Full loaning horse

[Deltofe2493]

For financial reasons I am seriously considering putting my mare on full loan for a year or 2... I am a) nervous I will miss her and b) nervous of anything that could go wrong.

I'm a v determined individual and feel like I am giving up... I haven't lost interest at all but I think I need to make some sensible decisions - some time to pay off some debt and save some £££ so we can go out and do fun things as and when I do get her back as it's not a possibility at the moment. Did anyone else feel like this?

What agreements did you all have in place? I don't want her to move yards as she's very settled and want her feed/supplements to stay the same. I'd be happy to pay for this, plus insurance and even half towards shoes and any other maintenance i.e. back/saddle etc. Am I offering too much or should it be the loaner's full responsibility?

 

[Gallop_Away]

All that should be the loaner's responsibility. What you are describing sounds more like a part loan.

 

[AmyMay]

Your contributions and conditions are up to you - it’s your horse. A good place to start would be with the BHS loan agreement.

 

[Deltofe2493]

All that should be the loaner's responsibility. What you ate describing sounds more like a part loan.

I just want to make it as easy as possible for potential person.. but I guess the right person would be happy with the terms?

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

No doubt you will hear many horror stories but I put my boy out on loan and it was a total success. He had very mild cushings despite only being 12 and so I felt he would be happier being a happy hacker and I still wanted to compete. I advertised him through word of mouth and he found a fantastic home. I was happy for him to move yards. I used a BHS livery agreement. I continued to pay for his Cushings tablets as I didn't want that to be compromised in any way and she paid for all other upkeep as though he was her own. She took him on fun rides, did a bit of hunting but mainly hacked out with friends. I rode out with her a few times on my new one. A few years later, my circumstances changed and we moved away and got a house with land so I gave her notice I wanted him back. This worked out well as she said she had been plucking up the courage to ask me to have him back as she now wanted something younger and whizzier.

 

[Abacus]

When I once loaned out a horse I was put off by anyone who I felt was too tight financially - for example I had people asking if I minded him being given own-brand feed instead of the stuff I bought, or whether they could take off his shoes to make things cheaper. The right person should be happy to pay for reasonable requirements in feed and supplements, and to be organised enough not to run out - it can be difficult however to assess this. I had a condition that I continued with the insurance, which they paid for, so that I could be sure that he was definitely covered. As Amymay said, your contribution is your decision, but given that you're doing this for your own financial reasons, don't be unnecessarily generous. It's generally lucky to find a nice horse on loan and someone should be willing to pay for her full keep.

 

[ihatework]

Your contributions and conditions are up to you - it’s your horse. A good place to start would be with the BHS loan agreement.

This.

You are offering more than many full loans but equally given you want horse to stay at current yard and want to stipulate feed/supplements then this might encourage those who might not have considered loaning from your yard.

What are your expectations of how much day to day contact/involvement you want? For a full loan they will want to essentially consider the horse theirs (within reason) and not have the owner scrutiny on a daily basis.

If you want that level of involvement might be better to consider part loan / share

 

[94lunagem]

I had one out on loan for many years - I didn't have competitive aspirations when I bought him and we had many happy years doing unaffiliated dressage and ODEs, but when I decided I wanted to do more he went out on loan and effectively went round the unaffiliated block again. He went to a friend of a friend out of my local area, with the stipulation he stayed on the friend's livery yard so she could keep a loose eye on things. This worked well for a long time until she wanted to move, and by that time I trusted her judgement and was happy with him moving elsewhere. I paid for vets fees and shoeing, which is more than most full loans but I wanted to make sure she never thought twice about calling a very from a cost point of view. She paid for all other day to day livery/care and competitions/fun rides. We had a loan agreement in place which also set out what tack and equipment went with him. I visited from time to time, and communication was key to the whole arrangement working, I would never turn up unannounced etc. He came home for his retirement and is sadly no longer with us, but the friend of a friend became one of my now most trusted horsey friends. She was there the day we had to say goodbye and, in a strange way, will always share the bond of both having loved the same animal as our own. Personally, I think our arrangement worked so well because of a little bit of distance, I am not sure I would have been able to back off and let her treat him as her own had we been on the same yard every day.

Conversely, I also had a horse on a short term loan that didn't work out and was very grateful for the loan agreement in place. I'm not sure how legally enforceable they actually are, but I did have to threaten legal action backed up with the agreement which in the end swiftly resolved the problem.

Whatever you decide, get a written agreement in place.

 

[Birker2020]

A few years later, my circumstances changed and we moved away and got a house with land so I gave her notice I wanted him back.

See this is why I couldn't stand to have anything on loan (unless I was on the same yard as the loaner but unable to ride mine). This was the situation with the horse i was going to have on loan but sadly he developed colic and was pts.

I get too attached to horses. It would break my heart to have to hand over a horse I'd had many years on loan. But we are all different, and it worked out well for you MYIAHB and your loaner so all's well that end's well.

 

[Deltofe2493]

See this is why I couldn't stand to have anything on loan (unless I was on the same yard as the loaner but unable to ride mine). This was the situation with the horse i was going to have on loan but sadly he developed colic and was pts.

I get too attached to horses. It would break my heart to have to hand over a horse I'd had many years on loan. But we are all different, and it worked out well for you MYIAHB and your loaner so all's well that end's we

I’ve had someone enquire already and already dreading missing her and wondering what I would do to fill my time

If on full loan I know I wouldn’t have any involvement I just want her management to stay the same. I don’t want her to leave the yard as it would be impossible to get a space there again when I do want her back and a faff with all my stuff and mats etc. People don’t tend to leave there as it’s reasonably priced and good turnout.

The main pro of her going on loan to this person would be the training she would get with her jumping, and I can have some time to recoup and save for when I am ready.

BUT I don’t know if I could ever forgive myself if something did go wrong and she had an accident or something of the sort and I never got her back.

Defo not something I will rush into. Maybe this person could share instead as advised… will see when she tries her out. Bloody horses!

 

[Wishfilly]

I would definitely advise keeping the insurance in your name, even if the loaner ultimately makes a contribution towards the premium. I believe it can cause issues making claims if it's not, or if there's an ongoing issue when you take the horse back. I think if you want a specific feed, then continuing to pay for that is also fair.

I don't really think it matters what you call the arrangement- there are all sorts of arrangements out there that fall between the traditional full loan vs sharer/part loan arrangement. If you find someone who is happy with the level of involvement you want (particularly as you're suggesting you'd pick up some of the costs they'd normally pay), then that's brilliant. If the rider will improve her, then even better!