? re leasing a horse

M

marieanneh

Member
I know from reading the forum that several of you ride/own horses. I rode alot as a kid, and have just recently started taking lessons again with my nine year old daughter. I forgot how much fun it was, and I am now considering leasing a horse. Have any of you had experience with this, and do you have any suggestions/tips/ or warnings. Thanks:)
 
Hi there Marie Ann,

I wish I had more time to answer questions/give advice right now. I actually have to run back to the barn to feed the sickly ponies (who are all out of the woods...YEAH!!!!) However, I WILL be back on later and promise to help you out then. I just didn't want you to think you were being ignored :p . It's so great that you've gotten back into it. From a fitness point of view it really is a wonderful total body workout...you find muscles that you never knew existed and are very hard to work conventionally.

BBL,
Wendi
 
>You can lease a horse?

LOL! Those were my thoughts. I first thought it said "house". I guess I am not a farm girl ;)


Debbie


Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'
Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.
--Family Guy
 
My niece leased a horse for a while. It sort of fell into her lap. She was working for a barn, and a woman who had a horse there, fell and broke her leg. Her horse needed exercise and training, my niece had just sold a horse that she had a bad experience with,plus she was heading to college in a year, so they made arrangements for my niece to lease the horse for the year. My niece paid some sort of fee, and it was like the horse was hers to take care of and ride and such. After the bad experience with the pyscho horse(I saw it go pyscho once with my niece on it, very scary), her mother was much more comfortable with that arrangement than buying a horse without knowing its hidden problems.
 
I am just learning, but my understanding is that you pay for the board, vet fees etc for the horse, but don't have to purchase the horse itself. I guess it is a bit like leasing a car. Only in America, huh!
 
I had been riding for many years, originally wanted to buy a horse a couple of years ago and the one I picked didn't work out. Long story!

I used to lease a horse, basically taking care of him, taking him to tournaments, etc. just didn't have to come out of pocket on the sales price. It worked well for me, I think a lease is great, IF you spell it out in writing who has what responsibility, i.e. in my case it was that I had to pay for feed and boarding on top of the lease amount. We agreed to regular vet bills being covered by me, however, any major vet expenses, exceeding a certain amount would be covered by the owner. We also spelled out, who can ride the horse, that we can take him to tournaments, etc. I think everything is negotiable, just make sure everything is in writing.

Depending on if you do English, dressage, jumping, eventing or Western, I would go to the particular websites and look what for sale or for lease horses are going for, so you are little more educated as to what prices ranges are in your area. I would try and get the owner to agree to let you try out the horse for a couple of weeks to see if it works for you and your daughter, also try and get your trainer involved in finding you a horse, they usually know your skill level and most of them will be happy to work with you in trying to find you a suitable horse.

Hope this helps!

Carola
 
Alrighty, I'm back!

Wow, where to start...In general leasing a horse is a very, very good idea. It gives you the feeling of owning a horse, the responsibilities both financially and as far as care goes, but without having to put out a rather large investment up front. I do have a couple questions for you, if that's okay.

1. English or Western?

2. Are you looking to share the horse with your daughter?

3. Will the horse be boarded with your current trainer?

4. Have you expressed your desire to lease with your trainer?

First of all, and this is THE most important advice I can give you, you need to have your trainer involved from the beginning. Usually s/he knows where solid, safe, lease horses can be found. Often times the trainer has good school horses that s/he will sometimes lease out as either whole or half leases (every barn is a little different as to what each option entails). If s/he doesn't have a horse available in-barn, your trainer is an invaluable resource ...s/he will know what level you are at and what type of horse would be appropriate for you. S/he should always be present when you go to try any horse that you are considering leasing/buying. After all, this is when you really need an expert eye. Most trainers(like 99.9%) will expect a commission for this service, usually 10-15% of the lease fee, but it is definitely in your best interest to ask for your trainer's help.

Second, once you have decided on a horse a contract should be drawn up, usually by the lessor and agreed upon by all parties. Please, please, please get everything that you will be responsible for (financially) in writing. MOST leases require the leasee to cover all veterinary, farrier, board, dentistry, chiropractic care, etc. Also, it is usually a VERY good idea to take out a mortality policy on the horse you are leasing. It protects you in the event something catastrophic happens so that you won't be responsible for the full value of the horse.

To be continued....

Eek, we have massive storms coming through!!!! I'm going to post this one so I don't lose it in the event of a power failure.

BRB,
Wendi
 
Okay, part deux...sorry about that. I'm going to keep going and I hope I can get this all in before we get blown away.

Third, the length of time the lease will be needs to be in the contract and, if the horse is returned before that time whether or not the lease fee is to be surrendered or refunded. For instance, if the lease is for a year and you decide to give the horse back after six months, for whatever reason, are you still responsible for the second six month time period? That varies with every lease but make sure that that is agreed upon and in writing. Also, you sometimes have the option of lease with option to buy...but that's a whole 'nother story!

In general, leasing a horse is safer for the leasee than the lessor. I can't tell you how many times we've gotten horses back off lease that were absolutely crippled and/or came back needing a complete retrain. The leasee usually isn't held accountable for these kinds of things...a plus for you. Leasing is a great way to get a taste of what horse ownership is all about without the "OMG what have I gotten myself into?" panic hanging over your head. The best thing is that if you decide you don't like the horse it's returnable...not as easy once you've purchased.

I'm sorry for the novel x(. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask, that is if you want to hear me keep rambling :+ .

Good luck,
Wendi
 
I leased a horse for my daughter and it was a wonderful experience. At our barn we paid a set amount per month and the lease was in 3 month increments. The stable owner paid for food, vet, ferrier, etc, and the barn staff took care of the horse. My daughter could ride the horse during lessons and during the supervised rides, which were for 3 hours 3 or 4 days a week. Supervised referred to the fact that the stable staff supervised the kids to make sure they were safe and appropriate with the horses. It was a good way for my daughter to get more riding time and for us to determine whether she was serious about this for the long term. The main risk with leasing is that the owner can sell the horse at any time. After 6 month of leasing my daughter was incredibly bonded to this horse. She was also going through a very difficult time and the horse and her riding time were really good for her. Someone became interested in buying this horse and indicated they were going to put an offer on her. Long story short, we no longer lease because we own the horse!
 
Thank you for all the great advice. We are riding English (I used to show hunters when I was a kid many moons ago) but I need a horse suitable for both my daugher and myself. I have been away from the horse circuit for some time, and the idea of leasing is new to me. But I am excited about the prospect, especially since it is something I can share with my daughter.
 
HI there- I just got back into town and saw this question- yes I would lease before I would buy and get it all spelled out in a contract- I had a horse that I "tried" to sell and had some dangerous situations with people of varying skill levels testing him out and they did not do well- I will never buy another horse- I would lease or take lessons- people often buy horses and board them (which we did-we don't have land or a barn) and they don't think about their situations changing and then it's a whole different ballgame to then sell the horse-I ended up giving him away to my best friend who has a couple of other horses- good luck--deb
 
I think leasing is a very good idea for your situation. You are returning to riding so right now you (and your daughter) need to concentrate on improving/reviving unused riding skills. Leasing a well broke horse that is suitable for both of you to ride would be money very well spent.

I don't need to tell you but having a safe and well trained horse for your daughter, who is a beginner, is so very important so she builds confidence as a horseman.

I see so many people who decide to take up riding and they run out and buy the first cute horse they see. And it is always a 3 or 4 year green broke horse but...it is a cheap horse and they think it will be fine because the horse owner says 'anyone can ride her'. Oh! I just see this too often. Good well broke horses are expensive and especially if you will be looking at getting your daughter into jumping, you could easily spend $15k on a horse for her to compete with. Leasing a well trained horse such as that is easier on the pocketbook then you having to cough up the cash in one lump sum, plus...with leasing you get to try the horse out for say 3 months or six months and then decide if you want to go ahead and purchase that horse if he's exactly what you need.

Goodluck and have fun riding! :D
 
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