More than one part loan?

[atropa]

Has anyone ever part-loaned/shared more than one horse at a time? Been offered two who are very different horses and could offer me different things, but are at different yards. Don't know if I'd be insane taking on two, but have been really missing horsey life since my old loan horse went back I like the freedom that part-loaning will offer but on the other hand, I'll probably be spending ~£250/month on loaning/extra petrol alone, not to mention lessons and competitions. Would I be better just biting the bullet and buying my own?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Having two part loans won't be any worse than owning one horse in terms of commitment. It might be better in the sense of having the opportunity to do different things with each. If you want freedom I would stick with loaning because if you find its too much you can drop down to one horse. Also the responsibility is a bit less, you just make the best of the situation rather than worrying about every major decision with the horse.

 

[Red-1]

Sounds perfect to me, different yards, different experiences, less cost than owning one, and if one goes lame you still have another!

When you come to having your own you will have a heck of a lot more experience.

 

[AmandaMT]

There is not any obvious reasons why it could not work. If all does go to plan you could end up with a good mix of experience.

 

[atropa]

Aw thank you everyone for your replies! I have to admit I was expecting everyone to tell me it was a ridiculous idea! That's the angle I was going from too - two completely differently built horses, different temprements, one is a younger, 'hotter' type who I can have lessons and compete on, the other more of a schoolmaster that I'd be looking to hack on as well as a little schooling.

 

[Red-1]

Sounds perfect. When I had my first "super hot" horse I also had a pair of comfy slippers horse. When the first one had put the wind up me the second was a lovely relief, to go for a blast out hacking.

Good luck!

 

[WelshD]

It depends on the input involved. If it snows heavily, you get given extra work at work, one needs extra care, you slow up because you have a cold, you have to rely on a lift etc etc would you get to a point where you had to choose which to attend to that day and would the other be ok about that

 

[Capriole]

The downside I see is them being at different yards. As long as you are very clear that you keep the days for each horse different that shouldn't be a problem, but I wouldn't allow any overlap of days. So no last minute switching of days or doing unplanned favours, don't underestimate the time drain that travelling between them will be if you start that. Other than that, I think getting a lot of experience with different horses is great, and will stand you in good stead when (if) eventually you buy your own.

 

[atropa]

WelshD all valid points to consider, thank you! I should point out that I would be planning to take them on separate days, so I would hope it wouldn't ever come down to choosing between them, or at least very rarely. If this did occur, one is actually on full livery, so wouldn't want for anything care wise if I couldn't make it.
As for the chance of extra work in my job, I managed to slog through last winter with my full loan on DIY in a job where I did an extra 1-4 hours overtime per day. I have since changed to a much less stressful company with less hours and feel confident that I could cope with this issue if it arises.
Red-1 great analogy about the comfy slippers!

 

[atropa]

Capriole definitely a good point, as the yards they're at are approx 30 miles apart.