zeuscleoharmony
Well-Known Member
Several months ago I advertised for a loaner/sharer for Archie because, as you all know by now, I broke my collar bone and was incapacitated until recently.
I was inundated by replies but most people wanted to move him from the yard I keep him and whilst I considered it ultimately I could not bear for him to go, fearing he would either come back a different horse to the one that left or that they would love him so much, I would feel guilty and he would never return.
My last enquiry was from a local girl who introduced herself and explained she had ridden all her life, was used to horses, big, small, allsorts, had helped in a riding school and was more than competent (her words not mine).
She wanted a horse to treat as her own on her scheduled days, which I didnt have a problem with and to learn the ins and outs of horse ownership.
She rode him and he was a very, very good boy, however, it was apparent that she was pretty much a sit there and let the horse do the work kind of rider and I explained to her that he wasn't a school horse and needed 'riding'. Alarm bells rang but my thought was that everyone has to start somewhere and I would give her, wanted to give her the chance.
All I asked for in exchange was for her to poo pick his field every day and contribute £6.00 per week towards his shoes, he is shod every eight weeks. She said she wanted to do him as much as possible and so, because I was so poorly, we agreed for her to do him 4 days per week, to be reviewed.
I asked on several occassions whether she wanted me to meet her at the yard to help but she assured me she was okay and not to worry.
In normal circumstances I would have gone up several times to keep an eye but I was so poorly and wasn't able to drive I really did rely on what she told me.
In the course of approximately 6 weeks, two and a half of which she was on holiday, she managed to get dragged from the field to the yard on several occasions (I thought he was turning into a monster but he was ok with my friend), she moaned about the poo picking (which takes 10 minute a day - one barrow full), only rode a handful of times - it was either too cloudy, too hot, she had a headache ... he ended up in the pond on the yard because she didn't tie him up after a ride and then finally she emailed me to say she didn't want to do him anymore because all she did was poo pick and the journey was too far (she knew this before she committed).
I said that I thought it best for all concerned and that was that but it has totally left me never wanting to trust another person again with my boy. Especially the pond episode. There could have been all sorts in there, old farm machinery and I know there are some very rare newts in it so the farmers wife wasn't best pleased they had been disturbed and I don't blame her.
I saw a lovely advert from a mother and daughter wanting to learn the ropes with a view to getting their own and where as once I would have rung them up and helped them out I just don't want to take a chance.
I really have been scarred by the whole episode (some of it, I know, self induced) but nevertheless it was very traumatic.
Archie, thankfully, is none the worse for his dunking!
xxx
I was inundated by replies but most people wanted to move him from the yard I keep him and whilst I considered it ultimately I could not bear for him to go, fearing he would either come back a different horse to the one that left or that they would love him so much, I would feel guilty and he would never return.
My last enquiry was from a local girl who introduced herself and explained she had ridden all her life, was used to horses, big, small, allsorts, had helped in a riding school and was more than competent (her words not mine).
She wanted a horse to treat as her own on her scheduled days, which I didnt have a problem with and to learn the ins and outs of horse ownership.
She rode him and he was a very, very good boy, however, it was apparent that she was pretty much a sit there and let the horse do the work kind of rider and I explained to her that he wasn't a school horse and needed 'riding'. Alarm bells rang but my thought was that everyone has to start somewhere and I would give her, wanted to give her the chance.
All I asked for in exchange was for her to poo pick his field every day and contribute £6.00 per week towards his shoes, he is shod every eight weeks. She said she wanted to do him as much as possible and so, because I was so poorly, we agreed for her to do him 4 days per week, to be reviewed.
I asked on several occassions whether she wanted me to meet her at the yard to help but she assured me she was okay and not to worry.
In normal circumstances I would have gone up several times to keep an eye but I was so poorly and wasn't able to drive I really did rely on what she told me.
In the course of approximately 6 weeks, two and a half of which she was on holiday, she managed to get dragged from the field to the yard on several occasions (I thought he was turning into a monster but he was ok with my friend), she moaned about the poo picking (which takes 10 minute a day - one barrow full), only rode a handful of times - it was either too cloudy, too hot, she had a headache ... he ended up in the pond on the yard because she didn't tie him up after a ride and then finally she emailed me to say she didn't want to do him anymore because all she did was poo pick and the journey was too far (she knew this before she committed).
I said that I thought it best for all concerned and that was that but it has totally left me never wanting to trust another person again with my boy. Especially the pond episode. There could have been all sorts in there, old farm machinery and I know there are some very rare newts in it so the farmers wife wasn't best pleased they had been disturbed and I don't blame her.
I saw a lovely advert from a mother and daughter wanting to learn the ropes with a view to getting their own and where as once I would have rung them up and helped them out I just don't want to take a chance.
I really have been scarred by the whole episode (some of it, I know, self induced) but nevertheless it was very traumatic.
Archie, thankfully, is none the worse for his dunking!
xxx
