Help me understand loaning

[Ridingfree]

Hi there, I appreciate any advice please. I have a DD6 who is horse obsessed! Has been since age 2. She rides weekly at a lovely school and always on a particular horse, one she absolutely LOVES. I know little to nothing about horses, I totally take DD lead but obviously as she's 6 she's still little and not very strong, never tacked up etc.

The riding school have contacted me, the pony she rides is available for loan 2 days a week. It's a really reasonable price, not much more than we pay for her lesson currently. I'll speak to the school at the weekend but for anyone more experience than me - what other costs could I expect? Food? Vet? Etc what level of commitment like if I can't get there one day do I need to make arrangements for the horse to be fed etc?

I bee love the horses are in a field so not necessarily needing mucking out etc but again a question I need to ask, we always said we would loan a horse at some point but I imagined this being when DD was a little older and more independent. I'm happy to get stuck in with her but I'm not sure what is usually in terms of commitment and responsibility required for a part 2 day loan

Thanks so much

• I believe the horses are in a field

Hi, so there are different types of loan, in short full loan where the loaner has full use of the horse but becomes responsible for all costs and care of the horse, part loan or share of a private horse where the loaner has use of the horse for usually 2- 4 days per week, pays a fixed financial contribution towards costs (usually between £50-£200 a month) and/or takes care of the horse on those days, and riding school loans, where again a fixed fee is paid for a certain number of days riding at restricted or off peak times (sometimes the fee also includes a certain number of lessons) and may also be expected to help out with some easy yard jobs. I distinguish the riding school loan from a 'normal' part loan because with a riding school loan the horse or pony is usually still used in lessons around the loaner's rides (rather than just being ridden by the owner) and often there is an element of supervision and help available from riding school staff.

It sounds as though it's a riding school loan you are being offered so it would normally be a fixed fee, you shouldn't have to pay any extra food or vets costs although you may need to buy riders insurance for.your DD (this is pretty cheap so worth doing anyway). There are obvious pros and cons to a riding school loan, it's usually relatively more expensive than a regular part-loan/share and you are often much more restricted on when you can ride and what you can do with the horse (often it's riding in the arena only, and only at times there aren't other lessons going on, they may not want you to take the pony hacking or for competitions or pony club off site). However it is a much easier and gentler introduction to owning/loaning esp for children with non horsey parents than sharing a privately owned horse where you are expected to just get on with riding and jobs without direct help or supervision from the owner. So it could be a really nice idea for.your DD BUT do ask lots of questions and fully understand what you are getting into. A lot more riding schools started doing these loan schemes during lockdown and frankly some of them are a total rip off, I've heard of people being charged hundreds a week to only be allowed to ride at impractical times like 12-2pm on a weekday, or even worse the "loan" is actually just a dressed up scheme to give clients the dubious privilege of doing loads of yard work with little more in exchange than being allowed to cuddle or groom the pony and perhaps have first preference over riding that pony in their normal lessons...

As your DD is so little its obviously impractical to expect her to be of much help in doing any jobs that are part of the deal, so you'll need to understand what exactly is expected, like I say it might be just grooming and tacking up or it might be full on mucking out, consider how you feel about shovelling poo or whatever yourself (including in the depths of winter/pouring rain) . And perhaps more importantly, what supervision and teaching do children loaning ponies get for riding - at 6 even if she's a very confident enthusiastic rider, she will need constant supervision and lots of input from someone who knows a bit about horses and riding, both to keep her safe but also to make it enjoyable for her and pony. Most 6 year olds left to their own devices will just canter round the edge until they and their pony are exhausted and/or plonk themselves in the middle of the school looking baffled until told what to do! Again if you are not horsey yourself will you know what to tell her to do, or will there always be a teacher there (in which case how does loaning differ from lessons?).

Basically it's fine if your conclusion is all this is coming a bit too early for you and her. In just a few years she'll be bigger, stronger and more able to help with jobs on the yard as well as more able to ride independently so it may be better to stick with lessons for now and look into a loan later.

Thankyou that's really helpful. I am discussing with her riding teacher and the owner on Sunday. I do feel this may be a little too early for her but my good she would love it. There is a nice little community down the yard with a number of the pony's on loans and a lot of the kids are all local so there are also friendships there but again I'd say most the girls are age 8-14 and DD is younger. I have a lot to think about and I'll report back. They are in,y asking for £8 more than we already pay for a weekly lesson, so my thought also is if it's gives access after school to ride / groom etc it could be a nice step onto her pony journey.

Just to add, you say they’re only charging £8
more than you’re currently paying for a weekly lesson - are you thinking of stopping lessons and just having the share? At 6 (well at any age really) your dd will need regular lessons to improve especially as you’re not horsey yourself (plus it’s hard teaching your own children even if you’re an expert). At our old livery yard there were lots of kids who’d been having lessons at a riding school for a couple of years then their non-horsey parents bought them a pony or they started sharing one of the ponies at the yard. Most of them never had lessons as their parents thought they could ride now and they’d spent enough money on pony plus livery but there were some very scary things going on in the arena and fields - accidents waiting to happen for both child and pony 😕

@Pleasedontdothat no I absolutely we would continue lessons. The price includes a weekly lesson so the excess to what we are already spending weekly is tiny really. It's more me being unsure of what we would be responsible for and if it's worth waiting a couple of years until DD can be a bit more knowledgable and will dependant

• independent

6 is quite young for that kind of arrangement , depending on how it works. DD has a similar loan from a riding school but they have to be at least 10.

@theferry Thankyou for the info. If we move forward I'll defiantly have to give a lot of support right now. Could be good for us to both learn just thinking it may be best to wait until DD can be more independent with the care and indeed her riding

@theferry what level of care is expected for your DD to give the pony? Ie grooming/ mucking out / feeding etc please

Just because the pony is out at grass doesn't mean there won't be poo-picking involved.

You need to ask the yard what they expect from you.

@Ridingfree its for 7 days a week and DD does all care. There are always people around for help, but she takes full responsibility for the horse. If we go away or we can’t make it, we just let them know and they take care of the horse. It costs £55 per week and she gets half price lessons (£10).

Drawbacks are

• Horse is used in quite a lot of lessons so DD has to work around that, which can be quite limiting on when she can ride.
• They’re not allowed to jump outside of lessons
• Theyre not allowed to go hacking or take the horse off the premises.

She started doing this when she was 11 and still has it (although she changed to a bigger horse a couple of years ago) now she’s 16.

Thankyou that's really helpful

To the other posters of course I'm not afraid of mucking out / poo I'm just trying to understand it all as naturally DD would need help with that at the moment and I want to make sure I understand everything involved so I can make a responsible decision

If they give you one lesson a week ask what happens on the other day. Dd was 6 when we first got her a share but you're right she needed lots of help initially although she was used Rio being around horses, they simply can't reach a lot of things and don't risk assess situations or understand horse body language- they obviously needed full adult supervision to ride. Ask how this will happen on the non lesson day as you really need someone with a bit of horse knowledge to do this at that age even on a quiet school pony

Thankyou that's helpful to insite I'll ask questions on Sunday and report back for further thoughts

NC yesterday as I had commented on a post I thought if be identified on potentially

Update: Ok so the riding school were lovely. They explained our only real responsibility is to keep her water topped up and in the event she was ever lame we would need to keep her stable clear and mucked out. She's in the field otherwise. On our 2 days we can groom / ride her and also book the arena for this free of charge. They have a Facebook page and WhatsApp group so if ever we were away etc someone else could check in on pony

All sounds lovely and a great opportunity for DD but a previous abs very wise poster did comment that DD may not benefit too much this young as I myself am a bit clueless (but prepared to learn) so I think we are veering towards waiting until DD is at least 8yrs and can be more independent in her riding and pony care: with supervision but her being able to be more directive and hands on as she would be taller/ stronger etc

I do keep flip flopping on my decision though as I know she would love this. Any thoughts from more experienced riders on this would be appreciated

I would say your DD is too young and there is nothing more likely to put her off horses than being drafges to the yard in the middle of winter in the rain and dark. Definitely until she is around 8 yrs old before going for a share. It is a different scenario if you have your own place but on a yard you may find she prefers just playing with the other kids rather than knuckling down to yard chores. There is also the safety aspect of such young kids on a yard, you have to have eyes in the back of your head and it can be a total ball-ache.
Wait until she is older and in the meantime get yourself some stable management lessons so you are more clued up (only from a BHS approves yard though to make sure you are learning correctly and safely).

I’d go for it , but only if the riding school are prepared to show you the ropes - could you pay for a couple of stable management / horse care lessons . You do also need to keep up with your daughters riding lessons .

I agree that your DD is too young to get the benefit (maybe different if you were horsey) and the potential for her to be put off is high.

Even the most gentle, bombproof pony can have it a moments - especially if it gets spooked but having nervous people/children around it. What would you do it you were in the stable and the pony stood on her foot and refused to move? Or trapped her against the wall having a good old scratch? I'd know what to do because I've got horses but I would not expect a non horsey person have the confidence/knowledge to deal with it quickly and with no drama.

Much in the same way I'm no skiier and DD loves it - so if she wants to do that, she does it with a qualified person

You say most of the loaners on the yard (sharers really) are 8+ and at DDs yard it's 10+ and they have to have passed pony club badges.

You say you can book the school on the day she doesn't have a lesson - to do what? Without an instructor and the adult not being horsey I'd say that was a recipe for disaster!

You certainly won't be able to teach her and probably not be much use if something goes wrong - I mean this nicely! If you are not experienced with horses, being in charge of a 6YO and a pony is not going to be fun for anyone. And dangerous! I can't believe their insurance would cover a 6 year old riding without an instructor - so basically you'd have to pay for a lesson on both days.

You need to do a bit more digging here - would they really let her essentially be supervised around horses? With you as the adult? That would be a massive red flag for me.

It's great you are willing to learn but at this stage she needs to be in lessons or doing supervised horse/pony management- which would be extra cost.

You might end up having to pay for an extra lesson on the 2nd day. I'd say she's far too young and hold off for now.

I'm horsey and DD shared a pony at her yard for a while when she was 9/10 - she always had an instructor in the school and me in the stable (which is fine because I know what I'm doing).

On a few occasions I took her into the school - sometimes with me riding as well and it proved I was absolutely right in not becoming a riding instructor!

It is a great introduction into ponies but one and/or both of you needs to be much more experienced to get the most out of it.

Absolutely 💯.

Thankyou for all your comments it's beenreally helpful.

There would always be an instructor there for help advice. Someone is always in site until 8pm and she would keep her weekly structured lesson which is included in the price of the loan/share. They have also offered some lessons for me to learn tacking up, safety etc

But all in all we have decided we absolutely don't want to put her off as she so loves everything related to horses - it's best she works towards being more able and knowledgeable and can then be rewarded for that commitment possibly with a loan from 8yrs+

On another note- in terms of pony club. Can children usually take part in this if they haven't their own pony? Just thinking it would be good for her to learn the other aspects of pony care etc

Depends if you mean a Pony Club or a Pony Club Centre - is it based at your yard?

Technically yes you can take part with no pony as you can go to the care rallies etc but pretty much everyone I've ever met through pony club had their own pony, but it depends on the branch I'm sure.

@Changeau Thankyou
It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. I want her to learn stable management and general pony care before a potential loan but pony club is only for those with their own ponies already 🤷🏼‍♀️