Need to loan or share my lad any advice appreciated

[devonlass]

I don't often post on here despite being a member for many years,but have loads of questions and concerns about loaning and sharing my spotty lad and this seemed like a good place to ask!!

I have a very good friend (who is also a member on here,she knows who she is lol) that I can pester for advice,but to save bending her ear constantly as she has her own problems at the mo I thought some of you good folks might like to give me the benefit of your experiences.

Firstly I would prefer to part loan or share from current yard in south Devon area or find a yard local to me (Exeter area) with facilities and part loan share from there,is this a good option?? Do people often go for a part loan/share type arrangement rather than a full loan at their own yard??

Next thing he is only 5 yrs old and green so needs bringing on,especially schooling wise,do people take on young horses that need work??

I would want to still pay for his insurance,annual vet stuff like teeth and jabs,and any tack and equipment costs,and if a share or part loan I would still contribute towards weekly keep costs,does this sound reasonable??

Most importantly and what is worrying me to death,how do I sort the genuine people from the not so genuine people?? Not such an issue if a part loan/share but a real worry to me when even thinking about allowing him to be moved to moved to someone elses yard as a ful loan.

Where are good places to advertise?? I have put an ad up on another forum that has a classified section also got one on preloved and freeads but not sure where else is free (tried horsehunter but it seems they charge for ads now??),I don't mind paying for an ad if turns out I have to,but would rather start off with the free ones and see what response I get.

Lastly what steps should I take to ensure my lads safety and well being?? I already know about drawing up some sort of contract and will probably use the BHS one with a few tweaks,and I thought I could ask for references from either YO or instructor etc and also proof of address and place of work etc,can I do that??
Any other tips or actions anyone can recommend??

Will shut up now,but thanks for reading and any help and advice appreciated.

*disclaimer* this is of course not in any way meant to be advertising but if anyone was interested or thought they might know someone who is a PM would be most appreciated!!

 

[Luci07]

Couple of pointers that spring to mind. Do you mean share, so you still ride him x days or loan whereby he comes back to you after x time? If loaning, yes to the contract (although legally they don't seem to hold much water), register him as on loan with NED and your passport, inform insurance and I would also get a written receipt confirming this horse is on LOAN only and remains your property. Also list any tack/rugs you would send (if you do), what you will continue to pay for (insurance - though some loaners take this on) and what he can do.

If sharing, then work out your costs and then work out a daily rate, how often you would want him to be ridden, what other work would need to be done (tack cleaning for example!), would you give up a day at the weekend?

References - always but an excellent way of ensuring your horse is a good fit is to book a lesson with would be sharer/loaner and your regular trainer. They pay for the lesson but get a lesson (with no equine cost!) and all sides can be happy that new rider/horse is a good match. Hope that helps!

BTW - if moving to another yard, definately check it out first. If the would be loaner is not known to the YO, then ask for a ref from their vet. Also ensure that YO knows you and that you have to be notified if the horse is going to be moved.

 

[devonlass]

Couple of pointers that spring to mind. Do you mean share, so you still ride him x days or loan whereby he comes back to you after x time?

Well TBH I'm not sure at the moment on the finer details if sharing.I would prefer a share or part loan (although I'm not certain I know the difference really these day's lol) simply as I don't really want to hand him over to someone else completely if that makes sense??

If a full loan was the only option (where like you say he goes to someone else as their own and comes back to me after a set time),then I guess maybe I would do it on a yearly basis and see how it went??

Basically I usually keep him at home,but I have just a field and am on my own.I have suffered a foot condition now for almost two years and it has progressivly got worse meaning I can barely care for him some day's let alone ride or work him in any way.Having no help and no facilities that would attract anyone to share from here I am now forced to think of something else for him as time is going by and he really needs to be cracking on with his ridden career.
He is currently with a very kind friend at her yard in south Devon (she had him to help me out and give me a break whilst having treatment on my feet) and she is happy for him to stay there and help care for him if a sharer/part loaner can be found to do the majority of the care and all the riding.It's too far for me to travel very often so I can't be much hands on help if he stays there,but he is very settled there now so would be nice for him to stay there from that POV.If staying there then although technically a share I wouldn't really have much input and sharer would pretty much be able to have him as they're own but with my friend on hand and helping out if needed.

Other than that I would be happy to find a decent yard nearer to me in the Exeter area and have the same sort of arrangement.If nearer to me then I would be able to be more involved and hopefully maybe even able to ride occasionally but that would depend on my own health really.Sharer would still have majority of responsibility and care for him,but I would help out if needed and contribute towards costs.

I suppose I am starting to accept that I am unable to do much with him,but don't really feel ready to hand him over completely to someone else.Having someone to care for him and ride him and mostly have him as their own but with me still able to be involved and retain overall control to ensure his safety and well being would be my absolute ideal,but am not sure if that's asking too much??

Shall shut up now,have waffled for England but thought it might help expain what I'm hoping for and enable others to better tell me if I'm wishing for the moon or not lol

Thank you for all your other tips BTW,they are all really useful and many that I would not have thought of,shall be copying and pasting to save for future reference!!

 

[BethH]

If something happened to my horse I would look to do a part loan and not replace my ned. On that basis you would be absolutely ideal as someone to loan from.

I would want permission for lessons with a good trainer, I would want a concerned owner to talk to about any problems and as the horse belonged to you, I would want guidelines set on how you wanted your horse looked after/type of work you felt best, I would also want you to regularly visit the horse to check his welfare. If you did all those things I would know I was getting a well looked after horse with support through any difficulties so it would make me feel that your horse was a safer bet.

I have seen people loan horses, desperate to do the right thing and for the owner to be completely disinterested when it needs a vet etc. I personally think you are thinking along the right lines of being involved but allowing your loaner scope to take responsibility. I feel you will find the right person if you are clear about the rules. I personally would try to loan him from your friends or if you move him, make sure you are the one that rents the stable at the livery yard so that the yard owner/manager sees you as the first point of contact. Put it all in writing clearly and take your time to find the right person - a recommendation is always a good start.

 

[Luci07]

Or maybe if your foot is that bad, have you considered selling him? and then look to share to keep your hand in while you recover? or loan something from a charity that needs a retirement home or recovery? or rent out your field and use the money you save on some really really good lessons which you could never normally afford? and put the money from your horse in a savings account that you can't dip into too easily so you know you can go back to buying another when you are 100%. A good 5 year old is coming upto their peak, its not the same as say having a 15 year old who is with your for keeps. Just another option!

 

[devonlass]

I have seen people loan horses, desperate to do the right thing and for the owner to be completely disinterested when it needs a vet etc. I personally think you are thinking along the right lines of being involved but allowing your loaner scope to take responsibility. I feel you will find the right person if you are clear about the rules. I personally would try to loan him from your friends or if you move him, make sure you are the one that rents the stable at the livery yard so that the yard owner/manager sees you as the first point of contact. Put it all in writing clearly and take your time to find the right person - a recommendation is always a good start.

Thank you for that and is reassuring to know others think I am going along the right lines.I would definitely be more than interested in his well being generally and certainly anything that required the vet!! I am happy to be as involved as I can be in regard to his well being is just the time and phsical effort required for his training and day to day care that I lack,so allowing loaner to take responsibility for him on a day to day basis would be more than fine with me

I will definitely be the one sorting out the yard near me if it works out that way and will make sure is all in my name and I am the point of contact,thank you for that.

Or maybe if your foot is that bad, have you considered selling him?

In the realistic world I probably should sell him,as chances are even if I recover enough to get back in the saddle a fairly forward going and up for it young horse is not going to be overly suitable!! There is a problem with selling him though.................................................................................................I am rather fond of the silly spotty twit lol
I can't consider selling him right now or anytime soon TBH.He's rather special to me (well he's rather 'special' generally at times lol) and I just worry too much to not have ultimate control over where he ends up or what he ends up doing etc.
Maybe it's something I'll have to consider at some point and you make some good arguments that I probably *should* listen to and think about more than I am,but the word 'sell' and my spotty pone just don't go together in my head very well I'm afraid

 

[fleabitten]

Having had pretty rubbish experiences with trying to find a sharer myself I have actually given up now! Don't really have any advice (you're a sensible enough person to know what precautions to take!;-)) but do wish you luck. Also, word of mouth is often the best way! Put it out on the jungle drums and see what comes back!

 

[cc14]

With a share or part loan the sharer does a few days a week, paying a weekly/monthly fee to you. The going rate seems to be around the £100 a month mark, but obviously this completely varies based on facilities and the horse etc, I know someone who got £250 a month just for being next to Windsor Great Park.

Ive been a sharer and am now looking for someone to share my boy. Ive advertised on equineadverts.com, I advertised on there when I was looking to buy and had about 10 calls a day and its free! I also look on websites for people who are looking for a full loan, this way less chance of them over/under exaggerating their riding ability and what they want to do.

I have someone coming to look this weekend and Im going to make them do everything with him...catch him from the field, brush him, tack him up then get on him (in a very small enclosed school and I trust my horse not to be an idiot...she has also made herself sound like an incredibly confident and competant rider). This way I will know if she is having me on or not. I want to see how she is around him and if she is capable of the basics because no way I'm leaving someone with my horse who sticks his saddle on backwards or something stupid!