Bit of advice & what would you do - warning very long!

[Hedwards]

hi,

I feel bad about posting another i need your advice post - it seems to be the only thing i do on here - but you are all very knowledgable!!!

Here goes... I have had a horse on loan since August/September last year - it was originaly only going to be for 1 year (his owner was pregnant so was only a short term situation) which i was always perfectly happy about, i had just had my old mare put to sleep and just wanted to enjoy horses again. just after christmas his owner called and asked me if i would buy him (i wont go into why it was a change in her circumstances), i said no for two reasons 1 - i dont have money avaliable to buy a horse outright, 2 - as much as i love him, he wouldnt be the horse i would buy. so i said i couldnt buy him and was planning on having time off horses when he went back (which i was) - to save money etc. so i said if i could find someone to share him with, would she want to continue the loan, just with 2 of us rather then 1. she said yes in principle but we needed to find someone we were both happy with.

So a lovely lady on the yard who only has a pony that is retired and doesnt get to ride very often asked if we would consider her - i jumped at the chance, she is lovely, a great rider and totally and utterly reliable. i spoke to the owner, she said great and she'd like to go ahead with it when my loan ends in August this year. we were all really looking forward to it.

Yesterday i get to the yard and find a note from his owner saying that she has decided she does need to sell him - which i do understand - and i will help her to find him a home. however, my plans have changed, i would actually quite like to carry on with horses without a break - just not this loan horse he's great - just not what i want to spend all my time and money on - she is determine he needs to be sold and my reasons for not wanting him have not changed. I have previously applied for one of the darley ex-racehorses (and actually had a phone call to tell me they had a horse for me previously, this happened between loosing my old horse and getting the loan horse). at the moment i dont know when or how soon the loan horse will be sold - so do i give her my months notice and pass him back to her and find another loan/share/ex-racehorse, or keep going with the loan horse until the end of the contract and just hope she's found him a new home by then (i will be helping with the selling etc.)

I really feel bad for the owner, we really get on very well. but there have been a few things that i have had to pay for like his teeth that were in a terrible state and his vaccinations needed to be started from scratch etc etc. which are other reasons for not wanting to carry on with him.

Anyone got any advice, words of wisdom anything at all really just all a bit confuzzled about what to do for the best

 

[scotsmare]

Send him back - if she wants to sell him then let her do it - no point in hanging onto him for no reason and extra heartache, not to mention the hassle of viewers etc.

 

[BBH]

You could keep him going until he's sold or the end of your notice period whichever comes first, so if there is a months notice clause in the contract give a months notice. It maybe that he's sold and if not perhaps this other lady can take him on.

At the end of the day horses are expensive and you must have a horse that you want not keep one out of guilt.

 

[Hedwards]

Thanks both, i suppose sending him back within the next month might be the most sensible - but i really do like his owner and want to see the horse get the best home, and i wonder what kind of care she can provide with a newborn baby (well 3 month old) i suppose if i give the notice, we find a buyer within that time i've not lost out, oh i dont know... why is it never easy with horses!?!

 

[Booboos]

I think you are being very sensible, if he is not the horse for you then you shouldn't buy him. For me it would be easier to return him to his owner and she could deal with selling him directly as I would not be happy to show him off for potential buyers (huge time commitment and not sure I would like to be responsible for answering questions about the horse).