Please dont tar all loaners with the same brush.

[benson21]

There are a few threads on here recently about loaning gone wrong, and I felt I just needed to say, not all loanees are the same! Lots of people saying they would never loan their horse again, which is basically saying they think all loanees are bad.
I had Benson on Loan from a lovely family, he was a long term loan. He came to a local livery yard about 2 miles from my house, and settled in well.
I paid for everything, shoes, feed, insurance etc etc, and always contacted his owners if and when there was a problem, which was rare. We sent christmas cards from him to his owners.
I loved and cared Benson as if he were my own. I wouldnt of done anything differently if I had bought him.
I do appriciate that some loans do go bad, but not necessarily because its a loan. Its sometimes the person that is wrong, not because the horse is a loan, maybe they would of treated their own horse the same way.
Sorry....probably waffling now.....

 

[Clippy]

Indeed, the bad stories come to light and no mention is made of the many loaners out there who treat the horse as if it were their own.

But on the other side of the coin, checking your horse is ok can only be a good thing if it puts your mind at rest, and a caring loaner wouldn't mind that at all

 

[starsky]

Agree!
My pony has been in two different loan homes, both of which are/were excellent. I get regularly updates regarding what he's been up to and they love him to bits. I can visit him anytime I like and get invited along to shows to watch him compete.

Before he goes anywhere I vet all owners, visit their yard etc and wouldn't let him go anywhere where I wasn't 100% happy, but both loan experiences I've had have been very positive.

 

[joeanne]

Well one of mine is on loan to an HHO member near me. I can nip over anytime I like, and madam is always looking well and happy.
Very happy with the way she is cared for!

 

[Wagtail]

I agree. I too have loaned horses and cared for them like they were my own. I would be very reluctant to loan out one of mine though, but if I was forced to, I would go on my gut feel about the person and make sure they would not mind me visiting unannounced a couple of times. Once I was happy then I would always prearrange a visit.

People also need to remember that selling a horse is just as risky (if not more) than loaning one. The only way to completely ensure the welbeing of your horse is to care for him/her yourself.

 

[Lolo]

Yay!

We have always loaned horses. My old boy was on loan- I had him from when he was 21 to when he was 27, when he was PTS. He looked amazing througout that time and was adored and loved and lived the life of riley being spoilt rotten. Reg is also on loan and he also looks brilliant atm.

Our owners are kept up-to-date with whatever is going on, we tell them where we're going and what we're doing, they always have the final say over the welfare and we pay all the costs including new saddles and rugs. Love loaning, and love our owners!

 

[horsegirl]

I don't understand how people can loan their horses to complete strangers and then not go and check on them. I loaned my young TB out when I was 16 and I went over to visit him at least once a month. This was a horrendous journey that took me half a day as the horse went to Stevenage and I lived in Hampstead and was too young to drive. If I loaned out another I would go and check after a couple of weeks and then once a month or so.

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

I loaned one of mine out a few years back, and as he was an ex police horse, I had a lot of interest, as you can imagine. The main stipulation was that he stayed at his current yard, and the girl I chose was lovely, and has become a good friend of mine. I don't think I would ever let a horse of mine go out on loan away from my yard though, unless I knew them well, and even then I'd be uncomfortable about it.

 

[thatsmygirl]

Iv loaned 2 horses before to homes which seemed idea only for both to go very wrong and both times the horses came back with problems, another livery rung me on one occasion to tell me what was happening to my mare and the way she was galloped up the drive most nights and you could see the marks on the concrete, she came home very lame. No I will never loan again not because there is not good loan homes as I'm sure there is but because I'm not putting myself through that again.

 

[Reacher]

Thanks for posting this. I have loaned a few horses over the past few years, and all the owners have been very happy with how their horses were kept. As others have said, a responsible owner would keep an eye on the loaned horse anyway. At least if the horse isn't being looked after, you can get it back, wheras once it's sold, it's sold...

 

[Kaylum]

In my opinion its a good job there are people willing to take on loans of horses. The one I loaned was in poor condition, not been wormed for a long time and had no basic schooling or manners. Got him looking fantastic and in the end I bought him but didnt take him on loan with a view to buy. The people I loaned him from admitted they couldnt afford to have him back as they didnt have the money.

 

[hunting mad]

I have loaned 2 horses out....one was meant to be on loan for the summer,but after only 8 weeks he came home.Loaner was pushy and treated him like a machine...ended badly,with threats of police
I still have my other horse out on loan,to my very good friend.I say he is on loan,only as i dont want him ever to be homeless or passed around if she can no longer keep him.He is hers to keep and do as she pleases with until she no longer wants him....which i cant see happeneing!!
I think loaning to friends is ok.......but never again will i to someone i hardly know.

 

[benson21]

See, its all good and bad. BUt I think its such a shame that some are so dead set against loaning out, because of a bad experience. I am not belittling any of the bad ones, it must be truly awful to go through. Maybe the choice of who you loan to could be looked into more intensly.
it also makes me sad, and mad(!) to read of the horse going on loan, and the owners ranting months and months down the line that horse is not being looked after properly, but they have only checked once or twice! at the most!! Not trying to put all of the onus on the owners, but surely its the owners responsibilty to check their horses to make sure its all ok?

 

[AshTay]

My first horse (5 years ago) started off as a loan (well, a share initially and then the owner asked if I wanted to full loan him as she was struggling with family and job commitments so I did) and went really well. I paid for everything but knew that she would help me out if I needed it but I never asked her for anything. He's mine now - she signed him over after about 3 years as she knew she couldn't have him back and knew how much I loved him and that he was in a forever home with me (he's 23 now).

I didn't know the owner before I started riding him - I met her through the wife of a colleague of my OH at a pub when I said I was looking for a horse to share in exchange for mucking out, etc. I'd always ridden and helped out with horses but never owned one and so I consulted with the owner on things to begin with and he stayed on same yard so her friends still on the yard could oversee us. But then we had to move, and moved a couple of times for various reasons, and the owner was always supportive and came to see him settle in. Even afer he became mine and then trashed his tendon she still came along to the vets with us to look at the scans. He's now retired.

Now she actually shares my new mare with me as the family and job commitments that led to her having to loan the old boy to me 5 years ago have eased off. It's lovely having her involved again with my mare and "our" old man!

 

[AshTay]

I think that if I had to loan any of mine out I'd only loan them out to people I knew or friend's of friends who came recommended and they would have to be within a reasonable distance for me to be able to go and visit - which would be fairly frequently to begin with and then maybe every month. Although I never had a contract (well, we did a very brief "pony belongs to X and is on loan to Y" contract for the insurance company), I would definitely have one now having heard of so many bad experiences.

 

[niagaraduval]

I have the most WONDERFUL loanee ever ! My horse and I both adore her, There are good loaners out there !

 

[dooble]

What happened to the post the other day about someone not getting their passport and rugs back? I can't find the post, just wondered what the outcome was

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

I agree! My TB is on long term/permanent loan to me and I treat her as I would my own horse. I have spent thousands on saddles (custom too!!) searching for the perfect one for her as the saddle she came with did not fit. She always gets the best, the judges remark at shows how in excellent condition she is for her age (she is 15 now but I got her when she was 13). I research feed to make sure I am giving her the best, gets regular jabs, worming, teeth done, back lady out occasionally (they always say that there is not much that needs doing). Her owner doesn't come very often to visit as she is busy with work, etc but she is always welcome to visit, I've got nothing to hide as Hattie is treated well and in excellent condition. I also send her regular updates with photos too (am due for another update as we have gone to a few shows).

I think the loanees who turn out bad, would be bad owners as well.

 

[jsr]

I had 2 loan horses before I bought my own, 1 I adored and would have bought when the chance arose except for them wanting more for him than I could afford and the 2nd they signed over to me as a 'gift' 6 years ago and who himself is now on loan to a wonderful family who love and care for him as I would (well better actually as they have 100's acres and millons in the bank...which I certainly don't have!!!). I didn't keep him myself as he wasn't the right horse for me (too quiet) but the home he has now is for life and I know he's extreamly well looked after and happy.

I recently loaned out my TB to a 16 year old girl which people told me was madness, they said she was too young the horse too much and it would never work!! How wrong they are a team made in heaven, she has recently bought her off me but I still get regular updates and photo's and she's being treated like the princess she is!!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

The horses I've loaned have been treated better than my own simply because they weren't mine. Also felt I wanted to hand them back better than how they came to me and that if they were sold on, they had a good chance of finding a home because they were easy and straight forward.

 

[Hedwards]

I've loned twice, the first went absolutely fine, took the horse to my yard, got him fit, doing dressage (he'd never done it before) and he look in fantastic condition with me - his owner was really pleased, she decided to sell him and asked me to have him - I knew in my heart he wasnt the horse for me - he didnt really have a 'nice' character, so I declined, but was all very amicable, and i helped her wherever i could.

Connie I have now, came to me in fairly terrible condition, with some tlc and a lot of work she was fit as a fiddle, sadly went down with concussive lami, which i nursed her (and paid) her through, she's back in work now, and looks as good as ever (Spillers nutritionist came out last week, scored her as a perfect 5 and said not to change a thing! - was incredibly pleased) - However - Connie's owner has been AWOL since the day i took her home almost 2 years to the day - and i have since found out (only anecdotally) that the 15-20 or so other ponies she had (but we had previously understood she had re-homed) have been siezed by the RSPCA in February this year - I'm now in the process of trying to find the investigating RSPCA officer to see what needs to happen for Connie...I am keeping everything crossed they'll just sign her over to me. so it can go wrong both ways - although in this circumstance it was the best thing that could have happened to Connie.

 

[jaspejoo]

I am also a nice loaner! I own my pony galaxy and loan harry from a friend as a bit of a project over the summer and i would never try and sell him on or any of his stuff and I would never ever miss treat him just because he is no my own!

 

[Foxymumma]

A fab thread, I have been a loanee and a loaner! (lol!) I am so incredibly grateful to those who have entrusted their prized and much loved horses and ponies to me over the years as I am for those who have loaned a horse from me and given the upmost concern and consideration for my horses whilst in their care, I have only ever treated any horse put in my care with the love and respect that they deserve as I do with my own horses, however, yes Ive heard of the bad stuff, people who have their horses returned completely lame/half starved/destroyed/a shadow of their formal self, but cant help but feel that this is a fault on both the owners and the loanees part, the owner has every right to check on their horse/know what is being done with it/how it is being cared for/be in contact with the livery yard owner/get references from vets etc/and check out the yard that the horse is being moved to, some owners just dont bother and seem to not even care about what you are potentially doing to their horse (I know as ive been on the loanee side of things) as a loanee I much prefer to be on the receiving end of a third degree from an owner as it proves how much they truly care about their horses, and can make loaning a horse that much a happier experience, as others have said in this thread there are always two sides to a coin, and will always be good and bad parts with any loan.

 

[benson21]

A fab thread, I have been a loanee and a loaner! (lol!) I am so incredibly grateful to those who have entrusted their prized and much loved horses and ponies to me over the years as I am for those who have loaned a horse from me and given the upmost concern and consideration for my horses whilst in their care, I have only ever treated any horse put in my care with the love and respect that they deserve as I do with my own horses, however, yes Ive heard of the bad stuff, people who have their horses returned completely lame/half starved/destroyed/a shadow of their formal self, but cant help but feel that this is a fault on both the owners and the loanees part, the owner has every right to check on their horse/know what is being done with it/how it is being cared for/be in contact with the livery yard owner/get references from vets etc/and check out the yard that the horse is being moved to, some owners just dont bother and seem to not even care about what you are potentially doing to their horse (I know as ive been on the loanee side of things) as a loanee I much prefer to be on the receiving end of a third degree from an owner as it proves how much they truly care about their horses, and can make loaning a horse that much a happier experience, as others have said in this thread there are always two sides to a coin, and will always be good and bad parts with any loan.

My thoughts exactly! Yes things can go wrong, but surely not overnight! Maybe in the occasional case, but horses will not get emaciated in a few days, so surely then the onus is on the owner? Yes the loaners should be taking more care in these kind of cases, but if they are left to their own devices can they be the only ones to blame?

 

[Apercrumbie]

Completely agree. I love my loan horse just as much as my own and after 5 years I now consider him my own. His owner has made it very clear that she can't have him back so I can keep him until I no longer can. My aim is to keep him until he needs to be retired (he is 22 now) and then make a decision based on his quality of life. If I say so myself, I have looked after him very well and have never asked for any contribution at all, I pay for everything just as if he were mine. I know there are so many horror stories out there but I think most loanees are good, honest people who are more than capable of looking after horses.

 

[Samantha008]

AGREE!!!
My boy is a loan horse and unfortunatley im having to give him up due to my financiual circs, BUT,

His owner is so happy with the work ive been doing with him, shes looking in to paying to keep him at my yard so that i can continue to ride him and care for him. Even though it means a really long commute for her. If all loaners were bad there is no way shed be considering this

 

[Megibo]

my mare went to a loan home-became bolshy horrible etc and didn't like them at all. they were also novice who my pony is not suitable for but i had no say in the matter. anyway, she came home and soon returned to her normal self. purely because of how much my mare 'tests' new people i'd never loan her again or trust anyone to.

my mum's horse before she was sold was loaned to a really lovely couple who worked her everyday and let her do things she really loves she was there for a year and enjoyed herself before coming back. she was then sold on to novices through a dealer however she is kept at their instructors yard and the instructors work her everyday and again keep her interested so in both situations she had ended up happy. her novice owners have lessons on her and we can see how she is through facebook. they do seem to love her a lot.

so two sides to the same coin

 

[jadelovescassie]

I agree. I've had my mare on loan for the last 4 years now, and I know her owner trusts me completely, she's not been to see her very many times, but she can always see my posts and pics on facebook and trusts she is in good hands with me. I'll take it as a compliment that she never comes to visit! I think of her as mine really, but I'll contact the owner if there was a problem and it was necessary. I pay for everything and would never ever ever dream of treating her any different to any horse that was 'officially mine'. I'll hopefully be buying her when I can afford to and nothing will change when she is legally under my name!

It's sad that some awful people do give loaners a bad name, but there are a lot of good ones too!

 

[Kellys Heroes]

I'm a sharer (does that count??? ) but more of a loaner now as I see Kelly every day.
I've been really lucky as I started sharing my first pony 9 years ago and when I outgrew him, I was able to start sharing the girl's mum's horse who I still share now apparently, Kelly doesn't take easily to new people but I started to teach my bf to ride on my share horse (with permission!) I rode her occasionally and she started to take a liking to me.
They also have another horse who I am able to ride regularly and I also ride Kelly's daughter.
Her owner refuses any payment from me as I give her lifts to the yard and work, and will do both the horses if she has to work early. I buy feed when I can and other treats.
Kelly's been very poorly over the last 2 years and I'm still there every day for her
I'll stick with her through thick and thin and help out with whatever needs doing, whenever it needs doing, I'm so lucky in the respect that her owner is more a friend now.
K x

 

[ngrace]

I'm glad you started this thread!

It does make me sad when people say they will never loan again, there are so many good homes waiting, and I do see alot of stories on here when its clear the owner didnt vet the home enough, didnt go check on the horse, didnt do everything they could to make sure the horse was happy.

I think I have been a great loaner, and will always use the owner as a refernece if I want another loan in the future. Horse went back in as good as or in terms of his feet, better condition then he came after a winter with me. I did everything the way the owner wanted it done, checked with her about little things. She came up most weeks as she was local, and always said he was looking great. I gave her a months notice when giving him back, as in the contract. Replaced everything the horse broke that was hers.

So we are not all bad, I promise, just vet us carefully!