Advice appreciated - loan dilemma etc

M

marion95

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 August 2005
Messages
247
Location
Bristol
Visit site
Hi all,

I'd really appreciate some advice on a tricky situation. I'll try to keep it shortish.

I am four months into a 2 year contract living/working in South Africa. My horse is in the UK and has been on loan for the past 2 years to a great family who really look after her (17 year old girl rides her). They agreed before I left to keep her on for the two years I am away. I've had her for 7 years and she's a great all rounder etc. When they took her on she had been turned away due to lameness and was just coming back in to work - they really built her up and she's not had a repeat of that problem (stifle).

About six months ago (18 months into her loan with them)she was lame and vet x-rayed etc, saw nothing, then said it was cartilage problem in knee and injected it. She was sound again for a few months, but now she is lame again in same knee. Vet has been out injected again and it didn't work this time. He now wants to do an arthroscopy. He is 90% sure he will find something fixable and she should be sound again in a month or so (all this is covered by insurance).

SHe has actually been unsound on and off since March (which I only found out the other day) and rather than get the vet straight out, they were resting her for a few days then trying again etc. Upshot is girl who rides her hasn't been able to do much for a couple of months and is getting 'depressed' as her mum puts it, not being able to get on and compete etc. Before the vet came the mum called me and said the girl was thinking about getting another horse as she feels like she can never get on and do stuff with my mare due to soundness issue (although this is only one in over two years). She was talking as if they thought there was going to be a major issue with the mare and she may not come sound. Vet does not predict this, which is great, but even though I met them and the vet together and they heard his views last week (I'm over for a holiday), they are still saying that they want to get another horse as the girl has 'lost faith' in this partnership. Which does confuse me as she has always got on so well with her.

Now, they are saying they will keep her as promised for the rest of the time I'm abroad, but they want me to pay for her keep as they can't afford two horses. Although I understand they don't have to offer this at all and am grateful, I'm now really stressed over what to do. If vet is right and she is sorted and sound again in a month, do I pay for 20 months for her keep while she is just a second horse which they will 'keep ticking over'? She is a beautiful horse with lovely paces, no vices, successfully competed up to Pre-novice, BD, SJ etc. She is 17 but low mileage, so not knackered or anything. I don't really want her as a second horse that will get minimum riding/attention etc, but I am also in a tough position as I am simply not able to be around to find a new home for her and I wouldn't send her to someone I hadn't met/vetted.

I absolutely love this horse and want her back with me in two years ideally. SHe is well looked after where she is, but it's going to cost me around £200 per month to pay for her and I feel like she will be wasted and I just don't know what to do for the best. I'm sp stressed about this I feel like I may be missing out on some possible solutions etc and possibly am not thinking clearly, so would just like to pick people's brains really.

Any advice/ideas much appreciated. Thanks for reading.
 
Tough one, my first thoughts are that she would be better off staying where she is, at least you know she is beonf looked after.

Not all second horses get minumum attention, when I had two in work they were ridden/handled the same amount.

Is there a friend or family member here who could possibly look for a new loan home? Depending on the results from the vet.
 
Nothing worse than having to sort out things when you're hundreds of miles away. On a positive note the people who have your horse on loan sound like they've looked after her and are responsible and they're not saying she has to go so at least you don't have that worry while you're away. It sounds like the daughter is now looking for something else - younger, fitter and a horse on its way up rather than what they have at the moment with your mare. I've been in the same situation with a great family who loaned my daughters horse while she was at university. They decided they wanted something bigger / younger and I couldn't see why!!! If they are as responsible as they sound then how about continuing to pay while your mare comes sound then see if you can find another loan home through them or someone to loan her and keep her where she is. I definitely agree that you don't want your mare just "ticking over" . 17 is no age and you'll want her fit and in work if poss for when you get home from south Africa.
 
You may be right. They did say they'd keep her 'ticking over' which suggests she may not be a priority, but I guess that's not the worst thing ever!
I don't really have many horsey contacts these days and she's on loan out of my home area, so I can't think of anyone that could help find her a new home unfortunately.
 
Sorry Attie - posts crossed. Yes that's probably a good idea. I'm just worried she could end up in the wrong hands - I've heard some horror stories!
 
I would leave her where she is, at least until she is reliably sound. In my eyes one of the big advantages of loaning a horse over buying is that you don't have to put up with the cost or no-riding downtime from a horse going long-term injured, and it sounds like for around 1/4 of the time your loaners have had her they have only been able to ride on and off. Not anyone's fault, but equally I can see why they would be trying to get out of the deal, and in the event that the injury remains an on/off problem it seems very fair that they are offering to keep her at all.

If your vet finds something rapidly fixable, it might be that the girl changes her mind once she has more confidence in your horses fitness, or it might be that by that point she has already got hold of another horse and therefore really doesn't want yours any more. At that point in your shoes I would pay them for at least a few months of looking after the horse, as you need to know that it will remain sound before you place it somewhere else which may be much less tolerant/considerate about your position.

After that there would be no harm in putting out feelers for reliable sounding homes for her but I think you would need to focus on riding schools/colleges etc. where you can be relatively confident that you wont suddenly get an email telling you their plans have changed and you need to move the horse. Depending on how good the relationship with the loaners is perhaps once they are confident she is fit again they would help you try to find someone else to loan her off the current yard so they would still be available to pick it up again if the loan fell through.
 
I agree with others that they sound like a responsible family and even if she is just kept ticking over while you're away as least she's being well looked after. Far worse fates out there :) If you're really not happy, though, maybe if you post the area she's loaned in someone local on here might be able to help find an alternative?
 
I agree they are being very accommodating offering to keep her - I just want to make sure i choose the best option for her really.

Gnubee - she has been lame for 2.5 months out of the 28 months they have had her, so not really that much. Although I agree about the luxury of loaning.
 
I'm not so sure it's all about quantifying the actual time she's been lame whilst they've had her Marion but that she was returning to work after lameness when they loaned her and has had two bouts since... If the lass who rides her is quite a forward rider wanting to compete etc it may be that they just feel she is developing a 'history' which might have relevance to her future soundness reliability... So are considering there might be some benefit to the idea of a younger model...

At the same time, it does also sound as if they are trying hard to accommodate the mare and your situation by offering to keep taking care of her and riding as and when if you don't mind contributing to her keep - almost like a full livery somewhere that she is comfortable, well cared for and familiar with while you are away... Ok, so she might not be peak fitness when you are able to take her back but she will have been cared for by people you approve of and know... In itself I think that would give me peace of mind vs the alternative of trying to secure a satisfactory loan home etc over a distance... If she bounces back to full soundness, who knows, as Gnubee said, the lass may find herself wanting to stick with your mare as her primary riding horse...

:)
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all your advice. I do appreciate that I'm lucky they will keep looking after her and they are a lovely family. I remember being a teenager and just wanting to get on and compete, so I do understand. Think I will just have to wait and see how it pans out. I know they love her, so maybe she'll come good and all will be well. At least I know she is safe and happy which is the most important thing of all.
 
At 17 it will do her no harm just to be ticking over.

There will be less wear and tear on her joints than if she was in harder work and she is more likeky to stay sound for when you get back in two years :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top