Riding a strangers horse on Sat. I'm a beginning level rider. A little nervous.?

Question

I've only been riding a little bit and I have made an exchange with some lady who was looking for someone to exercise her horses because she doesn't get much riding time. She is letting me muck stalls to ride her Saddlebreds. If I sign a waiver, I want her to sign one as well stating that her horse is sound, and doesn't have any bad behavior (bucks or rears) but I don't know how I should write out the waiver, what qs to ask her before I ride her horse, safety, etc. I'm a little nervous because this is a first for me. I really love being around horses and this is the only way I can learn. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Don't do it.
No law can remove your right to health,no paper can make a horse safe.
Your love for horses can take you a long ways...and this lady is NOT the way! Good instructors almost always can arrange a fee structure you can afford for quality training and riding. Basic fees for labor with insurance provided by the barn:
Mucking, $9/hour
Flat-work $20/ hour
Exorcise $25/half-hour

Answer 2

I have horses when someone comes out to ride I make them sign a waver that they ride at there own risk.If they fall off im not responsible.Threres really nothing you can write that will protect you from getting hurt on paper.Some say people say there horse is bomb proof meaning not scared of anything .Thats not true either a car might drive by & back fire & spook the horse etc.When your asking the owner to sign a waiver that the horse is sound that doesnt have anything do to protect you its just stating the horse is in good health.Shes going to sign a waver to procet her so she cant get suied I do the same thing or I dont let anyone ride.Ihpe I helped.Another thing saddlebreds are hot horses meaning a lot of spirit they like to get up & go there not at all lie a quarter horse.

Answer 3

You MUST get a lawyer to write up an agreement for you. This is your life you are considering risking. One fall and you could be crippled for the rest of your days! Do you or the lady with the horses have any insurance against accidents like this? Do not assume that she has any valid insurance until your lawyer says she does. I know this love for horses because I had a couple. One was a beautifully mannered mare and wouldn't misbehave for anybody. The other was a naughty stallion and even though he was a gelding, he still would try to throw his rider and try to rub the rider off along a fence. Not a good fellow. He was a very good looking horse too. Just cause a horse looks calm this minute don't mean it will remain calm when a butterfly goes past one eye. So you really need caution along this line. If the horses haven't been ridden in a while they may be needing a reschooling, and what about their hooves? need reshoeing? .. Maybe the lady thinks you are going to retame her horses... not something for a beginning rider. Beware and Take Care.. I would sign nothing until you have a vets report on that particular horse and a lawyers go ahead with something for her to sign too.
In the meantime if you clean the stall, you can begin a relationship with her horse. It may not have such a nice personality at all. But cleaning its stall will allow you to at least be around it on the ground. Do not work for free and only agree to clean the stall for say one month so you can observe the horse. We would not have bought the male if we knew his personality better.

Answer 4

You can never be guaranteed that a horse will not buck, rear, etc. Even a bomb-proof horse might get spooked or act up. Maybe she could add to the waiver that to the best of her knowledge her horse is not known to have a dangerous habit and also that if the horse is injured while you are riding it YOU will not be liable for the horse's injury. Then get a copy of it for yourself. Make sure the waiver protects you as well as her. If you're riding her horse and the horse breaks a leg you don't want to be sued for vet bills.

A tip on riding... if you feel nervous take slow, deep breaths. This breathing helps relax you and the horse. Also be sure to keep your body relaxed even if you have remind yourself to relax and loosen up. If you grip with your lower legs the horse will tense up.

Answer 5

As a catch and exercise rider myself, I have to let you know that while most owners make their riders sign waivers, it's usually not customary for the opposite to happen. The owner wants to rid herself of any future liability claims, and signing a paper guaranteeing her horses are sound and calm is just asking for trouble. You have to remember that horses are unpredictable animals. Even the soundest, most bomb-proof lesson horse is capable of injuring himself and others if he's startled or becomes truly afraid. Riding is inherently a dangerous sport, and there's just no eliminating all risk factors.

You need to be upfront with this woman. Have you told her that you're a beginner rider? If not, you should do so immediately to see if her horses would be suitable for you to ride. If they're advanced level horses, I don't think this arrangement will work out for you. You may want to see if there are any lesson barns in your area. Some of these places will swap riding lessons for volunteer hours. Others will at least provide a discount for the same. As a beginner, it's very important that you spend time with an instructor receiving the training you need to improve. Then, when you're more comfortable around horses, you might consider an exercise arrangement.

Answer 6

First of all, I think this woman may be taking advantage of your love for horses. Mucking stalls and putting horses through their paces is usually a paid position. If I were you, I'd tell her that you'll exercise the horses for free, but you want to be paid for the other gruntwork involved in horse care. This might be an excellent opportunity for you to learn about horses, but that doesn't entitle someone to a free stablehand.

My advice about waivers is this: DON'T SIGN SQUAT! You should visit her stables at least once, with her present. Go riding with her, a few times if that's possible. If she's happy with the way you handle the animals, and you're confident that they're not going to try to kill you, then make a verbal agreement with her. That way, if something bad happens to you, then people will at least listen to your side of the case. If you sign a waiver, then nobody will care whose fault the accident was. Horses can be very dangerous, or the most magnificent animals on four legs, so calculate your risks before making any decisions

If this woman insists that you muck the stalls for the privilege of doing her a favor and keeping her horses in shape, then she's probably going to want you to sign something saying she's not responsible if you get hurt. What on earth would be in this for you?

The bottom line is, I think this woman is trying to pull a fast one on somebody who doesn't have a lot of experience. I would avoid making any permanent arrangements with her.

Answer 7

A correction that "A Spanish Horse For Me" wrote. She made the comment that people state there horses are bomb-proofed, but they really are not because if a car back fires as they drive by might make the horse spook. If, this is the case, the horse is not bombproofed.

I have been studying the bombproofing of horses and to be really bombproofed, you can fire guns, something can explode right next to the horse's ear, or even car back fires should not effect the horse in the slightest.

A horse whisperer and sgt in the NYPD that is in charge of the horse squad trains both people and horses. Sgt. Rick Pelicano has written a book called "Bombproofing your Horse". Sgt. Pelicano has explained step by step how the process of bombproofing the horse works. Police Horses have to be able to go into situations that are absolutely dangerous. They have to go into crowds of people where shots are being fired, buildings are on fire and smoke is so thick the rider or the horse can barely see, plus the horse has to stand long periods of time with people petting the horse, children pulling on their tails and hitting them (which some children seem to like to do), they have to walk across all sorts of different terrains, and so on and not put their riders at risk.

Answer 8

I long for simpler times, when someone would tell you if their horse bucked, and we didn't all have to sign waivers, to avoid taking responsibilities for our own accidents. But that's how it is nowadays. The country is being ruined by lawyers. Anyways If I were you , I wouldn't worry about a waiver. I'd try to do a little ground work, and get to know the horse before i just jumped on and rode. You should be able to make your own discoveries of unsoundness, or bad habits. I do admire you for your willingness to work, just to get to be around horses. I wish ya the best !

Answer 9

You can tell how a horse will act undersaddle by working them from the ground first. If you can get them to do all the groundwork exercises (dis-engaging hind quarters, bending left/right while trotting, shoulders over, roundpenning giving you inside turns, all de-spooking including crossing tarps and having them brought over their head without spooking and the other 100 groundwork moves) and they have no problems, then ride them. If you don't know how to do all this stuff especially from the ground, then really you shouldn;t be riding yet and you need to get a good groundwork video like Clinton Anderson's lunging for respect, start there, learn that which will only build your confidence and the horses and then move to their back. Don't be in a rush to ride, my horses all get 3-6 months of ground work before I begin to teach them the riding part. Also, remember the horses feel safe or nervous depending on how you act around them, if you are scared and you climb on their back they will know, sense that you must see a giant predator they don't see and be spooky.

Answer 10

You could get her to sign a waiver, but it really won't matter- most horse owners if they don't already have a sign that states that their property is a horse facility and they are not liable for any injuries or accidents that should happen on their property. This protects them even from someone getting badly hurt on one of their horses. Every large equine facility I know of-mine included- has one of those signs. This is to prevent someone from coming onto our property and trying to scam us by pretending to fall off a horse that they chose to ride on their own accord. It's a sad thing that people now have to resort to signs and waivers to protect themselves.

If you are nervous then you don't need to get on her horses. This will make her horses a nervous wreck too. And as a rider you take a risk of getting hurt on any equine that you get on to. If the horse did seriously injure you and you wanted to take the lady to court- you wouldn't really have a case because she didn't force you to mount her horses so you took the risk when you got on their backs.

My suggestion is find a local stable where you can work for lessons from a qualified instructor and a horse that has experience with a lot of different riders.