Advice about going to see potential loan horse

S

suseh97

New Member
Jun 30, 2008
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Renfrewshire, Scotland
:eek:

Well I bit the bullet and put up an ad saying I was looking for a part loan or share horse. I emphasised how inexperienced I am and how any horse owner would need to babysit me if they took me on. I really did not think anyone would be interested in me as most seem to be looking for very knowledgable sharers. I got an email almost straight away but the horse was 16.2 and I felt that was just too big for me.
I went online yesterday and there was an email from a woman who lives nearby offering a part loan of her 18 year old 14.2 mare. From what the woman says she sounds lovely. She is on a yard near me and she is to stay on that yard. Again all good. Woman has two other horses and feels she is not giving the mare all the attention she deserves. The horse had a leg injury two years ago and it ended her jumping career. She is now fit again but will never be able to go over big jumps. This is good as I am really looking for a horse I can hack out on. Oh and she says there are other riders willing to hack out with me.
So any advice on loaning would be great. What should I do when I go to see her? What questions should I ask? Pitfalls to avoid? Aaaagh I have butterflies in my stomach already. :confused:
 
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Think you have made the 'hardest' move, by putting the ad up and being
totally honest about your experience, good for you.

Make sure first of all you see this Horse ridden by an experienced rider/Owner
before you get on, also see this Horse hacked out in traffic etc., so that you know it is relatively safe, if thats what you are planning to do, but bear in mind that no matter how well behaved there is always the chance that something can give a horse a 'fright' unexpectedly when you are out and about, but you can see its behaviour and get a general 'feel' of temperament etc. by watching it be ridden. Its VERY important that you don't just 'jump in' and that the Horse IS suitable for someone with your level of experience. There is nothing worse than being 'overhorsed' (most of us have been there) but it WILL dent your confidence, so no matter how tempted you are, hold out for the right Horse for your level of experience.

Ask a bit about Horses general health and if there is anything in particular you should know about, i.e. back problems, arthritis, laminitis. How often is it shod or is it barefoot. What costs would be involved, if any (:)) and what would be expected of you. To be fair, you have been honest and I would
expect you to receive a fair bit of help/guidance initially anyway. Ask about ANYTHING you have even
the slightest doubt about and IF it comes to drawing up a Contract make sure anything you have any
worries about is covered, in fact, cover every eventuality in the contract.

Ask if she wants a 'full loan' or part loan/share and if she would be prepared to
draw up a contract (ALWAYS ADVISABLE, CAN SAVE LOTS OF HEARTACHE
DOWN THE LINE).

Basically you need to find out if this Horse is suitable for your level of experience, that the Horse is relatively healthy for its age with no underlying problems, especially IF you are going to be contributing to vets bills etc., (ask about Insurance and if the horse is covered). What other contributions
you will be expected to make, how often you are allowed/expected to ride.

Hope it all works out for you, bear in mind sometimes loans/part loans etc., are very successful, sometimes unfortunately they don't work out for differing reasons. However, when successful they are a fantasic way to enjoy and experience Horse ownership.

Sincerely hoping yours is successful and that it all works out and you have lots of fun.

PS. for anyone looking at my times of posting tonight, lol, I AM WORKING a Night Shift but we are
QUIET.....so cannot resist 'looking in'
 
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Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an indepth reply. I certainly do not feel half as nervous about going to see this horse. Even if she is not for me it is valuable advice for the future. Will keep a note of all your points. Once again Thanks :)
 
Oh and I am taking one of my sisters school friends along with me. She has been a horse owner for 5 years. So theres me a 40 year old woman turning up with a 15 year old expert :D Not a problem I could probably take along my 3 year old and she would know more about horses than me. She runs her own Playmobil stable after all.
 
You are more than welcome:D

Beauty of a Board like this is that you can learn from others past mistakes;)
Including mine:p

Bear in mind that lots of people choose to get helpers etc, because they
are 'having problems' and hope someone with more experience will come along to 'sort those problems out', lol, but it doesn't sound to be the case here.

You have been very honest about your level of experience etc., and I sincerely hope people appreciate that and help you back into the exciting,
but when returning, a bit daunting, world of Horses.

YOU WILL GET THERE, blimey I am 52 and have only been back into Horses
in the last few years.

Find the 'right' Horse for you, its out there somewhere, and then have
LOADS OF FUN, cos if it isn't Fun, you have the WRONG Horse;)

Keep me updated be interesting to see how you get on, and wise move,
to take someone who has more experience, however old, along with you. I always took someone, got HER to ask all the questions so that I could
'digest' the Owners answers and BODY LANGUAGE, to guage if they were
'telling the truth', NOT THAT I AM 'SUSPICIOUS', lol
 
No I get the feeling that this owner is considering me because the horse has mild arthritis (she would pay all vets bills). Horse is sound and has been for a couple of years but cannot do high impact things like jumping. Which is fine for me. She may worry that a more experienced rider would want to do too much with horse??? It is the only reason I can think why she contacted me :o. I have seen pics of her and she is very classy. Pre-arthritis she was competing in dressage and show hunter classes. I am worried already that she is way out my league. Hopefully she is as sweet natured and gentle as described
 
Sounds very much like it in this case. Again however, I would stress
that if it all works out, and hopefully it will ;) do ask about a loan contract
right at the beginning.

Should things start to go wrong, and again hopefully they WON'T at least
you have something in writing covering all the issues.

I have loaned and had loans with and without contracts, TBH I have been
VERY LUCKY and ONLY ONCE had any problems, however there are plenty of
threads on here that tell different stories:eek:

Don't think this Horse is out of your league for one minute, a few months
down the line you will be back into it as though you had never been away, yes things change, but good ol' common sense will never replace the
latest way of doing things or latest fad:)

Hope it all works out for you. When are you going to see the Horse?
 
I am going to see her at the weekend. I am on holiday in Ireland at the moment :D

I have been trying to prepare for getting a horse. Volunteering with the RDA and I have done a stable management course with them. Going to start level 2 soon. If anything the course has taught me just what sensitive animals horses are. It seems for such big, strong animals they are so easy to hurt :eek:

I really empathise with the posters on here who say they put more thought into getting a horse than having a child. I was far less worried bringing my baby home than I am about caring for a horse.
 
How did your visit to the horse go?

Just wanted to let you know that I was in the same position as you last month and am now 4 weeks into a loan. My horse is also 18 and sounds similar to the one you are viewing, he has a little arthritis and will never jump again and his owner wants him to lead a quieter life. He will certainly get that with me as I will be a happy hacker once regained my confidence. I am having 2 lessons a week and yes, I am making progress albeit slowly. As for stable management, it has been a baptism of fire, but after a few weeks I am happy getting him in from a field of horses, grooming, rugging, tacking up, riding in school etc. and have already built up a fantastic bond with him. BTW, I am 45 and have had a 30 year gap!

I have a contract with my owner - she pays vets bills and insurance, I pay livery and shoes. Everything is working out great so far.

So ...I hope this reassures you. You will love it, believe me. Do let us know what you decide to do.

Alison
 
I didnt go. Owner contacted me and said that a place for her 3 horses was coming up in another yard soon. She asked if that would be a problem. It was just a little too far out for me. So the search goes on.

I am glad to hear you are doing so well with your loan horse :)
 
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