Loaning - can I have your success stories (and tips) please?

Bernster

Bernster

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Typical story, I suppose. I have 2 horses, 1 of which I have kind of outgrown. Love him to bits, he's a total superstar, has taken me from numpty novice to dressage, hunting, sj - you name it.

BUT I hardly have any time to ride him, so I feel like he's going to waste. More than that though (cos I don't think he cares as long as he's fed and looked after!), he deserves to be someone's 1st horse/love. I can't really afford to keep two. Am managing ok with a sharer but I feel like that's not a viable long term option.

I'm thinking about getting a 2nd sharer or loaning. Selling not an option for now as I still can't bring myself to think of that. Hearing so many scare stories about loaning has put me off that option. Surely there are some good loan stories, so what's the secret to making it work for you, your horse and the loanee?

PS I kind of knew I'd have this decision when I bought the 2nd, but I am a good at burying my head in the sand and hoping it all works out somehow!!

Thank you :)
 
Contact your local PC - there might be a teenager looking for something on loan to do fun stuff with. And make sure you have a water tight contract. Get the passport overstamped with 'on loan' or just write it across the front. I'm sure there are many many happy loan stories, you only get to hear about the ones that go wrong on here. Good luck! :) x
 
I have loaned twice, one horse to a lady that had shared him for 18 months and decided it was the right time to take the big step - worked out wonderfully.

Second horse to a stranger when she replied to the ad. She is only 15 mins down the road so I checked on him every 1 to 2 weeks for the first 3 months he was away, now cut down to every few months as he's been there 2 years. I wouldn't loan any further than say 30 mins,as you won't have the time to check on him.

Get him insured by you and keep the insurance while he is away BUT get the loaner to pay the premiums, firstly you know he is covered and if he comes back the cover will continue, secondly you will be involved in major vet decisions and thirdly if they pay monthy by DD you'll have some security they give a dam about him. I also make the loaner responsible for the excess on the insurance so they don't call the vet at the drop of a hat (or if they want to they pay for the pleasure)

To vet the people go round to their house for coffee, see whether you like them or not, have they had horses before, do they have other pets, how are they looked after? etc.
Visit where they intend to keep him, does it meet with your standards? doesn't have to be £1m estate but clean and tidy?
The lady mine went to already had a horse that she couldn't ride through injury so I was happy she knew what she was taking on.

Get a copy of their passport (to prove they are who they say they are), get copy utilitiy bills that proves their address.

Keep his passport - no matter what they (or anyone else says) give them a photo copy that they can produce, if they are 30 mins away you can get the original to them pretty quickly if it did need checking for any reason (in 2 years the only time my loaner has needed mine was his vacs). I KNOW they are supposed to be with the horse BUT if you can produce it in a couple of hours I don't think any authority would have an issue

If they feel any of this is over the top - move on and look at someone else, like you say you wouldn't just hand over the keys to your car without checking someone out!!

Detailed contract with as much in as you can think of.
 
I had my one mare on loan for 2 years, then brought her by paying in installments. I went to try her whilst she was up for sale (she wasn't originally for loan I was just one of those cheeky people who asked if they'd consider loaning) then had to wait 6 weeks till her advert ran out. She didn't sell in that time as they didn't find anyone they felt happy with, so they came to look at where I'd be keeping her and we arranged for me to take her on loan. I paid the transport fee for her to come to me and we signed the agreement when they arrived with her, they also got my yard owner to look at the contract and sign it as my witness. I had a photocopy of her passport and paid her insurance premiums into her owners bank account on a monthly basis. I continued this until she was fully paid for.

They kept in contact and came to see her occasionally, though not that often.

I still give them updates now even though she's mine and have always given them free rein to come over when ever they want. I have her on my facebook friends so she sees all the photos/updates about her to.




I also have a welsh section d mare on loan from a 'facebook friend'. I have had her since August 2012, they never came to see the yard and haven't been to see her since I've had her but again I keep her updated all the time and she sees all my photos that I upload
 
Thanks for the helpful replies! I feel like I will be a mini detective but I would want piece of mind and he is precious to me.

Funny though as I wonder whether people are quite as thorough when they are selling, but that might be a different mind set then.

If I make it known locally that he's up for loan, I think I will get some local offers as he's got a reputation (in a good way). I want to think about it as a principle first, before I talk to someone about it actually happening!

Means I get to delay a bit longer before I do anything about it :p
 
I sent my 14.2 on loan for the first time when he was about 14. He has djd and I wanted to do more work than he was able to. A friend of the lady who was renting a paddock from my dad came to see him and said he would be prefect for her, so off he went. We didn't have a loan agreement (I would never loan out without one now - not due to this experience I just don't think it is a good idea) and as he was on one of my family fields that seemed ok.

One evening (about 11pm) about 6 months later she sent me a text saying she couldn't look after him anymore with immediate effect, so early the next morning I went up to see him. When I got there the lady who lived opposite had fed him, mucked him out and was about to turn him out. I said thank you to her and took him out for a ride to see how he was going. When I got back she asked if she could have him - he has been with her ever since (about 6 years now). I have since moved away, but whenever I have been back in the area I pass by and see how he is and he has always looked very content.

Top tip - written loan agreement. Make it cover everything. There are some good sample contract on the internet so read a few and choose which bits you would need. I feel I have been very lucky, I've only got a verbal agreement and have been very fortunate that so far nothing has gone wrong.
 
We loaned successfully last year and hopefully have a new loan pony arriving at the weekend.

Do insist on a written loan agreement,then everyone knows where they stand and there can be no 'I thought you said....' if it is down in black and white.Meet the loaner at their home and also see where they intend to keep the horse,ask for references,be honest about any quirks/preferences.It doesn't hurt to google the person to make sure they are who/what they seem.Specify what is and isn't acceptable,ie hand feeding treats,smacking,and any activities that the horse is not to take part in.I would also specify who is permitted to ride the horse.I would never allow my daughter's friends to ride her loan pony,as he wasn't mine,but other people might think that it is ok for anyone to hop on board.

Good luck.:)
 
I had not long lost my share horse after he was pts in October last year so unhappy being without a horse i put an advert online asking for a loan/ LWVTB horse.

Was approached by a young lady about 40 miles away who wanted to loan her horse out with a view to buy so after exchanging lots of emails I went for a visit and a ride and then back to her house for a cuppa tea afterwards and we got on really well.

I picked up the mare a week before Xmas and although some temprement issues to begin with which are pretty much resolved we havent looked back.

We both signed a BHS loan agreement on the day I collected her. There was a hiccup about who has the passport as she wanted to keep it but I said I wouldnt take the horse if i didnt have the passport as its illegal!

I keep in contact with a bi weekly email and a pic of how she is doing and what we have been up to but rarely get a reply and she has never asked to come and visit her even though she isnt 'that' far away and I would like her to see her and her new enviroment etc :confused:

Everything is going really well. She is quirky but i love her and cant imagine not buying her at the end of the loan agreement :D
 
I loaned for the first time at the end of last year. My rising 5yo went to a vet student and he's thriving. She loves him, he loves working and everyone's happy :D Plus.. i know he's a healthy happy chappy all the time as she and her student friends practice lameness workups..skin scrapes ect on him! :D We keep in regular contact over facebook, there's a signed loan agreement and everyone's happy. I couldn't have asked for a better loaner for my special boy :D

Tips - Make sure there's a loan agreement with EVERYTHING in it. So if something does go wrong you can pin point who's responsibility it is. I used the BHS one as a template. Get it signed by a witness too.

Assess the yard they're going to. Its your horse, if you aren't happy.. they don't HAVE to be stabled there!

If you visit and you aren't happy with something, say so. Remember its YOUR horse that you are letting your loaner borrow. You have the right to take the horse back at any time if you aren't happy!.
 
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I have loaned two horses now and have been very happy both times, as have the owners (I hope they'd back me up on this statement ;) ). Each time we have used the BSH Loan agreement as a template, met one another and tried out the horse to check we "fit", sent pictures or shown where it would be kept etc. One of the loan horses was from 2.5hours drive away and the other about an hour and the owners have been able to visit whenever they wanted. They both also brought their horse to move it in and see that it was settled OK and we kept in regular contact and updateds via fb etc.

I would definitely say that there are many success stories with loaning and it can be the best thing for a horse if you are too busy or he is not up to the job you want, but don't want to see due to the bond you have built up.

I hope you find a lovely person to care for yours if you do decide to loan :)
 
my very first horse i loaned, which worked out brilliantly, and I loaned my mare out whilst i was pregnant, again all worked out well. Both times we had a contract signed by both of us we both knew exactly where we stood covering pretty much all possibilities. And my mare wasn't loaned too far from me to be able to make monthly or bi monthly checks on her. It can work out.
 
I currently am both loaning and have one out on loan,both found by word of mouth.
My best advise for loaning your own, is to be totally comfortable when you feel you have found the right person, to let them come and try the horse as many times as they like at your yard. This allowed the people loaning ours to feel totally happy she was exactly what how we had described. It also allowed the pony to get to know them, so when they moved her, it was not a total upheaval as she had been used to being handled by them. We have the BHS agreement in place, Adjusted to some things I and they agreed to additionally. They are a lovely local family and Could not wish for a better home.
The one we have on loan, we do not have an agreement for. It concerns me but the owner is an Irish ex showjumper, and he knows my OH, so think he trusts us implicitly. He checked our yard out, and we were allowed to try the horse as many times as we wanted on his yard too, both with and without him there.
That I feel is the biggest key to making things work well for both parties.
I insure the one we have on loan, and the loaner of ours insures her. Owner is stated on the insurance to protect in case of a death claim, as funds would go to owner not loaner.
Take your time, and do no be rushed into anything, the right person is out there.
 
I currently have my beautiful mare on full loan. It was something I'd never considered before as i've always had my own, but sadly I lost my late mare last year and couldn't afford another, and then my beautiful loan horse came along. Her owner came down to see the yard I was keeping her at and was very happy and I've had her ever since :) we have a contract in place (used the a loan template from BHS) and her owner has her passport. We keep in regular contact and I'm always updating her with pictures etc, she's a lovely lady and leaves me to it, I've invited her down to hack out soon too. Unfortunately you hear alot of bad loan stories, but not the good ones and there are good ones like us out there :)

Just make sure you're totally happy with the person and the yard where he will be kept, visit regularly and ensure both parties are clear with contract rules. You can be as picky as you like and pottential (good) loanees will understand that you only want the best for your boy.

Good luck :)
 
I kept my daughter's second pony and as he was an excellent schoolmaster decided to loan him - very chunky and strong 14hh Welsh type - so let it be known locally and for him to stay with us. Had two of three parents show gushing interest only to disappear when sprog was duly dumped - I did say "not a novice ride"!

Then I had lovely Caroline turn up - beautiful face ( it actually filled me with horror that she might get it kicked or otherwise altered ) and a flurry of blonde hair - she approached me like a nervous deer so I thought - here we go again. But she saddled him up all on her own, did everything safely and no messing - even telling him to mind his manners a couple of times - and once I'd seen her ride - that was it, I was sold.

Things were cheaper back in those days but I wasn't looking for the loaner to fully pay all expenses so when it came to money Caroline said she intended to offer the wages she earnt working in the local supermarket - the princely sum of £5 - I was very taken by her wanting to do this by herself - her parents were supportive but not financially - and said yes.

And I think we can say that a good time was had by all - I was happy that our Baggins was being very well used, he was teaching yet another young woman the ways of strong ponies. I became quite good friends with the parents too and the loan lasted for about three years and though I continued to find others Caroline was by far the best, it was very pleasurable to see her grow up and she still popped into see us in later years.
 
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