Advice Needed Please - On Loan

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ROCKHOLE

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Hi all, I'm a newby on here and have no where else to turn for advice. I've ridden and owned horses all of my life and following the recent sad death of my much loved neddy, I took a horse on loan. I've had him for 3 months and basically its been a nightmare. He suffers from terrible seperation anxiety to the point where it has become dangerous. I expressed my concerns to his owners about 2 weeks ago and said that I wanted to return him as I'm concerned for his welfare as well as my others ponies and myself. He refuses to leave home at all to hack and gets into a real state when I take any of them out. So far I have only had text messages, first she couldn't take him back at all, then she said 4th Nov, now she is saying 11th. He's losing condition as he basically runs himself ragged and my three mares and I'm at my wits end. He worse if seperated and has jumped electric fence to get back to them. I don't know what to do! Sorry this is such a long post.
 
I was orignally going to suggest moving him to a larger yard, but i see you have other horses so that's maybe not an option. To be honest if he is losing so much conditon and is basically being a danger to himself i would have to insist on the owner coming to collect him. probably get shot down for this but as he doesnt belong to you and you havent had him very long, i think keeping him will just cause you both unnecessary stress.
good luck
 
Did you have a contract for the loan & what are the terms for returning etc?

I would write to the owner and give her a time period of say two weeks to come and collect him. You've given him plenty of time to settle and its not working out. This, after all, is meant to be the benefits of loaning ie you don't have to keep them! Sorry it hasn't worked out after your sad loss.
 
Could he be a rig? (You mentioned he was running himself and your mares ragged). Perhaps a vet would be a good idea. Would the owner pay?
 
It had occurred to me that it may be hormone related, but also he is blind in one eye and I have also thought his sight may be fading in other eye and causing him to feel very insecure.I don't really want to have the vet, I just want his owner to take him back to his familiar surroundings. He's come from a big busy yard to a quiet country farm.
 
Chances are that she has lost the stable at the big yard - so maybe she has nowhere to take him back to at present? Just trying to look at it from her point of view as I had a horse on loan that didn't work out and the old owner really couldn't take him back straight away as she had to find a new yard so I just had to be patient. At least you have a good reason for his weight loss, it's not as if you are mistreating him.

How long has he only had one eye? Think you are right, that is probably not helping. Can he not go in a paddock with one mare for company until she comes to get him?
 
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