Loaning advice please!

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KHippo

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Hi all *waves* first post here & I'm looking for some advice & tales of experiences (good and bad!) when loaning a horse!

Having recently come into a position whereby I can afford to keep a horse of my own, I decided to start saving up after Christmas & look for something suitable to buy in a few months time. However, owner of a horse I used to share has been in touch asking if I would like him on full loan. Now, I know the horse & he ticks all the boxes, we really click & I could never afford to buy him therefore to be offered him on loan seems ideal. My only concerns would be my own guilt & responsibility if he were to be injured in my care - kicked in the field etc. I know this is a risk you take with any horse, but if I had my own then it would be 100% my problem, not somebody else's!

If this goes ahead, there will be BHS loan agreement in place, insured up to his eyeballs! etc. I just want to go into it as prepared as I can be for a best or worst case scenario! It may only be for 6 months or so, I am aware that he could be sold from under me & its a risk I am willing to take for a horse I can get on & have fun with.

So, please tell me your stories! Anyone had a horse on loan which has gone lame/needed colic surgery/worse? Who is liable for the immediate vet fees if an accident happens? Or any experiences that are not so doom & gloom? I want to hear them all please! :D

I am struggling to make a decision so need to hear some first hand experiences so I can make my mind up 100%! Thanks for listening to my ramble, look forward to reading some responses :D
 
I took on a 25yr old ex eventer on loan. His owner was happy for him to be moved to my choice of yard and for me to do what I liked with him. I was responsible for the cost of everything (feed, trimming, dentist, vet bills - luckily only had to have the vet out once! - worming, insurnace etc. I was left to get on with him as though he was my own horse, although owner was on the other end of the phone if i needed any advice.

I also had a 2yr old DHP on loan, again she moved to my yard and i was left to get on with it. Pretty much the same as my horse in the way of bills, all being my responsibility.

I had read loads about loans going wrong etc etc but I think the key to making a loan work is a well written loan agreement and communication between you and the owner.
 
Sounds like you have been doing your homework and I think you would be mad not to go for it :D
I have ahorse on loan (well she is LWVTB) and as above, she is mine in everyway except i dont actually own her. I take full responsibility for her care emotionally and finacially.

What are you waiting for .. DO IT :p
 
Thank you both! These are the type of first-hand stories I was looking for :)

I have read so many horror stories when I have been lurking on here, it really puts a downer on loaning so I'm glad to hear that it can work out if you have the right things in place!

On paper everything is saying I should go for it, but its just the niggling fear in the back of my mind of "will owner be able to sue me if he ploughs through a fence onto a road, or if he injures himself when we are jumping?"... but then that's what contracts & insurance are for, right? :confused:

I know you can't life life thinking "what if" about every little thing, just trying to prepare myself in case he turns into an accident-prone mess as soon as he comes to me! :rolleyes:
 
This is what loan agreements are for. You can add as much in there as you like as long as you both agree and sign to it.

I think you and the owner are in a very lucky position that you know each other. Imagine what its like putting two strangers together and working out the 'whats, if's and maybe's' :confused:
 
Sensible to think of the 'what if's' but sounds like a great opportunity for you, even if it is only for a short ish period it'll still let you save for your own horse in the mean time. Any often loans go on to be sales - even if that isn't what anybody planned at the start.
I have my old boy out on loan, if something happened to him I'd trust the loaner to do her best in an emergancy and call me asap. He is insured, she pays the premiums to me so I know he is always covered and so I know I will be invoived in anything major (I personally don't agree with colic surgery so wouldn't send him even though I could)
She is responsible for the excess (£400) so we are both very clear where we stand.
Good luck it sounds very exciting.
 
Manni, in my signature was on loan to me for 3 years. We only had a contract for the first year because his owner did not renew it. I got him fully insured and was fully prepared to pay for everything for him as if he were my own. Thankfully, he never got I'll, but the insurance was there just in case. His owner more or less left me and daughter to it, seeing him only a few times in the 3 years, but we were in contact via Facebook with updates and photos etc.

I think you should got for it, especially as you know the horse already.
 
I think your being very sensible - Im on the other end looking to part loan mine out and worried about someone suing me for my horse causing damage to a person/him self/property!!

Having informally "dabbled" and letting some one ride my horse - I think the formal route is the only way to go and its ssoooooo important that you get on with the owner.

Good luck and when the contract is sorted - welcome to the wonderful world of ownership xxx
 
Sorry for being negative here, but I dont quite share everyone else's opinions!

I shared a horse up until very recently and his owner wanted to sell him, she was struggling to sell so offered him to me on full loan instead. I very nearly took her up on it because I love the horse, we got on well together and made great progress together, and couldnt afford to buy him, but the more I thought about it the more I realised it was a bad idea. He was lovely but he has a couple of little health problems, more than I wanted to risk taking on when he is 14.

Also, she made it clear that she still wanted to sell so the loan would be about 6 months - what is the point in spending all of your time and money on the horse, when he is going to be sold from under you in a few months time? You invest a lot emotionally with horses, and you would spend a lot of time schooling etc, so basically the owner would be using you to bring on her horse before she sells him on for more money. The owner would be in a win win situation, and you would lose out.

1. You are going to spend a lot of money each month on keeping the horse, and this is money that could be saved up to help you buy your own faster. If you spend the money on the upkeep of the loan horse, it is going to be a lo longer before you can buy a horse of your own.
2. As I said before, you will invest a lot emotionally with this horse and your bond that you already have will only get stronger. This will be so hard when the owner decides to sell, it will be hearbreaking for you to let him go. As much as you get on well with him now, it is not worth the heartache in the future when he does go.
3. Again, I said this before, but you will be schooling him and working with him, getting him fit etc so he will be a great horse for you to ride and enjoy. However you are paying for this priviledge, you are paying for the upkeep. But when he is sold, the owner will beneft because the owner hasnt had to pay for his upkeep yet is getting the profit from selling a horse who has been in regular exercise and is in good condition.

The only way I can see this being a good idea is if you are going to buy him at the end of the loan - otherwise I think you should stay well away, save the money you would have spent on the upkeep so you can buy your own horse. I know its tempting when you know the horse and get on well, but there will be lots of other horses out there that you will get on with, dont end up out of pocket and without a horse! I very nearly ended up in that situation and I'm so glad I was talked out of it, I still cant afford to buy so I've found another share and it is fantastic, I have a great horse and great owner and I couldnt ask for more.
 
Hello and welcome!

My first ever full loan was a 21 year old, 13.2 new forest pony and like you i was terrified of having 100% of the responsibility. I was so used to part loan where you get to go home at the end of the night and sleep well.
Well anyway,
I moved him and had him a whole year until January last year when he was diagnosed with bowel caner. His owner offered to take him back as he was no longer fit for the purpose i'd loaned him for but admitted she wouldn't be able to loan him out again and as she was travelling in america he would probably be put down rather than an attempt to cure. but i loved that little pony. Me and the vet tried everything until november when his progress was assesed and it was decided between the owner and vet that his progress wasn't enough and it would be kinder to pts rather than test him through winter. he was put to sleep held by me in my field.
moral of this being as scary as it can be, its an amazing experience. it'll set you up for your own horse with the safety net of being able to contact the owner if situations change ect. I don't regret it (:
 
Thank you all for your replies, it's all really helpful!

Kc100 I totally get what you are saying & have considered all of this. Having weighed up the options I feel that having a good horse that I can enjoy, even if just for a few months, will be beneficial to me in terms of ownership experience. To be honest I think owner just wants to see him getting out & doing something rather than being a field ornament. If the right buyer came along after I had put the work in, I would be happy to see you him go on to a lovely forever home & see the time spent as an investment in his future rather than mine. I am sure I will be offered first refusal if she was to sell him, in which case I can look to find some money from somewhere :o

Jessi&magic thank you for sharing your experience, that's so sad but at least you had a lovely year together :)
 
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