Breaches of loan agreement, help!

[FatHairyUnfit]

DD is home from university and visited her pony at the loan home today to find him fat and hairy and unfit at what is usually his best time of year. There have been several breaches of the agreement eg major changes to feed, bits etc without discussion. He’s a fun and sturdy native who loves hunting and showjumping but is being ridden badly in the school and then turned out alone into a ridiculously small patch. DD says it’s like making one child sit at a desk all day for 7 days a week while all the others get to party around them (they’re at a hunting/eventing yard). Of course it’s not all bad and the loaner is very well intentioned but what would you do, if anything?

The amount and way he’s being ridden is kind of on you. I assume you vetted the home? Feed/bits/tack id be annoyed about but from experience loan contracts don’t tend to stand up well when disputed by either side. It’s a nightmare.

If the horse is miserable and you think its not been properly cared for then end the agreement.

Well the pony’s being kept unsuitably, and is becoming unhappy and unhealthy. I’d be terminating the contract

Is it (from what you’ve said) a very novice home? Is it a case if needing more support than they are getting? Tbh if you don’t think they are capable terminate the loan, take it as a lesson in vetting homes better next time?

Take him back and find him a more suitable home or keep him with you and find a sharer / sharers so that you maintain more control . This is the downside of loaning unfortunately, but it could be worse they could have sold him .

Have you spoken to the loan home?
What does the agreement say?

It’s more a case of them feeling very right and secure in their own minds about how to keep horses (micro managing everything) which is very different from how we keep ours (hands off, mixed herd) and so we are starting to see problems he’s never had before such as pulling his shoes off (they’ve kept to the same farrier as us as per the agreement). There’s a wide range of acceptable and pros and cons either way. It is probably more distressing for us than it is for the pony tbh. They’re not novice but they have an unfortunate habit of posting on social media about doing 70cm with their ‘green pony’ who is talented and experienced over 100cm for eg. Not really a hanging offence but it’s all adding up to an overall unfavourable picture. Not a horror story but too far from optimal.

I’ll support DD to end the arrangement as soon as practicable. Thanks for helping me think it through.

I'd be inclined to speak openly with the loaner, to see what they say, and to express your concerns.

Were expectations of how the horse should be ridden/turned out discussed prior to the loan?

As pp have said, you could terminate the loan arrangement and look for a sharer as an option, if discussion and outcome are not satisfactory.

@FatHairyUnfit they sound like some new owners I know, all ego. Absolutely certain they are right is problematic if it is your horse and you don’t want to sell