sasquatch
Well-Known Member
Hello, it’s been a while!
I’ve applied for my masters in the netherlands, as the course is only a year I’m debating putting my lovely mare on loan rather than selling.
What should I look for in a loaner? Is a loan the best option? Am I better to just sell? Should I start saving up to bring her with me?
My mare is lovely, but she’s not easy and she’s quite quirky. My biggest concern is she’ll go to someone who decides she’s a bit too much and I won’t be in Ireland to help sort her out, especially if she’s not easily accessible to friends/family.
She’s not nasty, just can be a bit opinionated and hot/stressy/anxious in an arena. She’s a dream to hack, she’s often been the steady horse going out with more nervous/spooky horses but the idea of going for a hack is exciting and she can be a bit spooky and get a bit distracted for the first 10 minutes until she settles, and she’s also known for leaving other horses behind sometimes as her walking speed is more of a forward march. Whilst she could go to a hacking home, she’s more of a delighted hacker than what most happy hackers are looking for in my experience.
I’ve had a few part loaners over the years, and the best ones who’ve really worked well with her have all been experienced european dressage riders, or people that like riding more forward, powerful warmblood types. However finding someone that doesn’t have their own horse, or who want to commit to a full loan and likes her type of horse seems to be challenging.
My backup plan to a loan would be to turn her out for a year, I know of a few people I trust who would be able to keep her for a year on grass at a reasonable cost so that is an option, and then of course selling her as well. She’s not young as she’s 14 this year, is a bit lumpy and bumpy, has no competition record but she hasn’t really got much by way of ridden miles, she’s had the last 8 months out of work due to no fault of her own.
So I’m now stuck on what to do, and I know now I need to start getting her back into work so if I do get my masters placement it’ll be as easy as possible to have a plan in place for her as sadly very few people will want to take on an unfit horse. I do worry for her because she is quirky, and because she is a very special horse and I really do love and care deeply for her.
Any suggestions much appreciated - bring her with me is one I would love to do, but am not sure I could afford as a student again.
I’ve applied for my masters in the netherlands, as the course is only a year I’m debating putting my lovely mare on loan rather than selling.
What should I look for in a loaner? Is a loan the best option? Am I better to just sell? Should I start saving up to bring her with me?
My mare is lovely, but she’s not easy and she’s quite quirky. My biggest concern is she’ll go to someone who decides she’s a bit too much and I won’t be in Ireland to help sort her out, especially if she’s not easily accessible to friends/family.
She’s not nasty, just can be a bit opinionated and hot/stressy/anxious in an arena. She’s a dream to hack, she’s often been the steady horse going out with more nervous/spooky horses but the idea of going for a hack is exciting and she can be a bit spooky and get a bit distracted for the first 10 minutes until she settles, and she’s also known for leaving other horses behind sometimes as her walking speed is more of a forward march. Whilst she could go to a hacking home, she’s more of a delighted hacker than what most happy hackers are looking for in my experience.
I’ve had a few part loaners over the years, and the best ones who’ve really worked well with her have all been experienced european dressage riders, or people that like riding more forward, powerful warmblood types. However finding someone that doesn’t have their own horse, or who want to commit to a full loan and likes her type of horse seems to be challenging.
My backup plan to a loan would be to turn her out for a year, I know of a few people I trust who would be able to keep her for a year on grass at a reasonable cost so that is an option, and then of course selling her as well. She’s not young as she’s 14 this year, is a bit lumpy and bumpy, has no competition record but she hasn’t really got much by way of ridden miles, she’s had the last 8 months out of work due to no fault of her own.
So I’m now stuck on what to do, and I know now I need to start getting her back into work so if I do get my masters placement it’ll be as easy as possible to have a plan in place for her as sadly very few people will want to take on an unfit horse. I do worry for her because she is quirky, and because she is a very special horse and I really do love and care deeply for her.
Any suggestions much appreciated - bring her with me is one I would love to do, but am not sure I could afford as a student again.
