Loaning a horse

Does your horse have a medical condition that needs specialist care or is your horse elderly and going to a companion home? If your horse is going out on loan and it involves being moved to a new yard, assessing their quality of life is strongly recommended to make sure this won’t have a negative impact. Your horse will be out of your day-to-day control, and there have been occasions where horses are loaned to people who were initially judged to be trustworthy but who have sadly neglected their loan horse. 

Encourage potential suitable loanees to come and view your horse several times. The horse should be ridden by yourself or someone known to the horse before the loanee. Make sure that the loanee rides the horse and handles them in all scenarios which they may face. Not only will this give you the confidence that the horse and loanee are well suited, but also that your horse will be well looked after and handled in a way in which you’re happy.

When selecting a prospective loan home, always request references from your loanee. This may be from owners they’ve loaned horses from previously or an owner of a horse they’ve provided care for. Alternatively, you might ask for a reference from a previous employer if they’ve worked within the equestrian industry or from their coach or riding centre if the loanee has recent riding experience there.

If your horse is moving to a new yard, make sure that you visit the new home prior to making any final loan agreement. Take a really good look around to make sure that the living environment and conditions are suitable for your horse’s requirements. Consider the safety aspects of yard security, stabling and pasture management. Ask about the daily routine of the yard so you can feel confident that your horse will adjust to their new environment without serious issues.

Once the loan agreement is in place, keep in frequent contact with the loanee and visit your horse regularly to check on their health and wellbeing. Ensure that the yard manager also has your contact details.

Public Liability Insurance is essential for your loanee as they will be classed as the horse’s keeper and may, therefore, be responsible for any damage that the horse causes to a third party’s person and/or property. Make sure that you have seen evidence that this insurance has been taken out by the loanee. BHS Gold membership includes £30 million of public liability insurance cover.

Caring for a horse properly is time consuming and you may find it difficult if you’ve underestimated the impact it will have on your daily schedule and all your other commitments. 

Find out more about caring for your horse.

Although the initial purchase cost is removed with loaning, the long-term financial commitments are the same: feeding, a targeted worming programme, farrier, dental checks, vaccinations, bedding, forage, public liability insurance, veterinary insurance, livery charges, transport costs, and veterinary fees.

Make a list of all the attributes your ideal horse would have, and the sort of activities you would like to do together, considering your own ability, knowledge and experience. Seek the advice of an Accredited Professional Coach to help you find the perfect horse.

There may be some limitations or specific requests that come with your potential new horse, so make sure that you ask the owner lots of questions. Specific requests may include a certain management practice which needs to be followed, or activities which the horse can’t take part in, for example, jumping.

If you take on a horse with a history of health conditions, which may be ongoing, make sure you research as much as possible. Be realistic in your knowledge and ability to recognise whether you’ll be able to provide the best care for the horse.

If you decide to take on the horse, make sure that the yard you move them to can also cater for their needs. For example, if the horse needs to be fed soaked hay or have their grazing controlled, can the yard provide these facilities?

Before agreeing to a loan, take the time to handle and ride the horse in the sort of scenarios you’re likely to regularly encounter. Treat this like the trial of a horse you’re viewing to purchase. You may find it useful to think of a list of questions for the owner.

Don’t ride the horse yourself, to begin with – the owner or their representative should ride the horse first while you watch. They should show you the horse in walk, trot, canter and over a jump (if applicable) so that you can observe the horse’s paces and behaviour under saddle. Always put your safety first, and if you or your advisor have any concerns at all about riding the horse yourself, then the horse probably isn’t suitable for you. 

Public Liability Insurance is essential. As a loanee, you are the horse’s keeper and may therefore be responsible for any damage that the horse causes to a third party’s person and/or property. BHS Gold membership includes £30 million of public liability insurance cover.

Consider how any unforeseen circumstances, such as unemployment or sudden illness, would impact on your ability to care for and keep your loan horse.