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'Loaning - A Practical Solution or a recipe for Disaster'?
A reader responds.

I recently read the article entitled 'Loaning - A Practical Solution or a Recipe For Disaster' and I sympathise entirely with the girl who loaned out her beloved horse, only to have it mistreated. My husband and I are looking for 2 horses to loan at present, and my reason for responding to this article is to reassure horse owners everywhere, that there are people out there (like us), who will love and care for your horse as if it's their own. It angers me that people like the lady in the article, ruin what could be a wonderfully convenient and happy experience for all concerned, with their irresponsible and cruel behaviour!

I have loaned horses all my life - I started out with a little 12.2hh Strawberry Roan Exmoor pony called Wally. He was loaned out to youngsters in my local area, until such time we outgrew him, and then he moved onto a new home. This variety spiced things up for Wally, and he was extremely well cared for in a number of fiercely vetted homes. He is still around and I see him occasionally at local shows. Wally and I learnt a lot together and I had some fantastic times with him! Following this I helped out with some of my friends horses and ponies in exchange for 'rides'.

I used to care for neighbours horses when they went away on holiday and travel to shows with them to help out. My second loan horse was a 14.2hh TBX grey gelding called Solo who was my 'horse of a lifetime'! I loaned him from a friend who was moving onto bigger and better things in the Equestrian world but didn't want to sell Solo as she was immensely attached to him. Solo and I went on to compete in local shows together and he taught me everything I know about SJ/XC.

We had great fun hacking round the local countryside, and taking part in Sponsored rides. His owner and I decided to retire him (as he was getting on a bit) and he went out to grass back at his owners home! I missed him terribly for ages! Following Solo, I exercised other peoples horses for a while (one of my best friends was a hunt groom), and I would help her out with the 4 hunters she looked after in the evenings and at weekends.

An opportunity then came up for me to loan a 15.3hh part Appaloosa Gelding called Smudge. He was 17 when I got him, and had just been declared 'sound' by the vet following a tendon injury and 6 months box rest. I walked him for weeks, strengthening the leg, and built him up really gradually, then one night in his field he tore a ligament in his other front leg. I called the vet, and his owners, and they decided to put him down. I was devastated but had to recognise that the decision was theirs.

The vet advised me that another 6 months box rest would depress him as it was coming up to summer, and being 18 it was unlikely he would remain sound IF he recovered, and would probably only be able to be used as a companion horse. This is the only negative experience I have had whilst loaning and it wasn't anyone's fault - just life. My husband and I would welcome a loan agreement, financial agreement, spot checks from the owners, and would always insist on full insurance at all times.

Riding the horse before you make your decision goes without saying, and 'knowing' the horse you are taking on is also extremely important, i.e. their stable habits, little ways personal to them, their likes and dislikes, their preference of field companions, feed, bedding - all of these things and much much more make for a happy horse if you take the time to find out.

There are a variety of reasons why people look to loan and not buy, (our reason being plainly and simply that we don't have the capital to buy 2 horses complete with tack, rugs etc at the moment), and I fully appreciate that there are some completely ignorant, inexperienced idiots out there who have no idea of the level of love, care and attention a horse requires, however, there are some genuine people like us who can offer an experienced, loving home for loan horses.

We did our homework, worked our finances out and came to the conclusion that we can afford 2 horses, both financially and time-wise. We have spent lots of time at our local livery yard/riding school, got to know the people and the horses there and having inspected their facilities, are satisfied that they meet the necessary standards. So, for all you horse owners out there who are frightened of loaning your horse/pony because of horror stories like the one recently published on 'StableTalk', PLEASE DON'T BE COMPLETELY PUT OFF! Continue to be vigilant in your vetting of potential homes, and do everything you can to ensure your horse or pony will be cared for to your standards. If you can't check them once in a while, then ask a friend or family member to poke their heads over the stable door when they can, and please remember - WE'RE NOT ALL BAD!

Read the original article the prompted this response.

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