update on problem loan horse

spike123

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 June 2006
Messages
2,691
Location
Kent
Visit site
I posted a few weeks back about my loan horse having problems with her back.Not sure if you can recall them or not but basically she had a very sore back and I felt the issue was something ongoing.Anyhow to cut a long story short this mare has a sacroilliac problem and probable arthritis in her hock. The fact is she shouldn't be ridden and therefore I can't keep her as I took her on loan to ride,not to mention the fact that I am not happy to pay livery for a horse that is essentially a pasture ornament. The problem now is her owner can not take her back and so I am now stuck with a horse I can't ride,who is costing me a fortune to keep. Her owner wants her sold as a broodmare (there is no reason she can not be used as a broodmare) so if anyone is looking for a horse that can not be ridden as either a companion or a broodmare for very little money please can you pm me for more information.
 
Do you have a contract? What does it say with regards to ending the loan agreement? It isnt as simple as 'the owner cant take her back'....the owner will HAVE to take her back after the notice period, or certainly pay for her.....

It isnt your responsibility to be finding her a home....I personally wouldnt want to see a horse already in pain having to carry a foal.....if she has arthritis in her hock, surely the extra weight will do her no favours at all.....
 
Give the owner notice of termination of the agreement.

Once the notice period is served, the owner is responsible for the livery fees.

Poor mare.:(
 
I do have a contract which was for 6months. we are only 2 months into the contract.She gave up her livery space.There is nothing in there at all about returning her but her owner must have realised that she would be in the same position 6months down the line when I would be sending her back anyway. I feel sorry for the owner as she has alot on her plate and this certainly won't be helpful but I do think I need to be firm and tell her she has no option but to either pay for her keep or take her back.
I dont know whether or not the arthritis would cause problems with carrying a foal or not but I would guess it could be a problem. I wouldn't want to see this horse ending up somewhere she was passed around nor would I want to see her fall into the wrong hands and being sold on as a riding horse.
 
The owner needs to take her back. There was a horse I was interested in for sale about ten years ago i had heard various rumors that the horse kept going lame, I knew the owner though on a different yard, I took him on loan with a view to buy. Owners stated that the girl who had him on loan started the rumor as she had been offered first refusal on him, though could not get the cash so had to give the loan up as they needed to sell. About two weeks into having him on loan, he looked slightly lame on. I had the vet to my boy for vacs and asked her to check the loan horse out. To cut long story it turned out he had navicular. The terms of loan were any lameness then we would return him, the owners refused to take him back, saying the same as they said about the other loaner. I called the YO of were the owners had the other horse stabled asked if there was a stable as I would be dropping him back off. Before I threatened to just take him back, We had gone through weeks of arguments with owners who were still demanding payment of the so called sound horse and refusing to have him.
There YO must have spoken to them cause half an hour later they called me to say they would be up to collect him within the next hour.
If you keep the mare your going to be paying for her and any vets, then when she is sold I expect the owner will get the money. You need to be firm with the owners of the mare.
 
I can understand your point, but my boy had a problem with his sacroilliac joint and after some cortisone (I think) injections and some long and low work, both non ridden and then ridden he became good.

Still, it is after all the owners resonsibility, so I would remain firm and send the horse back. Good luck!
 
Shoot it - no seriously. Harsh as it sounds, you dont want it as a pasture ornament, and neither does the owner. Suggest the best offer is to PTS.

What REALLY bugs me about people putting their horse out on loan is that they dont consider it coming back or make financial plans for if it does. I have my own yard so really lucky, but if my horse that is out on loan needed to come back, it would, in an instant, even if it meant changing yards.

Its summer, there is no reason the mare cant go on grass. Hand your notice in, the mare is not fit for use - and insist they take it back at the end of the notice period.
 
I'm afraid if your contract says for 6 months, with no clause in it to say you can send the horse back before the end of the 6 months, the owner may well insist that you have to keep her for the whole loan period. The contract obviously wasn't based on the BHS one! The owner must have had complete faith in you otherwise she would have put a clause in the contract to the effect that she could have the horse back if you weren't looking after her properly. Having an arthitic mare myself, I would never consider breeding from a mare with arthritis, not only would it be unfair on her to carry the weight of a foal, but the arthritis could be caused by a conformational problem that could be passed on to the foal. I feel sorry for the owner, but it is her horse and she should take her back whatever the contract says.
 
I'm afraid if your contract says for 6 months, with no clause in it to say you can send the horse back before the end of the 6 months, the owner may well insist that you have to keep her for the whole loan period.

If there is no clause to say you can't give notice (either party) then the same applies.

Either way - I would be handing the horse back.
 
Shoot it - no seriously. Harsh as it sounds, you dont want it as a pasture ornament, and neither does the owner. Suggest the best offer is to PTS.

What REALLY bugs me about people putting their horse out on loan is that they dont consider it coming back or make financial plans for if it does. I have my own yard so really lucky, but if my horse that is out on loan needed to come back, it would, in an instant, even if it meant changing yards.

Its summer, there is no reason the mare cant go on grass. Hand your notice in, the mare is not fit for use - and insist they take it back at the end of the notice period.


This is why if I didnt have my dads field I would not hav eloned my boy out, he woul dhave been sold
 
Not sure if this is good news or not but it seems she will be going to a new home on Friday. I gather the lady who has bought her cheaply is going to keep her as a companion and possibly breed from her at a later date. I am pleased that I won't have the worry or expense but I will miss her and hope that her new home treats her well and doesn't abuse her in any way.
 
Top