Third loan.... and it fails again.

[diluteherd]

Bit saddened by yet another failed loan.

I know the risks I take when you loan and I vet all the homes, get references etc and this time I didnt even agree to full loan until the lady had spent 2 months getting to know my horse and riding her out at home and they were getting on so well.

I just cant seem to find the right person, I found a nice lady to have my TB on loan, she came and tried him out and was really keen. It got to the end of the month trial and texted me to ask to pick him up because he was too big, however he had been such a good boy and hadnt put a foot wrong.

So I took him back and let him have most of winter with me when he went out on loan to a young girl and her mum - if anyone has seen my post last week, I did an unannounced call in and found him under weight, depressed and not the horse I knew and loved. I returned an hour later, got all my stuff and my poor boy.

The day before my mare went out on loan to the lady who had been sharing her at mine for the past 2 months. She seemed perfect, my mare is a little quirky. 90% of the time she is a lovely girl but then theres that small 10% when she may try it on.
The lady took her on the first hack after a week of being in her new home with a girl from the yard next door. I saw my mare the day before and she was in season. Apparently the hack was going fine, until they turn round for home and my mare decided to double barrel the other horse pushing the girl and the horse in the ditch. I feel devastated she should have done such a thing and it all could have ended up so much worse - unfortunately the girl got caught in the leg and has been badly bruised, the pony seems ok too. So consequently the lady doesnt want to hack out on her any more and she has now been kicked off the yard.

I guess in my mares defence she was in season, was being hacked out with a strange gelding and I dont know how close this girl got to her back end. My mare has never kicked and has hacked with mares and geldings with me before and not been a problem. I know its not excusable, but not being there I cant say whether things could have been done better.


I guess though the reasons above are why I loan, at least I still was in the position to take my gelding back and if I had sold my mare she would be back on the market and being passed on to another home.

I dont really know what I should do in future to make sure I find the perfect person??

 

[DreamOfNoReturn]

I guess you have to just keep trying . Just be really really clear on what you want :3. It's hard! I've had the same sort of troubles sharing different horses :/.

Just try and advertise as much as you can and everywhere. Tack shops and even shops such as Morrisons which have message boards could be an idea. Also, websites .

You just have to persevere, and hope the right person comes along!

Best of luck with everything! And I'll pop on here again if I can think of anything else to help you .

 

[Equinus]

I really feel for you, it's a minefield. I have loaned out a cheeky section D and when my life was a mess, my beloved arab/id/tb. Both were initially getting on great. The D went to a girl recovering from leukemia living on a farm, and though she fell off a few times, they seemed to get on really well. Then he suddenly came back. Because of her illness I couldn't really ask any questions. It was a bit of a nightmare finding someone else. He was a bit cheeky and would take the mick with someone not too sure, was a rescue with stable vices who was under 14.2 and too small for me to ride. I used to drive him. After a lot of people trying him and not being firm enough, a lovely lady with horse mad son came, got on, pony napped, she gave him a smack and he was as good as gold. She had him for twenty years (eventually bought him for a nominal sum)

My mare went to teach a lad to ride a "proper" horse, as he was too big for the family's section Bs (they had a stud) and they took her to shows and mock hunts. She was close so I saw her regularly, out nannying the youngsters. Then suddenly, at age 18, she was in a field away from home, middle of winter, no shelter (still with youngsters) and looking miserable. Boy had got a new TB and she was rejected. When she came home she was not shod, feet broken, lovely thick tail a hard mess of mud and muck, thin and she stank! Eventually when back to health, went to a teenager watched over by the yard owner, but as winter approached she rang to tell me she had arranged for her to go to be ridden by disabled in a riding school!!! I suppose I should be thankful that she rang me, and I got her to bring her back (which she charged a fortune for) in similar condition to before, but fat.

She went nowhere after that, and we soon got her back to her feisty, fun loving best, where she enjoyed a semi retirement till she died in the field.

So I suppose it can work both ways, I am just glad I was in a position to keep my lovely girl again, and the D had a loving family (who had a box and could take me and my mare to fun rides in the early days)

I am looking for a part sharer for a recently backed 11 yo at the moment. By that I mean I look after and pay for him, they ride as I can't. But it would need to be a special person for a sensitive (but adorable) horse, and I would be in control, on the yard of my choosing. At the moment i am paying someone to ride him.

 

[canteron]

"I guess though the reasons above are why I loan, at least I still was in the position to take my gelding back and if I had sold my mare she would be back on the market and being passed on to another home."


This is so true, so don't be hard on yourself.

After a couple of similar loans, I now loan my horse to an Equine College which really suits her and she is happy. They get ridden 2 times a day for 5 days (but after the tacking up, etc, that probably equates to about 1 hours riding), always get time out in the field (I know I drive past two or three times a week) and she absolutely loves it. I think on here you hear all the bad bad stories but my college in particular has some lovely horses and some very particular owners.

Have you thought of this? The advantages are that the horse care is good and you never have to worry about the horse been sold/neglected. If it suits the horse, it also get 'socialised' and the horse comes home confident and traffic/child proofed.

The disadvantages is that he riding may not be so good and the horse comes home during holidays (or you pay livery) but then you can normally find someone who wants riding during the hols and will pay/help (ask the college if any pupil is interested!). It comes home after if it gets ill after a point (but don't all loan horses?!) and at least you know where you are. I know that a lot of people talk badly of colleges, but then a lot of people try and dump unsuitable/unsound horses on them and expect them to sort them out.

Just a thought, if you want the name of the college I send my horse to by all means PM me, they are fussy about who they take - but that, to me, is another good sign.