wwyd — loan horse needing continuous rehab

[chestnutwbz]

to cut a long story short, my current loan horse has been diagnosed with kissing spines. won’t share too many details as obviously not my own horse but she has had injections and a rehab plan is now set out and it will, as i’m sure many of you have experienced, be a long one! i currently pay a financial contribution to share her, and owner is aware that i go home from university for the summer at the end of may.

however, this mare is obviously not going to be in ‘proper’ work for quite a while and i’m now questioning whether it’s sensible for me to continue loaning her during her rehab process. owner won’t budge on financial contribution (which i do understand to an extent as keeping horses especially these days is so expensive!) as per our loan contract, so trying to negotiate this doesn’t seem like an option

i do have a lot of love for the mare and would definitely miss her as well as the yard, and equally feel bad ‘running away’ as soon as it gets to the bad side of ownership, but equally when i won’t be here for the summer to enjoy her when she is in more work again, it doesn’t necessarily feel fair that i’m paying for the privilege of rehabbing someone else’s horse

would it be terrible of me to give my notice to end the loan? am i justified and overthinking this entirely?

 

[Caol Ila]

I know it feels like a dick move, but I think that’s kind of the point of sharing/loaning. You don’t have the control and decision making power of owning, but you don’t have the commitment and responsibility. If things go south with a horse, it’s lovely and amazing when sharers/loaners stick with it and help with the rehab, but I would not fault someone for not wanting to do that. Especially when a financial contribution is involved. I wouldn’t want to pay to rehab someone else’s horse.

I say this as an owner who’s never loaned one. I have occasional thoughts of finding a loaner for one of mine to make my life easier, but if he was loaned and then got an injury that needed a lot of rehab, I’d expect it to be my problem.

 

[JBM]

I feel you’re completely justified
You don’t own this horse and you are not responsible for their rehabilitation. The owner should’ve renegotiated a price with you due to the change of what you can do on your days to do with riding.

Horses are expensive and there is no point paying a lot of money to do something you’re not getting benefit from

 

[dixie]

If this was my horse and you were the loanee I’m pretty sure I would have offered you to stop loaning/contributing.
So no I don’t think you’re being unreasonable.
It’s a shame for the owner but unfortunately that’s horses for you.

 

[AmyMay]

I too would end the share.

 

[meleeka]

I don’t think you have anything to lose by offering a hugely reduced amount. The owner will either realise it’s fairer that way, or they will decline and end the loan. My thought is that you are already doing the owner a favour by helping with the rehab, so expecting you to pay for something you aren’t getting is cheeky.

 

[Highmileagecob]

End it. You are paying the owner for you to act as groom.

 

[Widgeon]

My thought is that you are already doing the owner a favour by helping with the rehab, so expecting you to pay for something you aren’t getting is cheeky.

Yes absolutely this. Rehabbing like that is a long hard grind, you shouldn't really be paying to assist - it's kind of you to stick around and help and I think you're being taken advantage of. Particularly if you won't be here for the summer!

 

[ycbm]

I think the owner is being completely unreasonable. She expects you to pay her for you to do the work rehabbing her mare for her. I would terminate the loan. If you really like going to the stables and being around the mare I would offer to do rehab services for free on the clear understanding that I was doing her a favour.
.

 

[sassandbells]

I think it’s fair to end the loan.

As someone who’s been through rehab with multiple horses in multiple forms it can be miserable at times and there’s no guarantee things will all be perfect at the end.

I think the owner is being unreasonable expecting you to keep paying to do the rehab, if she were to get help from a professional she would be having to pay them, or just do it all herself.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

If you really like the mare and are willing to help with rehab, I would offer to do it for nothing (no financial contribution from you). If the owner refuses, then walk away. They would be a fool to refuse an offer of help, because they will not find another paying sharer until the horse is fully rehabbed.
If you do not feel up to the rehab, then end the loan.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

The owner is taking the sick! Why would you want to pay to rehab someone else's horse? If you leave in May, you will only get to do the beginning of the rehab- the hardest work.

Eta mick not sick- bloomin' autocorrect!

 

[SEL]

That's cheeky. I know the owner will be feeling a bit of a hole financially but sharers aren't there to pay to do rehab.

Its one thing if its a few weeks of walk work but KS rehab is rarely that (from experience....)

 

[NoodlesHalloween]

Agree fully that now is the time to give notice. I do not think the owner is being reasonable to expect you to continue to pay for something you cannot enjoy fully.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

BHS loan templates generally say that a loan ends if the horse can't perform the task it is being loaned for, for a period of more than 1 month.
So yes, the owner is being totally unrealistic and you have zero obligation to keep paying to rehab her horse. Just like you would have no right to keep loaning a horse you may love and have improved throgh schooling/fittening when an owner ends the loan unexpectedly.

My sharer agreed to share just before Lottie's SI injury. She hung in there, becase she loved Lottie, enjoys grondwork and rehab and wanted to be in it for the long term. But I was very grateful and certainly did not expect her to! No financial contribution though. (Though never wanted one anyway for other reasons).

 

[dottylottie]

i absolutely would not expect someone to continue loaning one of mine through rehab - if someone was part loaning one of mine through the hell i’ve had the last year, i think i’d have kissed their feet if they offered to stick around and help out for free

i’d tell the owner you’re happy to continue helping out, but you won’t be paying for the privilege.

 

[Highmileagecob]

And work precisely to owner/vet instructions, preferably when the owner is there. Then you cannot be the scapegoat for any lack of progress.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

The more I think about this the more amazed I am at some people's expectations! If she says rehab is part and parcel of ownership, so a loaner should take the rough with the smooth, the anwer surely is that is why you are LOANING not OWNING.

Loaners and owners need to go into these arrangements with eyes wide open.

LOANERS: Get access to riding and horse-care without the commitment and can walk away from trouble and costs. BUT they have no control over what happens long term and many a loaner has turned a fat, unfit, bady behaved horse into a useful animal, and had it sold out from underneath them.

OWNERS: Get a finanical contribution and help with chores, and extra work for the horse which is often very valuable. BUT the loaner has no ongoing responsibilities to the horse and can walk away anytime if horse stops offering them what they wanted from the loan.

The fact that she wants you to PAY her to help fix her horse is beyond belief really.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I started reading this in bed earlier and have just woken up again with my tablet on the floor, hopefully undamaged!, strange old life I have these days.

Anyhow, having reread the thread and extra comments I still feel very strongly you should justifiably end the loan agreement. But I am not sure if it would be wise to still help with rehab duties, although you very generously quite happy to do so.

What if something goes wrong with the horse during rehab, would his rather tight fisted owner attempt to blame you in anyway? Will the owner expect to dictate various duties, treating you as she would a paid groom.

I would be very wary of remaining in any sort of level with this owner in particular.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Just to add, if it was something relatively minor like a foot abscess or a bout of some sort of virus, I would still expect the loaner to stick with me, but only at a nominal cost. Things like that are just minor short lived blips usually in horse care. Recovering from kissing spine surgery is not.

 

[honetpot]

I loan out, each is usually on loan for 2-3 years, and if there is more than minor vet treatment they come home, because I want to manage them. Its not you fault the horse has KS, and really there is no certainty of a best outcome, so would give them a months notice, with a nice letter.

 

[Rowreach]

It's a bl00dy cheek for an owner to expect a loaner or sharer to do long term rehab on their horse.

 

[Surbie]

I feel for you, but I would be walking away from the loan. Even if I loved the horse. As you say you will be away from May anyway.

I think the owner is being completely unreasonable and I would personally worry about what would come next if the rehab doesn't progress as the owner thinks it should.

My horse was once my loan horse. Before I formally had him to myself he was on 9 months box rest in his RDA loan home. After the first 6 weeks I did all his care - dressing changes, meds, visits 3x/day, hand grazing and all the stable jobs, attended vet and farrier visits with the owner. I did not pay a penny, nor do I think I should have.

 

[Goldenstar]

That’s the advantage of loaning not owning .
The owner is being really silly she should offering you a pause in paying if you will shoulder the some of the rehab work .
If she is expecting you to pay for rehabbing her horse it’s thanks but no thanks time .

 

[Patterdale]

They shouldn’t even put you in this position. No reasonable person would expect you to continue.

I had a pony out on loan last year, she became unwell so I brought her home. She’s now better and I’ll keep her until spring and then the loaners will have her back. I would never have expected anyone else to rehab my pony!

 

[paddi22]

I've a few horses out on loan and wouldn't DREAM of expecting some to rehab them for kissing spine.

 

[PurBee]

Im surprised at the owner still expecting you to pay, and agree with what everyone else has said.

If someone was loaning one of mine to ride, i wouldnt allow them to pay me anything during non-riding /recovery phase.

 

[criso]

I didn't expect my sharer to pay when mine was on box rest and was really grateful for any help with care i got.

Just to add when i had one on full loan at a yard that suited me, i did continue to pay livery, rest and bring back into work when he pulled something.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I pay people to help me rehab my horses if I don’t have the time myself.

If my horse has specific exercise requirements, then that’s not a loan of a horse to someone, it’s a job.

 

[SO1]

I shared a horse that came down with laminitis and need a lot of box rest and was on DIY. This was more than 15 years ago now and I was paying £30 a week and I continued to do my three days a week and pay the £30. However I wanted to continue the share when the horse got better and if I had left there was no guarantee that I would be able to share her again.

If you are giving up the share in May anyway which is 3 months time and are a student so I expect every penny helps then I think no problem in ending the share early.