What to do with my horse!!???

[sharonelizabeth123]

Hi everyone, i am new to this, this is my first post.
I have a 2 year old son, work three days a week and currently keep my horse on DIY livery 2 miles away.
It has been on my mind for a while now but wanted your advise.
I do not do anything with my horse, mainly for lack of time, but if i am honest i dont have the enthusiasim i used to either (although a lady in the village hacks him out once a week)! I have had him for 11 years (he is 16), rescued him from gypsies so we have a very strong bond and i just will never have it in me to sell him. We moved to our current yard 8 months ago, however i am finding it increasinly difficult getting up before 6am each day (he is stabled 6 months of the year - at night - ive been used to him living out all year round till we moved), sorting out my son, then sorting out the horse, then rushing home so hubby can go to work, then going to work myself. Also i am paying £50 a wk (£35 for DIY livery) for a horse i sadly dont do anything with. Also i am constanly being had a go at by the other livery (theres only 2 of us, for silly things like my horse eating her horses hay in the field (even though her horse is eating my hay???!) and the yard owner is constantly on my back telling how to feed, what to feed, what bit to use, when to turn out and bring in ect.) Its also the only nearest yard to where i live.
i have made the decision to put him on loan, however should i do so to a private person or a riding school, how do working liveries work?? i dont mind contributing some financial costs to his care and he will have to go to a home locally. Any advise?

[ManateeEquineOhara]

Hi, I can really empathise, I have had my mare for 10 years and she too was a rescue from gypsies who just had her tethered on a tip. It has been a struggle when my DCs were younger, but now I get to ride 1/2 times a week and it is all a bit easier - my DCs are 6 and 9.

I think you should definitely look at moving yards whatever, because bitchy yards are depressing (I am moving next week after 8 years at a yard because of the people who have recently moved there being so nasty!).

I would suggest you dvertise the loan privately, in tack shops and online. But be sure to vet any potential people carefully, I have had good and bad people loaning. However I think that lots of people are keen to loan atm, I recently advertised my other horse for loan or sale, I sold him because the people wanting to buy him were so right for him, but I had so many people wanting to loan him, that I had a backup list of about 20 possible loan homes! That was on advertising only on the NewRider website.

Good luck :)

[BlueChampagne]

In the unlikely event you don't know already, the BHS has a sample loan agreement you can download from their website.