Loaning/Sharing Instead of Buying - Better Off?

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Puzzles

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As the title says - has anyone on here chosen to loan or share a horse, in preference over buying their own horse? If so, then why?
I'm thinking (as one does) about when I have my own horse, and while I am itching (my face is literally twitching) to be able to relish the added responsibility, freedom, commitment and, above all, bond, it has occurred to me that I have it really good currently (despite being actually unable to have my own horse, so that part isn't really related to what I'm asking on this thread).
I look after and ride 3 horses when I am home from university, and while it definitely has its downsides, I am also aware how incredibly lucky I am. I don't see the decreased commitment/responsibility/costs of sharing (it isn't technically sharing but I can't think of a better word) as a benefit, so I'm not going to write about them. Instead the main benefit is that I am able to ride 3 wonderful and very different horses who I love very much, which if course I wouldn't be able to do if I had my own horse.
Loaning and sharing tends to be associated with novice, nervous, or less financially comfortable riders. But does anyone else think that their situation is better for loaning or sharing as opposed to buying, particularly if you actually do have the option of buying a horse of your own?
 
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Speaking from personal experience, I would NEVER loan out my boy again. Long story, but I just wouldn't!! :(

However ........... bearing in mind what I've just said, I've actually got a super little mare on loan at the moment! She's on an open-ended/permanent loan from my trainer, and the reason its working is that (a) mare is sorting out my cob whilst they're turned out together and teaching him some much-needed manners and (b) my trainer knows me and the mare very well and so knew that we'd suit each other, after a getting-to-know-you phase at the beginning!

So my experiences of taking on a horse as a loan are good, whilst loaning my horse TO another person, wasn't exactly a success (no fault of the horse either - the girl that had him basically took him on and hadn't a clue how she was gonna afford it).

Think there's a lot of pro's and cons. A lot of people take on a loan horse, work hard at it, sort out any issues, and lo and behold the owner turns up and gets precious and wants it back. Result = heartache.

OR you loan a horse to someone in perfectly good faith, and its either ill-treated, badly ridden and taught a lot of nasty habits, OR - worse case scenario, it goes missing and is sold on to god knows where.

There's a lot here on HHO in the archives which you could trawl through.
 
Puzzles said:
Loaning and sharing tends to be associated with novice, nervous, or less financially comfortable riders.
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Sorry just noticed this bit!!! - ehhh??? (scratching head!!! ;)). Have to disagree with this. A lot of the horses put up for loan are offered simply because they've got issues and the owner doesn't want to sell them and so they're deffo "not novice ride" material!! And you certainly wouldn't want to get up there if you were "nervous".

But not ALL horses offered for loan are this way by any means; often, and increasingly so in this financial climate, you might just get a good-un that someone loves to bits but just can't afford to keep.

Loaning and sharing CAN work well, but IME you either have a situation where the thing works, and works brilliantly, or it just doesn't, and if the latter is the case you need to be prepared to be bold and make firm choices, and dare I say it, risk upsetting people, coz the welfare of the horse must be paramount.

Sorry! Didn't mean to post again, but felt I needed to challenge your assumptions OP!!! :)
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Sorry just noticed this bit!!! - ehhh??? (scratching head!!! ;)). Have to disagree with this. A lot of the horses put up for loan are offered simply because they've got issues and the owner doesn't want to sell them and so they're deffo "not novice ride" material!! And you certainly wouldn't want to get up there if you were "nervous".

But not ALL horses offered for loan are this way by any means; often, and increasingly so in this financial climate, you might just get a good-un that someone loves to bits but just can't afford to keep.

Loaning and sharing CAN work well, but IME you either have a situation where the thing works, and works brilliantly, or it just doesn't, and if the latter is the case you need to be prepared to be bold and make firm choices, and dare I say it, risk upsetting people, coz the welfare of the horse must be paramount.

Sorry! Didn't mean to post again, but felt I needed to challenge your assumptions OP!!! :)
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No worries, challenge away! I completely agree with you - what I meant was that the horsey people I know (and thus I assumed is the general belief) seem to have that unspoken assumption. As in, that loaning is always a natural step between transitioning from a riding school to having one's own horse and thus apparently that means that the kind of riders who loan tend to be lacking in the areas that I suggested in the OP. It is definitely not what I believe myself! Perhaps it's just me being paranoid, but when I get the phrase "Awww, s/he's lovely - is he yours?", my reply of "No, I wish!" is often followed by a pitying and slightly awkward silence from the other person. :o
Thanks for your thoughts :)
 
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I probably could afford my own if I looked after my finances but it would be all down to me to look after them and at the moment I don't feel I have the experience to deal with my own. My family is totally non horsey so unlikely to get any help from them.

So I share. I have just found some new horses, one youngish ex racer with potential to exercise during the week, another oldish ex racer and young ISH to probably hack evenings and weekends and finally a yard where I have a choice of horses and the possibility to bring a lovely ISH back into work. I would never get this opportunity if I had my own!
 
having recently lost my daughters mare and being in a position to buy another as have land and stables at home we would prefer to loan as my daughter will be starting uni sept 2013 and although she deperatley wants another horse ,we dont know what the future holds and i dont want to be left with an extra horse to ride and care for or the stress of selling or loaning. just need to find a horse now. we have loaned before and it worked very well.
 
I share a pony 2 days per week, I contribute financially and she is 'mine' on those 2 days, she's on DIY.

I could afford my own horse but, I don't want my life to be 'consumed' by horses! I love them, but I also love doing things with my family and friends.

2 days is perfect for me :D

xx
 
Definitely disagree with the associated with novices/nervous riders bit!! :o I stopped having lessons for the opposite reason - my mum was paying £13 an hour for me to ride with 11 other people and not progress anymore due to people telling the instructors their children could ride (and they couldnt!)! :rolleyes:

I started sharing at 12 (parents knew I wanted to go to uni eventually and didn't have enough recent experience to look after a horse of my own, once I moved away) and with the same lady, took her mare on share after 5 years. This mare is DEFINITELY not a novice suited horse :p and never has been!!

I have it amazingly and I am so lucky. When I am home from uni plus over all summer/Christmas etc, I see Kelly every day and also get to ride the other mare and Kelly's daughter regularly too, so I wouldn't have it any other way now.
K x
 
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