Little bit of loan help.

[hjohnson93]

Okay, so next year I'm taking a gap year so as my mare is off on loan (hopefully for a while yet, need to discuss with them, but even if they wanted to give her back I would try and find another loan home for her) I am looking for something to loan untill I go to uni - maybe take with for the right horse as hopefully going to hartpury.

Anyywayy, I was really looking for something that had been there and done that so I could get out and do some competing or at least improve my riding a bit more. However, ive been to see a mare thats had a long time off being used as a brood mare, but jumped on her yesterday after her not been riden for ages and she was a star, even jumped a little X which they dont think she's ever done.

SO shes a really quick learner, lovely mare etc etc but obviously needs a lot of work and may never get to the point of competing before I went to uni. also the owner went on and on about being carefull cos she bucks even though she never tried, and the owner doesnt really ride and was very novicey, but should I be worried about that?

So cut a VERY long story short, shall I go for it, orrr keep looking. Its taken me a looonngg time to find anything that is even a little bit what im looking forrr.
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[abbieandfiona]

She may buck when she is fit you need to think if she has not been ridden in a long time then will be very unfit. When horses are fit some change, maybe if you feel she could be the right horse for you and you are prepared to get her fit again and the owner is happy then take her on loan and see how you get on?

 

[gnubee]

It sounds like in this mare you would be taking on a project which you might not have time to complete.
You have an aim in mind for the year, which is to get experience out competing etc. and there should be loads of older loan horses out there which could help you achieve that. You might find people are offering more as you get into spring, as they would expect more people to be interested. Have you tried advertising for the kind of horse you really want on all the free websites, local tack shops etc?

On the other hand, if you think you would learn more from bringing this mare back in to work then that is fine too. You might find that you dont have enough time to finish the job once you go to uni though, which could leave you feeling a bit dissatisfied with the whole thing.

There is also the question of whether, at this point, you necessarily want a horse that you get on *really* well with, as it could make it much harder to make a sensible decision about what is right for you and the horse regarding giving it back when you go to uni.