Sending away on loan?

noblesteed

noblesteed

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Hi all,
Due to my 2nd pregnancy I have advertised my horse for sale or loan. He's 13 and sound but I don't have my own land to turn him away as I would like to, as I am quite attached to him.
So far, 1 person wants him on loan to go to their farm for their 14 year-old girl to do PC (he's a horse)... 1 person down south, friend of a friend, who wants to maybe buy him after a trial... THe best has been a lady at my old yard who wants to send back her current full-loan horse as it's lame, and take my horse back to my old yard instead on loan-wvtb.

Any tips on how to vet these people and what questions to ask to work out whether they are sensible or not? He's laminitic so I don't want them handing him back if he gets laminitis again! I said on advert would prefer loan to stay at current yard but is this reasonable if I agree to pay for shoeing? My farrier thinks sending him away is a bad idea.

Surely someone who actually BUYS a horse will look after it better than someone who wants a freebie on loan????? So am I better breaking my own heart and selling him? Or am I just being cynical?
 
Have to be honest even as someone who loans I wouldn't send a horse away really because the risks of it going wrong and the horse going missing or being ill treated appear to be high. He's your horse and the right person will come along.
 
Well I did think sending away to a stranger seemed a bit harsh, I mean you wouldn't lend your car to a stranger to use as they please... So why are people expecting me to send him off to them when I don't know them from Adam? Are there just a lot of dreamers out there?
 
Lots of people loan, provided you check them out well first & where horse will be kept, have a good contract & visit regularly, I don't see any issue.
Farrier might have had good reason not to recommend moving him, but if you sell he'll move anyway, so no reason he can't move for a loan. Imo first one sounds the best, nothing wrong with a 14yr old loaning a horse. Second sounds too far. And third maybe just as happy to hand yours back next time its lame.
Tbh, I doubt I'd buy anything with laminitis. Maybe one that had it a few years back through bad management, & since then had been fine with relatively normal good management. But one that's had it recently like yours, sorry, I'd take it on loan but wouldn't buy it.
 
I loaned a decent competition horse to someone I classed as a good friend, had a contract, ensured they insured him - to cut a long story short the horse was injured and they wanted to bring him back straight away and cancel the insurance policy (he needed bone scans etc so was mid way through an expensive claim) :eek:. The whole thing was a complete nightmare and I would certainly never loan again. I think it can work but if someone loans your horse and something goes wrong with it a LOT of people will drop it like a hot brick immediately and leave you to pick up the pieces (such as the lady you mention who wants to send back her current loan horse and take yours). In our contract it stated the horse couldn't just be sent back but in reality who wants to enforce someone to keep your horse when they have made it clear they no longer have any interest in it? Hardly in the horses best interests. Have heard so many bad stories from loaning I would never have considered loaning to someone I didn't know, and now wouldn't loan at all. Of course it's not always that way, we leased out a pony many years ago for two years, they treated him like their own and he returned in tip top condition (we knew them well too) but my bad experience has definitely now put me off for life :eek:
 
I loan to someone who was a stranger when she replied to the ad. BUT she is only 15 mins down the road so I checked on him every 1 to 2 weeks for the first 3 months he was away. I wouldn't loan any further than say 30 mins, especially with a new baby on the way as you won't have the time to check on him.

Get him insured by you and keep the insurance while he is away BUT get the loaner to pay the premiums, firstly you know he is covered and if he comes back the cover will continue, secondly you will be involved in major vet decisions and thirdly if they pay monthy by DD you'll have some security they give a dam about him. I also make the loaner responsible for the excess on the insurance so they don't call the vet at the drop of a hat (or if they want to they pay for the pleasure)

To vet the people go round to their house for coffee, see whether you like them or not, have they had horses before, do they have other pets, how are they looked after? etc.
Visit where they intend to keep him, does it meet with your standards? doesn't have to be £1m estate but clean and tidy?
Get a copy of their passport (to prove they are who they say they are), get copy utilitiy bills that proves their address.

Keep his passport - no matter what they (or anyone else says) give them a photo copy that they can produce, if they are 30 mins away you can get the original to them pretty quickly if it did need checking for any reason (in 2 years the only time my loaner has needed mine was his vacs). I KNOW they are supposed to be with the horse BUT if you can produce it in a couple of hours I don't think any authority would have an issue

If they feel any of this is over the top - move on and look at someone else, like you say you wouldn't just hand over the keys to your car without checking someone out!!

And personally I disagree that selling is better, you'll never know what happens to him.
 
I suppose it's a case of finding the right person... I did take a mare on full loan that I had partloaned for several years. When she went lame I sorted out her op, vets bills and rehab - as soon as she was sound the owner took her back! So I can see both sides of the loaner's point of view.

Just had a lovely lady ring up offering to buy him, own land, home for life etc etc... Til I mentioned the dreaded lami... she wasn't interested at all!

Oh well... ho hum...
 
Not everyone loans because they can't afford to buy or will treat a horse any differently from one they own.We have loaned in the past,the owner visited my home and yard and we kept her up to date with everything we did with him.We had a loan agreement written up and kept to it to the letter,he had EMS so was on a strict diet,but not one polo passed his lips whilst in my care.He went back in a far fitter state than he arrived in and we are still good friends with his owner.

TBH I'd avoid the lady who sent the loan horse back due to lameness and try and restrict loaning him to 30 minutes drive away,and ask for references if possible.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
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