Leasing a horse can be a great opportunity to get a sense of what horse ownership is like without the long-term financial commitment. In order for a lease to be successful, you want to make sure you understand the conditions of the lease and are following these tips.
Experience
When entering into a lease agreement, you should have enough experience to ride safely and comfortably on your own and be able to care for the horse’s needs without needing someone to show you what to do. If you don’t have enough experience yet, keep taking riding lessons with a professional instructor to continue learning and practicing with guidance. Another thing you can do is to work at the barn for free to learn how to properly handle and care for horses.
Lessons
When you start leasing a horse you may be tempted to not continue spending money on riding lessons. But don’t do this. Lessons with a competent instructor are super valuable. They can help you work through issues you have with a horse where you may become frustrated or lose confidence. Instructors can help you break through plateaus and give you helpful exercises to continue to progress in your riding. An instructor can see when your position is off or you’re not being clear with your aids.
Insurance
If you plan to take the horse you lease off the premises, you need to check if the owner requires horse insurance. Even if it is not required, you may wish to consider this important coverage as an added layer of protection. If the horse accidentally hurts someone while you are using it, you could be liable. When you oversee the care of the horse, major medical, theft and mortality insurance can help increase your protection. If anything, insurance will give you more peace of mind.
Tack
Clean the horse’s tack weekly and clean the horses brushes a couple times a month. Cleaning tack keeps the equipment in good condition, and it makes you check if any parts are starting to come apart or become weak. Brushes can get dirty and become less effective when it comes to grooming.
Tidy Up
Cleaning up after your horse means not leaving your tack out, sweeping up the dirt after grooming, putting away the broom, wrapping the hose back up after bathing your horse, etc. Doing this is not only a courteous thing to do but it is something that you should do to not be a burden around the farm. When you don’t clean up after yourself and the horse, it affects not only the horse’s owner, but the people that visit the barn, take lessons at the barn, the boarders, and the people that work at the barn. So do your part, make a mess then clean it up, take something out, put it away. Doing this will help to keep you on good terms with everyone around the barn.
Lease Payment
Paying for your horse lease on time is another way to stay in good standing with the horse’s owner. The owner has bills to pay for the horse and they expect to be paid at the agreed upon time. They may be relying on that money to pay for the horse’s shoes, supplements etc. If you are consistently late with your lease payments, the owner may decide to not let you lease the horse anymore since you are going against the terms of the contract.
Communication
In a horse lease situation, you must remember that although you are paying to ride the horse, you are not the horse’s owner. You must establish a clear line of communication with the owner. In fact, it is always better to over-communicate than under-communicate. If you notice that anything is off with the horse, or if they are injured while you are riding, you must communicate this with the owner. A healthy owner-lessor relationship will go a long way in creating a pleasant horse leasing experience.
Respect
Although yes you are paying to lease the horse, it is still a privilege. The horse, the tack, the grooming supplies, the horse’s equipment are not yours. You want to honor that and take care of what you are being allowed to use. You would want the same thing if you were allowing someone else to use your things. Especially if your pet was being handled and cared for by someone else.
Rules
Make sure you know what the rules are at the barn. It is embarrassing to not even realize you are breaking a rule then get called out on it. Besides knowing the rules, actually follow them. Not following barn rules could mean that you get kicked out of the premises and no longer be able to lease the horse. The horse’s owner may not have much say if the barn is not their own and they need to follow the rules like everyone else.
Leasing a horse can be an incredible experience! You can learn more about leasing a horse here. However, for most first-time lessors, it can be quite intimidating. With ample research and the guidance of an experienced equestrian, you will be ready to successfully take this next exciting step in your equine journey!
