Does loaning ever work?

[robthecob]

I'm looking for some positive stories from people out there, who loan or have loaned as I'm losing hope..

I'm the owner, my horse has been on loan for 5 weeks and is being returned this weekend. I felt I did everything I could to find her the perfect home and subsequently I feel a little bit let down by the girl that took her, not that I have said anything as it seems pointless when she is coming back anyway.

My mare was going on loan because I have
a new job which involves long hours. I loaned her as a hack only which she would do alone or in company all day long. She has previous issues which ended her schooling and jumping days although she would be quite happily popping logs. 3 weeks into the loan I start getting messages about lessons?? I explain again what my advert did so clearly that my mare was unhappy schooling which is why she is now a hack only. I also had told the loaner repeatedly before the loan commenced that the horse was for hacking only. A week later I get a text saying horse not suitable as reared whilst schooling. I feel I may as well wrote anything in the advert as it was obviously ignored.

So I'm feeling a bit disheartened, I thought I had found the perfect loan home. I then read other people's horror stories about ponies coming back emaciated etc and I'm wondering if it's worth the stress.

I am not in the business of passing on my problems and I know my girl with her old injuries isn't perfect but I was 110% honest with everything, but still ignored. Obviously I'm glad everyone is ok and I must say the horse has been looked after very well so I'm lucky in that respect.

My girl will come back to her old yard for the moment and I'll hopefully be able to find the time to keep her going but it's going to be tough. Am I just being pessimistic? Are there any happy stories?

 

[Barnsey]

I think so, I have one on full loan a 23/23 year old Dales cross and have had him for nearly 5 years, was overweight when I got him, is now a healthy weight, but has arthritis, and if I'm lucky I can ride him a couple of days a week, I will not send him back, as we have a good partnership, so he is stuck with me until the end, I pay for everthing and am fully responsible for him. I keep in contact with his owner, and let her know how he is getting on, there are good loaners out here you just have to find us, good luck.

 

[Carrots&Mints]

All my horses I've had on loan and I'd say that I was great loanee (not wanting to be big headed) I've heard some stories on here and they've been terrible! I kept Alfie like he was my own well he was I kept him till the very end and I loved him to peices. There will be somebody out there for your horse

 

[Shantara]

Yes I loaned a pony (well, my parents loaned one for me) when I was 5 and I kept him until he retired (less than a year later) then he went on loan to a lovely young lady and stayed with her until he died in his late 30's!
All the loans at my yard are going well so far too!

 

[Lolo]

Yes. It can do very well.

Cheeky, 21-27 with us when he was PTS when age finally caught up with him. He had the best of everything, nothing was too much and he lived like a king- a spoilt one at that! When he had lameness issues his owners were kept up to date and involved, but they trusted us to make the right decisions. They came whenever they liked to see him, and knew he was loved and cared for.

Reggie, who has been on loan to Al for 3.5 years now. He's actually moved 'home' now, but because Al works there and it was much more convenient and nice for his owner! He literally couldn't ask for a more charmed life now, he's here forever and Al would do anything for him. He is totally and completely loved, and I think he looks amazing- he's an ex-racer but people never believe us when they see photos like this. He's HUGE!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2638206161505.2147903.1446041645&type=1&l=8d094b0885
Every horse in this album was on loan to us. I think you could agree they couldn't have asked for more, and although they did move on (aside from the two I've specifically mentioned) as we grew and they didn't, we always got references from their owners for the next horse!

 

[Florrie]

Unfortunately a small majority of people seem to get deluded and carried away with themselves like the loanee you described above!

But yes, loaning does work it can be a lengthy process, I was looking for a loan home for my Welsh B for 3/4 months as he isn't the easiest of ponies. After 2 people returning him, we finally found him a loan home which he went to for 3 and a half years, and in that time he qualified for Ponies UK and HOYS!

It just takes time finding the right home.

 

[KSR]

I took this horse on for 6 months with my own herd to sort out and bring into work.. She'd been in a field in France for a year with my RIs parents..

My friend helped me restart her, and get her jumping for the first time, and the week before she left, we'd taken her to her first SJ competition at local level..

She went back to her owner and is now eventing..

I do miss her and wish she was still with me.. Nice mare..

 

[Flora]

I took my horse out on loan 4 years ago. I only wanted a hack and even though she was eventing, the owner was fine with that. She is now 20yrs old an I bought her 2 yrs ago for a token sum!

There will be someone out there somewhere that will be right for your horse, it will might just take time. Good luck

 

[budley95]

My sisters pony is out on full loan, coming up to 4 years now I think. And he has issues. pretty much blind in one eye, will flip if he sees a man or a kid as in launch himself over the stable and take a chunk out of them, will corner you and double barrell you if you go in the stable when he has hay, will cow kick you if you don't concentrate on him. He was a very abused horse in the past, the blindness is caused by a scar over the eye by a whip/stick by the looks of it. He's covered in scars but he's happy to plod about and lives quite happily with his loaner, an older lady that is light enough to ride a 24 year old 12.2hh welsh mountain

 

[milliepops]

My horse is on loan to me, we've been together for just over 9 years. I had another successful loan horse before her. It can work and there are good loan homes out there try to stay positive

 

[Shay]

We loaned my daughter's first pony for 2 years and then bought him. He now has a home for life with us. There are good loaners out there - but you do have to be careful. You might want to consider a share rather than loan if you want to keep more control over what happens. ATM 1st pony is on share - partly becuase we still want him to hunt one last season and partly because I want to have some control over where he is and how he is managed. Once they are out on loan you do loose that element of control. But there are good loaners out there - keep looking.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes it can do but with care! I've both loaned to fab and bad loaners. One horse "died" on loan and was buried? I will never know if that's true. The other was well looked after into his retirement when I chose to have him back. I've also loaned and it worked well. Good loan homes and loaners are out there.

 

[Spottyappy]

Yes, it can work.
We loan one, and have out on loan. We out the BHS contract in place for our one who is out on loan to people we know. We did add and amend a Few things.
It's the perfect family for her, although there are a couple of things I am not keen on at the yard they livery at, but I am not a yard type person as I have my own place. The mare could not be more loved, and she is having fun with the family from mother to children.
We do not have a contract for the one on loan to us, but again the owner knows us. Owners choice, as we were happy to have one.
Both loans were via word of mouth, and being in the right place at the right time.
I would also highly recommend allowing anyone loaning to come and try your horse for several weeks at your existing yard before they take it away, so you can see how they are with it, and allow them time to bond more and hopefully reduce any issues once the horse actually goes away. We did this with our one going out on loan, although appreciate having our own yard makes it easier to do so.
Make sure you visit the horse once it has moved, preferably every couple of days initially, extending as you,hopefully, feel things are settling and you are happy with it.

 

[Polos Mum]

Yes - I suspect you only hear of the bad ones because few people come on here with a "I'm so happy my loan is going well" threads. (Perhaps we should start)

I am a loaner and a loanee, my old boy is out happy hacking with a busy mum who only rides a few times a week - perfect for him and her - been there almost 2 years.

My big horse is technically on loan to me (although I did get a call about a year in from the owner checking I knew she never ever wanted him back!!) - she hasn't seen him for 2 1/2 years now but that's fine with me - he's not leaving here upright anyway! I have never treated him anything other than as my own - in fact for a few years he was probably treated better as I was so worried she might turn up, not like something, and take him away!!

 

[catwithclaws]

I know the feeling OP, same thing is currently happening to me. Have tried it several times (full and part loan) over the years and something always seems to go wrong. I'm ridiculously picky about people who have my horses too!

Going to try one last time and find my mare a new loan home, but if it doesn't work I'll find some cheap grass livery and retire her.

Good luck!

 

[rubysmum]

I am almost at the first year anniversary of my loan, I am happy, the mare is happy, I hope her owners are happy.
I regularly update them via FB and a smaller horse forum, they visit her as and when they want.
I would hope to have the horse for many years yet.
We have a very extensive contract and I run any major things past them before I make changes and we communicate regularly.
I really hope you find a good loan home, they are out there

 

[MrsMozart]

We loaned Grey Mare for a few months before buying her.

Her owner was D1's I instructor. Very well known around the area. If we'd done anything wrong she'd have soon heard about it! But one of the main reasons is that whilst the owner and a few others thought I threw too much cash at the horses (saddles checked every three months, dentist every six months, back person every three months, a rug and a duplicate for every possible occasion, etc. etc.etc.) she knew the horse would be well looked after . She was treated the same as the rest of ours . Now she is ours and the only difference is that she'll be freezemarked (when D1 has decided on what she wants!).

There was a question about GM no longer travelling in a trailer with another horse (with a partition in). We waited until she was ours before we gave it a very short and slow try as I very much wanted her to travel with another and I didn't want to create risk (no matter how small a risk) to someone else's horse.

 

[ihatework]

There are plenty of times loaning works. The problem is you only ever tend to hear about the horror stories so it gives you a skewed perspective. Also bear in mind that you tend to hear only one side of the argument too, and we know that some owners (as well as loaners) live in cloud cuckoo land.

I'm sorry this one didn't work out, but don't let it put you off!

 

[shmoo]

Hi, I'm a loaner and loanee.

I've had a recent bad experience and I absolutley know how you feel. You state something and it's totally ignored as the detriment of the horse. It will now take around 2-3 months for me put right what a week in the wrong hands did.

I rashly said I'd never loan again. Even and stamped my feet, crossed my arms and shook my hair - in a huff. I've calmed down now, read some good advice and probably would. This time I'm going to get her fit, and ready to jump on and go. It will hopefully attract a different kind of person, I'm considering moving in with them for a week so I know it's a good fit .

I really do want to ride and I'm just too big for her, walking out fine but nothing strenuous. Plus I am now very concious of her back. . I don't want to sell her so I don't know where my other choices lie ? I am more than willing to loan my new (if and when horse) rather than buy. It won't make a difference to my attitude toward them. They will still be mine!

On the other side I loan an ex polo pony, who is mine. She is mine from the tip of her ears to the tips of her hooves. She is treated exactly the same as my other one, and doted on by my daughter. She has her feet back teeth hair done at the same time. She is fed pampered loved and hugged the same. She is totally mine except the name in her pasport.

There are good people out there, it's just a ****** of a job finding them.

Good luck, keep me posted. You'll get good advice from the people on this forum. Chin up.

 

[Charlie77]

Yes just took my first mare on loan in 1990 I kept her till we lost her age 33 on third of December four years ago.
I also now have a pony out on loan, she went first of June last year. She is in a fantastic place and being loved and used, if I had kept her she would still be in the field doing nothing, she is to small for me, didn't want to sell as only do pony I didn't want her passed around and end up in the wrong home, this way I'll always know we're she is and that she is looked after and loved.

 

[sandi_84]

Yes it does sometimes work, you have to kiss a lot of frogs as it were though

We loaned my sister's companion pony out for 6months and she came back very healthy and happy, it was sad that the lady had financial trouble and couldn't afford to renew her loan for another period as she wanted to but she was a fab loanee and took fabulous care of fuzzy while she was there

We are loaned out my sister's other horse - an ex-racer nearly 2 months ago. He is on a years loan and so far so good, the mother and daughter who have him love him like we do, make sure he wants for nothing and take great care of him. They even chopped down some trees in their garden because he kept jumping their fence to get into the back garden and they weren't mad, quite the opposite, they love him more for his cheeky ways! They've hacked him out loads and because they are so chilled out his road experience has come on leaps and bounds and he doesn't blink an eye at traffick now which is fab since he'd never hacked on roads before that we know of

 

[Penny Less]

I think so ! I have had a loan horse for 2 years and I am in touch with the owner regularly and she comes to visit now and again,. When I first loaned I had very regular emails from owner asking how horse was, but now she knows she is in a good loan home she trusts me to look after her. Loans fail for various reasons, wrong horse for loanee, lack of finances, loss of interest etc, so you cannot guarantee . You need to be able to loan to somewhere that you can visit regularly to check. The first pony I had on loan for 3 years the owners never came to see him or phoned to check on him. I did write to them occasionally but
for all they knew it could have gone horribly wrong

 

[HashRouge]

We put my sister's first pony on loan many years ago. We found the people through a friend of a friend, and they offered him the perfect home - wanted him for their daughter but had a younger son who could grow into him when daughter too tall, their own land so all ponies lived out (he hated being in and would weave) and just generally lovely lovely people. Pony stayed on loan for years and was eventually sold to them for the grand sum of £1 by my mother, after the loaner phoned saying that although both kids had grown out of him, they were in floods of tears at the thought of sending him back. He lived out his retirement there and was put to sleep earlier this year, happy and loved to the end.

 

[dollymix]

with my old mare I only have positive experiences. Her first loaner/sharer was brilliant and we became good friends. It was nice to haev someone to hack out with and I knew that she was always being looked after brilliantly. I met her through another horse forum which was a bit worrying at first, but once I met her, she got on really well and more importantly, she bonded well with my mare.

Her next loaner still has her! She has been with them for the past 2 years now and I know she is loved and spoilt rotten! In fact, although I never thought I'd say this, if she ever wanted to buy her I would sell her!

My other mare (the older mares daughter) is a bit more difficult. Whilst her dam is very polite and straight-forward, her daugher is more 'welsh' like!!! lol She is cheeky and will gladly take a mile if you give her an inch. She went away briefly last year, but not sure I'd do that again. I like to be able to keep an eye on them as she did come back with a few changed habits which I am slowly breaking her of! lol Don't get me wrong, she was really well looked after and I knew I didn't have to worry about her...but she is a cheeky one and I get the impressions she played up to that character!!

I am in the process of trying to find someone to loan or share her now. But I haven't had much luck as the ones who have applied are far too inexperienced. Hopefully someone will turn up eventually as she does love to be doing and I am just too big. Not too bad for hacking, but she should be out showing and doing hunter trials etc.

 

[windand rain]

Yes and no really I wont loan again to someone but the ones I have borrowed have gone home fitter healthier and in general better than they arrived all three I loaned went very badly and were damaged in some way and returned
the two I borrowed one was a companion who didnt load very well went home happily loading and was able to be reloaned to a showing home. The other one went home twice its weight as it was skinny when it arrived but it didnt suit me as a hacking horse as it was very nappy when asked about it the owners said "Oh we just let her go the direction she want to go in" not my idea of a good hack but never mind she enjoyed her weeks being fed properly and pampered I think they sold her shortly after she went home she was lovely to look at but needed more work on schooling than I had time for

 

[SuperH]

My old boy has been out on loan for nearly 10 years now, 9 to the same home. The first lady decided she couldn't cope with him due to personal circumstances and text me at 9pm one evening to say she wasn't doing him with immediate effect! That wasn't too inconvenient for me as he was being kept only 3 miles from where I lived so I went up the following morning to find the neighbour had got him and and fed him. I took him out for a ride and when I returned the neighbour asked if she could have him. She has had him ever since. I now live 140 miles away and visit him about once a year, he is very pampered and very happy. He isn't always sound (why he went on loan in the first place) but she is happy just to have the occasional ride when he is. We don't have a loan agreement in place (I would never recommend not having one I have just been very lucky), she rents the field he is kept in from my mother and it was verbally agreed that she should treat him as her own and can make any decisions herself. He is about 24 now.

 

[pippixox]

I think loaning is often a brilliant option for both loaner and loanee, as it allows a horse you love but cant keep or ride enough to find a new home, without you having to sell and loose touch for ever, and helps people who cant outright buy a suitable horse....
I have a good experience loaning my boy when I couldn't keep him when I was finishing school. I advertised and the lady drove over 100 miles to come and see him. they always kept in touch regularly and I could visit when ever, he was looked after perfectly, very happy. but after a year and a half I got an email and then phone call to say they would have to return him as they needed a new youngster to bring on (they did showing) and wouldn't have room to keep him. as per contract, they kept him for nearly another month so I could sort out space to have him back. I luckily didn't need to worry they wouldn't look after him because they didn't want him anymore, he was in perfect condition.
however, sadly some people are idiots! they don't read small print or even big print! it seems to be the same for buyers, my friend in advertising a pony who has only been just stared in backing, long reigned and sat on only a handful of times, despite stating clearly she has had people turn up asking if their little girl can get on for a ride!
but I have honestly heard more good news stories than bad about loaning, it's just only the bad you hear about. that's why you loan though as if it goes wrong your horse gets returned home safe instead of being sold on to another home.

 

[Mariposa]

Yes - loaning can work!

I have a pony out on loan to a friend, they've been together for 18 months now and it is all going well ( so far!). The pony is happy and loved, and they seem to get on really well. If she comes back I'd only have to sell her so I hope they stay together for a while.

And I have a gelding on loan (the gelding who I took to Windsor) and we LOVE him to bits. He will be under our care until it is time for him to go to the great polo sky in the field. He is a little star, he is pretty creaky now and on all sorts of lotions and potions, and we one ride him when we play, in the week he just gets lead...honestly he is so spoilt, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Firewell]

I'm the perfect 'loanee' *smug*. When a child all my ponies were loaned as my parents didn't want the hassle of selling them once outgrown. We kept them all for between 1 and 3 years, looked after them impeccably and found them new suitable homes to move straight on to.
My horse now was on lwvtb. A 4yr old scrawney ex racer. I loaned him for 9 months, brought him on to my best ability, gave him everything I could back visits, teeth, new saddle the works and then I bought him for the price we had agreed at the beginning and didn't even try to haggle.
There are good people out there who will take it seriously. It's just finding them...

 

[Marydoll]

Yes it can work but i agree things need to be very clear with a contract signed by both parties of what is expected, i would never have considered a loan as i didnt want the hassles that can come with it, but for various reasons have found myself loaning a lovely big lad for a year, possibly longer.
It seems to be going very well, i like the fact i can ride and compete him pretty much working him as i would if he were mine, his loanee is loving the fact he is being well cared for, part of a small herd, kept in regular work, is schooled with super eyes on the ground, someone we both know and trust and ive had him out competing with her coming to watch, where we placed 2 out of 3 classes in the time hes been with me 12 weeks he has been seen by saddle fitter for neccessary saddle tweaks and had regular instruction from good trainers, has been seen by a bodyworker for massage and check over for maintainance not because theres a problem, but because its what i do with my own comp horse when in work. For me, its lovely to hear her say she cant believe how lucky she is to have found such a great loan home for him, and i cant believe my luck that ive a loanee who trusts me and is completely happy with what im doing, with the added bonus of having a super big horse for a year