I am looking for some info. I love horses and have been riding loads when i was younger, i am hoping to start riding properly again in the near future,.I do go riding when i go to my aunts farm but this is more just plodding about the feilds and cant really do any proper riding! so i am going to start with lessons to build up my confidence again and then hoping for more.

I obviously would not be able to afford my own horse for a long time but need help with this loaning a horse business!

Exactly what does it involve? I was under the impression that you paid for the loan and then loads of extras but someone has told me basically you pay for the loan and that is all??? i know you need to do the up keep like grooming and mucking out...
so please explain in terms that a numpty like me would understand:huh: :D

thanking you all in advance:)

You can loan horses for nowt from some places! My neighbours have a horse on loan from a sanctuary - its not their beast to sell but obviously they have all the upkeep fees to pay - livery, feed, equipment etc. We used to get ponies on a free winter loan from a guy who did boundry rides in the summer

.

It depends, there isn't really a set format but basically it is split into 2 catergories.
1) Part loan- usually you pay a certain amount to ride and look after the horse 2-3-4 days a week. The owner still has responsibility the rest of the week and the horse stays where the owner keeps it. People usually part loan their horse to help with costs/time/exercise.
2) Full loan- You have the full responsibility of the horse, usually have to pay for everything and can usually move the horse to where you like. People usually full loan their horse because they don't want to sell it, are studying/ moving away/ have financial troubles.

Things like insurance, paying for shoes, feed, bedding, livery, extra tack, decisions on treatment/vets etc can vary between agreement. It is always a good idea to draw up an agreement of who is responsible for what.

You mentioned about your riding experience, do you have any horse care experience? You should read up a lot about things like colic/ Lammie/ lameness so you would recognise things and learn as much as you can about feeding/exercise/weight etc so you are prepared. The BHS do some small courses in horse care which I would recommend but experience and reading is always better. I can reccomend some books if you like? You can be a poor rider but have excellent horse knowledge to look after a horse on loan but not vice versa! after all you can always continue with the lessons when you have a horse.

Good luck with it all, :thumbsup:

My niece lost her pony to colic last week :(

She cried buckets.

jess 22 covers the basics i think.
we loaned our first pony for 2 years, 'cos at 8 years old it may be a phase.
the owners "owned" it and kept in touch,visited occasionally etc.
but we paid for everything else - shoes,feed,vets etc,etc

the only issue we had was that the ponies owner (daughter) did keep remarking on wanting him back all the time when she visited which upset our daughter. so we just said have him back and bought our own.
it's been down hill ever since.

some people will try to tie you down with all sorts of minutiae and even make you pay for existing health issues,so beware.

but best of luck.

advertise now if you want one - most horse owners like to start loaning them out when it costs most i.e winter, when summer arrives they often try to put it off.

My niece lost her pony to colic last week :(

She cried buckets.

I bet she did, thats awful. :(
Horses digestive system is crap! they can't be sick so can get colic so easily, no matter how careful you are. It is very difficult to treat if severe. It takes too long for a horse to travel to the nearest hospital from Sheffield to be treated in time if a horse needs surgery. :(
I once knew a horse that got colic from someone feeding it grass cuttings over the fence :mad: that ended up dying.

she was 18 and it was very very quick. Thankfully

Savbaby I would strongly recommend a horse management course. Rother Valley College do one and it is excellent for anyone thinking of owning a horse. You learn all about digestion, stable management, feeding, illness, woundcare etc and the amount of stuff you learn is an eye opener. I did this course when I first owned a horse and I thought I knew the basics :o Little did I know I knew nowt! I am so glad I did the course and my horses are well looked after now that I have the knowledge.

The course used to be run in the evenings.

its going to be a long time off yet, it was just a thought. I really just wanted to clear up what it meant. There is a girl i work withs friend who pays £40 a week for the horse and thats all no other costs and its on full time loan. The owner pays for everything else. I was not sure if you took on all the costs or not. If i do decide to do it i would probably try to get some stable work first to get my knoweldge up and then consider the rest. I am trying to find a local sanctuary in Glasgow to volunteer at but my googling is not working!

Thanks for advice everyone!:D

Savbaby, why don't you join one of the horsey forums? There are lots to choose from and you'll learn loads and more than likely make contact with Glasgow horse people, who'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Google:-

Enlightened Equitation
Intelligent Horsemanship
New Rider
Saddle Up

These are just four of the popular ones, I'd recommend. Once you start rummaging around in those, you'll find references to many more. If you can't find them via Google, let me know and I'll send you links.