Taking a horse on full loan - what do I need to consider?

kc100

kc100

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My ongoing horse saga continues.....to cut a long story short, I have been sharing my 13 year old IDXTB for 4 months, on Monday his owner sold him, he left Tuesday but was back by Wednesday lunch time! Not quite sure what happened at his new home but he reacted very badly, got very stressed and the new owner sent him back. He is home again and settled in, happy once more!

However I am now in a bit of a dilemma - I think his owner is obviously worried about trying to sell him again, so she has offered him to me on full loan. I did ask her twice before she sold him if I could have him on full loan but she declined and sold him. Hence why I am now feeling a bit used, she obviously wants to sell him but that failed so she is going to dump him on me, the back up option.

Now dont get me wrong, I love this horse to bits and he is a total superstar. We get on so well and I know he is happy with me, and I have a very strong attachment to him so I dont really want to let him go. However he does have arthritis in his hocks, limiting his jumping to 2"6 so we mostly focus on dressage, and I'm looking to compete hopefully next year. Although one issue is I dont have transport for him and neither does his owner, and he doesnt really hack alone either as he gets a bit spooky.

So first question - should I even bother to take him on full loan knowing I'm second best? I will worry that she might sell him from under me at any time, because I know her true intention is to sell him. Also, I am wondering if she thinks that if I loan him for a while eventually I will want to buy him, and that is not the case, as much as I love this horse I will never buy him because of his arthritis - if I were to buy my first horse I wouldnt want any major health issues like this because he is only going to get worse and become an expensive pet. I dont have the money either to buy him, and this situtation isnt likely to change in the next year or so.

If I do go down the full loan route - what do I need to consider? What do I need to agree with the owner upfront? What should I be wary of?

To make matters more complicated I have seen another horse for share twice now, before I knew my current share was coming back from his new home! I really like his owner, he is a TB (ex racer) and a lovely little thing, 10 years old, 15.3hh and no health issues, no vices. She keeps him full livery so I wouldnt have to do the chores that I do now (even though I dont mind doing them) and I would pay less each month than I do for my current share (only £10 less mind you!). This new share horse's owner is also planning on getting some transport next year (she has a 2nd horse) so we would have transport for competitions (and I wouldnt be limited to dressage like I am with current horse), and she has no plans to ever sell her horse either so there is no worry of that happening again!

Sorry for the long ramblings, it has been a rollercoaster of a week and I'm really not sure what is the best thing to do!
 
It sounds like the owner wants you to pay for everything (full loan!) while she looks for another buyer.

I would go and look at the other horse that is for share and then have a good think!
 
My main concern would be that the owner would change her mind down the line and try and sell him from under you. All loan contracts would have a clause for an owner to take a horse back with one months notice, even if you think you have him for a set and agreed period of time. That scenario is always a risk, and something you have to accept if loaning, but with you I think that risk is heightened.

My second concern for you would be liability for veterinary costs. Arthritis can take a bit of management and can cost a bit of money - which while fine if it is your horse, or if you are guarenteed this horse long term - what if you invest £100's into keeping this horse sound and happy and he is whipped out from under you? It's not as if he is a mega schoolmaster or anything (not meant in a disrespectful way).

If I were you I would consider trying the other horse you mention.
 
Essentially with a full loan you need to considere everything tht you would for purchase bar the purchase price. Vets fee's , insurance, livery, feed etc etc etc. It sounds like a bum deal to me and she is using you. If you do want to go ahead with the loan I would arrange something regarding vets fees for a pre-existing condition like the arthritis.
 
To be honest this horse does not sound the right horse for you if you want to do dressage and showjumping. Arthritis will not get better and jumping and doing dressage with this horse will not do it any good. I would also suggest that you need a horse that will hack out safely by itself.
I would spend some time finding the right horse for yourself - there will be one out there.
 
If I were you I would go and share the other horse. If you have the time and inclination I'd say to owner of current share horse that you might still look after/exercise him for her a couple of days a week (again, IF you have the time and inclination) until she manages to sell him but will not be contributing financially anymore. I would also help her as much as you possibly can to find her agood home for him.

It sounds as though she does just want you to pay for him and take him off her hands probably until the spring when she will advertise him again!

Sometimes in life you have to think of yourself and I think this other horse may be a better opportunity for you long-term.
 
Difficult decision I know, but I think you should walk away from your share horse now. The longer it goes on the harder it will be to let him go which sounds like it will happen eventually either way.

I got my first share horse when he was 16 and he had arthiritis. We did plenty of dressage and some jumping over the years, but after 8 years together I finally made the heart breaking decision to give him up and buy my own, as he could no longer do what I wanted and I didn't feel it was fair on either of us. Although I wouldn't swap all the great times we had together for the world it made me realise that I wanted a young "horse for life" so I never had to go through giving up a horse again.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that although the artiritis may be sustainable for a period, it will never get better and will eventually get worse and the longer it goes on the more restricted you will become in what you can do together.

Good luck whatever you decide.
 
If the horse you have been sharing definatly has arthritis I would walk away, as I would suspect the woman would sell him from under you fairly sharply if something came up, which it quite possibly will in the spring, once you have kept him through the winter.
The other horse you have looked at sounds much more like it, especially with an owner who wants to keep long term, but doesn't have time for it.
If you do decide to have the horse on loan, make sure you have a clause saying the owner will pay for ongoing treatment for currnet issues, and beawareyour dressage will be seriously curtailed by his hocks.
 
I agree with the others im afraid.

And to look at it from another way, do you really want to enter into a loan contract with someone who has already got your back up? Especially when you are having doubts already.

Also, remember even when loaning and sharing you still need to shop around and find the right horse. Many, like myself, think you need to take the first horse that comes along as you dont have the option to be picky as you would when buying. I did this last year when looking for a share and I ended up in hospital because I was so desperate for a horse and thought I was lucky to be offered one. The horse HAS to be right for what you want whether you are loaning, sharing or buying.

Good luck with your decision. :)
 
Thanks everyone for the advice so far, you have all confirmed what I was thinking already. It is very hard when I love him so much, and knowing that he hated his new home yet is happy being back at home with me (I'm such a softy!) it makes it so much harder to let him go. I know from a selfish point of view I need to move on, as his owner has messed me around and if she had let me have him on full loan in the first place we wouldnt have been in this mess.

Its just very hard to move on from a horse who is so happy, I hate the idea of him being sold (again!) and being unhappy again - fingers crossed if she tries to sell him again he'll find a better home than the last one. I also had a lot of lessons on him and we were doing great, yes he does have arthritis which makes him stiff but after a long warm up he goes amazingly well, the arthritis isnt very severe yet and with his regular physio he is fantastic. Beautiful outline, tracks up nicely, lovely forward paces....its hard for me to let go knowing we have done so much work together and we have progressed so much in a short space of time. He also loves jumping, while the physio has recommended we dont go above 2"6 we still have a blast doing smaller jumps and he clears them with room to spare.

I really am torn - on the one hand I dont want to see the current horse unhappy and I dont want to waste the work I've done with him so far. But the lack of transport and limitations healh wise is a big issue. On the other hand I have seen the TB horse that is available to share twice now, he is lovely, a fairly difficult ride as he isnt very forward (opposite to my current horse) but I'm sure with a bit of work and a few lessons we could progress fairly quickly too. And there is the added cherry on the cake of the new lorry next year!
 
Given your two options and based on the fact that you want to compete then option B sounds better. You'll soon bond with your new share and it might work out very well.

Its so hard when you loan or share you do get attached and its not so easy when at the end of the day its neither your horse or your responsibility. Hope you come to a decision that is good for you whatever it is.
 
Honestly I would go forth the new share.
You have offered to take the horse on loan twice and the owner sold him and one there's an issue she wants to loan him to you as soon as selling suits her more that's what she might do.
Also his joints may get worse and you may end in a difficult position.
Sad to part from a horse you like but I think I would go for the TB.
 
I think that you have done your best for your current horse , it must have been heartbreaking saying goodbye to him once and she will probably do it to you again. The horses health and well being are the responsibilty of the owner not you. When you become an owner then the hard decisions come down to you and you arent. If I were you then I would certainly go and see this other horse and see how it goes .
it seems to me like you are being used, not a nice place to be life is too short.
Go and see the other one again and start to build a bond with him.
Good luck
 
Firstly, think about the horses as they are atm, so do not think about the possible lorry next year, because within a couple of months anything can happen that will make the lorry idea impossible to carry out, so if there is no lorry, then think about the horses as if there wasn't a lorry involved.
Personally,i think the new share horse sounds better even without the lorry. It's a younger, healthier horse, that even if you couldn't compete, you could have fun on it without having to worry about the arthiritis, progress with your jumping and dressage, go xc or even hunting.
But it has to be your decision :) Let us know what you decide :)
 
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