Expectations in share boarding

[LokiCharms]

I have my horse listed for share board he is getting older so I don’t want him jumped a ton or that high. I trust my trainer enough that I don’t really have a cap for lessons but I don’t want him showing over 2"6.
I have people consistently emailing wanting to show/jump 3"3 or more and I feel like for the price I am asking ($300 which doesn’t really even cover half of his monthly costs) their expectations are too high. In my head if you are going to jump that high you need to purchase a horse or pay a lot more for shareboard.

But are my expectations for a shareboarder to high?

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Does your ad mention a limit on jump height, and other restrictions? If not, why not re-write it to reflect your wishes? It’ll cut down on how many people you have to turn down, and it might help you find a good situation faster.

Being clear is always better than making people guess.

[SnicklefritzG]

OP, regardless of how much you trust your trainer, I would still spell out how many lessons per week you are ok with as well as how many times per week the horse can be jumped. If there are ever any disagreements, you can then go back to what the contract says.

I have had a couple of friends who leased their horses out only to have them come back lame from being overworked. If your trainer is involved, as opposed to an offsite lease, that will help, but still make sure you get your expectations in writing!

[lmlacross]

I don’t really see jumping height as being tied explicitly to shareboard cost. To me, shareboard is more about sharing the cost of board and other routine expenses in a manner that reflects the number of rides the shareboarder will be getting. Leases or part-leases, in my recent experience (having considered both for myself in recent months), have seemed more connected to a horse’s value/experience/limitations, etc.

I’d be explicit with your trainer about what your expectations are for number of rides, frequency of jumping, and height, and, as others have said, I’d write it into your ad for a shareboarder so you don’t have to weed out any more for whom your horse’s height limitations make him not a good fit. I don’t know how much your board is or how many rides you’re offering, but I don’t think it’s too crazy to think you could find someone who’d be content honing her skills at 2’6".

[findeight]

As owner of the horse, your expectations sound like they are in his best interests and…it’s your horse. Not the share boarders and NOT the trainers. Yours. Your call.

Think rewording the ad to feature the limitations you are setting is a good idea. Be clear.

And $300 a month is dirt cheap for anything, especially if it’s not even half your monthly upkeep costs. Horses cost $xxx to $xxxx a month whether they jump 3’, 2’ or just stand around, it’s a set cost no matter the talent or lack thereof.

And, please, don’t blindly trust trainer. If they are making money teaching share boarder in your horse? There is a conflict of interest. They cannot have the best interests of both sides plus the welfare of the horse foremost in their minds when their bottom line is at stake. Keep a close eye on things and get a good contract in place.

[LokiCharms]

I feel like my add is pretty descriptive as far as days a weeks etc and at my barn horses can only be jumped in lessons so that helps because someone cannot just decide to jump that day. But I think I will add he cannot be jumped above 2"6 so that people don’t have to guess.
I think sometimes it might be hard because people sometimes have unrealistic expectations and I think the cost of shareboard does reflect experience etc and of you want a horse that can do over 2"6 you should expect to pay more per month.
I think some of it to is horse owner vs. Shareboarder perspective (and I did shareboard this horse for two years before owning him). As a shareboarder you only have to worry about the present time where as with an owner you have to worry about the future too and horses in general require a lot of maintenance between shoes, shots, wormers, supplements, and on and on and when you add
jumping in they require even.
My contract is pretty detailed in how many days, if they go on trail they cannot be alone, only the person listed can ride, and a minimum of one lesson a month is required. Helmet must be worn while mounted.
Along with any injuries sustained to the horse if they are riding is their responsibility to pay for. And any tack items used if broken must be replaced.

[LokiCharms]

I agree my contract is pretty detailed in how many days, if they go on trail they cannot be alone, only the person listed can ride, and a minimum of one lesson a month is required.
Along with any injuries sustained to the horse if they are riding is their responsibility to pay for. And any tack items used if broken must be replaced.
I have heard horror stories of horses going away for leases and coming back in poor condition.

[Reign]

Would you consider raising the price to $400? Like others have said, $300 really is pretty cheap for a show horse. You may be attracting that sort of person who tries to squeeze as much as they can out of a horse for as little money as possible. You know, the same type who wants to buy a WB packer showjumper for $2,000.

Be specific about showing. Something like, “The lease includes the right to show X times a month at no higher than 2’6”

Lay out the lesson number as well and if they are mandatory.

Better to be safe than sorry!

[Mukluk]

Your offer sounds more than reasonable to me. But be sure you are very explicit in your ad so that people know not to bother calling if they want to jump over 2’6. Hope you find a wonderful share boarder.

[Princess_Sparkles]

Yes, I think if you want to limit a horse’s jumping height, that should definitely be in the ad. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for people to lay out what they were hoping to do with a horse when you haven’t put any specifics in your ad as to what the horse is capable of or what your limits are.

If you put in the ad “horse cannot be jumped over 2’6” at least some (but not all) of the yahoos will move on and you will get people who are more the type you are looking for.

I don’t think a shareboard price necessarily reflects what a horse is capable of, either. I know the rule of thumb is that a full lease price is a percentage of the value of the horse, but shareboarding really doesn’t follow that vein. I know some very nice and talented horses that were offered for partboard (the Canadian terminology, lol) whose partboard price was very reasonable because the owner just wanted a second rider for the horse, because they couldn’t get out enough.

So be extremely specific about your limitations and requirements in your ad. I would also suggest that once you find someone, you drop by unannounced on one of “their” days with your horse just to make sure that your wishes are being followed. The number of people I know (or that I have personally caught) doing more, a LOT more, with a leased or partboarded horse, is huge. Even if your trainer is involved, if this person is going to be allowed to ride your horse unsupervised, you have to be diligent to make sure your horse is being ridden how you have directed. (I once caught a girl who was partboarding and not supposed to be jumping outside of lessons at all, jumping full courses with the horse. She was pretty new to riding and didn’t see any issue with jumping oxers backwards, etc because she just didn’t know. It was obvious WHY this girl should only be jumping under supervision, but she didn’t care. And yes, I reported back to the owner what was going on.)

[equest]

@Princess Sparkles;8333926

Yes, I think if you want to limit a horse’s jumping height, that should definitely be in the ad. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for people to lay out what they were hoping to do with a horse when you haven’t put any specifics in your ad as to what the horse is capable of or what your limits are.

If you put in the ad “horse cannot be jumped over 2’6” at least some (but not all) of the yahoos will move on and you will get people who are more the type you are looking for.

I don’t think a shareboard price necessarily reflects what a horse is capable of, either. I know the rule of thumb is that a full lease price is a percentage of the value of the horse, but shareboarding really doesn’t follow that vein. I know some very nice and talented horses that were offered for partboard (the Canadian terminology, lol) whose partboard price was very reasonable because the owner just wanted a second rider for the horse, because they couldn’t get out enough.

Around here (Florida), lease fees for on-premises half or part-lease or “shareboard” situations are pretty unheard of. The rule of thumb in my experience has been a half lease is half of board, and half of the cost of shoes. I currently half-lease, and that is how my arrangement is. I did not question jump height because I don’t really have any intention of jumping in excess of 3’.

I suppose if the horse is a solid packer, and the demand in your area is high, you could ask for a lease fee, but at my barn, there were several horses available for part board and a lack of capable and interested lessors. My experience as a competent and responsible adult rider is that it is generally a “lessor’s market” and owners won’t try and up charge me.

It is your horse, so find an arrangement that works for you and set the terms in your ad. Stating that the horse may be jumped up to 2’6" once a week, in a lesson with your trainer, should be sufficiently clear.

[A_Little_Bit_Of_Ligh]

I’m actually looking into shareboarding a horse. The highest I prefer to jump is just a x, and I’m interested

[awaywego]

All y’all that think $300 is cheap, please come half lease my horse. He’s an easy made 2’6" saintly packer and every single person that has inquired about him has experienced some kind of sticker shock at $500/month (including once weekly lesson!) at a gorgeous facility. I finally just gave up :o

But I digress: it’s your horse, be clear about what you do/don’t want and make sure your trainer is aware of the limitations too, so everyone is on the same page.

[BostonHJ]

Pricing is so incredibly local. $500 would be a steal in New England; it would be expensive in the mid-West

[drafting_dots]

$300 is cheap, $500 is not cheap

OP, it sounds like you didn’t state jump height restrictions in the original ad, so I think there likely will not be a big problem if you state it in the ad moving forward.

[silver_charm]

Zombie thread - poster who bumped it, odds are she is no longer looking (and I can’t imagine you are even anywhere near her, given no location was posted).