Horses and Ponies "to stay at current yard".....for loan

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wizzi901

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www.pony4u.co.uk
I am just curious to know if people find full loaners who are willing to keep a horse at its existing yard?

I am currently looking for one on loan and there is just no way I could have my existing 4 at my yard and then travel to another yard to ride a loan horse!!! - do people advertising not realise this? - I can understand why people would want a horse to stay on their yard but I struggled to find a sharer for my oldie when he was staying at my yard.

Are people just scared to move their horses to loan homes these days worried that they wont see them again or so mistrusting that they have to keep an eye on them?

Not a rant just real curiosity, it just isnt practical sometimes to keep a horse on loan at its existing yard for the loanee.....

gahhh rrrrrr ghajjkjkj!!
 
I was looking for a sharer earlier in the year but ponio had to stay at current yard. People got quite nasty with me about it but the ad clearly stated part loan/share and must stay at current yard. Ask by all means but it annoyed me when they got arsey when I said no to moving him.
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I had 1 woman ring up and she already had 4 horses, told me she would move him!!! Sorry but if you already have 4 horses why would I think you had the time to look after my horse???

In the end I struggled through with a baby and looking after a horse - it was a lot less stress.
 
I have 4 "horses" because I never sell on as a rule and I am a responsible horseowner. 1 is pretty much retired at 28 and will stay with me forever, 2 are miniatures which are my daughters and the other 13.3 is also my daughters as I have had to give up my current loan horse (long story).

I always make time for my animals, so why would another one be any different? they are all treated the same, any loan horse is treated as part of our existing family, its private yard with only our own, steady herd, never have any injuries, one of the best homes you could wish for.

I do however think if it says in an advert must stay, if you are not prepared to travel to it, why go and see it in the first place? - I have never bothered with those adverts, other than the one I saw last night that I am going to see which said "may move if right home" which is fair enough and its worth asking.

People should not have been rude to you just because you stuck to your wishes already portrayed on an advert.

I take it from your last sentence that you didnt find anyone then? - this was kind of the point!! There are good homes out there if you research them.

I have loaned out and in, and I know all the worries but to me it seems like a lot of people just want financial help and dont actually "really want" a loaner or sharer, they just want a bit of help with the bills!
 
now that makes a lot of sense, thats kind of what I was looking for as other than keeping an eye, i couldnt get my head round it in practical terms.
 
I think its a bit impractical really. I can understand in a share situation, but if full loan, its really limiting.

You're narrowing any prospective loanees to probably a 10 mile radius from your yard, so far fewer people are going to be interested. Personally also, I don't think I'd really want to keep a horse at the same yard as the owner unless they were really really laid back. I wouldn't want everything I did with the horse judged and interfered with and I think it would be hard for a lot of owners to take a back seat over the management of their horse.
 
14.2upwards, allrounder, 8 stone rider, reasonably long legs but lightweight and experienced for many years....preferably been there and done it fun horse, had a youngster for last couple of years and want some relaxed fun!!!

Looking at anglo arab later, but keeping options open as needs to be right horse/pony.
 
It's impractical really to expect them to be kept at own yard, that said there are a lot of reasons to keep them at yard, but you are limiting your market massively.

I'm hoping to loan/part loan one of mine soon but I will stipulate he stays with me.
The main reason is because I like having him around and he means so much to me that I wouldn't want him screwed up by anyone else. But if I don't find anyone then I would rather do him myself than let him go elsewhere.

I'm also very will to fund most of his keep providing the right person comes along!
 
"screwed up by someone else", I suppose thats where the trust comes in, I felt exactly the same before 2 successful loan outs of my animals over the years.

Its so hard when its your beloved animal but there are honestly good people out there!! - you may be surprised but some of them are more than capable and sometimes even give a horse more time and care than an owner can.

Its sad that so many people are put off them moving yards, but I do understand....
 
Yep I am that mistrusting that I would have to keep an eye on them.

Loaning is, in my experience, the absolute worst thing anyone could ever do. And that was at my yard. People just don't care as much about horses they loan than horses that are theirs.
I know not everyone can be tarred with the same brush but that is the unfortunate situation that I have been in a couple of times so it puts you right off.
 
thats fair enough if you have had a bad experience but I have never had bad experience either as an owner or loaner, in fact I get on so well with owner of recent loan horse i practically have to beg her to come and see him and make sure he is ok!!! (for my own piece of mind!).

its good if you do your research and dont take everything as a given. I think people are a bit trusting sometimes, if someone is normal they wont mind being checked out!!

BTW, thats rubbish that people dont care about them if they are not theirs, I'd say my loan horses get preference over many things before mine as you maybe are a bit more careful with someone elses beloved animal, maybe I am just nice. I wouldnt trust a teenager but adults and smaller kids are fine!!

tee hee!!

 
No I understand what you are saying perfectly, of course there are brilliant loaners out there.

But at the end of the day some owners just like being able to see their horse every day and give it a scratch and a carrot! And I am more than happy to have an expensive pet rather than loan him away from home.
 
Yep true. I say all that but I am hoping to part loan my horse out soon, the reason for part loan and not full is because then I can keep a constant eye on what is going on. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't want to interfere all of the time, but in my own mind it still means that I can check he is having the right amount of feed etc etc.

Perhaps loaning to adults is different, my bad experiences come from loaning out my pony many years ago.

ETA - to reply to your edited part - as I said, in the experience that I have people always put their own over a loaned horse/ pony. My pony didn't get to see the farrier for God's knows how long, she had the big sisters friends riding her that were far too big and generally taking advantage of her good nature. Someone else broke her and promptly gave her back, which I didn't argue with as I'd sooner know that she was being cared for properly to get her over the injury. Someone else fed her unsoaked sugar beet and chopped carrots and she got choke.... as I said, a nightmare.
 
I think those that would not care for them as if they were their own would probably not care for their own the way you care for yours. There are good horse people and it shouldnt matter who the animal belongs to with regard to the care given and there are bad horse people, those who really shouldnt be anywhere near them because they don't care for them 'properly'! I don't mean the different views on management, Im very IH/NH and my OH very traditional, there really isnt a lot of difference between the two! The difference between a caring owner and a 'couldnt give a sh*t' one is immense! I really don't think I could bear to have one of mine on loan at all but would want to be able to keep an eye on their care for a while at least.
 
I think it maybe because there are so many horror stories of people who take a loan horse to a 'new home' then it just disappears without trace, that could be why people are reluctant to loan them out. In your position, I would however ring up and explain that you would be moving it to your own home and are prepared to show proof that you live there as well as let them come and inspect it beforehand and are happy to allow visits. They can only say 'no' then can't they?
 
ahhh that comment about people not caring so much about a loan horse as their own saddens me. I completely take it from your later posts that you mean in your experience, and you're right there is sadly probably more potential for things to go wrong in childrens pony loan homes because either the child is too lazy or unknowledgeable, or the parents are not knowledgeable or responsible enough.

Just wanted to add that I am an adult who has loaned & part loaned several horses, and am far more of a hypochondriact (sp?) over them than I ever was over my own horse! I see it as added responsibility - not only do you adore and want the best for the horse, but somebody else has trusted you to look after their horse.

The amount of times F's owner has told me off for worrying about nothing when I've got off and walked miles home when he threw a shoe to make sure I didn't damage his foot, and informed her of every time he has tripped or knocked himself and got a minor cut, or stood on a stone and been lame for a couple of steps mid-hack... I just reason that if it were me loaning out, I'd want to know. Oh and I do see here every day - I think I would do my own head in if I were ringing somebody up to tell them about minor stuff, but I hope you get my drift
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haveing had lots of bad experiances loaning out ponies i wont loan a pony unless they stay on my yard (and it is free livery to anyone who loans).

Ive had one sold whilst out on loan (never found him again).

one came back looking like a rescue case (went to check him, saw him and went a got the trailer).

I saw one of my ponies at a show he was stressed to hell, being booted in the ribs hard, having his mouth hauled on and went in 6 consecutive show jumping classes, i took him home from the show and now have a pony who will not jump, has a mouth like iron and wont go near a showing ring, he went on loan as a beautiful show pony who was a push button ride and always wont the working hunter classes.

I went to collect one pony after i'd had a call from the loaners telling me to take him back as he was ill. Poor pony was hideously obese and had bad laminitus and had apparently been ridden when in that state.

I've been called to collect anouther pony and found him living unrugged in a field on the side of a hill with no shelter and up to his knees in mud, this is a very fine show pony and it was bitterly cold, he was shaking the poor soul and had a horrific case of mud fever.

so no i wont loan them if they have to move off my yard.
 
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I have loaned out and in, and I know all the worries but to me it seems like a lot of people just want financial help and dont actually "really want" a loaner or sharer, they just want a bit of help with the bills!

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Financial help would be nice as I am on maternity leave but at the moment it's the exercise that is required. I manage to ride at least once a week (sometimes more depending on where OH is working - he's self employed) but fat lad needs to be going out a bit more. I wish I had recorded the calls I received as you would not believe me if I told you about them all!!
 
I can understand both sides of it. I have my mare on loan - originally it was a share and she stayed on the yard the owner kept her on. The owner had had a bad experience with loaners in the past so understandably wanted to keep an eye on things. I was a friend of a friend, and about a month in I asked if she would consider full loan and letting me move her (she has other horses). She agreed as it was only 15 mins away from her, and I've now moved the mare (with owner's consent!!) to another yard about 1.5 hours away when I moved house. I think she needed to see I was really suitable for the mare and also get enough trust in me to let me move her.

From the other side, my pony is out on loan and I wanted him to leave the yard as I knew I would be too controlling otherwise. I was super super careful about the loaners (had one bad loan, thankfully he came back unscathed) but I just had to make sure I vetted them, did everything properly with a contract etc. I couldn't have done a "stay on current yard" with him on full loan, although when I wanted a sharer for him I did say it had to be on current yard - for a sharer there would be no point moving him as then I would have to travel. My sharers were a pain in the arse though so I put him out on full loan to someone else!
 
Going slightly against everyone else, I'm looking to loan out my pony at the moment but I do want her to stay at our yard. I'm in no desperate hurry to find someone to ride her.

The main reason I want her to stay at ours is because she gets very unsettled moving yards, and so would probably end up back with me within a few weeks anyway. Also, the pony is quite naughty and might occasionaly need squishing back into shape by me.

Most of the people interested in my pony are 9 year olds moving off 12.2hhs, wanting to do better things, but realistically I know that all she'll do to these children is probably put them of riding!
 
having heard so many horror stories and facing the prospect of loaning my beloved pony of 8 years due to university looming in september I have also advertised him saying that priority will be given to people that can keep him where he is, or fairly locally, although I have stated this could be wavered for a top home with references.
 
reading this really saddens me. i am an honest person looking for a full loan, but to move to my house. i fully understand how people feel, when you hear all these horror stories, but i just wish some people weren't so quick to tar all loanees with the same brush.
my last loan horse was cared for just as if he was my own and his owner was welcome to visit whenever she wanted.
i wish good luck to all looking for loan horses and ponies.
 
winterhorse, unfortunately there seems to be more bad loaners out there then good ones, i did 6 loans and the only one that went right was the one that stayed on my yard where mum kept an eye on things.
All of the loans that went bad were vetted, had contracts that covered everything and had references from local riding instructors or YO's, one was even to a member of family.

and whilst the shear amount of bad loaners exist then the good loaners are going to have problems getting loans and owners are going to be reluctant to loan thier precious ponies out of thier sight.
 
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