HEROS - taking a horse on Loan

Download the Loan Terms & Conditions:

HEROS aims to rehome and retrain as many horses as possible into useful and fulfilling lives. Whilst there is no age limit on horses coming into HEROS, every horse that applies has to be fully assessed both verbally with the owner(s) and also with a completed disclosure form, which will be witnessed, before sending the horse in. We do not take horses to put them down as we consider this to be the owner’s responsibility. We concentrate on horses that are able to do a job, however, we are also very pro-active and experienced at horses needing specialist care for rehabilitation following a previous injury. Obviously seasonality and current numbers on site restrict us but we do run a strict waiting list. This does not mean you will be waiting for months as the list is reviewed on a weekly basis.

The horses are on our website with a brief description and picture. When you see one you are interested in, please call to arrange a visit. Whenever possible we see people at either 11am or 2pm Monday-Friday and some Saturday mornings. We try to avoid Sundays as the staff here have such a heavy workload, but if there is no alternative we will always try to accommodate you.
We request that a donation is made to HEROS when you visit us each time. This helps tremendously towards rehoming other horses and enables us to ensure that we have someone available to give you as much time as you need. Your donation will be taken over the phone at the time of booking an appointment and can be made by debit or credit card.
You are invited to try a horse as often as you like, as we want you to be confident and happy that you have chosen the right one.
When taking a horse on life-time loan from HEROS people always give a charitable donation.

These donations are non-refundable. However, in the first month, if the horse is obviously the wrong choice for you, we will change it for another one that is more suitable.

A loan agreement will need to be signed and witnessed by both yourself and HEROS to legally confirm the arrangement. You will be invited to set up a monthly standing order, which helps towards the ongoing care that both you and the horse will receive. An advantage of our loan system is that, if your circumstances change, we will always take the horse back and rehome it again without question and the backup care you will receive is second to none.

Before we consider you for a loan horse we will require two references:

Firstly, regarding your horsemanship and ability to care for the horse, either from a vet, blacksmith, a riding instructor or the manager of the yard where you may be keeping the horse. This can be verbal but MUST be backed up in writing.
Secondly, a character reference from someone who has known you for more than 10 years.

You will be required to attend, at some point, a one-day course (costs to be confirmed), held at HEROS. This course will cover many aspects of horse care and welfare and also confirm, in more detail, what is expected of a HEROS loanee. These courses are in the process of being set up at the moment and therefore you would need to book onto the first available date.
When all the arrangements are finalised, paperwork received and signed and the loan donation paid we then arrange delivery of the horse to you. We use this opportunity to carry out a thorough home check before we leave, photographs are taken and report drawn up by the driver and this is kept on the horse file. As so much careful preparation will already have been undertaken, we expect this to be a formality, however, if the driver is not happy with the home we reserve the right to bring the horse back to HEROS.
In addition to this we will have discussed any other concerns you may have regarding the horse including feeding, bedding, turnout etc, You will need to pay the transport costs at the current rate of £1.50 per mile + VAT for the round trip so please make sure you add this to any budget.

Please note that a loan agreement does not confer ownership rights and at no time are you permitted to sell or loan the horse which is on loan to you from HEROS. This is why individuals taking a horse on loan must meet the following requirements:

Sign a loan agreement (a legally binding document – copy available to view).
Confirm in writing that you will contact us if you change address or change yards where the horse is kept and inform us of the new address(es).
Insure the horse either with KBIS Insurance Ltd (with whom we have set up a bespoke policy) covering vets fees and legal liability or by taking out British Horse Society Gold Membership as this provides many benefits including £10 million worth of legal liability cover for any horse in a member’s charge and £15,000 personal accident cover. At present the membership fee is £55.50 annually.
Get the horse freeze-marked, if this has not already been done. This will be via Farm-Key (HEROS have been given discounted rates and a recognised pre-fix for all HEROS horses)
Inform us immediately if any accident occurs or if the horse becomes sick and in the event of this your vet will need to discuss the horse with our vet Hattie Lawrence. If it needs to be referred to a hospital it MUST go to Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn unless, due to location and time, it is not possible to do so ie: a colic case. In this case we would like both the vets to agree where to send the horse.
Understand that in the event of an injury or sickness it may be necessary for us to collect the horse and return it to HEROS for the convalescent period, if you are unable to cope. However, you will be kept involved and the horse will be returned to you once it is fully recovered. Loan horses are not open to vetting as they often have problems and are loaned to do the most suitable job for them. Any issues are fully discussed with the new loanees.

If you are interested in a particular horse from the website please call as soon as possible as the loan horses go very quickly.

To find out more please give one of us a call on the following numbers.

Office number Hilary or Grace: 01488 638820

Grace’s mobile: 07770 877543
Grace Muir
Chief Executive
July 2009