Let’s see, where did I leave off? I just told you about how I got rides on Justin. I really should dig up some pictures of us. Blogs without pictures tend to be a bit bland. I’ll see what I can do.
Anyway, after Justin and school and a marriage and a divorce (or two), and after teaching kids in the evenings after my full time job (or jobs) for about 25 years, I finally got to the point where I wanted to pursue my own goals. I quit teaching, got my amateur status back and set about getting a horse under my butt.
It should not go unmentioned that the absolute best rides you can possibly score are the ones that friends hook you up with. I find that after living in this area for over 30 years, I am in no shortage of friends, which means I am in no shortage of rides. But every now and then, my friends don’t have opportunities they can hook me up with and I am left to go out and find my own.
While I do love the hook ups from friends, I have enjoyed the method of running an ad on our local horse-related website, www.virginiaequestrian.com. What a score that thing is for me. Love that site. Not once, but twice, I have run ads on that site and it is so fun to see all the emails just load up in your inbox! It’s like fish in a barrel! But I don’t write just any ad like:
Experienced rider looking to exercise your horse.
Lame! You have to write something that is going to catch someone’s eye, hold their attention, and make them want to give you a ride!
So, my ad was entitled “You Don’t Have Time to Ride Your Horse”. How true is that statement? I don’t know a soul that can get out to the barn every single day to ride their horse and I certainly know when I had one, I couldn’t. Anyway, the title caught people’s eyes and the opportunities came pouring in.
The rest of it read something like this:
Highly organized reliable, dependable rider with nearly 40 years practical experience with horses and over 25 years of professional experience with training horses and riders is seeking rides.
I am an amateur so I cannot be paid and I cannot pay you. (I figured I should get that right out in the open. It wasn’t really that I couldn’t pay, it’s just that I never have and there really are too many free rides to be had out there. So why pay?)
Prefer a horse that needs to be schooled over fences. Excellent opportunity for prepping sale horses or for the busy professional.
Anyway, that was sort of the gist of the ad. I had my pick of horses to ride. It was fantastic. I ended up choosing to ride a horse about 15 minutes from my house at a very nice, clean facility that seemed to never have anyone else there at the same time. If there was anyone there at all, they rode out on trails. So, I pretty much had the ring to myself. The owner was a bit on the fence as to whether or not she wanted to sell the horse. He needed some work before he could be sold. So, that’s where I came in! I rode him about 3 days a week and he came right along in no time and sold about two months later.
The other place I chose to ride, I also had free rein. I came and went as I pleased and had two or three that I could ride whenever I wished and was trusted to do whatever I wanted with them. Probably the most enjoyment I got out of that gig was bringing their 2 y.o. old along so that he would be more rideable. Yes, 2! He had just been broken to ride and needed to learn to go straight and to canter and so forth. That was a lot of fun and it made me feel good when his owner was able to get on him and tootle around safely on him. He was also sold not long after that to a couple that planned on hunting him. He was 3 when they sold him – don’t worry! But I was able to jump the other horses there so I could get some practice in on my goals.
Again, I cannot stress enough the importance of good friends when it comes to getting yourself down your personal path to your horse-related goals. My friends have been amazing and I don’t know what I’d have done without them all these years. They are always looking out for me and have been incredibly generous. The horse world can be tough. Be good to your friends.
I think in the next installment, I’ll touch on what to do after you’ve gotten the ride and how to KEEP those rides.
Great idea! Certainly friends are a great resource but your micro-marketing class should make a big difference in filling out the dry spells for others until they are able to buy their own horse. What about horse tack and riding equipment? Who provides it, the rider or the owner? Also, what about insurance or release forms? Are they necessary or recommended?
All great points. I’ve ridden for people who have offered to let me use their tack. Typically, people actually would rather their own saddle be on their horse’s back, rather than one that might not fit. But I have to say, I only rode in one person’s tack because her horse’s back was a special case. Other than that, I’ve always brought my own, right down to girths, bridles, etc. I realize not everyone can afford that. I’m an equipment junkie though. And I hate not having the correct tool to do the job and I won’t wait for an owner to get it. I just get it. I end up using it again down the road anyway.
Just about every farm I have ever ridden at has asked me to sign a release. Only closest of friends haven’t asked me to but it certainly is a good idea so everyone knows what the rules are in case of an emergency. A barn owner certainly would need who to contact on your behalf in case of an emergency and most release, aside from the legalese, require you to list contact information. An owner should insure their horse, regardless of another person riding it and I’m not savvy enough with equine insurance to know if you have to have a special ‘rider’ on it (meaning the insurance term ‘rider’) stating that another person might be riding the horse. Myself, I have my own coverage through my company and I’ve looked into supplemental coverage but didn’t see the need for it.