Horse loans and shares are commonplace within the equestrian world. They can be a great arrangement for all involved, allowing horse owners to share the costs and responsibilities of keeping a horse, while giving others the opportunity to enjoy horse ownership without the full financial and practical commitment.
However, while these arrangements may work well between the horse owner and the loaner or sharer, they create additional considerations for livery yard owners. More people involved in the care and handling of a horse means more visitors to manage, additional communication and potentially greater security and safety risks.
So, what should you consider when a livery client has a horse on loan or share, and how can you make sure everyone understands their responsibilities?
1. Should You Charge an Additional Fee?
One of the first considerations is whether to charge an additional fee for horses that are loaned or shared.
This is now common practice on many yards, recognising that additional people using the facilities and accessing the premises can create extra management and administrative responsibilities.
A horse with one owner attending regularly is very different from one with two or three people visiting throughout the week. Each additional person may need to be introduced to the yard, given access information, made aware of the rules and included in relevant communications.
There are also additional considerations around security, health and safety, biosecurity, facility use and general people management.
An additional fee can help cover the extra time and resources involved. You could charge a fixed monthly fee per horse or apply a different rate depending on the number of additional people involved.
Whatever you decide, make sure your charging structure is clear, consistent and included in your livery terms and conditions. If introducing a new fee for existing clients, ensure they are given appropriate notice of the change.
2. Make Sure Everyone Understands Their Responsibilities
The most important point to establish is that the person who holds the livery contract remains responsible for ensuring that anyone they introduce to the yard follows its rules and requirements.
A loaner or sharer may have a separate agreement with the horse owner, but that does not automatically make them a party to your livery agreement.
The contracted livery client should remain accountable for the behaviour and actions of anyone they permit to use the yard in connection with their horse.
This includes ensuring that loaners and sharers:
- Follow all yard rules and procedures.
- Respect the yard owner, staff and other clients.
- Comply with security requirements, including locking gates and not sharing access codes or keys.
- Follow biosecurity procedures and report any relevant disease risks.
- Observe health and safety requirements when handling horses and using facilities.
- Respect visiting times, facility-use restrictions and any other yard requirements.
- Communicate appropriately with the yard owner and staff.
Their behaviour should meet the same standards expected of any other livery client. If a sharer repeatedly ignores yard rules, causes disruption or behaves inappropriately, the horse owner should be expected to address the issue.
Ultimately, the yard owner should be able to hold the contracted livery client accountable for the actions of the people they have introduced to the premises.
3. Have Written Agreements in Place
There are two separate agreements worth considering: the private arrangement between the horse owner and the loaner or sharer, and an extension to the livery agreement covering the additional person.
An Agreement Between the Horse Owner and Loaner or Sharer
The horse owner should have their own written agreement with the loaner or sharer, setting out the terms of their arrangement.
This should cover:
- The days and times they can visit and ride.
- What level of care they are expected to provide, such as grooming, mucking out, feeding or turning out.
- Any restrictions on riding, activities, competitions or hacking.
- Who is responsible for routine costs, veterinary treatment, farriery and other expenses.
- Insurance requirements.
- What happens if the horse becomes injured, ill or unsuitable for the arrangement.
- How either party can end the agreement and what notice is required.
For a full loan, the agreement should also clarify who is responsible for the horse’s day-to-day care, costs and decision-making, while recognising that legal ownership remains with the horse owner unless formally transferred.
A Livery Contract Extension
It is also advisable to have a separate livery contract extension or written undertaking covering anyone else using the yard in connection with the horse.
This should make it clear that the loaner or sharer is expected to follow the same relevant responsibilities, expectations and yard rules as the contracted livery client.
Ideally, the extension should be acknowledged and signed by both the livery client and the additional person. It should confirm that breaches of the yard rules by the loaner or sharer may be treated as a breach of the horse owner’s livery agreement.
It should also explain that serious or repeated breaches could result in the withdrawal of permission for that individual to access the yard and, where appropriate, affect the continuation of the livery arrangement in accordance with the contract.
This provides clarity for everyone and avoids relying solely on the horse owner to pass on information and ensure it is followed.
4. Keep Clear Records and Communication
The yard needs to know who is responsible for the horse and when. This is particularly important where a horse is normally cared for by its owner but is looked after by a loaner or sharer on certain days.
The horse owner should provide the yard with a clear schedule showing when the additional person will be attending and what they are responsible for.
For example, if the livery package includes bringing in, turning out or feeding, staff need to know whether these tasks are still their responsibility or whether the loaner or sharer is undertaking them.
It is equally important to establish the limits of what the additional person is expected or authorised to do. Are they simply permitted to ride and groom the horse, or are they also responsible for routine care? Can they arrange veterinary appointments or make decisions in an emergency?
The yard should not be left trying to interpret an informal arrangement between the owner and sharer.
You should also obtain the following details for anyone regularly attending the yard:
- Full name and mobile telephone number.
- Email address, where appropriate.
- Emergency contact name and telephone number.
- Their relationship to the horse (full loaner, part loaner or sharer).
These details should be kept securely and updated whenever arrangements change.
The horse owner should also ensure that their insurance covers the loan or share arrangement and that the additional person has appropriate cover for the activities they undertake. Loaners and sharers should not assume they are automatically covered by the horse owner’s policy.
5. Security, Biosecurity and Yard Access
Additional people on the yard inevitably mean additional security and biosecurity considerations.
Loaners and sharers should be made aware of any restrictions on access, including tack rooms, feed rooms, storage areas and other private or restricted spaces.
Where the yard uses keys, keypads or access codes, these should not be shared with additional people without permission. Any access arrangements should be agreed with the yard owner, and keys or permissions should be withdrawn when an arrangement ends.
Biosecurity is equally important. A loaner or sharer may keep or ride other horses elsewhere, visit other yards or attend competitions. They should therefore follow the same biosecurity procedures as any other person attending the premises.
This may include cleaning footwear and equipment, observing isolation procedures and reporting any relevant contact with infectious disease.
The horse owner should ensure that their loaner or sharer understands and follows these requirements.
6. Make Your Policy Clear and Consistent
Loans and shares can be perfectly straightforward and beneficial arrangements, provided everyone understands their responsibilities.
As a yard owner, you should have a clear policy covering whether loans and shares are permitted, whether additional fees apply, what information must be provided and what agreements need to be completed before anyone else starts using the yard.
Your livery contract should make it clear that the contracted client remains responsible for the conduct of anyone they introduce to the premises and that any breach of the yard rules may be treated as a breach of their own agreement.
For full-loan horses, it is particularly important to establish a separate agreement with the legal owner so that the yard is not left in a difficult position if the loan arrangement ends or the contracted client abandons the horse.
Ultimately, it is about knowing who is on your yard, who is responsible for each horse and who you can contact when something goes wrong.
A little extra administration at the beginning can save a considerable amount of time, expense and frustration further down the line.
Loaners and sharers can play an important role in helping horse owners manage the rising costs of keeping a horse, and yards should be careful not to discourage arrangements that can work well for everyone involved. However, making sure expectations are clear from the outset is essential. Setting firm but fair boundaries, agreeing responsibilities and maintaining open communication between the yard, horse owner and loaner or sharer can prevent misunderstandings and help everyone work together. Getting things right from the start gives the arrangement the best chance of becoming a positive, stable and long-term one – benefiting the horse as well as everyone involved.