Getting into full loaning

[kjr2804]

I am 16 years old and have part loaned in my area for the last couple of years and now I really want to full loan.
im just looking for some advice as my parents are not horsey and have no clue! What do I need to consider? Do I need to find a yard before I secure a loan? How much do I need to pay for as my budget is very limited?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

You need to get your parents on board with the idea, as you'll need an adult to take legal responsibility. Are they willing to do this as I'm afraid most owners won't loan to a minor.
Good luck.

 

[splashgirl45]

it costs the same as owning a horse, so full loan usually involves you paying for everything, feed,livery,shoes,vaccinations, vets bills,and sometimes insurance, the only thing different is that you dont have the outlay of buying in the first place. if you have limited money i would think carrying on sharing would be better as you would be paying out a set sum each week and wouldnt have the financial worry that horse may need the vet..

 

[Wishfilly]

Full loan means you pay for everything or nearly everything- sometimes the owner will still cover the horse's insurance.

So you would be paying for:

Livery- probably £1-200 a month for DIY depending on where you are. If you are on DIY, don't forget you will have to be up every day, twice a day and if you can't make it you will need to arrange cover.
Bedding- I get straw from my YO which costs £20 a month- there are lots of options out there but not every option will suit every horse.
Hay- I pay £30 a month for hay from my YO, bear in mind if you source your own, prices can vary a lot and you need somewhere to store it.
Hard feed- Mine is quite cheap and I probably spend <£10 a month on hard feed, and some horses/ponies won't need any BUT if you loan you may find the owner wants you to continue with an expensive feed or supplements.
Shoes- Fronts only cost me £40 every 6 weeks.
Wormer/Vaccs/Teeth etc- I try to budget about £30 a month towards these so when they are needed I always have money in the bank.

So, say roughly £200 a month, at the cheaper end.

On loan, most horses will arrive with tack and rugs, but you may need to buy yard tools, grooming tools, buckets etc. You will probably also need to replace anything that breaks as well.

I would start off by looking at local yards. The owner will want to see where you are keeping the horse before letting it go on loan! Your yard is likely to be your biggest cost, so finding out the costs of that will let you know if it is likely to be affordable!

 

[AmyMay]

So, say roughly £200 a month, at the cheaper end.

And then some. I think you can at least double that.

 

[Wishfilly]

And then some. I think you can at least double that.

I think it depends a lot on how much you are paying for livery- I'm very lucky to live somewhere with access to cheap DIY livery. I'm sure in the SE, my costs would be loads higher, as it would if I had to source small bale hay and pay for shavings.

But even including insurance, my very basic costs are <£400 a month, and I'm not especially trying to do things on the cheap.

 

[Sail_away]

Full loaning is essentially owning without the initial purchase - and of course the horse goes back at the end of the loan agreement. For me basic costs are around 500 a month (in Surrey, just outside Greater London so about as pricey as it gets outside London proper) but then there’s plenty of extras. It’s a good month if I only spend 100 extra. Bad month is a grand or more! Eg, new saddle, medical equipment insurance wouldn’t pay for - it happens. I’m 18 and extremely lucky that my parents are very supportive. I have a weekend job and anything I earn goes towards the horse but the bulk of expenses are carried by my parents.
In my experience it’s not something you can do at that age without considerable parental backing - they don’t have to be horsey but if you haven’t been around horses the amount of money they take up just seems unreasonable.
Could you find more of a competitive share perhaps? If you’d like to do more with a horse - they are out there but take some time and research. Your pony club branch would be a good place to contact.

 

[kjr2804]

Thanks everyone I don’t mind part loaning as it is very convenient- the main reason I want to full loan is to not be restricted and to move yards as I’m currently not too happy on my yard but with part loaning no one will really let you move

 

[EllenJay]

Full loan means you pay for everything or nearly everything- sometimes the owner will still cover the horse's insurance.


So, say roughly £200 a month, at the cheaper end.

The cost of keeping a horse is comparable to a mortgage. I would say that £200 per month is a real under estimate. And that is also not taking in your time. At 16, with non-horsey parents I would say is a bit of a pipe dream. Keep to your part share, learn, enjoy and save loads of money.

 

[kjr2804]

I suppose it is a bit of a dream but it is something I do really want... and I see loads of people my age being able to afford horses.

 

[Wishfilly]

The cost of keeping a horse is comparable to a mortgage. I would say that £200 per month is a real under estimate. And that is also not taking in your time. At 16, with non-horsey parents I would say is a bit of a pipe dream. Keep to your part share, learn, enjoy and save loads of money.

Obviously that's not the full costs, but with a loan, OP normally wouldn't be responsible for paying costs such as insurance. Often, owners will pay for any expensive on-going medication, as well.

My pony definitely doesn't cost me an amount comparable to a mortgage, including insurance/vet costs, but not including the extras I buy each month.

I agree there are extra costs, on a monthly basis, but like I say it depends a lot on how cheap the area of the country is.

FWIW, I had a loan pony at 16 with not hugely committed parents- although they were willing to pay for some of the costs for me.

 

[Wishfilly]

I suppose it is a bit of a dream but it is something I do really want... and I see loads of people my age being able to afford horses.

Often their parents will be paying some/all of the costs- or they may have been left some money by a relative they are able to spend on the horse. Or they may have access to cheap/free land where they can keep the horse/pony.

Like I said, your biggest cost is likely to be your livery, so finding out how much that will cost in your area is the first hurdle. Would you parents be willing/able to give you any money toward the cost?

 

[Littlewills]

My pony definitely doesn't cost me an amount comparable to a mortgage, including insurance/vet costs, but not including the extras I buy each month.

I agree there are extra costs, on a monthly basis, but like I say it depends a lot on how cheap the area of the country is.

And that's why the £200 you quoted is completely unrealistic. Physio, wormers, vaccinations, tack that needs replacing, saddle fitter, small vets bills, fly spray, shampoo etc, etc, etc. Then lessons, ideally weekly for a new loaner/owner.

The true cost is all of that and far exceeds £200

 

[Wishfilly]

And that's why the £200 you quoted is completely unrealistic. Physio, wormers, vaccinations, tack that needs replacing, saddle fitter, small vets bills, fly spray, shampoo etc, etc, etc. Then lessons, ideally weekly for a new loaner/owner.

The true cost is all of that and far exceeds £200

I think you're misreading my post- I'm saying the £200 is the base level before you add on any of those extras, some of which I did mention. I'm not saying the £200 is all you can expect to pay on a monthly basis- I'm saying if you are lucky in a cheaper area of the country, you could start off with £200-250 each month, then any extras on top.

But equally, I wouldn't necessarily expect to be paying for physio/saddle fittings as a loaner.

And obviously a lot depends on where OP lives, and the sort of yard she wants to keep the horse on- which is what I said needs to be her starting point...

 

[kjr2804]

DIY livery at the yard I want to be at ideally starts at around £120/month with a stable, turnout, worming and an arena

 

[Wishfilly]

DIY livery at the yard I want to be at ideally starts at around £120/month with a stable, turnout, worming and an arena

Ok, well then that's your starting point.

Does the yard supply hay and bedding? How much is this going to cost? If not, where can you source it from, and how much will that cost you?

A lot of your other costs will depends a bit on the horse/pony- if it needs shoes, if it needs hard feed etc?

Can you get to the yard twice a day? If not, are you going to need to pay for services?

Can you afford the start up costs of buying all your initial equipment?

 

[kjr2804]

I am going to look for a hardy breed ideally who can live out and be barefoot. I can go up at least once a day but will have help at this yard which is why I am so fond of it. I think they do supply hay and bedding but will find out more info on costs - how much is this usually?

 

[Wishfilly]

I am going to look for a hardy breed ideally who can live out and be barefoot. I can go up at least once a day but will have help at this yard which is why I am so fond of it. I think they do supply hay and bedding but will find out more info on costs - how much is this usually?

Even if the pony is barefoot, it's likely you would need to pay for trims- unless you've got an excellent set up, it's very hard to get a horse/pony to self trim. It would also limit you a lot in choice of loan if you are looking for something you can keep barefoot.

If you have help at the yard, does that mean you will need to be paying for the help? This does all add up!

Bedding depends a lot on the type of bedding, and hay will vary depending on where they source it and the area of the country. I've put my costs for this above, though.

 

[kjr2804]

yeah it would add up, but it is a cheaper option and it is something I am considering

 

[conniegirl]

I pay just over £200 a month for part livery (hay, bedding, turnout and bring in included) then probably spend an average of £100 a month on extras like feeds, vaccines, farrier etc.
Mine is a native pony so not much feed required (normal bill for me is £40 every 3 months), he is currently barefoot so £35 every 8 to 10 weeks.
It is possible to keep a pony cheaply but it has to be the right horse and the right yard set up

 

[kjr2804]

that sounds ideal!

 

[kjr2804]

I have found that DIY livery would be £200 per month and part livery would be £240 a month with bedding, hay and feed included

 

[conniegirl]

I have found that DIY livery would be £200 per month and part livery would be £240 a month with bedding, hay and feed included

That will be a very basic feed and won’t suit every pony.
you will need to add farrier, vet, supplements, lessons, replacement costs for tack/headcollars/haynets, buckets etc that inevitably get damaged and need replacing

 

[AmyMay]

Op, whichever way you look at it, a horse is going to cost you around £350/400 minimum a month (regardless of what numbers people throw at you).

 

[EllenJay]

So as an inexperienced owner, you are looking at £240 per month for part livery. Add to that insurance £50 per month, farrier costs £40 per month. Now you are at £330 per month. Lessons £20 per week - costs are now £410 per month. Replacement items - lead ropes, rugs, headcollars, budget £10 per month. So you are now at £420 per month.

Add to that, is the cost of getting to the yard, at a minimum once a day.

Then if you want all the nice extras, like joining a riding club, nice jods, decent waterproof riding coats, gloves, boots.

I don‘t want to trash your dreams, but with non-horsey parents, a full loan is a massive commitment, both in money and time that you will need to invest.

 

[kjr2804]

silly question maybe but is there any possibility of a part loan being able to move yards? has anyone ever heard of this?

 

[AmyMay]

silly question maybe but is there any possibility of a part loan being able to move yards? has anyone ever heard of this?

Highly unlikely ?

 

[EllenJay]

What don’t you like about the current yard?

 

[kjr2804]

mostly that there is pretty much zero hacking, no turnout, it’s very strict and expensive and the arena is always taken. On top of that there is never anyone to ride with apart from 1 girl my age who is leaving anyway

 

[kjr2804]

Also, to have lessons with my instructor I need to pay the yard owner £20 just to hire the arena there despite being a livery so it works out being almost £50 a lesson which is ridiculous in my opinion