Leasing a horse is a great way to take another step towards a purchase, and many horse barns offer horse leasing with the enrollment in one of their training programs. Consider leasing a horse with advice from a riding instructor in this video on equestrian living.
I am a big advocate of the opportunity to lease a horse. Whether it's your stepping stone to the possibility of purchasing one or whether it's what you hope to stay with for a long time. You will find lease programs available at most of your public horse facilities. Whether it be your local hunter jumper barn or your western stable, many of us in the horse business like to lease our horses however we also usually encourage that you remain in one of our training programs. These horses are typically very special to the horse owner even though we may have many, we still see each and every one as a valued and prized individual. So when you go to lease a horse, don't be surprised if you're expected to maintain some kind of a lesson program to ensure the good match between you and your lease. Lease prices can range anywhere from probably on the low end 250 dollars per month to way high if we get into that competitive arena something like a hunter jumper discipline. When you go to lease a horse, you're also looking for that safety match and so you hope that the barn owner will provide you with the horse that's most suitable based on your experience. Some leases require that you maintain and pay for things like the farrier, the one that puts the horseshoes on, even perhaps the veterinarian expenses. Some lease programs might mean that your horse is also used in riding lessons and you have to schedule the time you might choose to ride them. Some lease programs do in fact restrict the amount of time that you can spend with your horse. Those are all options that when you go to consider the lease program, you might hope that you can find one that will meet your needs. Lease programs are unique, not every area or region has a barn that's willing to go ahead and do that. But if you can find one and you're considering buying a horse, you might like to use your lease program as the opportunity to see do you really have or does your child have the commitment that's going to ensure that your investment, not only the purchase of the horse but the monthly upkeep is well taken. Better to look at dollars per hour riding a lease horse than dollars per hour of owning a horse and that's a great way to begin in a horse career.
on March 31, 2012, 3:57 am