Help needed! I want my pony back

Xtra

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I have had a horse on loan for over 2 years now. The owners want her back soon to use her for themselves. I am gutted as she is part of the family but equally I know she was only on loan to me and I was lucky to have the time with her. What can get a bit annoying is when the owner is not honest as they did say they had no use for her and that she was pretty much with me for life so I would advise being sympathetic and very open and apologetic. After all if someone has taken good care of your horse for years they deserve respect. Hope it goes well
 

Auslander

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Ah, so yard owner has had cob for 6 years. Fed and cared for..So, how much did you donate for his keep and how many times a week did you visit over the past 6 years?
Not fair. The horse belongs to the OP, and she is perfectly within her rights to take her horse back. That's the risk you take when you loan a horse.
You clearly understand this, from your subsequent posts, so not sure why you've popped out of the woodwork to launch a few passive aggressive comments at the OP. Not cool
 

Ambers Echo

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From the other point of view, if the pony was no longer needed or couldn't work any more OP might find it is sent back to her anyway.

Exactly! Loans have pros and cons for both parties - pro for a loaner is they are not left stuck with a pony who has developed problems or they no longer need/want. Cons are they can lose the loan. My YO put a retired RS pony on permanent loan years ago. A few years later she got a text out of the blue saying 'We are relocating to France. He is in a stable at XXXXX'. No notice period! She had to drop everything and go and get him there and then. But he was still hers and therefore still her responsibility. Most loaners don't behave that way but plenty will send back a pony they can't use anymore.
 

Fransurrey

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OP, if she's a lovely lady and you're clearly happy with the way she cares for him, how about offering her share terms when you take him back? With a written agreement, of course!
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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At the end of the day OP this is YOUR horse and YOU should be the one who decides what happens to him.

Personally, I would have been anxious well before now re. the lack of formalising of the general "loan" set-up. I would have wanted a formal loan agreement setting out terms and conditions of the loan as well as stating exactly how much the RDA were allowed to use him! - as I feel there are rather too many people involved in this whole scenario and the result is now that you are feeling guilty about having to "ask for your horse back"!!

6 yrs is a long time for the horse to have been away from you and as others have observed, you seem to have had very little "hands on" with him during this time?? During this period he has been, as I understand it?? - in regular work, so do be prepared for the fact that when he does come back to you, he will be used to being in a highly structured yard with plenty of work!! In effect, a "riding school" set up, and you may find that the sweet chilled boy that you remember has suddenly turned into a bit of a nightmare when you get him home and he doesn't have that regular routine or the work that goes with it!! (just warning you!!).

The other thing I would strongly advise is that if you DO have him back, let your first caller to the yard be your physio: I say this because I bought a mare who'd been used by an RDA centre last year, and when I got her home she refused to stand at the mounting block. The friend who'd transported her is my training mentor, and her first thought was "this mare is in pain" and to get the physio to her which we did, and after treatment and rest she came sound. But do bear in mind that when horses are used for RDA, they get people with all sorts of physical problems riding them, which can sometimes cause the horse to go awkwardly and/or develop crookedness and resultant pain issues.

Of course, another way forward would be for you to leave the horse where he is, but to formalise the loan issue and draw up a formal loan agreement, which clearly states things like how many hours a day/week he is to be used, what access RDA have to him and for how long, and also what access YOU as owner should have for riding him and doing stuff, as well as formalising issues like who pays for shoes/feed/vets bills etc. I am guessing that as the yard where he's at haven't asked you for any contribution to any of these things, they are getting plenty of "use" out of him.......... ?? I would imagine it is a bit like a "working livery" arrangement?? (my horse was at equine college, sounds like a similar arrangement where the horse is used in exchange for livery). Forgive me for being blunt, but I think that even if you decide to leave him where he is, you MUST formalise things and get the whole situation onto a more efficient structure so that everyone knows what's what.
 
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poiuytrewq

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I don't like the term 'permanent loan' and I don't understand why it seems to have replaced 'full loan'?
I always thought the term permenant loan, as I use it is that it’s very long term/forever as opposed to a year or so or a loan that’s renewed every year. We loan horses permenantly from work. It just means in the event the loaner can’t keep them they come back and cannot be sold on but we never ask for them back.
If I had a horse on loan I’d expect it to return to its owner on their terms at some point.
 
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