Why is loaning out a horse an issue?

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BeaconHill

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hiya guys,
I am constantly hearing people saying they will never loan or it is out of the question, or loans have "fallen through".
Why and what are the risks with loaning out a horse. I am currently loaning a horse, she is treated better than I do myself. Totally spoil rotten and is being trained in new things in particular dressage. She gets the best in everything.
So my question is why are loans "frowned upon", are loaners not vetted or the facilities checked out?
Your thoughts please! xx
 
My wonderful mare went on 9 months loan without an issue. First time I had ever loaned out and was wary but out I the 10 girls who came and visited my mare and rode her I knew instantly who clicked. She was taking her 1.5 hrs away but I visited the yard, met her family & got reference and off my mare went. She came back to me in super condition and having competed and won regularly, had weekly lessons with top trainers & was treated like a princess. In the 9 months I visited only twice but kept in contact via phone & Facebook. I think you just have to be very careful & use your own gut instinct & vet the home carefully. :)
 
No idea. My old girl was out on loan (in a superb home where she hunted, had a successful show career and did dressage) from age 7 to 20, when she came home to retire. We recently loaned a little welsh pony and helped re home her at the end of the loan period. In the pony club that my children are members of, there are several ponies, outgrown by their original families, who move from family and never seem to have trouble fining a new loaner. Loaning can be a good solution, if you have no immediate use for a horse or pony but want to secure their future.
 
No personal experience but a friend sent her mare out on loan it came back and she now weaves crib bites and wind sucks non of which she ever did in the 7/8 of being with my friend
 
because a much loved and valued horse can come back from a loan broken and damaged ?? Not everyone cares for a horse they don't own as it if was their own. money talks. loans do not.

Bit of a strange question tbh.
 
I think most loans work out fine - it's just that you always hear about the ones that go disastrously wrong. As with anything, there are unscrupulous, untrustworthy people in the world who will treat a horse badly if it does not belong to them. Who knows, they may treat a horse badly if they buy it also, it's just that the old owner is less likely to hear about that than an owner of a horse out on loan.

There are also people out there who are out to scam people and take horses under the pretence of loaning but then actually sell them on.

I think the key when loaning a horse out is to ensure you get good references, vet the potential home and be 100% comfortable that the person you're sending the horse to - they should be happy to give regular updates and occasional visits from the owner. A comprehensive contract is also vital. There are no guarantees and I imagine sometimes loans go wrong even if the owner has been very careful but it's more likely to go wrong if these precautions haven't been taken.

As I've said, most loans are very successful and beneficial to both parties and can be a good way of securing a beloved horse's future.
 
Loans can be successful, but those who have had loans go badly wrong despite vetting facilities and loaners have learned the hard way that there are some less than honest and caring people out there. There are plenty of previous threads on here where horses have come back in a terrible state from loan homes.
 
My experience was doing an unannounced check on my 12.2hh pony only to find him stuck in a stable ( condition of loan was that he had to live out), extremely stressed, weaving,sweaty, tucked up an on the edge of colic. The firework display going on outside his stable door and lack of company were also adding to his stress. I went home picked up the trailer, this pony who was a pain in the arse to load most of the time loaded first attempt and was visibly relieved when he arrived at my yard. We had contracts, references and we were careful but still got a ruined pony back.

A friend of mine loaned out 2 ponies together the cob was lamed and then sold and the section A was sold to people who killed him! She also got references and a contract and did visits until she was denied access and threatened. Police were not interested.

I'd never loan again
 
The problem is when loans go wrong it can disastrous .
I am sure you are a great loaner and the owner of your horse is really happy .
 
OP you are obviously a good loaner but IMO that puts you in the minority. Most of the loans and shares I've witnessed have not taken proper care of the horse resulting in health problems or injury, or they take adequate care of the horse but run up debts which the owner is left to sort out. I would never loan or share my horse, I don't think the risks are worth it.
 
In spite of being really careful with whom I loaned my ponies to 3 out of 3 were disastrous First one was a super home did loads with her even qualified for the european dressage team sent back lame when she could not compete for a while. A year later and fully recovered she was sold to a lady that became my best friend.
Second one went to a show jumping family lwvb jumping 100 cm courses an absolute poppet with kids came back three weeeks later dumping the kids out the front door by dropping its shoulder and running out at fences
Silly me then loaned one to a friend thinking ok can keep a close eye within weeks she was offered for sale on every notice board in Lincolnshire she came back pretty swiftly I can assure you
So no I will never loan again away from the yard and wont let anyone else take one off premises to live I know accidents happen but the one time I borrowed one it went back in much better condition and with better schooling than when it arrived and it wasnt here very long
 
how is it a strange question? don't quite understand your point. Those who loan out I would have expected to vet homes and loan out to suitable homes where they will not be brought damaged.
Bit of a strange reply tbh
 
My advice to anyone who loans out a horse is to ensure that you horse is Freezemarked on it's shoulder and also Micro-chipped so that if it does disappear it can be identified.
 
Loans can get a bit heated and emotional.

I suspect the vast majority of loans are absolutely fine. Maybe a few niggles here and there but on the whole are good. But when they go wrong they can go horrendously wrong.

Do you know what though - a loan going wrong can often be pinpointed to a mismatch in each parties expectations, poor communication and often it is easier to blame the other party and ignore your own shortcomings.

There are a few things you have to accept when being involved in horses. They often break / get injured. All sorts of daft things can happen and they could usually just as easily happen under the owners care as they could with the loaner.

Any owner sending a horse on loan is ultimately responsible for fully checking out the home for suitability and then continually checking on that horse.

I've been both the loaner and loanee on a few occassions and I have to say only ever had one potential disaster - I collected the horse I had loaned out 2 weeks later having been very concerned about a couple of things on an unannouced spot check.
 
I just can't believe how many horror stories there are. I mean how do these people sleep at night? I get worried when I change my horses feed! Some people generally have no scruples it is so sad that situations like this go on. Surely there must be laws to prevent things like this from happening or some kind of enforcement or support? x
 
This makes me angry.
Hearing all of the bad things that have happened to horses out on loan is the reason why I can never find a horse to loan!

Had my own horses and loaned in the past, always insisted on references (even had my old horse's vets give a reference) and vetting, I sent pictures and emails (sent a lovely Xmas card with the pic of the giant I loaned and rebacked to the owner) have always invited to view competitions and to come and hack out!
I can't afford the lump sum as am saving for a wedding but have never struggled with the monthly bills but because of the horror stories people don't want to give the good experienced people a chance! Let alone only being 21, people would never touch me with a barge pole but I've never once neglected a horse and have always returned them in good condition! In fact sometimes in better condition then I took them on in!

If anything I've been more messed about by the owners! Had horses sold beneath me, loaned out as being safe and sound and then discovering they rear and flip over out competing (and have done this regularly) had owners take the horse back the minute winter is gone and they realise they can ride in the sun again!!

I will never loan a horse again. Beside the fact that I probably will never find another for loan again anyways...
 
Read these... http://missinghorsesonloan.webs.com/missingonloan.htm http://missinghorsesonloan.webs.com/horsesfound.htm

... and this... http://www.arabianlines.com/forum1/topic_new.asp?TOPIC_ID=53989&SearchTerms=brujo

... and that doesn't include loaners who don't look after their loan horses properly despite being vetted by the owner before the loan goes ahead (and per the instructions of the loan agreement).

At one yard I kept CM at, a loaner started off looking after her loan pony very well, but then lost interest and things went downhill (OK owners can do the same, not just loaners), but it ended up with the other liveries looking after the pony and informing the owner what was going on (including finding the pony stabled with no food or water).

There's also been a member on here who's gone by various names (banned several times) who's tried to get companion loan horses to then sell on as either riding horses or for meat. That's certainly put me off, as they seemed very genuine to start with (but were actually funding their own horses by doing this). Basically people will say what you want to hear and just because someone has looked after horses in the past, doesn't guarantee that they will continue to do so. If they do look after it, you may struggle to get it back and sometimes it will have been sold by the loaner.

Now I have no doubt that the majority of people are genuine loaners who will care for the horse/pony and return them in good condition. I would certainly rather share or part loan from my yard, rather than let the horse go to another yard if I ever need to loan.
 
I found my horse in a field, no water no food. Took me three months to get him back, then I had to find a home for him, he was traumatised and so was I. In my opinion it there was a deliberate attempt to take ownership without paying the asking price. As to starvation, I have no idea.
If I hadn't had the passport in my possession I have no doubt that this would have been altered. When I sold him on, there was no question from the passporting authority.
 
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I am currently looking for a horse to loan after losing my lovely 18 yr old mare. I am a mature lady with a loving, knowledgeable home for a safe hack. I agree you have to be careful who you allow your much loved friend to go with. I would welcome and expect anyone who loaned me their horse to fully vet my facilities and talk to my fellow liveries at the yard at least. I certainly hope someone will entrust me with their horse.
 
Even part loans can cause issues - I had a young girl part loaning my mare who was only 5 at the time and she had her totally novice friends riding her in the field with no hats on. I found out by pictures posted on Facebook. The worst thing was that the agreement was that she would always be supervised until she turned 16 and her parents had just been dropping her off and leaving her.

A home or person can be vetted but people can lie :(

But there are good loaners out there!
 
I loaned my boy out; the arrangement was that the girl would keep him at a yard on an assisted livery basis. As my boy has sweet itch, I'd taken great care to explain to not only the girl loaning him but the YM, and had also put it in the loan agreement that he MUST at all times wear his sweet itch hoody when turned out.

The first weekend he was there, there was a heatwave, it was very hot and of course the midges were very active. Somehow, someone turned my boy out without his rug......... I'd gone up to see him at the end of the weekend and was horrified by the way he looked. My poor boy, he'd rubbed his mane absolutely raw, and his face too, he just looked so miserable. The YO then got all defensive and said that he'd been sent up to the yard in that condition. I said if he wanted I could provide vets statement & also about six other people that would give a written statement of fact that he'd been sent there in pristine condition, plus had photos.

Anyway........ I stupidly let the loan continue, should have brought him back, but after only five weeks into the loan the loaner told me that she couldn't afford to keep up the loan and so could I have the horse back please. It then transpired that she hadn't paid a single penny for livery/fees etc from Day One, and the YO expected me to stump up the cash!

I said no, sorry, no way. And offered to pay for livery fees from the date on which I received notification that the loan was to cease - until I could get the horse home (we had to build another stable!!!).

So, no, I wouldn't ever loan out a horse ever again. This put me right off.

Although.......... a few years prior to this incident: I loaned the horse to the local equestrian college on working livery and TBH it was the best thing I ever did for him; he got a thorough schooling and was a very happy horse, just loved it there. He was looked after well and they made every effort to manage his sweet itch properly. So that is the ONLY sort of loan I'd ever consider doing again.

Having said all this...... I've got a lovely little mare on loan from an old schoolfriend. She's the sort of horse I'd never ever have thought I'd have gone on with, BUT we've got an understanding; and her owner and I communicate regularly (both local, which helps).

I think the key-words with a loan are honesty, trust, and reliability. Plus the ability to stand back and look at a problem, and then be committed to working it through with the owner's advice & support. Its no good an owner just dumping a horse and thinking phew its on loan, can forget about it now; likewise loaners need to be able to feel they can approach the owner and discuss an issue, especially in the first few weeks, coz there's bound to be something!!

Communication, communication, communication is the key.
 
My boy is currently out on loan to a lovely lady about ten miles away ... Soo far so good - she wanted a safe hack to accompany her daughter out on her younger pony - the daughter had ridden my lad a few times too and her confidence has grown on him (her pony very strong and opinionated ;) ). Just eight weeks in and I'm soo pleased with his care. He's settled in very well with his new herd and his loaner sends regular updates etc and I can go up and see him anytime - my loaner is lovely and we really get on and have a good chat.

I think the trick to a good loan is to be absolutely honest with your loaner about your horse, have a contract, keep in touch but not be an overbearing owner - and above all like and get on with the loaner - after a lot of unsuitable people I'm really lucky to have found a super loaner :).
 
touchstone said:
Loans can be successful, but those who have had loans go badly wrong despite vetting facilities and loaners have learned the hard way that there are some less than honest and caring people out there. There are plenty of previous threads on here where horses have come back in a terrible state from loan homes.
Click to expand...

Or don't come back at all...
 
To be fair having said that, the first time I put a horse on loan the lady was wonderful and really looked after my mare. She then bought her and owned her for 2 years before the mare was PTS following a field injury. She was stabled 10 minutes from my house though and I popped over every couple of weeks for 5 minute 'spot checks'.
 
I loaned out one horse and one pony. The pony was sold to the loaner after a few months. The horse came back better schooled and with jumping experience, so in both these cases it was good. The people who had the horse had lost their horse to an accident and had no money to buy something else. Mine wasn't as good as they hoped, but it filled a gap for them and meant they didn't have to go and look for something to buy.

I have also had ponies here that hadn't sold, and in both cases we got them going and they were sold on to good homes, but we had had the use of them in the meantime and had some good fun.

I found that the owners of the ponies took very little interest in what we were doing - out of sight out of mind, I think that they were relieved that they were off their premises and just wanted to get rid, anywhere! So that is a success story.

But I have heard some sorry tales of people loaning out good horses which came back ruined - injured, nappy, poor performance and sworn that they would never do it again.
 
I've loaned a couple of times and have looked after the horse as my own, with the last one the trouble was I got a text after 2.5 years saying they wanted their horse back the next weekend, I was devastated as it was an open ended loan, they hadn't come to see him once and it was all me who made contact with photo's of where we'd been and how he looked. So I wouldn't do it again for that reason unless via a rescue place like bluecross who of course won't turn up wanting pony back unless you are doing something wrong in the annual checks!
 
I'm sure there are wonderful loan homes out there. It's finding them that's the problem. I think because the loaner hasn't had the initial lump sum to pay and because the horse isn't their property they maybe don't always have the invested interest in the horse and perhaps don't always treat it as carefully as it should be. I was advertising my big gelding for loan because I needed more time to school my youngsters and I thought I'd found the perfect loaner - I'm friends with her mother, she's well known in our area for being a great rider and coaches occasionally at PC. Her horse went lame and she was desperate for something to ride. She had my horse on a trial, kept him on full livery at my current yard. I arrived unannounced one evening after she had just finished riding him and he was covered in whip marks. That to me is totally unacceptable. This is a very well schooled horse who has completed to a reasonably high level dressage and showjumping - I could think if no reason for him to be whipped like this. The trial was ended swiftly but if I can't trust someone like this to take care of my horse how can I trust a stranger? I now have a wonderful part loaner recommended by another friend who is the perfect match for my much loved horse. I felt more safe having a part loan as I retained much more control and I give her a lesson on my horse at least once a week to keep tabs on what they are working on as it is still early days and we are both happy with this arrangement. I just think it's hard to trust people with your horse as they are so precious when you put so much time and money and energy into them the last thing you want is someone arriving and undoing everything you've worked for.
 
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Wow some of these stories are awful, I honestly didn't realise there was so many people who can't take care of horses. It's just so odd. Did no one teach these people about appropriate horse management? Jeez!
 
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