Positive loaning experiences? Lets hear em...

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emmaln

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Hi all, just been a bit saddened and shocked lately at all the terrible loan experiences people seem to be having so thought it would be good to even the score and hopefully rebuild some confidence in loaners and loanees alike! So here goes please post your positive experiences :-)
 
The lady who has took my boy on to loan is great, it started as a part loan then went to full. My boy needed a loads of schooling and she recently took him out and got a 2nd in dressage, even though he is on full she always contacts me regarding any changes however small. My boy seems really happy there and she seems to be great with him. I am really happy with my loaner
 
Yes Me!

We had my daughter's pony on full loan for 2 years before we bought him. The owners were great. We looked after him brilliantly and he was absolutely great for my daughter.

His origional owners had loaned him as thier daughter was onto horses but he was too much a family pet to be sold. Then GCSEs hit for them and thier daughter gave up. At about the same time the loan was coming up (it was annual) and we were starting to think about giving him back in a few months and moving on to something a bit more scopey when my totally unhorsey husband came back from the yard almost in tears saying he couln't give the pony up. (I thought it was going to be me doing that - cue moral high ground....)

I called the owners and they agreed to sell to us. Ned has a home for life but we will loan him on, probably by the end of the year, as my daughter really needs something more. But he is our beloved pet too. Loaning can work. Contracts help!
 
I was lucky enough to have many horses/ponies on loan/share throughout my life and feel very privileged that the owners felt confident enough in me to put their animals in my care, i have remained close friends with lots of the owners and am a better rider and horse owner because of them and their horses! My brother has just been lucky enough to get his first horse on permanent loan from the RDA and he is already smitten with her, she will recieve the best possible care, for a long as She's with us, hopefully for the rest of her life! :-)
 
I loan a horse from a member on here and it has worked out really well. So well in fact that I am going to buy the horse.

I've always had positive loaning experiences, all my pony club ponies when I was growing up were on loan. We also sucessfully shared our old horse in the past and made lifetime friends with the sharers.

I think for loaning to work, it has to be with someone that you get a natural connection with and also it helps if both parties have a similar way of thinking in regards to horse welfare and riding. It boils down to common sense and being honest and trustworthy in the end. You have to stick to your side of the bargain and then everyone knows where they stand and are happy.
 
I have had a good experience, I had Mystic on loan for a year and brought him a month ago :) Didn't hear from his owner much while he was on loan to me as she didn't want to seem like she was interferering, I didn't mind either way, she knew how he was and how we were getting on as she knows my instructor through pony club. Her Son outgrew him and stopped riding so she no longer had any use for him and her girls have their own so she wanted to sell him to the right person for him to release her responsibility.
We are still going to keep in contact so i can let her know how he is every now and then and send pics as she said she would like that. :)
 
I've had 3 horses on loan and they have all been positive experiences on the whole.
I got the first by accident - he belonged to someone who ran a livery yard. She didn't ride him much anymore as she had other horses but he was her first horse and she didn't want to ever sell him. He was kind of the spare ride we could all borrow. When the lease on her yard was up the property owner didn't renew it as he wanted to set up his own business. As my friend then had to pay livery, she had to reduce the number of horses so I took Toby on loan.
It was a fabulous arrangement - I had helped out with horses for years but never had one of my own so it was a learning experience. She left the day to day care totally to me, never interfered but always offered help and advice if I asked. We had no written agreement (which should be a big no, no) but talked to each other about any concerns.
He was a cracking little horse and I won my first show jumping class on him (the dizzy heights of 2'6!), did my first hunter trial and my first day's hunting.
I had him for nearly 2 years, by which time he was 21 and wanted to slow down a bit while I wanted to progress. We ended the loan through mutual agreement and with a decent amount of notice. He went on loan to a family where the mum could use him for ride and lead. He is now semi-retired at the age of 29 and living a life of luxury with them.

The owner and I are still friends although I have my own horse and am on another yard now.

So loans really can work!
 
I have a really good loan home for my old show pony mare (24). They totally adore her and have had her for 4 years now. She is totally mollicoddled,i am over the moon. I put her on permanent loan to them after a year. She's only a half hour drive away and i can pop down whenever,usually once every 6 months.

I have a companion on loan,had her 2 years. I'm not sure I like being the other side of the fence actually,having a pony in my care that does not belong to me! I have got terribly attatched though. You always worry about them a little bit more than your own I think,even though the owner never comes to visit. She is a fine riding pony type and I was told she's always lived out,but tbh this harsh winter has pulled her down a little too much in my opinion,so it will be her last winter out whilst in my care. She had a bout of seedy toe last year that she is still recovering from also. She gets weatherbeat also quite badly,no matter how well rugged. In fact,the little dear gets everything under the sun....and I'm always paranoid that owner will turn up and not be happy! It's a bit of a vicious cycle for me....I swing from 'i really ought to send her home',to 'i can't send her home with that crack in her hoof etc....'.
 
All of my experiences have been positive. I put my Sec D out on loan a few years ago to a fabulous family; I really couldn't have asked for better loaners. I visited him fairly regularly to begin with but then didn't see the need to go often because he was so well looked after. They wouldn't change a tiny thing in his management without calling me first to check and even called to see whether it would be ok for the daughter's riding instructor to have a sit on him occasionally. I only ever had one issue with them (or with him whilst they had him on loan) and they were perfectly reasonable. I had some concerns over his weight, we discussed it and they dealt with it immediately, even calling/emailing me once a week to let me know how much he'd lost on the weigh tape. They bought him after nearly 2 years on loan and have owned him for about a year now.

I've had 2 horses on loan myself, a mare for a year (which was an ok experience, neither bad nor great) and have my current horse on loan too. I've had him for 2 years this August and rarely hear from the owners. I look after him as though he is mine and AFAIK they will never want him back. I only hear from them if I've contacted them with a question and they rarely reply to emails with pics in now. They've never visited him since we moved from their local area (about 2 months after the loan started) but we do very occasionally speak on the phone so I know they're still around!

Loaning isn't all bad, you just have to find the right people for your horse. Always go with gut feeling. I had a bad experience with my Sec D initially as the first loaners were a nightmare, but I ignored my gut feeling and it all went wrong. Thankfully horse came back within a month and then went out to second family, who I had the right gut feeling about.
 
Two positive experiences for me:
Firstly my first horse, (a complete loon!!) I had on loan for a year before buying her. All worked out perfect.

Secondly my current mare I loaned out whilst I was pregnant, would never have sold her but couldn't ride and expenses would have been too tight to keep her at home on SMP!!! So I found a lovely home for her for 18 months, I could go up and see her when I wanted, her training was maintained and she was well looked after.

She also helped the lady gain confidence and get her going in dressage so a win win situation.

I put an ad on a local website, I got about 10 plus calls, the vast majority just on the phone I knew weren't suitable, but this one sounded perfect, they were the only people I allowed to come and view, and I don't regret it at all.

So there are happy stories out there.
 
My old chap Gulliver (not that old really he's only 19 now) went out on loan to a HHOer as a companion 2 years ago. She is wonderful he is out 24/7 with her big chap who cant stand being left on his own. They have 18 acres to play in I pay his insurance and hoof trimming and she does everything else although I did upgrade his turnout rug when we discovered his old one had been shrunk at the cleaners.

He had a dreadful accident in the field the 18 months ago and stripped all the flesh of his hind leg panicking and jumping a wall when a hot air ballon wooped to low.

She did wonders with the repair job brought him in stabled him borrowed a friends horse to keep hers company.

So now two years down the line I have given her my tack as she rides him occassionally as he is pootling sound. Everyone at the farm worships the ground he walks on as I always did she has a friend who loves him to bits and spends a lot of time with him so this year instead of renewing the loan agreement I am signing him over as he is so happy there and she is probably a better owner than I was.

I can go and see him whenever I want I dont need to phone I just turn up.

She regularly sends me photos of him from the field :

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And this one was to show me his condition unrugged.

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And here he is when we used to have fun.

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I got mine through a chance conversation. I had her for a year and when she came up for sale we bought her. I have never regretted it and my oh has her now as she doesnt travel well and I wanted to get out to the riding club.

OH leant to ride on her and it means we can go out riding together and she has a quite home with no children as she isnt keen on noisy kids
 
I also got two shetlands on loan to keep her company but within 3 months I was asked if I wanted to keep them. OH wasnt so keen but 5 years later we wouldnt be without them
 
Yeah, I was lucky too.

Found a great woman to take my girly (albeit I have been able to get her back now).
They loved her to bits, she was spolied rotten - they stuck with her through a couple of bad patches, got the vet at the right times.
I couldn't have faulted them, they did everything right. We got on brilliantly, were in really regular contact and have become quite good friends actually.
Have got my horse back now, none the worse for having been away and feel like I have made a good friend through the experience and will be keeping in touch with them.

So it's not all bad!:)
 
When I was at school I part loaned my old showjumping pony, looking after and riding him 4 days a week. He taught me more about horses and riding than any amount of lessons, I loaned him for 3 years I think. Only stopped as he moved too far away.

Then started loaning Dibbs, who became mine after 6 months. 4 years later I still have him :)

I always treated my loan pony and Dibbs as I would my own, always turned up when I said I would and did all jobs I said I would. Even when the pony was lame I continued to muck out and groom him. I think good, regular communication between the loaner and owner is the key.
 
I have the most amazing loan home for one of my ponies in fact it is ''the watcher'' from this forum.I had to find a home for Emerald when I was very ill, and the home was found for me, so I'm extremely lucky, she is brilliantly looked after and I can see her whenever I want to, I have also allowed her new home to breed from her so a win win situation.
 
I'm currently loaning my horse, and was part loaning him before that. It's been a very positive experience (I hope his owner feels the same!) - He gets treated as if he were mine :) His owner is really easy going, which suits me, but I'd also be happy for her to be more involved if she wanted.
 
I had Blaze on a part loan for 18 months. When I first took him on, he was a stroppy, very green 5year old who only knew walk and trot under saddle. I'd go up 3 or 4 times a week to ride him, clear the field, muck out (if he'd been in as he mainly lived out) and basically to have fun. I taught him to hack out in company and on his own, jump 3ft 5 (eventually) and to work more forward going. I gave him up in march this year as I felt I couldn't do much more with him as he was only 14.2hh and didn't have the attitude to compete as much as I did (threw the toys out the pram at every opportunity at shows). He is now ridden by his owners daughter and just enjoying life. We still keep in touch and I'll pop over now and again to see him.
I enjoyed the loan and he taught me alot but I wouldn't have had him any other way
 
I've loaned 3 horses and had 3 positive experiences ! :)

First horse was from an equine college. Broken in at 8 and schooled there for a year which was a bit unfair on her. I had her for summer loan only but used her for hacking as she had NEVER been on a hack before. She was lovely and her owner was so pleased with what I had achieved with her as it allowed her to start going out cubbing in the autumn.

2nd horse was the stroppiest, nappiest, nastiest mare I have ever met. Took her on loan as I had a stable but no horse. And the owner's yard was closing down and she had yet to find somewhere. So I took her on as the owner was scared of her. She became the best horse to hack out. Took her to a few shows, swam in the sea etc. The owner could not believe what i had achieved with her.

3rd horse was a 5 year old, been broken in and hacked out a few times. I have no school so started hacking him 5-6 days a week. The owner was so pleased with how it helped him to mature a lot. And without a school or dry fields to practice in, we got placed in our first dressage :) The owner was so happy.

I have only had positive experiences with loaning, so now hopefully I have some awesome references to give should I wish to loan again :) I treat the horses as if they were my own and cover all costs. Thing is as I have been at uni, I have only been able to take on short term loans and it is a bit heart breaking for me. So now looking to buy my own :)

All of the horses I have been offered to buy for reduced amounts at the end of the loan agreement, but education has prevented me :(
 
Well, my first pony when I was 10 was on loan and we also sort of sub-loaned him to my friend although he was still at our field and still in our care she just hacked out and stuff with me when i got my 2nd pony who was a bit bigger and more competitive a sort.

I also had a jumping pony on loan which was great although it didn't end on good terms - not me, the owner who evidently had no clue about her own pony when she took him back after we said we couldn't/wouldn't buy him for what she wanted and, as she was moving down south, after 6 mths of the loan she took him with her. i do wish now we'd bought him but hey ho, you live and learn. I also loaned out my slightly crazy 14.2hh pony on 2 separate occasions, once to a novicey girl (I must have been mad) and another time to a more competitive PC girl. Both absolutely loved him - I think as they were younger they ignored his erratic behaviour.

We also took an ex racer on short loan as he' been mistreated (starved) in a loan home cos he was too lively. We had him for some R&R and then his owner put him on loan again. Same thing happened with those loaners and he went back - his owner was going to have him PTS as she had nowhere to keep him and no finances to have him put on livery and at 19 he wasn't the easiest to find a home for. My mum heard of her plans and said we'd have him back. 7 years later he's still going strong!! It's nice to know we've given him a 7 year extension to his life. He's not really ridden although we have done and he's perfectly rideable (and bombproof) but we don't really have the time - plus even though he's 26 he seems to have forgotten that and still lieks to jog and yank his head!!
 
The only experience I have is with having my second pony on long-term loan, we ended up buying him when offered and I had him 10 years so it turned out pretty well! I wouldn't loan out a horse I'm afraid, too risky. Only time Id consider it would be to a friend etc.
 
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