Loanie ponies
It has long been a concern of ours that despite the after effects of the equine welfare crisis, there continues to be a dire shortage of well-educated ponies.
All charities have difficulty finding homes for the smaller ponies until they are old enough for training and ‘child proofing’.
Not only do these ponies need to be reared to at least four years of age before they can start training under saddle but also the training required to progress as a riding or driving prospect is costly in terms of time, skill and commitment required.
This is a big ask for any charity already very busy with rescuing and bringing animals back to good health.
At Here4Horses, we are always keen to find solutions to problems and with that in mind, we have established our one-of-a-kind Loanie Pony Scheme.
This scheme means that horses and ponies who have gone through a rehabilitation process with us and then may have spent time in foster care, return at the right time, to be started under saddle and carefully prepared for a life with humans. These precious horses and ponies then ultimately become available on our Loanie Pony Scheme.
This scheme provides applicants with a rare and very special opportunity to have a horse or pony to love and care for as their own, without the huge initial outlay of buying a horse or pony. This invaluable chance to have a perfect horsey partner, comes with the requirement to pay a small annual loan fee. This fee allows our remarkable scheme to continue to change the lives of horses and ponies who are carefully produced by us.
Potential homes for Loanie Ponies are considered in the same way as Foster homes in terms of how we consider suitable placements. However, once a perfect match has been made, we are always very happy if the horse or pony can stay long term, or perhaps even remain with their loaner indefinitely.
Usually the only thing that changes this scenario, is if a pony is outgrown by children, or circumstances have changed. This leads to the Loanie Pony returning to us so that careful preparations can be made to find them a new home.
We feel this scheme not only gives a second, third or even fourth chance for our horses to live a happy and fulfilling life but also helps meet the demand for suitable educated ponies which might otherwise have been at worst discarded and at best, become field ornaments.
It is still commonplace for many good family ponies, to find themselves alone in a paddock once outgrown. These ponies often have many fruitful years left to give but remain there, simply because the owner says ‘I can’t bear to part with him’. Here4Horses will consider ponies in such situations as potential candidates for our scheme too.
As we write this in January 2023, this scheme has been running successfully for almost three years and we welcome all enquiries from potential pony loaners.
At Here4Horses we firmly believe that one of the most important things you can do to secure the welfare of a horse or pony, is to train them well.
We believe a clear understanding of how horses learn is essential. We therefore hope to find people who are dedicated to teaching horses and ponies the important lessons required in order for them to be safe and treasured partners and companions.
We are willing and able to help you develop your horsemanship skills, using appropriate, evidence-based techniques.
If you feel you are the kind of person who can love, teach and care for a horse or pony with these principles in mind, then we would love to hear from you. A truly worthwhile and rewarding experience awaits those special individuals who share our beliefs and goals.
Will you join us for the experience of a lifetime?
Read Amber and Marvin’s story HERE to get a feel for whether loaning with Here4Horses might be right for you.
Then, following your initial enquiry, a member of the Here4Horses team will get in touch with you for an informal discussion with regard to your experiences with horses.
Our horses and ponies have often seen very tough times and it is extremely important to us that their futures are bright and secure with knowledgeable, kind people. We are sure that the right people for our Loanie Pony Scheme will understand this.
We are not necessarily looking for gold standard premises – but we will want to see well kept and fenced paddocks, stables of sufficient size and evidence of a routine in place that is beneficial to healthy, happy horses.
If we are happy with the initial enquiry, we will arrange to visit the stable yard where the horse or pony would be kept, in order to put faces to names and provide an opportunity for everyone’s questions to be answered. An initial enquiry form will be completed at this stage.
We are perhaps understandably, a little bit fussy, so it is not unusual for us to mention one or two small things which may need to be addressed but if after the visit everyone is keen to continue, the next step is for us to identify suitable candidates for you.
Should we feel we have a potential match, arrangements will be made for you to visit, in order to meet face to face and get a feel for whether the relationship might work – we might also take this initial opportunity to see you ride.
If we don’t have a potential horse or pony that immediately fits the bill, we may have one waiting in the wings and we can then arrange for a later visit when the time is right.
Alternatively, you can stay on our wait list until one comes along.
Loanie Ponies for adults
Many of the animals that come through our centre are between 11hh and 13.2hh.
Of course very small ponies are only suitable mounts for children, however, we believe that a full up 13.2hh cob can be more than enough ‘horse’ for a lightweight adult.
These ponies should simply not be labelled as ‘just for children’. Sadly, many people fail to consider this size and type, when in actual fact, they may perfectly suit their needs.
Please do apply below if you think a cob is for you, we will be happy to chat through your options.
If you share our belief that this scheme can help secure a bright future for a rescue horse or pony, perhaps you would also consider fundraising specifically to cover the cost of training potential Loanie Ponies? This is such an important part of what we do and we would be so very grateful for your help.
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Signing Up
All Here4Horses loaners start out by signing up to a probationary period. This initial three-month period, which everyone embarks upon, is there to ensure that the programme is right for both you and our pony.
At the end of that period, a review is undertaken and both sides then agree on how best to proceed.
Take a look at our Terms and Conditions where many of your questions are likely to be answered.
However, please let us know if you have any further queries. If you decide you’d like to submit an application to loan, please complete the form.
