Horse on loan - how do you cope!!!

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Claire2010

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Hi

Im having to put my boy (my baby!!) out on half loan a few days a week. Every time I get an enquiry I feel sick, the thought of someone else looking after/riding him makes me so nervous. Is this normal?! How do you get over it?!

After hearing so many horror stories about loanees are there actually any good ones out there!!!! :)

How do you know if you can trust someone?
 
i am a loanee and i have the opposite fear... after having an owner lie to my face about the horse and then being chucked isnt my idea of fun...
you sound like an honest owner that just wants the best for your horse, hope you find someone suitable and i am sure you will be able to find someone you completly trust! :D
ps. i feel i am a good loanee ;)
 
Don't worry it's not so bad! I am the same and i have a LOVELY part-loanee for my mare. I find myself very over-protective and always internally criticisng her for completely irrational things - my head goes a little like this: oh dear, maybe it was too hot for loannee to ride mare today - no wait I can't talk i've been out showjumping in it... oh no she didn't give mare a treat at the gate... OMG she's a horse she won't DIE if she forgot a treat on one occassion.... is she doing too much cantering???.... no, chill out, mare does not canter unless she wants to anyway .... maybe mare is doing too much work, should i tell her to do less work??.... shut up, opinionated mare does not come in from field unless she wants to and anyway look how happy she is....

and so on and so on. It's completely ridiculous of me, and the important things are that my mare has someone who absolutely ADORES her, and looks SO happy to be doing some extra work. My loanee is extremely conscientious (she spent 40 - yes 40 - minutes looking at a small kick on mare's leg the other day deciding whether or not she'd be ok to ride) and sweet and I know it's the right decision. but you do hvae to choose the right person. Do you have an instructor who may be able to find someone through word of mouth for you?

good luck!!
 
When they call, it doesn't always mean they will definitely be 'the one'. Have a good chat with them, maybe when they come up tell them that they might not ride the first time.

A lot of people I have loaned off say that they can tell a LOT from how the loanee will tack up.
 
I am a loanee/sharer too :D. I am riding 2 horses for my YO as they haven't got the time to do much. YO occasionally goes out on a hack with me if time allows, which is nice. Especially at the start to find some good routes over our common, as I got lost twice :D.

Anyway, after reading some really bad horror stories on here recently I absolutely understand your worries! Will your horse stay with you on your yard or are you planning to give it out on full loan? If you are able to keep it on your yard you have much more control how they are doing and it would be much easier I think.

When I had my own horse I actually didn't mind someone else riding my horse now and then. I thought it might be good for the horse too to have a change and I could see how he was working with another rider.

Hope you find a great person who you can trust
 
Oh my god Morgan123 you sound exactly like me!! I can actually hear myself saying those things! glad im not the only one. I know when I find the right person then ill be fine, its just finding them! I have had some bad experiences with loans in the past, one girl claimed to have been riding for years and managed to put brushing boots on back to front and upside down!!!! Needless to say I didnt take her on!

I know I should be less fussy, but he's my boy at the end of the day, just want whats best for him.
 
I understand where your coming from as just before my lad passed away I had a girl come and ride him a couple days a week, it made me so ill as he was my baby and I was so protective over him as he also had tendancies to lock his neck and run...buck - they were HUGE! and he had problems like Lami and COPD so had to be looked after very well etc etc

I am now a lucky loaner of a beautiful boy who I have spent a fortune on since he arrived with me last friday...
it's a process of elimination really on phone and if you think they sound right, invite them up to look/ride your horse you will know pretty much straight away. I did anyway.

Best of luck.... still your horse so you call the shots.
 
I have been a sharer and had a very good experience with the owner who trusted me implicitly, even though I was just getting back into horses after a long break. The way she handled it was not to have too much contact with me, because she knew that she might get jealous. I am so very grateful to her!

I have a horse on full loan now and I keep in touch with the owners by text, email and Facebook; it seems to work quite well and I invite them up for the occasional visit too.
 
i just had the same dilemma !!!! i needed my horse on a share as working 6 days a week now- was soo nervous about advertising incase you get the idiots that phone up telling you they have ridden for years...and they cant tack up ! fortunatly, the first person that contacted me seems very very keen and really liked my horse ! she rode him well and was very honest with me and said she wanted to bond with him and take everything one step at a time ! shes great ! starts properly on saturday and i am relieved my boy will get the attention he deserves ! fingers crossed all go's well
 
Claire2010 said:
HelloKitty, he'll be staying at my yard, its only a half loan im after so i know im being ridiculous!!!
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I'm just the same - you're not being ridiculous! I'm looking for a sharer/loan home for mine in Bradford although I live in Leeds and just can't get up there enough times a week to exercise. Mine is a 3yr old ex-racehorse. Rides nicely although needs work, jumps beautifully (helped by being thrown in at the deep end at GG Centre!) and is generally a fuss sponge - he loves cuddles. So long as you're touching him, he's happy.

My friend who's horse mine lives with on a private yard said her friend was looking for something to get back into it - really nice lady, gentle nature, careful hands, easy legs: she couldn't be more perfect for a young horse who needs patience and reassurance and i'm still not sure!! She's not started coming up yet so I don't know if she's seeing others up for share but as my friends friend I imagine she might be back?
 
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I have had sharers before one good one not so good, as long as you communicate and trust they are the keys to making it work.

I now have my third sharer and yes i find it hard but needs must i dont have all the time in the world and there is no way i would sell im so this makes perfect sense, make sure you are clear about what you want and what you will not allow and have a contract in place and keep tallking it can work really well, yes you read some horror stories but it can work.

Good Luck
 
I share a horse 3 days a week and the horse really is like the owners baby, but work means she just doesnt have the time. The first time I went to see him she made me do everything while she watched...getting him from the field, tacking up and then riding him. If I didnt know, I just asked, and she said thats what she was looking for (instead of someone who pretended to know). I then spent two days down there shadowing her from the moment she got there to the moment she left so I got to know his routine. She would then come down just as I was about to ride so she could help me adapt my riding to him. A month on and he has given me enough confidence to go out and buy my own! Unfortunately i think this is common and she said the same has happened with every sharer she has had in the past, but I will definately be keeping in contact. She always made it clear she wouldnt interfere, but was always there just incase. I also text her every so often just to let her know how we got on as a bit of reassurance :) Im going to be looking for a sharer for my boy, but having been a sharer myself I think I will know exactly what to look for and how to go about it.
 
Thanks for everyones replies.

ClaudiaCox14 this is the worry I have, dont want someone to think im an interferring old cow!! But obviously my horse has a routine that I like to stick to. I think once I find the right person ill know, its just having to entertain the unsuitable ones first that im dreading!!
 
I'm a sharer as well :) and hopefully one of the good ones lol!
I've always had really lovely owners, good luck sharer hunting x
 
If a sharer is worth it, they will understand that sharing is different to loaning. The horse isnt yours to completely do as you wish, but you are there to take care of it a few days a week. By all means give them some flexibility or they will be far too nervous to do anything and get no enjoyment from it. But at the same time, the right sharer will appreciate he is still your horse and should respect your routine and his needs etc. There are so many experienced people out there who want to ride but cant afford their own! Try looking on equineadverts unter the riders available section or horse wanted on loan section, thats where I advertised and Ive been so lucky!
 
I have never 'got over' having a sharer so now I don't have anyone ride him other than me as I simply cannot cope!! lol. But there are dependable trustworthy sharers out there as I did have one before my boy had an operation & was out of work so then I passed the sharer to my friend because she was so good. I know I have always interfered when I have had a sharer but to be honest it is a bit tough because I am the owner & I'm the one who will have to deal with injuries. I know it's a pain on the behalf of the sharer as i was a sharer for years for various people until I got my lad.
 
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