If you have a horse on loan please check him or this may happen

[OldNag]

My owner has only been twice over ghe course of a year. I have encouraged her to visit but ... Anyway I do send her updates and pics as she must miss him. If I was her I would be visiting at least once a month.

 

[Dizzydancer]

My pony is on loan now- last saw him 12months ago. He has been with same people for 4 nearly 5 years tho so that maybe different. At first i checked him once a month, then once every season and now every year. However he is well looked after and on farrier does his feet, and vets and vet nurses see him as well, so i do have a contact if anything were to change.

 

[Star_Chaser]

Sadly with a lot of horses and ponies that go out on loan its out of sight out of mind. You have to have some trust with the people that you are giving your animals too if you no longer want them for whatever the reason.

So sad to see a picture like that

 

[Polos Mum]

Polosmum that sounds pretty sweet!

He is truely wonderful and has taught me more than 50 years of lessons would have, hence his home for life (his retirement is a small price to pay for what he has taught me!)

 

[Spit That Out]

That is so sad. I am a lonee as well as having my own horses and I treat them all with the same level of care and would be ashamed if a horse in my care was in that condition.

^^This^^

I have loaned in the past and I would be ashamed if a horse in my care got anywhere near that state. Just because I don't own the horse doesn't mean that their care, love and attention would be any less than if I owned.

This sort of thing gives the good loaners a bad rep...there are plenty of good people out their that love their loan horses.

 

[Spring Feather]

My horse went on loan to the other end of the country from me, how the heck was I supposed to make a near 500mile trip weekly? Talk sense please.

I would not allow a horse owned by me to be taken 500 miles away. That would not make sense to me as then I would not be able to check on it once or twice a week. Actually I wouldn't let any of my horses leave my property tbh and that way I'd be checking on them daily.

 

[Mariposa]

Its tricky- I have permanent loan of a pony, and I sent his owner updates at least fortnightly, probably more often. His owner has not been to see him in a year. But she knows he is well, she knows he is loved - and she knows if anything happened she'd be the first to know. We love the pony to bits, he is a little star.

I also loan a pony to someone and I get updates every month or so - and have only been to see her once in the last year, but that's not because I don't care or love the pony, I am just happy with the care she gets, I know she is well and loved ( and spoilt rotten!)

Its very hard knowing who you can trust - I think if you're loaning to someone you don't know it should be close enough that you can check up on the horse often. Personally I don't think I would ever loan out to someone I didn't know and trust..

 

[spottydottypony]

I have my old boy on loan for ten years now. His owner was last seen in the first three months of me having him on loan and never seen again!! He was loaned to me as a 16 yr old and when i had his teeth done in the first month (they were really bad) he was more like 26 yrs old!! I should have sent him back but he was all skin and bone and had been on loan to someone in Wales who starved him (he was like the horse in the photo almost!). So much for a caring owner!

 

[juliette]

My retired cob is out on loan as a companion. He is only 4 miles away with friends. Whilst i did visit a lot to start with, I only go once every month or two now. I always intend to go more regularly, but a busy life gets in the way.

My mum lives in the same village as him and walks the footpath behind his field so she regularly sees him for me. She is not horsey, but would soon know if he was looking unhappy or skinny. She also sees his new mum at carpet bowls (!)and gets lots of updates!

I do think you have to have some trust in the people loaning your horse, I can see that he is completely loved by them and treated as well as their other horse. If you do enough checks and ask plenty of questions before they go on loan you should be able to feel happy that their care will be acceptable.

 

[HaffiesRock]

I have only ever loaned 1 of my horses out and I had the owner on Facebook so could see regular updates. I still visited once a month. It would have been more but it was a long drive away.

My friend has a mare on loan and the owner hardly ever comes to visit or even contact her. I think she has been up 3 times since September 2011, and she only lives a 10 minute drive away. I suppose its out of sight, out of mind and the fact you trust the (usually complete stranger) with your horse.

 

[maree t]

I have a pony out on loan for nearly two years now. They begged to have the pony and the condition of their other horses led me to believe that they would look after her well. I go to see them during each school holidays and we take the kids out for a ride on her. I trust them, she has three young children , one of whom is disabled and cannot think how she would feel if I started asked for photos with a newspaper in it. If I didnt trust her then she would not have my pony.

 

[Nicnac]

When my daughter was growing like a bean pole, I had a lovely ex-racer on loan for a year. I think the owner came once to see him after about a week.

When the year was up, the owner asked me to find the horse another home which I did. The new loaner came to my house to pick the horse up with the owner nowhere to be seen.

I knew the people who loaned him after us and they are kosher, but couldn't quite get my head around the owner who professed to be 'gutted' about having to loan out her horse in the first place.

 

[cptrayes]

I have a hard time understanding owners who put their horses on loan and don't check on them at least once a week tbqh.

Some people put horses on loan precisely because they can't be there to see them. They work abroad or the best loan home is at the other end of the country or they are up to their eyeballs looking after sick relatives or, or, or, or, or. There are a multitude of possible reasons.

I don't think it's fair to appear to blame loaners for horse welfare issues caused by the person who has the horse.

Trust in loaners is not usually misplaced, it's only the infrequent bad stories we normally hear on HHO.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Cor blimey, I do a 3 hour round trip every week to check an empty house.



I can't get my head around owners packing their horses off far away and not making any provision to monitor their wellbeing.

 

[Kokopelli]

It really annoys me when owners get the blame.

My horse went on loan for 4 months, to begin with he was checked about 3 times a week then after two months a lot less. Despite me buying the feed for him they never bothered feeding it and he's an incredible poor doer who wouldn't take much to look thin. Once home and safe he put weight on within 2 weeks and within a month was normal.

Just saying sometimes the loanees areuseless and the horse is a pain in the bum.

 

[Boulty]

At the end of the day it is the owner's responsibility to vet loaners and to keep checking on the horse. However there are many factors that dictate how frequent those checks can be. Obviously the closer the loaner is the easier it is to make regular checks. I had my boy out on loan for several years. The reason he was on loan is that I was studying at Uni which involved being 200 miles from home for months at a time. When I was home on holiday or work placements I checked about once a month but when I was at uni this obviously was not possible. I also know someone originally from Australia who has her horse on loan over there, don't know when the last time she saw him was but she does get pictures etc. Point I'm trying to make is that it's not always that black and white and in circumstances where regular checks aren't going to be possible then I think there needs to be a lot of trust in the loaner and a contract needs to be in place setting out what is expected. Ideally I'd say every 3 months on a long term loan would be a minimum for me but in cases such as my Australian friend even that could be difficult.

 

[Mad_Cow347]

I think I've mentioned this several times on here but we have had my boy on loan for five years now, we didn't know the owner & he actually originally went on loan to a friend of ours who was scared of him, but we fell in love with him & took him on. Not sure if even my mum has ever met his owner and in the five years he has been with us she has visited once (probably 4 years ago now). Obviously we treat him as our own but for all she knows he looks like that picture, or isn't even alive anymore.

If we were to ever give him up (unlikely I think - also we are pretty sure his owner has moved so not sure we could find her if we wanted to), then I would want to check on him myself as obviously his owner doesn't give a c.rap and that is exactly what I would worry about.
Although we are quite happy without her involvement, it does make me sad to think that she had him for 10 years from when he was a baby & doesn't even care what has happened to him.

 

[Sam_J]

My daughter's pony is a loan pony, who we found through Pony Club connections. His owners are lovely people who have visited twice since November. We send photos on an 'as and when' basis and keep in touch via phone and e-mail. We think the world of the pony and are very greatful to be allowed to have him, but I have to say I would find it a bit much to be sending weekly photos of him with a newspaper in them!

 

[MHOL]

This thread was a warning but also to ask What do you think Welfare should of done?

 

[Ibblebibble]

This thread was a warning but also to ask What do you think Welfare should of done?

removed horse and prosecuted the loaner, do welfare only remove if there's multiple horses these days, seems if it's just one or two in a bad way they ignore it

 

[Lolo]

Can I interject, and say every single horse or pony I have posted about on this site has been on loan to either me or my sister? We have owned a grand total of 2 ponies (one of whom is out on loan atm, and has been for coming up to 10 years- he is that lady's pony now, she knows him better than us), and the rest have been on loan.

Not one has been sent back in anything other than amazing condition, generally better than when they came.

His owner hadn't seen him in nearly 18 months, and he was 25 or so in this photo. She didn't need to come and see him because she knew we were decent people who would love and care for her horse- she gave me ownership after a while because of this. We have given every single horse we have ever cared for with nothing but the best we could afford.

Not all loaners need constant checking up, and if an owner insisted the horse would probably go back. And, at risk of sounding big-headed, you'd have missed out on one of the best loan homes you could have found.

 

[benson21]

I had benson on loan to me for almost 9 years. I loved and cared for him as if he were my own. It makes me absolutely mad when all loaners are tarred with the same brush. Yes, there are bad loaners out there, but there are also bad owners! I do think the owners of loan horses should have something in check to make sure the horse is ok, either by visiting, or getting someone else to, video, photo, etc.

 

[russianhorse]

This thread was a warning but also to ask What do you think Welfare should of done?

removed horse and prosecuted the loaner, do welfare only remove if there's multiple horses these days, seems if it's just one or two in a bad way they ignore it

^ This exactly. There is no question in my mind horse should have been removed immediately, returned to owner & loanee have the book thrown at him/her

 

[*Maddy&Occhi*]

My daughter's pony is a loan pony, who we found through Pony Club connections. His owners are lovely people who have visited twice since November. We send photos on an 'as and when' basis and keep in touch via phone and e-mail. We think the world of the pony and are very greatful to be allowed to have him, but I have to say I would find it a bit much to be sending weekly photos of him with a newspaper in them!

Agree with the above and very similiar to my loan agreement. I have owned my own horses before but after sadly losing my late mare, I just couldn't afford to buy my own. I love my new girl dearly and treat her as I would any of my own horses. I couldn't be without her now and her owner is great, leaves me to it and I update her regularly with photo's/ texts. She's only come down to see her once since December 2012 to drop off her passport for jabs. I don't think she feels like she "has" to check on her as she knows she's safe and in a loving home...and gets spoilt rotten . I always welcome her to come down whenever she likes and have invited her down for a hack on T soon too.

 

[GrumpyMare]

Ive had a horse on loan now for 6 months and the owner hasn't seen him once, nor asked for photos or videos of him. i have sent them out of courtesy though, as I think if I was in that position Id want to see photos of him, but each to their own, awful photos OP :-(

 

[glamourpuss]

I wouldn't take a horse on loan if the owner insisted on weekly (or twice weekly!!) checks. I would find that utterly ridiculous. If an owner is so desperate to have that degree of control regarding the horse they should keep it & have a sharer or loan from their yard so they can 'keep an eye' without being so intrusive.
If a horse is out on loan I find Monthly checks are more than adequate. That way any changes in condition etc are more noticeable etc.

I took a pony on loan. Happily signed the loan agreement which stated I could return with a months notice.
One month later I received a text saying she couldn't ever have the pony back. She had bought a new horse & now there was no room.
I did try & contact her to find out what she meant but she wouldn't answer calls/texts/emails.

I moved away from the area I was in & tried everything to contact her to tell her. Again no response. I finally managed to find out who her farrier was & sent a message via him. Her reply was that she had given to pony to me because she didn't couldn't have her back so wasn't bothered

I've had the pony 6 years now, I adore her & she's with me until her dying day BUT it makes me so angry that the owner just dumped her on me like that. Luckily the pony wants for nothing but how did she know that?

 

[glamourpuss]

Oh & if I was asked to send a picture with the weekly newspaper again I wouldn't entertain taking the horse. What a palaver & faff!
If you are that distrustful of people loaning out isn't for you!

 

[skint1]

I sent my TB mare out on loan twice in the last year or so, first time was around 100 miles away, tbh I worried more about the loaner than the horse, she was returned, fat and sassy after 3 weeks.

Second time she was gone for 6 months, only 8 miles away, I didn't check on her that often because I trusted the loaner would care well for her, which they did. We had some differences of opinion in how to care for her but on the whole her physicial welfare needs were met.

I'm not sending her on loan again because somehow things that are not my problem suddenly become my problem. The horse doesn't load well and the loaner apparently had no access to transport. My friends and I spent hours and I spent quite a bit of money getting her back this time, my daughter nearly had to hack her home because the loaner wanted her gone asap and never relented on the pressure, other than that their contribution to making that happen appeared to be limited to whining about wanting the horse gone and how expensive her (unnecessary)management choices for the horse were.

My father was very poorly 100 miles away, and he died in early January. I was wasting valuable time stressing about how to get the horse back. Never again.

eta-Every time I find myself thinking its a shame the horse hasn't found the right person, I remind myself of this situation and of the stories on this thread, and I leave it at that.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Visiting every week is not very practical for most loans. Not with distance and reasons for loaning.

Regular contact and regular photos and videos is reasonable.

I have just bought a horse had on loan. I gave owner lots of regular updates and photos. Is nice to have another interested party.

My loan horse did drop weight in August. I was so pleased he was managing to live out without getting fat, I was a bit slow to spot it. My friend who hadn't seen him for a few weeks pointed it out. I sent owner photos - said he had dropped a bit, and what my plan to address this was. He filled out again and i sent more pictures of him looking better and he has looked very well all winter. (He has actually filled out so most of his original rugs are too small).

Loaning for me is about trust and two way communication.

If you have the right people and both have welfare of horse first can be a good experience.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I would not allow a horse owned by me to be taken 500 miles away. That would not make sense to me as then I would not be able to check on it once or twice a week. Actually I wouldn't let any of my horses leave my property tbh and that way I'd be checking on them daily.

I wouldnt take a horse from you then as you would probably be really overbearing and the above makes you sound rather neurotic even though you actually might not be. If you cant let go enough to trust a loaner then you shouldnt be loaning.

My boy was loved and enjoyed, his loaner just let him away with too much and being a welsh he took and multiplied what ever inches she gave him. This was the best home for him whilst I was sorting my life out and he came back just as perfect as when I sent him away