Hello
I’m going into my first full lease hopefully soon if everything works out!
The horse is really great and we seem to be a good pair, both size wise and working together. I’m super excited!
What kind of advice would you have for someone going into a first full lease?
Any and all advice is appreciated!
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Do you have a contract?
What happens if you need to end the lease suddenly? What happens if the owner needs to end the lease suddenly?
Is insurance required (liability, mortality, surgical)?
What restrictions are there as to what you can do with the horse? (Showing, lessons, trail riding, moving barns)
Who is allowed to ride the horse? The owner? Your coach?
What happens if the horse needs veterinary care and you can’t get a hold of the owner?
Does the owner require certain farrier work, supplements, vet care? Who pays?
If tack/blankets are provided, take photos of their condition before you take them, and try to return in reasonably similar condition.
All things to make sure are covered in a contract and that you are comfortable with!
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Oh, and congratulations!
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If you’re jumping, what are the conditions? Does a trainer need to be there? Is there a height restriction? How many days per week can the horse jump? If you go to a show, is there a height restriction? How many classes per day can the horse do?
If you’re not jumping, ignore the above!
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My biggest piece of advice is to spend some time planning out what you want to do with all your rides each week. When I bought my horse after half-leasing for a few years I was amazed at how hard is was to keep coming up with ideas for all my rides between lessons, especially during the winter when it’s harder to get out of the ring. You’ll want to avoid just drilling the same arena work every day and that can take some creativity and planning. Start with any set lessons and training rides, and then fill in the rest of your days with a mix of flatwork, hacks, and rest day(s). It’s nice to have an idea in mind for what exercises you want to work on before you get to the barn each day, and how those build on each other all week so there’s some kind of progression. Obviously this won’t work out perfectly every week for a variety of reasons - there are some weeks where I don’t plan very well and end up feeling like I’ve just been going in circles for several days in a row - but at least having a baseline plan to fall back on helps on the days when I get to the barn and my mind goes blank on what I want to do. Your trainer can help you with this too by giving you exercises to incorporate during your rides and helping you get to know your new horse to figure out what schedule works best for them.
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I am currently on both sides of leasing. I am leasing my horse, and leasing a horse that I ride and show.
Make sure all the terms (ie riding, height and frequency of jumping, to maintenance, to frequency of showing, required insurance and amount) are laid out in black and white. Make sure there are provisions for a situation where the horse becomes un usable for the intended purpose. If you are working with an experienced trainer, he or she should be able to assist in preparing the lease document.
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Get a contract that is detailed and watertight.
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Congratulations! The best advice is to ensure you have a strong contract that has your best interests in mind. Check how long notice is required for either party to terminate the lease. Do your best to be, or have a parent be if you are in school, at all vet appointments. Make sure to double-check your billing. Make sure you and the owner have all expectations on the same level, especially in terms of what you can/cannot do. Most importantly, have fun and spend as much time as you can with your new horse!
