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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

Where to find a loan pony for our pony mad boy

99 replies

Florin · 24/04/2019 16:17

We are in the really lucky position to have a private yard at the bottom of our garden. It isn’t ours but we have become friends with the owners and she has taken our pony mad boy under her wing and has offered to let us have a stable for a pony for him which he would love as he loves his riding lessons and helping with her horses and even begs to go out poo picking each day. However we just can’t find anything suitable. We need a 13-13.2 first pony that will be stabled with 2 geldings. Any tips of places we may have missed to look?

OP posts:

GiveMeFiveMinutes · 24/04/2019 16:56

Have you asked the yard owner to put feelers out?

If you have looked at the usual sale / loan sites, then perhaps try contacting your local Pony Club.

Original poster

Florin · 24/04/2019 18:31

Yes she has asked everyone she knows but we haven’t found anything suitable we have also asked all our horsey friends and his riding instructor all who have their eye’s peeled. Good idea about the local pony club though I will try that next.

OP posts:

Fazackerley · 25/04/2019 07:55

How old is he?

Backinthebox · 25/04/2019 09:04

How old/tall is he? 13.2hh is a really difficult height to find on loan. I’ve been keeping a vague eye on what’s out there - DC2 is outgrowing his 11.2hh but can have a bigger pony when he shows more enthusiasm for mucking out! There’s not a lot. Word of mouth is the best way to find a loan pony, or put out an advert yourself.

GiveMeFiveMinutes · 25/04/2019 15:58

What area are you in OP?

Might help to post what county you are in and see if anyone is aware of a suitable pony for loan.

lastqueenofscotland · 25/04/2019 23:33

Where abouts in the country are you OP
Unfortunately safe ponies are worth their weight in gold and don’t come along often. When they do it’s usually word of mouth. Have you tried the local pony club?

Original poster

Florin · 27/04/2019 07:02

He is nearly 7 but extremely tall! We are in Kent near Tunbridge Wells. He is just desperate for a pony to love and asks me several times a day if we have found one yet. We have asked every horsey friend we know to be on the look out there just doesn’t seem to be much out there.

OP posts:

Fazackerley · 27/04/2019 07:22

What's your budget?

Eve · 27/04/2019 07:26

Get on all your local equine pages on Facebook for your area and do an advert for yourself. Most people who need to loan are wary of who will take on a pony do you need to sell yourself.

Original poster

Florin · 27/04/2019 08:07

We are hoping to loan rather than buy at the moment as it’s his first pony. Eve you may be right maybe I am not selling myself enough I am not normally bold and maybe I need to be. We really would be a lovely home for a pony. Our son adores horses and as the yard is at the bottom of our garden he will be down there any minute he can he already is looking after our friends 2 huge geldings. I am also a sahm (well I work from home for Max 2 hours a day) so I have plenty of time in my day to go down and spend time with the pony and it will want for nothing. Any tip of things to say they may appeal to someone that wants to loan their pony?

OP posts:

Fazackerley · 27/04/2019 08:09

We are hoping to loan rather than buy at the moment as it’s his first pony

Bingo! Sorry OP but be prepared for a long wait.

Frouby · 27/04/2019 08:11

Try local pony club and riding club pages on facebook. Pop a wanted ad in there. Contact any riding schools to see if they know of anything. Advert up in local tack shops.

Safe 1st ponies aren't 10 a penny, but someone may have an outgrown, much loved older pony they don't want to sell on, but want to keep in work for health reasons but have no jockey.

Fazackerley · 27/04/2019 08:16

People don't tend to loan much loved old ponies to people that they don't know. Your DS could join the local pony club as a non riding member. He could then do the badge rallies and learn about pony care plus if you are helpful and friendly you will both be in a good position to hear about those rare safe loan ponies.

Booboostwo · 27/04/2019 09:15

Are you horsey? Who will supervise your DS when he handles and rides the pony? Horses can be very dangerous and a young child needs an experienced handler alongside at all times. Where will your DS ride? Does this yard have an arena? If it doesn’t, riding for half of the year will be a huge problem. Will he hack out? Who will ride with him? Is your neighbor willing to take responsibility for your DS, and do you trust her to teach him handling and riding? What if he gets injured under her care?

Add to this that DCs enjoy the social aspect so of yards, the other pony mad DCs who will spend a morning washing ponies, play pony games with, go on hacks together, etc. A private yard set up with one adult is not going to be much fun long term. You are also need a plan B in case your neighbor gets fed up and asks you to leave the yard.

Original poster

Florin · 27/04/2019 11:55

I used to ride when I was a teenager and I am going to start riding again and will supervise at all times, I already do when he helps daily with our friends horses (mostly without friend being there) and my husband comes down at weekends too as we love spending time there as a family. Friend is extremely experienced and used to ride competitively and is qualified to teach and has a sand school to teach him in which she plans to do twice a week. He will also carry on having a lesson at his current riding stables. He is an only child so is used to be mainly in adult company so that doesn’t bother him and he adores our friend and really looks up to her. However plan to join him to the pony club which often happens at a farm virtually next door you can also hack from the yard straight without going on any roads into a pinetum with riding routes through it. We have plenty of plan b’s if it didn’t work out with friend. I completely trust friend to teach him and I will always be there watching as well. Horse riding is a dangerous sport but don’t see how there is an increased risk if he being taught his friend compared to the stables where he has lessons. He of course has got a properly fitted hat and a really good body protector.

OP posts:

Eve · 29/04/2019 09:42

What you say in your last post is what you need to say in an advert,

Keen rider, always supervised, experienced instructor, yard at home, plan to do pony club , regular lessons etc. Also offer to provide references and allow owner to visit regularly if they want.

Everyone who loans is very wary of things that can go wrong, ponies not being looked after, being returned broken with no notice or being sold whilst on loan.

If you do have get a loan make sure you get an agreement in place to cover you and owner. BHS has a template you can use.

Good luck with the search.

Booboostwo · 29/04/2019 11:36

I see, that sounds really well thought out. As above, put that in your advert.

maxelly · 29/04/2019 13:03

Along with what everyone else has said, have you tried posting on local horsey FB groups and a card up in your tack shop/feed shop? I think probably your best bet though is going to be word of mouth through your friend and her network, people do loan out their outgrown ponies but the first choice would be people they know personally, through PC or friends of friends so you could be waiting a while (nothing personal just how it goes)... I also wonder if now is not the best time of year to be looking, as with winter behind us and we are about to go into the new showing/competing season and with camp etc. on the horizon, possibly people are holding onto their ponies?

Would you reconsider buying rather than loaning? Fully understand your reluctance given the financial outlay and that it's a first pony but (injuries etc aside) good children's ponies would usually hold their value so if you chose wisely I think you could be sure of finding the pony a good home if your DS outgrows him?

Original poster

Florin · 30/04/2019 12:32

I would consider buying but dh says not yet and I can understand his reasoning. I think we will keep trying to find a loan pony and if no luck in a few months we might have to reconsider. Ds has been going on and on about ponies to his teacher and how we haven’t found one yet and she has put me in touch with the teacher in charge of the equestrian team at school so she is on the look out now too.

OP posts:

WellErrr · 30/04/2019 12:47

Have you looked into leasing?

Original poster

Florin · 30/04/2019 14:06

I haven’t seen any ponies to lease. What is the sort of cost involved and how does it work exactly compared to loaning?

OP posts:

Booboostwo · 30/04/2019 14:13

I doubt anyone would bother leasing a first pony. It’s usually expensive competition ponies that are leased and even then it’s quite rare to find one. The only thing that is similar to leasing is having a pony from an RC for the holidays but the ponies remain at the RC.

Fazackerley · 30/04/2019 16:37

A pony that is regularly leased out would not be a safe first pony. You need something that's had a long term pony club home.

Backinthebox · 01/05/2019 11:09

Tbh it could take quite a while to find the pony that will suit you and your son on loan, a lot of people who are already in the horsey world are on the lookout for a good safe 13.2hh on loan too, my FB feed is full of people looking but not many ponies offered. A good one will tend to be snapped up by word of mouth. Here's a thought for in the meantime - if he is so keen and you have the time to drive him around, why not look for a pony locally to ride in exchange for stable duties? I have 2 children who come to ride mine 2 or 3 times a week in exchange for their mum mucking them out and making up feeds while I am at work. It works very well for all of us. I get my stable chores done, they get to ride, we all go to shows together and sometimes her older child rides at the shows too if there is a class suitable. Her kids have gone from on the lead rein to both of them cantering round the countryside now, and the older one is jumping lots too. My ponies are fitter, and it costs neither of us anything we weren't going to spend anyway. She advertised on a local pony FB group and I answered, that was over 2 years ago now.

WellErrr · 01/05/2019 15:11

Look up Morrigan Lease Ponies on Facebook, they lease out first ponies upwards, around £20/week. No direct experience but they seem to have good reviews, we considered it for my daughter but we bought one in the end.

There’s a few places I’ve seen doing it.

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