Leasing a horse?
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Anonymous
| My 10 yo daughter is crazy for horses. Right now she's just taking one group lesson a week ($30 for 45 minutes). Buying and boarding a horse is completely out of the question for us but I wonder about leasing one. Our stable doesn't do it but I've heard of other such programs and read about them on this web site. What do you pay for it and what does it entail? |
Anonymous
| Potomac horse center does this. The pricing is on their website. It's a range based on how many times she will ride it. |
Anonymous
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Some barns will do full leases and half leases. Some will include lessons, others don't.
That price for lessons is very good -- where is she riding now? |
Anonymous
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Leasing is a FANTASTIC thing for a young rider who will be growing in size and/or ability quickly. The prices and terms will vary, but many places will just have a flat fee you pay in exchange for riding privileges a certain number of days per week. You may (probably) also be required to be in that stable's lesson program, but that's a good thing for both her and the horse.
Leasing should insulate you from the unexpected expenses of ownership - horses are always looking for new ways of hurting themselves and vet calls aren't cheap. If a leasing agreement indicates you are responsible for veterinary bills, don't do it - keep looking for another arrangement. My parents leased me a series of horses throughout my youth. I eventually purchased my own horse after college. |
Anonymous
| Yes I am awed at how cheap your lesson is. Is it a friend's deal or something? My 9 year old does a 30 minute lesson for $45, then we pay $10 extra for tacking and untacking. |
Anonymous
How many kids in the group, and what kind of lessons? where are you now? |
Anonymous
You pay them to tack and untack? Is that optional? If so, I'd drop it and make your DD learn how to do it herself. If she's going to ride, she needs to know basic horse care and tacking. |
Anonymous
| We are in the same boat - DD wants a horse - we were entertaining a 1/4 lease which would let her ride one day a week and then take a few lessons each month. |
Anonymous
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Look carefully at the fine print of any contract. I have done a number of leases over the years, for different levels of riders. A ride share/half lease like you would start should not include the horse's variable expenses like vet and farrier, that should be allocated out by the owner as to what they need to cover the horse's costs and they should just give you a flat fee per month.
If you don't use your rides, they are typically gone. When I don't ride my horse I still have to pay his expenses, same for a lease. If your kid is going to be busy and miss a lot of rides, just do lessons. Some contracts will leave open ended terms leaving you responsible for vet fees, etc. if the horse is hurt while in your care. Don't sign those. Accidents happen and one accident can run you $10k in vet bills. As a horse owner for three decades this is the cost of doing business but I just tell people doing leases to start with one where they are only responsible for the set lease fee, nothing more. Later on if you do a full lease, you will likely be responsible for the farrier and vet and can then take out insurance against major medical on the horse. |
Anonymous
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We're paying $40 per lesson for one-hour lessons.
Life is better when you're farther out from DC (as long as you don't have to commute in--we don't.) |
Anonymous
My dd says that she knows how to tack and untack, but she doesn't exactly. I would help her, but I'm allergic to horses. When I get near them, they always seem to want to lick me, or even if I pet one, I'll break out in hives. I don't know how to tack and untack. I am thinking about learning to save the expense and just make sure I am up on my zyrtec. |