Loan horse

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flash1

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Just wondered if anyone has any thoughts or advice on this please.
Two months ago I took on a horse on loan. I was aware that he was a older horse. I was told he was twenty and fit for light hacking.
I was happy with that and agreed to sign loan contract.
It was several weeks after seeing the horse that he arrived.
I was quite worried to see how much weight he had lost in the time since I first saw him and his arrival.
It also turned out that he had lice and feather mites and also having trouble eating hay.
I am willing to keep him and fully expected all the normal up keep costs etc but am concerned about his overall condition and now have my doubts about his age.
Do you think his owner should contribute towards any vet bills etc? His condition was not bad when I first saw him but had definately gone down in the weeks before he arrived.As he arrived with lice and mites and also problems with his teeth, which have become aparant in this bad weather when eating more hay, should I question this with his owner.
He has been treated for lice wormed and will see a dentist after christmas.
He is eating hard feed well and having hay replacer at the moment.
I am just concerned that he may well be older than I have been led to believe.
I have ridden him a few times but have decided that his condition needs to improve before I ride him again.
I took him on loan as a hack so am disapointed. Should I speak to the owner about my concerns. any advice please.
 
Yes speak to his owner but if you have him on loan you need to pay all his needs. Make sure his teeth are ok,he has a good worming rota and is free of lice etc. Bowl feeds of chaff (large!) with beet pulp and nuts added twice daily instead of hay should see him ok. a general vit/min supplement with probiotics should help too.
Many horse lose weight this time of year so please don't give up on him. Steady older horses still have a lot to give.
Good luck
 
Thanks for reply.
I realise that as I have him on loan I should pay for all his upkeep, but my concern is that he came with lice and mites and tooth problems and it seems is also older than I was led to believe by his owner. He is not really up to hacking etc which is what I took him on for.
I m willing to keep him and hopefully improve his conditon but he is not what I was led to believe by his owner.
 
It is a shame that folk are not always truthful. even when loaning horses, though they may well have not been aware of his real age.
In your place ,if I liked him enough to keep him I would ask my vets opinion as to whether he is ok to ride. I have an oldie who sometimes looks up to nothing but soon shows a clean pair of heels on the way back from a hack! He was older I think than I was told ,but a genuine mistake. Your vet or equine dentist may have some suggestions regarding his age too.
 
Thanks, I am getting the dentist after christmas and new year are out of the way and ill ask their opinion regarding his age etc.
I am going to speak to the owner and see what she says. I may get the vet to give him a check over and depending on what he says see if i can come to some agreement with the owner.
 
What does your contract say about vet fees etc. Surly if the terms of the contract have been broken by either party then the contract in null and void?
It sounds a bit iffy that there is no passport with the horse and the fact it has come to you in such poor condition.
If you no longer want this horse for whatever reason then the advantage of having it on loan then you can give it back.
However if you want to spend a lot of money and time on this horse just getting it to the standard you require (hacking) then, good luck.
Have a chat with the people you have loaned it from but to be honest by the sounds of the condition the horse was delivered to you I wouldn’t hold my breath for an easy ride with them.
On the other hand I’m sure after a quick vet check, some good feed, wormer and teeth being checked, even if the horse is older than you thought as long as the vet tells you it can be ridden and the fact you only want to do hacking I’m sure you will give it a lovely home.
Maybe it just looks older because of its poor condition?
 
Since the owners had got a new home for the horse (you), they obviously didn't take so much care of him. To have lice isn't good and it does suggest some lack of care and the weather has been cold so for an older horse to loose weight isn't surprising. Maybe the owners really didn't notice that he had lost weight or had lice and probably hadn't bothered to worm him either.

It is up to you as to whether you keep him or not. See what the vet says, with a bit of TLC he might be fine. Check over your contract, and maybe have a word with the owners after the vet and dentist has been, although I wouldn't hold out much hope with financial help if they had let him get in that state first.

If he suits you in all other ways then maybe give him a chance?
 
Echo above. I took on a 19yr old mare in August as a loan horse. She was under weight and a bit stiff. I had her teeth done by an edt. She needs more work and is being done again next month. She is now up to weight and has been brought back into work slowly. I have her on Synequin joint supplement and it has certainly put a spring in her step.

My last older horse wasn't retired until her mid 30's. Obviously some horses wear better than others but the oldies do have a lot to give, they just need a bit more TLC. He may not be very fit and might need to do some slow work to start with.

I had a worm count done as well, as she had been neglected in her previous loan home.
 
My first loan horse was similar, I paid all his costs to get him well again mainly cause if he'd of gone back they'd of shot him. He looked like a cruelty case when I first saw him but I couldn't leave him there, yes it took some time and money to get him right but I had a brill 18 months with him, hacking out and spoiling him, unfortunately he had a heart attack on a hack with me and died but I never ever regret taking him on, hang in there if you can xx
 
Thanks for your replys. I do like the horse and if he is able to be ridden when his condition improves that will be ok. I am going to see what vet and dentist say.
my worry is if it turns out that he is much older or not up to being ridden what then. I would be reluctant to send him back to somewhere he is not being looked after, but I did want something I can hack.
Will just wait and see what te vet says
 
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