Cheeky/ridiculous posts you see on Facebook.

That's quite a list of requirements! A confidence giving schoolmaster that can jump up to 1m20 would be worth it's weight in gold, I couldn't imagine many people wanting to lend one out for free to a random person on the internet. If I had one, the only possible reason I can think of to do so would be if I had a longish illness / injury / pregnancy, and it still wouldn't be going out of my sight!
Oh, and I really couldn't care less what brand the jumps were!
 
In my experience of loaning and seeing people look for loan horses, there’s even less sane people in that group than there are in the usual horse buying market. There are some really fantastic homes - but 90% just want a cheap horse or a temporary horse or one they can ruin without paying the eventual vet bill. The first of those means they often cannot afford decent care. The second leaves a sad horse who bonds and then is given back. The third is the worst - returning with injuries and/or ruined schooling and handling. It’s like a world of two extremes!
 
rabatsa said:
Has produced youngsters. So why not do so again and make the horse you want?
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I did also wonder this- the time it takes to bring a broodmare back into work is probably going to work out similar to the time you'd need to spend breaking in and fittening a 3/4yo. Either way, it'll be a good couple of years before the horse is strong enough to jump the courses they want.
 
I must admit those posts do grate! "I'm sick of producing' At 17! Wow poor you given all these horses to produce. And had an ex intermediate event horse for 7 years? What from 9 or 10?? Who gives a horse lile that to a young child. The scent of entitlement is pretty overpowering on that one.

As for 'she deserves a' .... . No 16 year old 'deserves' a very expensive horse for free!
 
I’m really pro loaning out. I’ve both done it myself and been the lucky recipient of actually quite valuable competitive horses.

So for me, I don’t mind the asking/advertising.

It’s the way the advert is phased that would either put my back up or not and unfortunately this one makes me look like Quasimodo
 
Ambers Echo said:
I suspect it can't continue because it's no longer legal or insurable. And that's probably because of excess litigation and of exploitation of young people. Whether it's a change for good or bad is up for debate I think. Yes a lot of valubale opportunities are no longer possible BUT also I was able to do crazy things as a kid which were fun but definitely not safe, and I suspect unpaid labour led to some sgnificant abuses of young people's desperation to ride or be around horses.

Are working pupil roles no longer around? If they are genuinely offering training, then there should be a scheme whereby they can. But with some transparency about what training you get for your labour.
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Think your first sentence is, as you say the reason..
65 years ago🫣 I rode my bike 5 odd miles to a riding school, (sometimes my dad took me) I along with other pony mad kids, mucked out, groomed, tacked up and now and then led small children on ponies, altered fences etc etc, sometimes we got a lesson on an actual pony, but our greatest joy was riding the ponies bareback along the road on the verges back to their field, we were not supposed to get out of a walk, but you can probably guess that as soon as we hit a grass verge zoom…
Best 2 years and when my dad thought I could look after a pony properly he bought me a pony, we were farmers so pony lived out…
I must also add that my sister and I rode anything on the farm with four legs, definitely the cart horses if we could, but also the older calves!!!
Certainly often it wasn’t safe as you say, but we had great times, learnt how to care for ponies, how to stay on, and never ever abuse….
Technical things were learnt from the Pony Club blue book!!
 
Here is another. Although the competitive ambition may be low (although 90 isn’t all that low), so is the budget. Admittedly she doesn’t specify that it must be both sound and not a lunatic. I guess she might find a little ex racer…
 

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Marshpiper said:
Think your first sentence is, as you say the reason..
65 years ago🫣 I rode my bike 5 odd miles to a riding school, (sometimes my dad took me) I along with other pony mad kids, mucked out, groomed, tacked up and now and then led small children on ponies, altered fences etc etc, sometimes we got a lesson on an actual pony, but our greatest joy was riding the ponies bareback along the road on the verges back to their field, we were not supposed to get out of a walk, but you can probably guess that as soon as we hit a grass verge zoom…
Best 2 years and when my dad thought I could look after a pony properly he bought me a pony, we were farmers so pony lived out…
I must also add that my sister and I rode anything on the farm with four legs, definitely the cart horses if we could, but also the older calves!!!
Certainly often it wasn’t safe as you say, but we had great times, learnt how to care for ponies, how to stay on, and never ever abuse….
Technical things were learnt from the Pony Club blue book!!
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This was me! Except we never did get a free lesson 😆 Best bit was riding the ponies about 3 miles to the field. Ride 1, lead 2.

The blue book was my bible - The Manual of Horsemanship. I memorised feeding programmes, daily routines, fittening routines... rules of feeding and sizes of stables!

I think it was a good grounding!

Packed lunches and mucky fingernails LOL.
 
What gets me is the ‘the horse will want for nothing’ comments. If you can’t afford to buy a horse do you really have the funds needed if something were to go wrong
 
Red-1 said:
This was me! Except we never did get a free lesson 😆 Best bit was riding the ponies about 3 miles to the field. Ride 1, lead 2.

The blue book was my bible - The Manual of Horsemanship. I memorised feeding programmes, daily routines, fittening routines... rules of feeding and sizes of stables!

I think it was a good grounding!

Packed lunches and mucky fingernails LOL.
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It was just the best grounding!
Lots of laughter, and eating packed lunch with those mucky nails……🤣🤣🐎🐎
 
Jacksie said:
What gets me is the ‘the horse will want for nothing’ comments. If you can’t afford to buy a horse do you really have the funds needed if something were to go wrong
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I waver on this one. I agree that the 'looking for a unicorn' ads are massively unrealistic and rather entitled.

Yet I have known situations where someone really doesn't have the budget for a decent horse upfront but can afford the monthly commitment, assuming that the horse is insured for emergency care and that there is sufficient spare for the occasional bills like dentistry. OK if they are pragmatic about taking a horse that is older, or has manageable issues, or where they are lucky enough to find one that the owner doesn't want to sell. At least the people that say it will 'want for nothing' are considering the fact that they are being trusted with someone's horse. Others, like the ad I posted above, focus on their own needs and list of requirements without thinking to reassure the owner that the horse would be cared for.

The person I have in mind is one of my lovely liveries who saved for some time to buy a horse, which broke within a couple of weeks and was PTS after a year of trying, and then just couldn't buy another. Yes she could have saved up for another 2 years, but by that time she just wanted to enjoy a horse and her requirements are modest. She was lucky enough to find a ex-eventing mare who due to an old injury couldn't compete at the same level, which suits her just fine. Lovely owners, fabulous loaner, and a thoroughly brilliant horse as well who really does want for nothing. But this sort of horse and loaner is unlikely to materialise through an ad in either direction - she came through our yard instructor who recommended both sides of the arrangement.

Equally I loaned my boy years ago to a wonderful girl who adored him but couldn't have afforded him, and I would never have sold him - selfishly I wanted to compete at a higher level and yet he was still a great horse for her needs, hacking and occasional lessons and low level jumping. They had a happy year and I was very happy to have him back when she had a baby. He's still with me aged 29.

Before that I nearly arranged a loan for him with a lady who, before collecting him, started asking questions about whether he'd cope without shoes to save money (no) and if he could live on a handful of chaff per day (no) and whether I would supply literally everything from a lunge line to mucking out equipment. I cancelled.

All I can conclude is that a personal recommendation is best, and that loaning any horse (valuable or not) is a minefield, but not impossible to get right.
 
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