Should i give this loan horse back???

Think it's a bit lame of the owner to not accept him back sooner as it's only four days over the initial trial period. However, if she's given up his stables or whatever, then it may take her time to get it together again to take him back. But if you're okay keeping him for the time being, then who's to argue?

Sorry it's not worked out but you will find something that is suitable. Just keep at it. ;)
 
I feel for you, I've been in just this position. We had a pony on loan when my son was growing fast so we didn't want to buy something that would be outgrown really quickly. We were told she had never been lame, but she went lame with a tendon problem 2 weeks after we got her. At first I thought it was just bad luck & carried on with the box rest & vet bills for 3 months (she was 17 so veteran insurance). Son had to borrow a pony for his 1st PC camp & it turned out one of the instructors was a former owner. She had sold her several years previously to a home that had decided to hunt her even though she had really fine legs & the hunting is mostly over plough around here. She had had tendon problems from that time on, so she went back. Next loan turned out to be a lot older than it was meant to be (age was wrong in passport & I do believe the owners hadn't realised his true age) & had to be pts after 3 months due to liver failure. I swore that if I was ever tempted to have a horse on loan again I would have a 5 star vetting & if the owner wasn't happy with that, walk away. It was a lesson hard learnt through expense & heart ache but it would be a lot cheaper than the bills I paid out on either of these loans let alone the upset.
 
Sorry it's bad news, I do suspect the owner knows there is a problem and was just hoping you would fall in love with him and pay for her problem!

You are doing the right thing sending him back, and good on you for sticking to the 4 weeks notice period, that shows to me you have some integrity. Give the owner notice asap.
 
I had a similar problem on my 2nd loan horse, a TB mare. The "owner" (or how I found out was actually a dealer who should have also known better as they also run a livery stable and do PC stuff) said that she was a bit foot sore as the farrier had just taken off her shoes and that the farrier said that "she would be fine in two weeks". The owner said that if I wanted her, I could have her for £500 as they "only wanted her to go to a good home".

She came to me bony and with feet in dire need of a trim. I had her a bit over a month and spent a fortune in feeds to fatten her up, spent hours handling her from the ground (she wouldn't have her feet picked up, even though she was about 10). She reacted violently to being wormed but I managed to get her to accept the Equimax tablets.

My farrier came to trim her after the two weeks as the owner told me to do and he looked grim. He didn't even charge me as said her feet were more trouble than it was worth.
I had one lesson on her a couple of days later and my instructor told me to send her back as with her bad conformation and with me putting condition on her, she would react violently to being in pain in the back (she had a VERY long and dipped back) and in the feet. She was lame with my only riding 10 minutes at a walk in my lesson on soft footing.

So I had this lovely looking horse that I got fattened up with a lovely shiny coat and trained her to have manners that was absolutely useless to me except as a field ornament. The owner knew beforehand that I wanted to hack, doing local dressage and side saddle stuff with her but neglected to tell me her previous history of bolting across busy roads with their sister, bolting off with her previous loaner (who returned her after a short period as well) and always being foot sore. I reckon the bolting was caused by being in pain all the time. Apparently this horse had a reputation for bolting and always being lame. I only found this out after the owner took her back and I had people come up to me saying how they couldn't believe when they found out I was taking on this horse. She was field sound only. Yeah, "thanks" people for telling me all this afterwards!!

So it's not always the person who gets a horse on loan's fault when things go wrong. Sometimes the owners are just plain dishonest like the one I dealt with. I did all I could for that horse and in the end, the owner still came out on top as they got back a horse in good condition and with manners (they were surprised when I said that I had wormed her!)!
 
sidesaddlegirl said:
I had a similar problem on my 2nd loan horse, a TB mare. The "owner" (or how I found out was actually a dealer who should have also known better as they also run a livery stable and do PC stuff) said that she was a bit foot sore as the farrier had just taken off her shoes and that the farrier said that "she would be fine in two weeks". The owner said that if I wanted her, I could have her for £500 as they "only wanted her to go to a good home".

She came to me bony and with feet in dire need of a trim. I had her a bit over a month and spent a fortune in feeds to fatten her up, spent hours handling her from the ground (she wouldn't have her feet picked up, even though she was about 10). She reacted violently to being wormed but I managed to get her to accept the Equimax tablets.

My farrier came to trim her after the two weeks as the owner told me to do and he looked grim. He didn't even charge me as said her feet were more trouble than it was worth.
I had one lesson on her a couple of days later and my instructor told me to send her back as with her bad conformation and with me putting condition on her, she would react violently to being in pain in the back (she had a VERY long and dipped back) and in the feet. She was lame with my only riding 10 minutes at a walk in my lesson on soft footing.

So I had this lovely looking horse that I got fattened up with a lovely shiny coat and trained her to have manners that was absolutely useless to me except as a field ornament. The owner knew beforehand that I wanted to hack, doing local dressage and side saddle stuff with her but neglected to tell me her previous history of bolting across busy roads with their sister, bolting off with her previous loaner (who returned her after a short period as well) and always being foot sore. I reckon the bolting was caused by being in pain all the time. Apparently this horse had a reputation for bolting and always being lame. I only found this out after the owner took her back and I had people come up to me saying how they couldn't believe when they found out I was taking on this horse. She was field sound only. Yeah, "thanks" people for telling me all this afterwards!!

So it's not always the person who gets a horse on loan's fault when things go wrong. Sometimes the owners are just plain dishonest like the one I dealt with. I did all I could for that horse and in the end, the owner still came out on top as they got back a horse in good condition and with manners (they were surprised when I said that I had wormed her!)!
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Gosh, what a horrible experience. Not just you - but seems there are lots of bad experiences for others too. I guess I'm just lucky...

But even so, sometimes it's not *any*one's fault. As we all know, sometimes horses go lame thru no fault of anyone - just one of those things. My loan horse wasn't lame before and I didn't DO anything to make him lame - it was just something that was going to happen regardless. And it's sorted now so no big deal. But it's really frustrating for the OP who was hoping that this lovely horse was giong to be something he just cannot be. :(
 
My instructor told me that day that too many people go into loaning and feel that they have to be "grateful" for anything (her words) and to approach it as if you were actually handing money over (which in a sense you will be as you are the one that will be footing all the bills).

I took her advice and got Hattie on loan which is the best horse I have ever ridden and even got us my first place in my first side saddle equitation show (she had never done it before either!). Yes, I've had some £££ vet bills with her as, yup, horses, can go lame but at least her owner was truthful with me beforehand with what she wanted to do and what not to do (side saddle was fine and Hattie's owner even came to see us in our first dressage together aside!). I think *some* owners just want to pass the buck so you have to becareful just like you were buying.
 
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What a shame he looks a lovely sort. Hope they don't try palming him off again, the next person might not be so kind as you have been to him. :(
 
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