vet bills if horse on loan

Suzie86

Suzie86

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Hi guys
so finally found a lovely loan home for bailey just down the road with a lovely family where he will do pony club :) Just going through the contract and the husband has suggested that while they will be paying insurance and vet bills, they would not be responsible for paying vet bills which are not covered by insurance. Bailey is 19 and therefore exempt from some stuff due to being older, and also with his previous insurance his old owner claimed when he had breathing problems so i am assuming this will be exempt too, although loanee is sorting out insurance. Breathing turned out to be an allergy instantly solved by moving yards. Basically he is saying if there are vet bills related to his breathing i would have to pay them. I said no, as they were having him on full loan and i am going to work abroad they are fully responsible for any vet treatment incurred during our 6 month contract. Hopefully this will never be an issue as it was a complete one off, hes been at numerous yards and never had a problem just something about this one place!! What do you think?
:)
 
I can't see how you can expect loaner to pay for a previous condition if it occurs again. As the owner I would expect to pay for any big issues that cropped up with regards vet bills.
 
When I loan horses out it is written into the contract that the loanee is responsible for all veterinary conditions, and they must also be responsible for insuring the horse. However, I have never had a horse go on loan with a pre-existing condition, and I guess if I did I would offer to pay 50/50 or something like that, as whilst it is not fair to the loanee to pay out for a pre-existing thing, it is also not the owner's fault if the loanee puts the horse into a position where the condition could flare up.
 
I would expect the loanee to be unwilling to take on responsibility for potentially expensive health issues relating to a pre-existing condition particularly since this is a short term loan of an older horse.

It may be better for the horse if you pay the vet bills not covered by the insurance since that way you would be sure that your horse gets the treatment he needs asap. If he had a problem relating to breathing say after 5 months, the loaner could potentially just wait untilthe 6 months are up...


It may also be a good idea for you to look at the insurance they have chosen, since it varies quite a lot what may be covered (and the cheapest companies do not necessarily have good reputations for paying out...)
 
I think what the loaner suggests is reasonable. My pony is out on loan, they don't have her insured (age related) but pay the day to day vets bills, worming etc. We have an agreement that if there was a major problem it would be down to me. I own the pony and want final say over whether she has treatment for something serious, and I wouldn't expect someone who has had her a few months to pay the potentially hefty bill.
 
thanks guys. will say ive had him 8 years and never ever had any problems with him - in fact with exception to jabs this was the only time hes ever needed the vet! I happened when he wasnt with me - basically i have loaned him 8 years and recently been given him by his owner, so I am now his official owner. He went back to his owner for a few months last year and this was when the problem developed - he started wheezing and coughing really badly. I took him back and moved him to another yard and he never coughed again from that day on (about 8 months ago). I have had him at about 8 different yards and never had a problem so sure nothing will happen. I have written into the contract that if this does start up again they need to consider trying another field then potentially another yard. The husband is saying they wouldnt want to move yards, so if they wouldnt do this why should i pay the vet bills incurred for this reason?! Will add I am away for 6 months so contract for 6 months to be reviewed then extended after this - it is not actually a short term loan they want him for a long time. :)
 
from past experience i paid all the insurance and vet bills include vacs....................with one pony when i left it to the loaner they let it run out so i had to start again all to start again. and the insurance meant i knew he was covered
 
My opinion is that at the end of the day it's your horse - and ultimately your responsibility. You need to accept (imo) that there will still possibly be costs incurred by yourself regardless of whether this horse is on loan.
 
zoeshiloh said:
When I loan horses out it is written into the contract that the loanee is responsible for all veterinary conditions, and they must also be responsible for insuring the horse. However, I have never had a horse go on loan with a pre-existing condition, and I guess if I did I would offer to pay 50/50 or something like that, as whilst it is not fair to the loanee to pay out for a pre-existing thing, it is also not the owner's fault if the loanee puts the horse into a position where the condition could flare up.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this.
 
Daughters pony is on loan.She strained a tendon 2 yrs before going on loan.Its in contract Loanees will cover all vet fees excluding anything to to with tendons which imo is reasonable as obviously higher risk of damage again BUT do expect them to take reasonable care and precautions with pony as they are aware of history
 
It's a grey area and there isn't a completely right answer.

From my personal point of view, if I was either loaner or owner, I would expect within the contract, for the loaner to pay all veterinary costs apart from pre-existing conditions. Pre-existing conditions I would expect owner to cover, or at least negotiate on sharing cover, of anything excluded by insurance.

For example, when I loaned my horse with a history of navicular, I was more than willing to pay for any veterinary bills in relation to this.
 
My oldie is out on loan to a lovely family and they took him on with a pre-existing condition. Our agreement states that they are responsible for all vet fees inc jabs etc except any costs in relation to his pre- existing condition.

I do still pay his insurance (all my horses are on one policy) and they are also aware that as he's a veteran the insurance only covers him for accidental external injury. They were quite happy with this arrangement as was I.
 
I would expect the loaner to pay for everything, as they would if they owned the horse. If the owner wants to offer payment for any part then great but personally i think its the responsibility of the loaner to pay all costs associated with the horse.

After all, in this case, if the loaner keeps the horse a certain way (i.e. on straw and hay because its cheaper than other bedding and haylage) it could bring on the previous condition and the owner will have to pay the bill.

There is no such thing as a perfect horse and buying or loaning it is a responsibility that needs to be addressed and the horse is taken on warts and all.
 
That works in theory, but in practice, people have different ideas of how to keep and manage a horse, not to mention how much money (and time/effort) they would be willing to put in rather than pts in the event of a major health problem. Therefore, insurance may be more practical? (and if the horse has particular requirements regarding bedding, feed or management it makes sense to write that into the contract)
 
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