Is you are/have a part-loaner atm

[ApplestheHare]

How are you working it with all the covid stuff going on? I was looking for a new horse to part-loan before all this started and was meant to meet a friend of a friend who was struggling to find enough time for her mare. It didn't seem right to pursue when lockdown came in but I'm wondering whether it will be feasible as restrictions are lifted?

I wish I knew how to edit thread titles If...

Our yard has the same rules for sharers/part loaners as for owners, i.e. you are allowed onto the yard one household at a time on a strict rota (until last week children were not allowed and parents had to come alone to do the ponies, last week yard owner changed that and said children could come and ride but had to be with their parents at all times), you are given a time slot to be on the yard and can't come outside those times so there aren't multiple sets of people there at the same time, have to sanitise hands on arrival and strict social distancing in place. Individuals are allowed to decide whether or not they ride in the school or lunge/do ground work in there, but jumping, riding in the field and hacking are not allowed.

So I would guess that it might be possible for you to start a new part-loan but you do need to consider carefully whether now is the right time to be riding, particularly on a strange/new horse and when the owner is probably not going to be able to be there to supervise/help you out at first. There are also no lessons/teaching available at the moment on my yard at least, and I would always want to have a few lessons on a new horse quite early on to set us on the right path (I think the rules are a bit hazy and perhaps do allow self-employed coaches to give private lessons but our YO says the local council have told all riding schools in the area they absolutely must close and I suspect that is the case across much of the country).

Personally I am not riding at all right now because my mare had been out of work with a minor injury pre-COVID, and although she's sound again now she will definitely be quite fresh when I get on her again and I don't trust myself not to fall off and cause strain on the NHS. So she is having an extended break at the moment and just building her up/keeping her trim with walks in hand and long reining. But others on the yard are riding, more so now than when we first started lockdown so its absolutely a personal judgement.

Thank you, this is really helpful. Lots of food for thought. I should have said that I wouldn't start riding in the current situation, especially as horse is in a field and not on a yard with others around. If it was a horse I knew and was confident riding then yes, but not a new horse. I was thinking of going up for yard duties, as I know the owner is struggling to manage, so sounds like that would be possible if we took turns and kept distancing rules in place. It's a tricky one. I think spending time with a horse would be amazing atm but at the same time I don't want to do anything risky.

I'm glad you're getting out a little with your mare. People are riding round here but mainly going for leisurely hacks, not much else going on.

We're part loaning and actually it's been a real tonic during this uncertain time. We do light riding mainly in the school but a little off road hacking too. Even the days we don't ride, just spending time with our horse and looking after him, it has been great for all of us.

He's a 'family pony' so me, DD and DH are all nuts about him. Our yard sounds similar to above....rota with set time slots for when we can arrive to do jobs and ride, and then when we have to be gone by. We only do once a day on our 3-4 days as the yard pop him some hay in in the morning, so we have 2 hours in the afternoon on our days.

And yes the rules are the same for loaners as owners....we are all classed as liveries.

Gloves, hand sanitiser etc. are all the norm now. It was a bit stressful at the beginning because by coincidence we only started loaning right before this happened, but it's great now and people know the score. We don't seem to get people being idiots.

Spending time with a horse is amazing at the moment....it feels honest and worthwhile when so much else is thrown into uncertainty. I would heartily recommend it if you're happy taking it slowly at first. It's made such a difference to our family.

Thanks, it's good to get the perspective of a loaner. How have you found getting to know a new pony atm? Have there been any barriers or do you have any tips?

I'm talking myself into it, I know!

I’ve been part loaning since January, and and @Deliaskis mentioned above, it is definitely a tonic at these challenging times!

Not much has changed for me, the yard rules now include social distancing and hourly hand-washing. I also take extra precautions by wiping tools, tack etc (anything his owners might touch on their days) with antibacterial wipes.

If you aren’t planning on riding, it may actually be easier to bond with a horse by doing lots of groundwork, perhaps lunging/long lining and join-up if you are experienced and have the facilities.

If not, even grooming/bathing will start to create a bond/build trust between you and the horse and also get you out the house!