opinions on loaning?

D

dustbinlid

Member
Joined
9 September 2010
Messages
25
Visit site
Hi all, would appreciate any opinions/experiences/problems with loaning.
Story is that we own a pony, ride/drive, perfect in traffic etc etc, his only problem is he's a bit too eager for my novice daughter. (more of a 'second' pony rather than a first)
Now we could sell,and then buy a 'first' pony, however Im thinking that within 12 months, daughter would get bored and want a 'second' pony. But I doubt we'd get a second pony as good as the one we've got now! So I was wondering about loaning him out instead untill daughters got more experience and confidence.
Good plan or not? any pitfalls?
thanks for any comments!
 
Sounds like a great idea, make sure you are happy with the family and the yard pony would be going to. get a loan agreement in place.
I have 2 horses out on loan and i am so happy with their loanees and have become very good friends
 
I used to have two loan horses. The first worked out brilliantly, no problems at all. The second - wasn't the best experience. The plan was to loan him for a year and if all went well we would then buy him. It transpired that the owners lied about his health and he was very restricted in terms of what he should be doing(they were probably hoping we wouldn't get him vetted) and so we had to give him back.

I'm sure you know a lot better than to lie, so I don't forsee any problems. Make sure you describe him as accurately as you can, explain briefly what you want/expect from the loanee and the circumstances of the loan ie to be kept at current yard. If you don't mind him going to another yard, I recommend looking at it firstly. And I would set up a written agreement including all terms, so you have something to fall back on should a dispute arise. Most importantly, make sure you get along with them - makes things so much easier ;)
 
Sounds good so far! Having had no experience of loaning from either side, what would/should normally be in the loan agreement? I was thinking of loaning for a maximum of 12 months. Is that acceptable to loanees?
 
Loaning is a good idea. But it can be very hard for both parties!!! 12 months would be fine, just make sure you write in on the advert! There will be people out there wanting a more "2nd pony" for their kid. A year is probs perfect cos then theyd be able to buy the next step up :)

I have to say though, ive had 2 horses on loan in the past, its very hard to loan out your horse and get the right balance between being a good owner and a good loaner. If someone is paying EVERYTHING for your pony, they will want to be left pretty much alone. I would expect updates and maybe a visit every couple of months. My first loan owner was brilliant.

Id write in the contract what is expected, e.g. 24hr notice that youre going to go and visit. What you expect them to pay, e.g. insurance/ vets bills/ shoes. There s a really good draft on the bhs site for a good contract. Take pics of your pony and attatch them so, and heaven forbid it happens, but you can use this to say what condition the pony was in before the loan and its good for them too.

Good luck :)
 
I have put ponies out on loan and have always been very honest about their good and bad points. I have always used the BHS contract, modifying it as required, but it doesn't stop the loanee from changing their mind or just blatently taking advantage.

I tend to find that they come back later in the year when the real cost of keeping them is realised. At the start of the bad weather is a common time for their return! It is then more difficult for the ponies to integrate with the others and, of course, plays havoc with my forward planning for hay, feed, etc.

I am now reluctant to loan the ponies due to past problems but it can work sometimes.
 
I more or less loan now when I am home from uni but it stemmed from a part loan 8 years ago - her owner and I just became more like friends and now we ride both her horses together daily.

I've loved every minute of it and you will find that most people part loan/loan because of their situation - I knew from a young age I would have to move away for uni (because of the course I wanted) and so my parents (very cleverly) told me we couldn't afford it, so that's the reason I looked into part loaning and luckily found G who lets me have Kel back when I'm home - I get 3x weekly updates when I am away! :)

For the first 6 weeks I wasn't left alone with her and even now if I nip down to ride and G isn't there I will text and let her know how things were. Just make sure you are happy with the family who take the pony, lots of visits and seeing the prospective rider with the pony both on the ground and ridden AND doing the chores!!! (fresh from an RS I had to be taught how to muck out!!). Make it clear you want to see the facilities where the pony will be kept if need be. If you feel you want to see a bit more, you could always ask if you could take your daughter up to see the pony every fortnight or so, that way you could keep an eye on things - I know some people don't make arrangements and just turn up saying they were passing by! ;)
I agree on drawing up a loan agreement - one of my friends has just loaned her boy out for 12 months due to work commitments and it was made very clear that after 12 months she would be taking him back, so it is doable.
Good luck!
K x
 
Please be aware tha tthe BHS is a sampple only, it has never been approved by a solicitor, so if a problem accured it can in theory meen bugger all.

I dont want to put you off loaning, but ive had some awful experiances, one partly my fault the other 2 far from it, 2 had tight agreements in place, one didnt,

one horse neglected .. rspca case in ten weeks :eek:
one horse returned with a tendon injury
one .. well i cant say to much but if you hunt under my name your find thread.

obviousley there is more to each case, but everytime ive thought ive done the best for the horse, and choosen carfully, the 1st horse was on loan with view to buy, I spoke to the loaner near enough every day and was assured every thing was fine, in fact Id gone down to collect a payment off her, but what I found.. well lets just say I returned the next day with a crowe bar and various other things, the horse was deffinatly coming with me!

as i say, not all loans turn out like this, but my advice would be to get the loan agreement signed in front of a solicitor, and NEVER trust what any one says, go and see for yourself.
 
Have to say that my experiences of loaning have been mixed. I was in same situ as you and loaned out the pony only to have it returned unexpectedly before Christmas because the loaner got pregnant (intentionally) so didn't want to continue. I mean why take a pony on if you are planning to get pregnant? She had 4 kids already so knew she was likely to get pregnant if you see what I mean. Its also difficult to find someone who has the same outlook as you, eg if the pony is ill and they handle it differently to the way you would. That happened also to me and there is a thread on here about that too. Its full of pitfalls and you may not get the "same " pony back. They might wreck it. If you are lucky they will improve it. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top