Would you loan to ...

[MagicLlamaStrikesBack]

Someone who says they want to loan because they cant afford the cost of the pony, when the pony is only £250 - £300 to buy and they are offering you a loan with view to buy for a month?

I said id feel uncomfortable with it, because I suppose Id be judgey that if they cant manage to save a couple of hundred quid for the pony then how would they manage with any problems with the pony, and im not sure of a reason I would loan unless I wanted to loan anyway IYSWIM?

Disclaimer .. its someone I know who wants to loan. Shes been looking for a pony for a while for her DD, but says she cant afford to save for the pony, because they have got a part loan at the moment which they dont want to stop until theyve got a new pony. They have also just rented a field, ready for the new arrival, so they have no spare cash. The mum has apparently been responding to adverts where ponys are for sale asking if they will do loans for the pony, and people have been responding with no or we will do LWTB etc and when shes said but I dont want to LWTB because of the above they have turned her down, so shes asked me in what better way she could describe her reason for wanting to loan is ...

Thoughts of the tack room??

[roadkillbunny]

It sort, no way.
How are they going to afford the day to day keep?
How are they going to afford the unexpected vet bill that could come to more than the pony is worth?
How are they going to afford to bring the pony through winter with the hey price set to rise due to the bad summer?
How are they going to buy tack as it needs replacing, rugs etc?

If somebody starts out saying they can't afford a couple of hundred pounds and have no spare cash. I tend to say that you can only afford a piny if you have twice the amount per month available to keep it as the minimum cost you have worked out.
This is the reason we don't own a pony, I could just about afford to keep at grass but have no buffer cash at all, it wouldn't be fair. We manage in other ways for dd to have the experience of her own pony, we are lucky though as I work as a groom so have lots of contacts and dd has a pony that is for all intents and purposes loaned to her but we are not responsible for any of the pony's costs. I know not everyone can be as lucky as us but there are lots of people looking for part loans and shares, not all are asking for cash contributions, some just want somebody to look after the pony for a few days a week in return for riding. This seems like a much better option for your friend.
She may well get somebody who well loan to her but it really wouldn't be in anybody's best interest, let alone the pony.

[Butkin]

Bunny is spot on. If you were asking thousands for the pony then load with plan to buy is reasonable. If they can't afford a few hundred then they are financially unprepared to care for an animal which could cost them a lot of money if things don't go to plan. I would suggest they need to save up first.

[Mirage]

No,for instance,who would the pony be insured with on it's loan? If she can't afford £300 tops,she is unlikely to be able to insure it.Even with insurance dpony's excess for vets bills is £145,would she have that sort of money to hand if need be?

[MagicLlamaStrikesBack]

See thats what I said, id just feel uncomfortable about it, itd be different if it was a pony costing thousands, but a couple of hundred ..

Personally I think shes mad to have rented a field when shes not even close to getting the pony!

I dont think there is anyone anything could say that would make me loan in those in circumstances if I didnt want to loan anyway!

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

I was going to play devils advocate, but actually probably no! I've had a couple of loaners and loaning is a PITA! None of my ponies are insured, but I could find a few hundred for a vets bill if I needed it. Most of my ponies are old, were free or very cheap and don't owe me anything. If it came to a big bill, or an emergency, I'd probably PTS. But that's just me and you need to decide if you'd be happy for your pony to go into that situation.
In the situation of rehoming, you need to totally go with your gut. I sold one to a family within half an hour of meeting them, subject to dated pictures of their place and other ponies they were delightful, knowledgeable and the wee boy who she was going to was fabulous. I get regular updates and I'm happy.
But I refused to free to good home another to a nearby family, because they just didn't feel right. They wanted an elderly companion, but mentioned the odd ride, there were three kids, two of which were too big to ride her, their other horse was a yearling bought for the kids(!) , and on checking with a friend local to them, I just wasn't happy.
Go with your gut!