Any thoughts on possible lease of horse ?

swellhillcottage

swellhillcottage

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 September 2008
Messages
776
Location
Gloucestershire
Visit site
Due to the fact i have to move both of my horses from home and put them into DIY livery and because i will struggle time wise and as i dont want let either one of them go at the moment i have decided to look for a sharer for my little horse - well tomorrow some one is coming to try him - he is a laid back very game TB
He is the horse in the top siggie pic that is 15'3 and 9 years old he constantly wins and gets placed at RC level Dressage and Hunter trials and would do very well in Affiliated stuff TBH he actually would suit a good junior anyhoo this person that is coming tomorrow if she likes him she will want to keep him in pt livery near us but its still £105 pw which for me to ride him poss twice a week is still quite pricey and i couldnt afford to keep the other horse there so i thought what if i leased him to her on a short term basis with her being responsible for all livery and running costs ( except insurance which i pay ) and possibly a weekly rental charge of him say £30 - £40 which then would enable me to keep my other horse their as it is actually a competition yard with fab facilities and i could still keep an eye on the leased horse .
My reasoning for this is because i would like to spend more time on the Schoolmaster and learn as much as possible from him and the hopefully next year i will be in a better position time wise to have little horse back.
If i sound like i am dreaming or crackers this is actually a very popular way of having a horse in the U.S - it will obviously be professionally arranged and i would still like some contact ie be able to sit on him a couple of times a month to make sure he is going the right way or at least make sure he is sat on by a pro a couple of times a month .
Any thoughts ? Would anyone else pay this ?
 
I would think a loan rather than a lease tbh. Leases tend to be for competition horses - I had my daughter's horse on lease until we found that she needed surgery for kissing spines, when the lease was transferred to a loan.

On loan I still pay for everything, so you wouldn't have any expense associated with your horse at all. You could even ask for the insurance to be paid (but keep the policy in your name obviously). I certainly wouldn't be moving my horse at a sharer's convenience I don't think. Equally if you loan him I don't think you can expect to ride him at all?

If you decide to lease, I used to pay 10% of the value of the horse annually. If you ask £30 a week that would mean you value your horse at £15,600.00, which I think is a bit pricey......?
 
i'm not sure if he is good enough to charge a lease on tbh.

can you not just let her take him on full loan and she is responsible for all associated costs?

then keep your other horse on the DIY yard and go and check on the loaned horse regularly.
 
[ QUOTE ]
. . . this is actually a very popular way of having a horse in the U.S . . .

[/ QUOTE ]


Well, sort of. Usually a lease involves a schoolmaster horse and/or one that is highly competitive and/or extremely reliable at a relatively high level. I leased my old horse out almost half his competitive life BUT he could win at the levels he competed at, even with a relatively inexperienced rider. Someone I worked for did leasing as part of her business and they were pretty much all older competition horses on their way down, doing lower levels with kids and amateurs. The really big money is in Jr/YR/Equitation horses, where the rider will likely only need the horse for a couple of seasons and where buying a horse of that calibre can be prohibitive for all but the very wealthy.

The standard is 1/4 - 1/3 of the horses' value, although the qualifier can be that a horse that won't vet will still command a high price if it's a proven winner in that sphere.

Also, it's unusual for the owner to continue to ride the horse, unless the lessor is the coach. (Quite common - big show barns often have a couple of horses for just that purpose.) Usually the horse has to live with a particular coach and be in a particular program as part of the deal.

Otherwise, for horses doing the equivalent of unaffiliated (what we would call "schooling"), or ones that are green/not as competitive, the situation is similar to here - cover costs, less control on the lessor's part.
 
I didn't mean that - I don't know your horse!
smile.gif


All I was doing was explaining the system a bit. People do now lease out dressage and jumping horses, usually for JNR/YR competition, but the big market is for show hunters, which doesn't really have an equivalent here, and I think the other disciplines have followed along with what people are already used to. The organisation, especially in high end competition barns/yards, is a bit different in general in North America, and lends itself a bit more to leasing - in some cases the lease is actually between professionals, with the client getting a vote but not a veto!

If you can get someone to do it, have at it.
smile.gif
If the horse has a good record and will provide someone with the opportunity to win, then it's a good option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top