Do I Charge leaser for riding doing Rehab ?

villager

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4 months ago my 19 year old horse I lease had a check ligament injury ( never had a lame day in 10 yeas I had her) we have no idea what caused it, but vet thinks bad footing could be a cause in an older horse.
Hand walking is complete, & now vet prescribes a 6 day riding program starting with 30 min of walk including small trot. Schedule escalates over the next 8 weeks. My 5 day leaser is back to riding horse as she wanted to stay with this horse .
Her previous rides were only flat with one 45 min flat lesson per week. Should I ask for some lease money now she is riding daily? I thought maybe I should ask for half the lease price while rehab riding due to limitations in time & walk/trot although It increases over the weeks ( no canter not for another month )

Leaser is dedicated to horse & has waited to get back on. She has helped me with some of the handwalking while trying out other horses. But mine is the one she feels safest on as she is as bombproof as possible.
I just don't know when I should start asking for a contribution. It will be 60 days before she's right up to full walk trot canter activity for 1 hour.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 

ihatework

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I assume you are American? in the UK very few would pay for the Privilage of rehabbing someone else's horse!
 

Fidgety

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I would not contemplate asking somebody to pay towards the rehabbing of my horse. Renegotiate terms when the horse has been given a clean bill of health, finding somebody as dedicated to your horse as your leasee is, is worth her weight in gold.
 

MotherOfChickens

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were you able to do the rehab? sounds like you should be paying her tbh. if she's been really good at rehabbing your horse for you, not sure I would charge her again-she sounds invaluable.
 

Sleipnir

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I would definitely not charge anything in this situation. Sounds like she's a reliable sharer who's done a great deal of help!
 

villager

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She's had a 90% lease on horse for last 3 yeas so it's almost like her own. She knows she has even been left to her in my will. I have covered all medical costs and almost all handwalking 4 months. She is keen to get back riding this horse as it is very safe & hasn't found any other horse she feels safe on at 70 . I was thinking of asking at this point for a contribution to her board.
I will hold off until horse is back to a canter . Thank you for your opinions.
 

wingedhorse

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I disagree. I've a paying sharer and a non paying sharer that does chores on her days. Both share different horses.

One horse had a 2-3 month nightmare abscess two years ago. Paying sharer kept paying and brought horse apples etc. The nightmare of dealing with vet / farrier / abscess etc was my issue.

Different horse and sharer that did chores two days a week. Horse had 6 weeks box and a controlled walking return to work. Sharer did chores in her days and hand grazed horse. I offered her not to but she saw it as a risks and rewards of sharing. I offers her rides on other horse but she didn't have time with grazing etc the box rest one. I still picked up the extra box rest work etc.

I think long term sharers are in for the good and the bad and an injury that is relatively short term I'd hope they'd roll with it and support us. Especially if been riding horse a number of years.
 

claret09

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personally I think you are very lucky to have someone who wants to share the load and help with rehabilitation. I wouldn't dream of asking for a financial contribution - when I rode horses for other people I never once paid towards their keep
 

MouseInLux

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Have you even started the new riding program? My old pony had a similar injury and was an angel for all his hand walking but was definitely far from. His original bombproof self when wwe got back on. After a few months he was back but your lease may not feel comfortable on him if he does that in the first few weeks.
 

villager

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Thank you all for your suggestions. Ironically leaser came to ride the w/t schedule as she does almost daily . She actually said " I really should pay you some lease money now I'm riding again walk/trot. "
Having read all your comments , I said" No worries , let's wait until she is in full fitness " (which would include canter )
She is doing bridle trails, lessening with friends. She said it was a joy to work with my mare and she was her first priority getting her back in sound form & feels somewhat responsible. She is committed to stay with lease. I've been lucky in that my leasees become attached to my 2 horses and tend to stay for years . (It helps they have wonderful ground manners & safe to ride in an urban setting .)
 

AFB

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No, I'd view it as someone doing me a massive favour.

If she's been so good to your horse and so loyal I'd want to at least say thank you by not charging.
 

Annagain

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A good sharer/leaser is worth her weight in gold. Don't charge her a penny until she's able to do what she was paying to do before.

My sharer was paying me £60 a month to ride my horse 3 days week. When he went lame and needed 4 months off, I tried to stop her paying me but she kept leaving cash in my wellies. I kept it and used it to buy her a really good winter coat for riding. She was with us for 6 years until she moved 2 hours away. She was so good, I would gladly have paid her!
 

wingedhorse

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IMO a sharer is a "sharer" of the risks and rewards of having horses. And if they are a long term sharer, I don't see why they might expect to keep sharing through the non riding times.

One of my sharers has four race horses in training. He’s used to one or more being off with injuries, but still paying for them. He doesn’t expect to not pay to share my schoolmaster if he has a month off from injury. He's not the one doing the injury care and non ridden rehab, but I don't expect him too.
On the flip side, I don’t limit how much he rides, or when he rides – some weeks its 3-4 times a week, others not for 3 weeks. I still keep horse fit and supple!

My other sharer doesn’t pay, and we are now on part livery, but helps me with the extra care of both horses, stretches, massage etc and can often be there for the physio / vet / farrier etc. as she works part time. She mainly hacks my other horse but will hack the schoolmaster if he’s short of work. She has a great bond with both horses and has made lots of friends on yard. And I’d not expect her to disappear if both horses were off work.

I think with sharers it is about matching expectations. Neither of my sharers are just in it to ride at all costs. Both are over 40, and neither are interested in competing. Both enjoy riding and the companionship of horses.

It would be different if you took a riding share to progress your riding and because you wanted to do X, and then horse couldn’t do X for six months etc.
 

wingedhorse

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I had a different non paying sharer a few years ago when I was DIY that didn’t work out. After a few months my horse was on box rest with a long running abscess for a while. Actually went lame whilst she was hacking (but not her fault).
Sharer lived 5 minutes from yard, and was waxing lyrical about how much she loved said horse.

I suggested to both sharers at the time, that horse was getting depressed on box rest, and I was short of time with working and hot tubbing and poulticing and mucking out both ends of the day, and any time they had spare to groom / hand graze / pick grass / bring carrots for lame horse would massively appreciated.

The sharer that didn’t share this horse, diligently added time doing the above to her visits.

The other sharer, despite waxing lyrical about how much she loved said horse living 5 minutes from yard, and working flexible hours, and fairly recently becoming single. Was “unavailable” even for a five minute visit until horse was able to be ridden.

That wasn’t why I got rid of her, but didn’t go in her favour!
 

wingedhorse

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It does though I think depend on the quality of what you are offering to share, and the quality of the facilities, hacking, and horse's training etc.

I see some share arrangements where I have no idea why someone pays to share a badly schooled badly mannered horse, with poor feet and poor fitting tack etc.

Key I think is both sharer and sharee feel they are getting a good deal.
 

Annagain

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Key I think is both sharer and sharee feel they are getting a good deal.

This - I have been and still am both a sharer and a sharee. (It's complicated!) The deal I have with my share horse if different from the people who shared him before (I do more care as I'm up doing my horse anyway and therefore pay less) but both owner and I are more than happy. The 5 people who have shared my horse have all had different deals which suited both parties and more importantly, the horse, at the time. All have been successful and only ended due to external circumstances such as babies or moving to the other side of the world!
 
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