Loaning a horse

[SoleBizzz]

There us an old, gentle horse for loan at my DS's riding school. The horse will stay where he is.

I haven't spoken to the yard owner yet but my DS's horse riding instructor has said this horse woukd be perfect for us.

I have only discussed this briefly today and I would like to k ow what my responsibilities would be if I loaned this horse?
All food, being, tack, turn out and in is included in the price.

I'm currently doing a workshop with the horse.

Or I guess it varies from yard to yard..

If it's full loan, then I would imagine you would pay for everything as if he were your own horse, all that you've listed plus farrier and livery fees.

What price? Why are they asking you for money?

There are a variety of ways to own a horse aside from buying out right:

• loan: in this case the rider takes over responsibility for the day to day running costs of the horse and does all the care and riding. Usually you can move the horse to a yard of your choosing but some loan agreements specify that the horse has to stay in s specific yard. No money changes hands but it is wise to have a loan agreement in place specifying all the terms. The BHS have a sample agreement you can adapt.

• share: the owner needs some help with the care and exercise of the horse, so that both owner and sharer ride. Some owners ask for a financial contributions, others want help with mucking out, etc, while others just want help with keeping the horse fit. Again it is good practice to write down the terms of the agreement.

• lease: the rider rents the horse. This is the same as a loan but a fixed amount is charged each month. This type of agreement is rare and is usually reserved for competition horses. Some riding stables offer an 'own a horse for a week' deals during the holidays as a taster of horse oqnership, but that is the closest I have ever heard to a riding school horse lease.

Also what do you mean by workshop?

I would be asking why he is perfect for both of you, sorry but I am quite cynical, having been and seeing many inexperienced people completely taken advantage of by riding schools leasing horses to students...... Sorry I know I must sound strident.

If you go ahead you must have a contract, listing who pays for what, if they are still allowed to use him, if so how much.

The reason I really hope you listen to this is because we were completely taken for a ride, I really wanted a contract - was told they didn't do business that way and look it would be fine, they wouldn't have a clientele if they took advantage of them...... What I discovered was they completely took the piss, got presented for bills for things I had originally been told I wouldn't have to pay for, and they kept on using him in lessons - this wasn't meant to happen - he was meant to be retiring. Only reason I found out about the lessons was that I happened to turn up at times that I hadn't planned on being there. But as I didn't have a contract we didn't have a leg to stand on. What I discovered was they had done this with lots of people, but that they didn't have the guts to walk away.

Oh goodness I didn't take in that you would be keeping him at the riding school? Is that the case? If the plan is to keep him at the riding school and for them to keep using him for lessons then I would walk away from the loan. If the plan is to move him to another yard elsewhere for your own sole use, I would also be wary, as riding school horses can turn into very different beasts once they are away from their daily work.

Thank you for Al of your replies. I am not loaning this pony. I will learn about horses for a long time before I do.