If you’re reading this and curious about the reasons why you’d want to lease a horse, then you probably are already in the horse world in some way or another. Owning a horse is amazing, but sometimes it isn’t the right fit. So here are the reasons why you’d want to lease a horse.
What does leasing a horse involve?
Leasing a horse is basically renting a horse. You don’t own them, but you can ride and care for them part-time. Leases typically involve paying the owner a small amount or paying all the horse’s care costs in exchange for getting to ride them. The horse’s experience, your location, and what you’d like to do with the horse will all factor in to the type of lease you would choose or what lease is available.
There are a few key things to think about when creating or signing a lease:
- Who is responsible for monthly expenses such as board, farrier, vet, worming, training, feed, etc
- Is the horse insured? Who pays for the insurance?
- Are you allowed to take the horse off property?
- Can you show the horse?
- Who makes the decisions about care changes – like feed, farrier changes, how injuries or wounds will be addressed, trainer changes
- Will the horse be in training, or who will you get lessons with
You don’t have the time to give a horse the attention they need.
If you work a lot, have a family, have a lot of commitments, or just plain don’t have much time, leasing or partial leasing may be the right thing for you. Horses require a lot of time, energy and money so if you don’t have time available, leasing can provide you with a horse part time while someone else takes care of the horse.
You don’t have money to own a horse.
Owning a horse can get expensive. Between the monthly cost, training for horse and rider, miscellaneous expenses, and keeping up an emergency fund for the inevitable time that your horse gets hurt, the costs add up quickly. If you don’t have the money for horse ownership but would like more freedom and ride time than just lessons, leasing is a great next step.
Related post: Ways to save money on horse ownership costs.
You need a horse with more experience than you can afford to buy.
If you are progressing up the levels and want a more experienced horse, buying one can be unexpectedly expensive. Many high level horses are in the high 5 figures, and that just isn’t possible for a lot of people to purchase. If you don’t have a spare $50,000 to buy a new horse, leasing one could cost you a couple hundred dollars a month and teach you enough to become a better rider. You can also lease a high level horse while training and bringing up a younger and less experienced horse of your own.
You are looking to buy but don’t know what you want yet.
If you would like to purchase a horse, but aren’t sure what you want or haven’t found the right fit yet, then leasing is a great stepping stone to buying. If you find the perfect horse while leasing, you could end up in a lease to buy situation as well. Leasing can allow you to ride different types of horses to see what you like too. You may find that you like how a certain breed or size of horse rides versus what you believed before riding them. Additionally, if you are waiting for the right horse to come along in your search to buy, leasing is a nice way to ride before finding your heart horse.
You want a consistent ride.
If you are tired of your lesson horse changing and having to change your riding style, you can keep things consistent by leasing a horse. If you do a partial or full lease, you can consistently ride the same horse, which will likely help you progress in your riding without changing mounts all the time.
These are the top 5 reasons to lease a horse. If you are trying to decide between leasing and buying, leasing can give you a taste of ownership without the commitment.
What other reasons do you have for leasing a horse?
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