Questions to ask a potential loaner

[zola89]

Hi I’m looking to loan out my horse soon which I’ve never done before so looking for some suggestions as to what to ask potential loaners. She’s not a novice ride so want to make sure I’m not wasting anyone’s time and also not wasting my own!

 

[zola89]

Also is it reasonable to ask for a person's height and weight?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I have seen some ads that state a maximum rider weight and that always seemed reasonable to me.

 

[splashgirl45]

confirm they are over 18 and have they any personal insurance, state a maximum weight you are prepared to accept, i wouldnt ask them how much they weigh or height, if you get as far as them trying horse you can see if they are too heavy
experience and level of riding
have they owned or loaned before
if you want them to do jobs, do they know how to muck out , clean tack, poo pick etc
what would they like to do with your horse, is it staying at your yard, if not where will it be kept and can you speak to YO for a reference.. and will it get turn out, of so how much

 

[Cowpony]

confirm they are over 18 and have they any personal insurance, state a maximum weight you are prepared to accept, i wouldnt ask them how much they weigh or height, if you get as far as them trying horse you can see if they are too heavy
experience and level of riding
have they owned or loaned before
if you want them to do jobs, do they know how to muck out , clean tack, poo pick etc
what would they like to do with your horse, is it staying at your yard, if not where will it be kept and can you speak to YO for a reference.. and will it get turn out, of so how much

To me that would be a share, not a loan. Loaning in my view means that the loaner takes full charge of the horse, moves it to their yard etc. If this is what you mean OP I'd be asking a whole lot of questions about experience, what the yard is like, what the loaner wants to do with the horse etc.

 

[zola89]

To me that would be a share, not a loan. Loaning in my view means that the loaner takes full charge of the horse, moves it to their yard etc. If this is what you mean OP I'd be asking a whole lot of questions about experience, what the yard is like, what the loaner wants to do with the horse etc.

It will most likely be a part loan / share.

 

[Peter7917]

I don't think in theory you need to ask much. Give them a call and ask them to tell you a bit about themselves and their prior horse experience. Then you can wean out the 'I can walk, trot and canter' ones.

 

[Cowpony]

Definitely ask about riding ability then, and don't feel embarrassed to demand that you see them ride before you say yes. When I started sharing my horse with somebody I didn't know well I asked her to have a lesson with my instructor, because I knew she would let me know if she wasn't happy about anything. And set out the chores and/or payment required right at the start.

Will the sharer want to compete? I let my current sharer compete my horse, but it's on a request basis and if I feel the ground is going to be too hard etc I do say no. She's very sensible though so we've never had any problems. It's also good to discuss the frequency and level of competing - one person's "low level" jumping is another's huge track!

Does she have transport to get to the yard? What are her working hours? What other commitments does she have? You don't want somebody committing to doing evenings and then find they don't turn up because they had to stay late at work and then the bus didn't arrive....or mornings and then find she was called in early to work.

Basically ask anything which could be a deal-breaker for you, and know what you'd be prepared to compromise/be flexible on.

 

[Tilly-123]

I don't think it is a problem to ask someone for their height and weight because all horses have a maximum load they can carry. If you don't want to ask them for their height or weight maybe add a maximum weight in your description of what you are looking for. The thing that really helped me was meeting them in person - this is especially useful if you are going to be sharing as you have to work out times with them so getting along is key. When you meet them in person I also suggest you let them ride your horse with you watching and see how they get on. When I was looking for a sharer I had one woman who said she was a very experienced rider but when I saw her ride she cantered on the wrong lead without noticing so always better to check! Also if you are sharing with them check that the days and times they can ride actually suit you.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’d say listen to your gut. I was desperate to loan one once who was returned from a forever home and although I was hesitant the lady who came loved him and was really keen. She rode him at his very worst, so I figured she’d be fine usually! (I’d never seen him behave that badly!)
So agreed to a months trial. I had to pick him up after 2 weeks as she’d gone against my “do not keep him near mares” rule and surrounded him by 3 on all sides! She couldn’t even get him out of the field. In hindsight I really wished I’d gone with instinct which told me she was a bit too wishy washy and said no. I kept him after that 😳

 

[meleeka]

I’d say listen to your gut. I was desperate to loan one once who was returned from a forever home and although I was hesitant the lady who came loved him and was really keen. She rode him at his very worst, so I figured she’d be fine usually! (I’d never seen him behave that badly!)
So agreed to a months trial. I had to pick him up after 2 weeks as she’d gone against my “do not keep him near mares” rule and surrounded him by 3 on all sides! She couldn’t even get him out of the field. In hindsight I really wished I’d gone with instinct which told me she was a bit too wishy washy and said no. I kept him after that 😳

I agree. Go with your gut. I’m wishing I’d listened to mine when loaning

 

[Annagain]

I've had a few sharers over the years. Believe me, when you meet them you'll know. One, I knew the second I met her, wouldn't work. I let her ride just out of politeness more than anything but when she couldn't stop him in the school and turned him at the 3'6" fence around the arena at its most open part with a huge field behind it (rather than the end with haylage bales up against the fence or, even better, the barn wall) I told her it wasn't going to work. She was adamant it was all fine, she wasn't bothered by it and wanted to carry on. I had visions of him sailing over it and legging it. I couldn't really understand how she was finding it so difficult to stop him or why she couldn't see the danger in what she did! On the flip side, his current sharer is very novicey but they just clicked straight away and he really looks after her. He's a bit more sensible now at 23 but not much!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

BHS Website has some draft loan agreements which you could have a look at to give you some sort of starting point for writing down your list of questions.

Having been both a loaner and a loanee, the keywords for any loan are transparency, honesty, and responsibility.

I would be asking them exactly what sort of riding they have done and on exactly what sort of horses. I would want to know where they have ridden and who the owner was, and would be checking up to see if it is correct. If they can't deal with that, then tough!

I would also want to know how they would cope for e.g. if they arrive at the field and the horse has an injury. How would they cope? What would they do? Would they panic? Or would they call you the owner and/or the vet? Ask them if they've dealt with a horsey-crisis situation before, and what they did about it. Again check if you can!

Ask them what they would do if they encounter a behavioural problem with a horse: how have they dealt with this in the past? Are they the sort that gets out the whip & spurs at the first sign of a problem? Or would they stop and think the thing through and perhaps investigate a pain problem, or contact you the owner to ask you whether horse has done this before.........

I would also expect them, as a matter of course, to have BHS Gold membership or the equivalent, to always without fail wear hi-viz on the road, and how many times a day would they go to see to the horse.

I would also want to know where the horse is to be kept, who the YO/YM is, and what sort of horses is your horse likely to be turned out with (i.e. any kickers or biters). I personally would go and inspect the premises and make sure you're happy. Also you need to ask them who will be financing the loan? i.e. mummy? or are they working and able to afford good livery themselves? I had a numpty girl who had my old boy on loan; she took him to a yard and basically was totally naive, just didn't realise how much it would cost her; within 5 weeks of the commencement of the loan the YO contacted me and said that she'd not paid a penny towards livery from day one!! Then he expected ME to fork out for it, including shoes and feed (even though the horse was being used in his riding school!)............. so be careful!!

Ideally with a loan you need to have a "mutual friend" somewhere along the line; not that this is a total safeguard, as the "friend" might not be what you perceive them to be, but it at least is a start.

Oh and have it written into the loan agreement that you retain the right to visit the horse at ANY TIME and have to remove the horse IMMEDIATELY if the terms of the loan agreement are not adhered to. With my old boy, it wasn't just the non-payment issue, it was the fact that the Yard had blatently ignored my stipulation that he must have his sweet itch rug on at all times, they'd put him out on a particularly warm autumn weekend, and he'd rubbed himself raw! The YO was a total knob who then started kicking off about the horse having been sent in that condition to his yard and shouldn't have been; I then got out my mobile and dialled my vet's number, inviting the YO to speak to him. He declined, and shut up. But you need to have these two clauses in there, as well as the "Euthanasia Clause" which, awful as it is, has to be thought about, which basically is a form of words to the effect that if your horse for whatever reason is considered to be beyond help and must be PTS, you are authorising the attending vet to do this without you being present; this would be after all reasonable attempts to contact you have failed.

 

[ozpoz]

Height and weight is a good starting point. They must fit the horse and saddle. Then experience, and current fitness before arranging to meet up to discuss further.

 

[Littlefloof]

If you have lessons, why not ask your trainer if they know of someone suitable who is looking for a share? That way you'll know a bit about the individual, their attitude to training and welfare, and have a rough idea of their size, before you even speak to them.