I started riding about a year ago, might have been a bit longer actually. I wonder if loaning is a good idea for a novice rider? If so how much is it usually to loan a horse? Should I get some more riding experience first?

I personally would say you need more experience first, not particularly riding experience, but horse management. Maybe do something like the BHS Horse Owners Certificate to gain knowledge on caring for a horse. Or why don’t you think of part loaning/sharing with someone more knowledgably who would be there for advice and help. If you loan a horse you don’t pay anything for the horse itself, but you would pay for everything else such as:
rent/livery fees
Feed and forage
farrier
vet, dentist and chiropractor
tack & rugs
Any supplements/wormers etc
Insurance

Some good advice above, part loaning or sharing would be a good idea & also a cheaper option whilst giving you some valuable experience

taking on a horse full time takes a lot of time and experience, so as others have said sharing may be an option with an experience owner with an experienced horse.

It gives you a good idea of what to expect and the amount of money it costs without jumping in at the deep end to start with, also only having a small amount of experience you may well find it difficult to find yourself the right horse, as an owner myself who has loaned out horses, I wouldnt allow my horse to go to an inexperienced home.

sometimes it takes an experience eye to spot sickness or ill health which if left can have devestating consequences.

All this said we all start somewhere, so plenty of reading, helping out at local riding schools or livery yards is a great place to start gaining the wealth of experince you would need

good luck

X

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Thank you all for your advice. A friend of mine offered to bring me to her stables to help care for her horse so I can learn more about caring for them, I'm also signing up to do BHS stage 1 (they do training and the full tests at a local yard) I'll wait until My riding levels a little higher as well as learning more about the care element

Once again thanks for the advice

thats great to hear! Good luck and have fun!

I notice you are in Essex.. where abouts if you dont mind me asking? Only a friend of mine has several horses in the Basildon area and would be grateful for some help. Let me know if you are interested

I live quite close to basildon.

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aah interesting. They currently have about 5 youngsters who need general looking after and handling. They are looking to buy another ridden horse so there will be something to ride hopefully soon. the setup is fantastic and they are lovely people. I help when i can but have my own horse on loan and work long hours. Can pass on your details if you are interested in meeting them?

yeah sure I'll have a chat to my friend and my mum see what they think and give you a PM, she wont mind having a novice? I'd love the experience of helping out and I learn pretty quickly

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