Greylegs
Well-Known Member
I have a lovely 9 year old, cob mare. She's sound, sensible, in good health and generally a good horse for hacking, a bit of low level dressage and has a reasonable pop in her so would jump a small course if needed. But I'm not riding her and advent really done much with her for several months now! I have a lot going on at home with my husband's health and other issues, I've had a bit of a confidence knock after an accident (not horse related) myself, and I feel as if I've just lost the drive and motivation to go and get on her enough, to justify keeping her at my current (excellent) full livery yard.
I have had what I'll call an "expression of interest" from a person who is known to me to have her on loan, to use her for the purposes I've described. We haven't agreed anything, and the person concerned hasn't tried the horse as yet ..... I'm having a think about it all. They would keep the horse at good facilities at their home, which is close enough for me to visit regularly, and even pop in for a little ride now and then if I wanted. They keep a number of other horses and ponies and are generally competent and knowledgable people. The horse would have a job to do and be kept busy, which she thrives on. On the face of it, it looks like a good opportunity to give me a break from horse ownership and from what I see as the pressure to get on and ride regularly. I still have my retired boy at the same yard to spoil, so will get some pony time.
I have not discussed this with my current yard owner, but am pretty sure she would have the horse back in the event that things didn't work out. We would have a loan contract and agree who was paying for what, and I would probably maintain the horse's insurance cover.
So, talk to me about pros and cons of loaning a horse out. In my position, would you do it or have a complete re-think about everything? What pitfalls would you foresee? And, would it be a better alternative to sell her on and move on generally? I'm new to this scenario, so all wise words and shared experiences would be gratefully received. Thank you.
I have had what I'll call an "expression of interest" from a person who is known to me to have her on loan, to use her for the purposes I've described. We haven't agreed anything, and the person concerned hasn't tried the horse as yet ..... I'm having a think about it all. They would keep the horse at good facilities at their home, which is close enough for me to visit regularly, and even pop in for a little ride now and then if I wanted. They keep a number of other horses and ponies and are generally competent and knowledgable people. The horse would have a job to do and be kept busy, which she thrives on. On the face of it, it looks like a good opportunity to give me a break from horse ownership and from what I see as the pressure to get on and ride regularly. I still have my retired boy at the same yard to spoil, so will get some pony time.
I have not discussed this with my current yard owner, but am pretty sure she would have the horse back in the event that things didn't work out. We would have a loan contract and agree who was paying for what, and I would probably maintain the horse's insurance cover.
So, talk to me about pros and cons of loaning a horse out. In my position, would you do it or have a complete re-think about everything? What pitfalls would you foresee? And, would it be a better alternative to sell her on and move on generally? I'm new to this scenario, so all wise words and shared experiences would be gratefully received. Thank you.