Do you let others to ride your horse?

I'm just wondering, do you let other people to ride your horse? How do you know horse will behave? How to explain POLITELY that you don't want someone to ride your horse?

I have 2 horses and so far noone else rode them ever. Not like I'm greedy or anything, but I really REALLY afraid to put another person on, because I'm not sure how they'll behave. And to my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) if MY horse will buck off the person and say he breaks the bone, he can sue me in principle. (and sending them to the trainer is not an option at the moment).

Hi KV, yes I do let certain people ride my mare T. Only with me and usually at a walk, possibly a trot here and there . I am very selective who rides her, for her sake as well as mine. Yes if they get hurt the potential to be sued is there, even if they sign a release.

The rest of the people that hear I have horses and drop very heavy hints about riding them, I tell them that I am not insured for riders. I do not own a riding stable or school, so that takes care of that.

It is annoying though, that people think riding a horse is like riding an ATV, but I have the choice to say yes or no. Don't ever let someone pressure into allowing something you truly are not comfortable with.

As far as knowing whether the horse will behave for the rider.....well you truly don't. No matter how well behaved that horse is for you, that is not a guarantee it will be for an other rider. T, wonderful as she is with me, acutally reared (not very high, but still a rear) with a girl that had been riding her with me during the summer. No matter how well trained or schooled a horse is, things can happen. Part of the risk of riding. I know why she reared, at least I'm pretty sure, it was resistance to taking a certain trail. Has resisted at that point with me in the saddle , but all I do is put my leg on her just prior to the balk, and sometimes sternly say "T, cut it out" and it's over. Put a different rider and same situation takes a different course.

Various ways to handle this...

1. Say "no, I don't let others ride my horse." (blunt method)
2. Say "I don't trust my horse that well and don't let others ride him because it is not safe." (excuse method)
3. Draw up a liability release, have a lawyer check it over. Get a liability insurance policy to cover the situation. Then have them sign the release before riding. (legal eagle method)

There is nothing "selfish" about not letting someone else ride _your_ horse, especially when you are concerned about someone else's safety.

I let very few people ride my horse. Usally there my friends and know what they are doing. My horse can get crazy if you have noidea what ur doing.

I plan on doing #3 when I get someone to help me ride my horses. My husband just isnt that in to horses and so a lot of times I don't ride because I have no one to ride with. I have a girl who just wants to be around horses (she has ridden in the past and moved to TX because she got married) and plan to have her sign something as well as put up a sign on the barn about the TX code Texas Equine Law

My neighbor rides sometimes with me. She is a beginning rider and actually got dumped by my mare the first time she rode. My husband let her without me there. Since then we ride together and usually they do pretty well. I will say my mare and gelding know that she is not real experienced.

I don't usually let anyone ride my mare anymore. She freaked when my mother in law went to get on her reared caught me on the shoulder dumped my mil. She was hurt pretty bad. So I just don't trust my mare with anyone.

I get nervous when others ride. In these sue happy times you just can't be to careful.

Other people can ride Toby but not Calvin, I just do not like to have people ride Toby because he will test them. And with Calvin being that he has not had a good past I do not like very manty people to ride him sence I am working with him and I do not want them to mess that up. But KV you have everyright to tell someone that you do not want them to ride your horse if you did not feel that it is not safe.

I'll give a pony ride to someone. Actually giving them free rein with my horse? NO. If they want to ride, they either let me lead them around or they stay in the round pen.

Ive only had flacko for a few days now and I've already had at least 6 people ask me if they could ride him. Im still trying to form a bond with him, and know that I can trust him and vice versa. Its going to be a longggg long time before I even contemplate on letting other ride him. Does that seem a bit harsh?

I let whoever ride my horse, as long as I'm there.

I don't mind it because I can control Java from the ground. The person can just sit there, no reins or anything and I can use voice commands, clicks, kisses and body movement to make him do just about anything.

In the past two weeks, four people other than myself have ridden Java and only two of them had prior horse experience.

My parent's dog used to ride him, so if Pebbles can ride, any human can ride my horse, too.

I wouldn't ever put somebody on who thinks they can ride and is hard on him, though. If they just sit there, I can have him walk, trot, lope, pivot, side pass, stop.. all from outside of the fence.

Also - I will only let the person ride in an arena.


ETA: I know how my horse will behave because we've been there and done that. When I ride him I go out of my way to make sure he's subject to new experiences. It's how I trained him from a yearling. I have wrapped tarps around him, I have run and jumped onto him, slid off of every part of his body from his back. I have made him go through just about everything, we take him swimming, etc. So I'm very comfortable with other people riding him.

I let certain people on my horse Darcy...Providing they know how to ride. However saying that...I have seen people ruin horses in a short space of time so I am more wary as she's just starting to become soft in her mouth again.