Should I loan my niece my 24 year old gelding?

[Strugglingforanamechange]

Exactly that. I don’t ride anymore as I just don’t have the time. I have a sound and healthy 24 year old gelding just stood in a field doing nothing (he seems happy mind you!)
DH has suggested loaning him to our niece. For hacking and light school work. He would be carefully brought back into work and kept at a livery yard just up the road. The owner is experienced so I’ve no fears for his welfare.
I just don’t know ifs it’s “right” to bring an older horse back out of retirement!
he’s a great horse, super confidence builder and my niece would absolutely adore him.
wwyd?

Do it. He's probably bored out of his mind.

I would.

If he’s sound and healthy and he’s brought back into work slowly and sensibly then why not? With horses (as with humans) it’s often a case of ‘use it or lose it’.

I would. I've always found that retirement is when a horse declines. If they're healthy and sound, then light work keeps them fit and engages their brain.

Several of the horses at my school are well into their 20s and all of them seem to look forward to their lessons. Come trotting up at the sight of their tack and get excited seeing jumps set up.

One of them, who is now retired due to a health condition was an excellent showjumper and would get really pissy if the jumps weren't for him.

He loved his jumping. Still free jumps in the field and you can still jump him if you ride tackless. I'm not good enough to do it but I've seen others do it. His health problems mean he can't be comfortably bridled but he's a good clever boy and will happily carry a rider round a course with minimal input from them. He's 23 now. Old Boys still got it.

I'm not opposed to having a 24 year old in work if they're sound and capable of doing it but nor do I think they have to be kept busy if they're happy just being a field ornament (some are, some aren't). Since everyone else on the thread is a resounding yes I'll just sound the note of caution - you don't say how old your niece is and why she wants/needs a light hack only as opposed to a horse in full work, if she's a teen or an inexperienced rider just starting off, my worry would be that in a year or two she'll be fed up with not being able to do everything else the other people on the yard can (competitions, fast hacks etc) and may want to move on to a younger horse, then you'll have to deal with taking your boy back and putting him back into retirement, how easy would that be? Do you have him at home at the moment and what's his companion situation?

My other worry which again is more so if your niece is very young or inexperienced is about money, i.e that by agreeing to this she'll feel you've somehow 'promised' her a horse and if it turns out your boy doesn't settle or doesn't stay sound in light work (which is absolutely possible at his age) she'll be really disappointed and/or you'll feel guilted into paying her back the livery fees and transport costs or whatever else she will have spent. He'll definitely need a saddle fitter visit before she even thinks about getting on, farrier and physio too and probably some other kit will need to be purchased, plus lessons or other professional help while she gets him going, so her set up costs will be not insubstantial (nothing compared to buying her own horse of course but I can just see an inexperienced young person with non horsey parents thinking she's basically getting a free horse then being astounded at having to pay out hundreds of pounds only to end up with nothing to show for it - welcome to the world of horses love of course but could be a nasty surprise!).

Have you and she had a conversation about money beyond just the livery bills, if he goes lame who's going to pay the vet bill for instance? Family loans are often a really great solution to this sort of situation but just like with any other loan I'd recommend some really detailed and open conversations especially about anything involving money to make sure you definitely are on the same page then drawing up a good loan agreement, just in case...

Thanks for the replies.
I do think he is happy at home being a field ornament but he also used to enjoy out hacks so in terms of his happiness I don’t think he would care either way tbh.
We currently keep him at home. He has company so taking him back if she wants to move on to something younger / faster / fitter or his health declines would not be a problem.
He’s just had his feet done and is due to get his teeth done soon.
I’ll get the vet to give him a once over before he goes (if that’s what I decide to do)
My neice is 11. The reason she just wants a light hack and some lessons is because that’s what everyone else does. It’s not an ultra competitive yard where they all have show jumping ponies. It’s a place set up by a woman to give kids locally a chance to ride ponies when they otherwise couldn’t afford to. It’s a very low key place.
It is also very close to my home so I could keep an eye on him.
My neice is a wee gem, she would utterly adore him and I think she’s clever enough to realise that it might not work out with him being a bit older.

I don't think you have anything to lose by giving it a go. I guess he can always resume his retirement if it doesn't work out?

I think give it a try, but be involved. Go there and help her to get to know him, don't leave that to strangers. Also watch their first couple of lessons, you need to know that the instructor isn't going to push them too hard, and that they teach in a way that is fair to him. You can tail off the visits, but I think you should keep a close eye on things at first.