Loaning help

[Wonky Donkey]

Hi all!
I’m here for some advice. I’m thinking about loaning out my (recently turned) 5yo ISH mare but I’m not sure if she’s ready for it. I’ve looked about on different websites to see if I can find any adverts that sound similar to my mare but to no such luck. She’s a very sweet horse however she doesn’t have much confidence (which is something I’m currently building on) and I’ve only been doing walk, trot and the occasional hack with her.

I’m not sure if I should do more work with her before asking for a loan? She had been cantering with me before but that has unfortunately stopped as I didn’t have enough time to keep up her education due to work.

Thank you in advance for any replies!

 

[Melody Grey]

Depends largely on the capabilities of any potential loaner, but do keep in mind that whilst you’d hope the loan would help to keep the horse good or even improve, the exact opposite could happen. I’d be reluctant to loan out a young horse, but that said I’d be worried about potential ruin of any horse, regardless of age.

 

[FlyingCircus]

It takes a long time, with lots of patience and experience to create a good horse.

Not so much time, patience or experience to ruin one.

I'd worry anyone willing to pay to educate a youngster wasn't the right person for a youngster. Instead, I'd expect to be paying a rider.

 

[Equi]

I always worry when I see young horses being put up for loan that the owner is either trying to get free education for the horse rather than pay and then intend to sweep in and sell when the loaner has put money on them, or have totally over horsed themselves and the horse has learned some mega bad habits and can’t be sold.

Personally I would attempt to get her going better first, then part loan from your yard.

 

[Wonky Donkey]

I always worry when I see young horses being put up for loan that the owner is either trying to get free education for the horse rather than pay and then intend to sweep in and sell when the loaner has put money on them, or have totally over horsed themselves and the horse has learned some mega bad habits and can’t be sold.

Personally I would attempt to get her going better first, then part loan from your yard.

It takes a long time, with lots of patience and experience to create a good horse.

Not so much time, patience or experience to ruin one.

I'd worry anyone willing to pay to educate a youngster wasn't the right person for a youngster. Instead, I'd expect to be paying a rider.

Thank you both for your replies! I was really questioning if I should loan her out for these reasons - I was worried about someone not taking the time and patience she needs and accidentally setting us back but thought I was just being paranoid! I’ll definitely leave getting a loan for a couple of years

Thank you!

 

[I'm Dun]

Thank you both for your replies! I was really questioning if I should loan her out for these reasons - I was worried about someone not taking the time and patience she needs and accidentally setting us back but thought I was just being paranoid! I’ll definitely leave getting a loan for a couple of years

Thank you!

Usually when you have a strong gut feeling like that, its not wrong. With a mare like yours sounds very slow and steady will probably be beneficial rather than harmful. Just keep her ticking over hacking out and take the pressure off yourself to do anymore if your short on time.

 

[Ponygirl250713]

I reckon only loan out for part time and make sure you have met and know the potential loaner before they get started. I would be reluctant to loan out such a young horse and I doubt you would get any requests but worth a try. And of course it depends where the loaner and you live. I would definitely watch out the first couple weeks to make sure your mare is happy and healthy with the loaner. I would make sure that everything is going smoothly and it is someone with experience with green mares even though she is sweet. And with the type of mare you have make sure it is who they say they are, they have experience and I would only loan out to people 16 or 18+. No offence meant by the 'with the type of mare you have' bit, I'm sure she is lovely and i only meant green and not too confident and a bit nervous. Hope the advice is helpful.

 

[Bangagin]

I've had horses for many years, but always took them on when they were very established. I've now bought a mare who has just turned 5 which is a new experience for me, but one I am thoroughly enjoying. I don't have much time to ride because of work and home commitments, and as much as I would like her to be doing more, that would involve a sharer/part loaner and as FlyingCircus says, a young horse can easily be set back with the wrong rider/handling. So we are just taking it very slow and steady. Hacking out with friends at the weekends, and very little in between. She's super good, but can be a little opinionated at times (tries her hardest to snack along the way and veer off when she feels there is a shorter route towards home!) so we are working on this at the moment, and just building her confidence on lots of different routes. She seems quite happy to be a field ornament for the rest of the week although we do a lot of groundwork, stretches, grooming etc in between riding. Good luck with your mare - it sounds as if you are doing all the right things with her, so definitely take the pressure off and enjoy what you are doing.

 

[Polos Mum]

If you want to keep the horse for the long term, she's better with time off at aged 5 than being ridden by a sharer (presume you mean part loan rather than her going to live with someone else fully under their control).

If you have funds - pay someone to rider her for you - a professional that will help you develop the mare to her full potential.
If you don't have spare funds - only doing a little over winter at aged 5 will do no harm at all.

 

[CobsaGooden]

I am currently on the hunt for a full loan and have had many people email offering their young horses, newly backed, not confident etc. it screams they are either over horsed or hoping someone will pay to care for and school their horse over winter to have them taken back come spring.

I absolutely would turn them away or carry on having them tick over with you. It will do them no harm where as a sure possibly could.

 

[ihatework]

I think this will be dependant on what you want long term and what the horse is realistically going to be good at long term.

I think if you have any aspirations of having the horse back for yourself in the future then you are less likely to find anyone to loan them. Either the person that is good enough to take them on a produce them won’t be interested (why invest time, money and skill in someone else’s horse?), or the potential loaners that don’t understand that just won’t be good/experienced enough to produce them and are more likely to muck them up.

However, if you aren’t looking to have them back and want to find a long term loan partnership then it’s perfectly possible.

I’ve done it twice in recent years with well bred young event horses. Both have gone to younger riders, but those riders very competent, on BE pathways, and well supported by parents. In each case there was some safeguarding for them in the following gist:
Horse valued up front
If horse ever sold they would would get 50% of increase in value
For the first 12 months we work together to make sure all parties on the same page
At the 12 month mark we agree if we continue long term and if that is agreed then I as owner cannot remove horse from them without buying out that 50% of value increase.

 

[Melody Grey]

@ihatework that’s a really great way of dealing with the financials which I haven’t heard of before- fair to all party and incentivises the loaner to improve the horse.

 

[Tiddlypom]

When I loaned my homebred out, whilst it wasn’t as well structured as ihw’s loan, my loaner was to keep 50% of any uplift in value too if sold on. We pre agreed a value as on the day the loan started (£4500 a few years ago for a 5yo who had just gone clear XC in her first BE80).