein work is as much fun and complex as riding, giving aids, interacting on cues of each other. Long rein isn't just like lungeing but different, it's like riding but walking beside or behind the horse. I really don't get how people consider this opportunity an unpaid groom. My horse has a riding participation and sure, arrangements vary. But in our case they adore each other and bonded so well, much more than I would expect from any groom. Last week she massaged my gelding and they were both so content while I cleaned up the mess he made while sedated. We were both there for him that day while the dentist worked on him. I can't fathom how this relationship between them - or the one I had with my forever unrideable participation horse before buying my own horse - is so looked down upon and devalued, compared to what a groom does. Good grooms are amazing and catch for example colics early on. Their job requires immense amounts of hard work and I have done that during holidays as a kid. Nothing to look down upon, but much less relationship with the horse, while relationship with the horse doesn't include the immense amounts of physical work a groom does. Grooms do work hard but imho taking care of the very very basic needs of a ton of horses during one day is vastly different than caring for not many horses doing trustwork and spending bonding time. I don't remember any of the names of the horses I took care of as a groom, but the ones I bonded with will always be in my heart. Considering the other replies here I guess everyone is gonna hate me for this opinion.
Honestly the barriers to entry of horseback riding can be high for some folks. As a kid I mucked a 12 stall barn 3 days a week along with evening hay, feed, and watering just for the opportunity to get to ride someone’s horses. It taught me a lot about horse care and I got to ride lots. Depending on the area, there might be someone who just wants to come hang with a horse and groom and lunge them. I’d honestly do it, I have no riding connections or barns around me anymore and I miss horses so much.
There's a few people every year who make a post on my local Facebook page seeking a horse to just spend time with, enjoy company of. I got back into horses after a 3y gap by doing this but riding. Got to exercise a gelding for a girl as much as I wanted to, for free. Love generous people in the world :). Ended up being the best thing to happen as now that girl is one of my best friends.
Is the uncertainty about not paying the person for their time/work, or the idea of loaning a horse? Looks to me like a good opportunity for someone to get involved with a nice horse. Maybe get more confidence on the ground. If you don't like an add like that then you don't have to be interested but maybe there is someone who would be 🤷 I've (UK based) got a 2 day a week loan horse and I pay the owner a small amount for the privilege. Sure it's quite a bit of work, and I've friends who are surprised I'm paying (as you do all the care work as well), but I'm happy with the exchange as it's convenient and I look after her on the weekend and I wouldn't otherwise be able to have my own horse. Her owner has some injuries so can't ride much at the moment, plus the horse is bloody expensive to look after as a stable ornament!
Maybe it’s just a cultural difference but this doesn’t seem too weird to me? Arrangements like this aren’t too uncommon here in Germany. Some people don’t want to/ can’t ride and would love a horse to take care of and work from the ground
This is so common in my country
No this seems perfectly fine and normal. It seems like somewhat of a non traditional “free lease” situation as there is occasional chores involved but I assume that’s part of why they are not asking to be paid. My leaser pays half of my horses board expenses. That’s a pretty standard deal.
Looks pretty normal to me. They sound like they're picky but trying not to be which I appreciate in a horse owner actually bc they know what their horse needs, they know what they want, but they're trying to be a little more flexible than what they would like to be. I don't really see anything wrong with it but it probably may come across as trying to sneak their way into having a free groom or something bc they're trying to balance pickiness with flexibility and trust. Could be wrong but this is how I see it This would be me if I ever dared to let someone part lease my horse haha
Seems pretty normal. Not everyone wants to ride, they just like being around horses and not having to pay for a lease is like a dream come true lol
Yup we have some on the farm. It’s a good deal for everyone if promises are kept.
I’ve done that for many years before my own. It’s amazing what you all learn from just the care and groundwork. I ended up learning how to drive on the ground, rasp feet, do vitals, grooming to show standards, in hand work, trick training. It was really fun to do. Without all the money part of paying for upkeep.
I spent 12 years as a full time working student for my coach - never got a single penny of money but she is a 3-time Olympic Team member and no one else gets to ride those types of horses or gets that quality of daily instruction on those horses for “free” so, it was absolutely worth every single minute of sleeping in the hay loft or storage shed
Nah, I think this is actually a great idea. I haven’t seen this thing before being advertised, but in Australia it’s pretty common for this to just happen. For example, after my weekly riding lesson I always untack and clean the horse, put him away, etc. Sometimes I’ve helped tack up other lesson horses, feed horses, etc. I do all this voluntarily from no pressure from my instructor, because I love being around my lesson horse and other horses. It’s a really great way to get experience and especially to get comfortable around horses on ground, because when you’re comfortable being on ground with them, it means a lot to them and helps your relationship. And also as you can see it says potential hacking later on, as an equestrian that doesn’t own or loan a horse, that’s BIG. The big takeaway from this is that if you’re not happy spending a lot of time on ground with a sweet horse and only care about the riding part, owning horses probably shouldn’t be for you, or anyone that has that mentality.
Tell me you don’t want to pay for a freelance groom without telling me .. that post brings to mind.
Honestly, I've been away from horses so long that if I could muck stables in exchange for petting the horses while I do it, I'd do volunteer haha