Hi!!
I need some advice on half leasing! I have been riding for about 2.5 years and know basic things- walk, trot, canter, jumping, grooming, tacking, getting horse from paddock etc. I have been wanting to further my riding and half lease for awhile now. I have been to a few barns and switched to this one about 3 months ago. There’s a new horse at my barn his name is Earl who’s available for lease he’s a grey half QH 16hh my coach says he definitely has the temperament for a novice rider but still needs a bit of work before she could say yes for sure. My first 2 lessons at my new barn I fell off different school horses first time horse refused a jump then second time after finishing a jump course the horse bolted then my coach put me on a slow old school horse. I feel like because I fell off she’s gonna think I’m not ready. I really want to half lease him but I’m not sure if I’m ready yet should I approach my coach about him?
If you’re interested in the half lease then you should ask your coach. I’m assuming she knows the horse and your riding/ horsemanship skills so she would be the one to have the knowledge/ evaluation if you two would be a good fit or not. Never any harm in asking. Just be prepared for the chance she might say no. Best of luck.
Is the horse you fell off of the same one you’d be half leasing?
Thank you for your help! I will ask tonight at my lesson and see how it goes 
No! The horses I fell off were different school horses. I feel like because I fell off those times my coach is gonna think I’m not ready to lease.
I don’t know you, your riding, etc so take the following as only as a helpful ‘devil’s advocate’ question rather than an accusation – but if you did fall off twice, have you stopped to reflect on whether you are potentially over-estimating your abilities and should trust your coach thinking you’re not ready (if that is what she’s thinking)?
Both the scenarios you named are situations where even a strong advanced rider could fall off. If that stop was a super dirty stop, even a balanced rider that doesn’t get ahead of the horse could be unseated. If the bolt was a true panic-bolt with some lateral motion, even a rider with a strong seat could be thrown.
But the majority of cases, the two situations you describe are situations that a more advanced rider can ride through and they are instead highlighting skill gaps that need to be closed. Are you getting ahead of your horse jumping? Are you dropping your eyes? Are you pinching with your knees rather then staying weighted in your lower leg? Are you perching rather than sitting deeply?
These are all very normal things for an intermediate rider to do, but are also good reasons to stay on level-appropriate school horses while you close skill gaps before moving onto a less forgiving horse / horse that needs greater rider support.
I think you should absolutely talk to your trainer, but frame it in a conversation of “what development would you want / need to see to feel confident in my ability to ride grey QH and how can we work on those areas in our coming rides so that I am able to step up and do a lease?”
Also keep in mind that if your trainer has you try the grey horse and you get along, she may be ok with a half lease that has some conditions. It’s common to not allow jumping outside lessons. She may have other restrictions based on where you are right now - like only riding in the ring, only riding during times when she has other lessons so she can keep an eye on you, etc.
Is the gray horse available for you to lesson on to see if you are a good fit? It’s hard to tell from the ground if it would be a good partnership to lease.
Typically you will not be allowed to jump even a lease horse outside of lessons.
Have you done any riding outside of lessons? Have you done practice rides where you w t c warm up cool down, practice things on your own like two point, transitions, etc? Have you hacked out at all, gone on a trail ride?
If not your first step would be to do some practise ride flat sessions on a school horse without direct coaching (ok if coach is around to keep an eye on you). If you can w t c halt change direction and put together a proper schooling ride for 45 minutes without being talked through every step of the way by the coach, you have the basic skills to do a half lease which will give you more flat saddle time and presumably include a jumps lesson.
Whether this new grey horse is appropriate for you to lease is something we cannot tell you and in this you should be guided by your coach. A good coach is very cautious with new horses and does not pop beginner students on new horses as crash test dummies.
A coach is also able to evaluate global riding skills versus problem solving skills vs emergency skills. One of the huge skills in riding is to avoid letting a horse escalate from say humpy to bucking. On the other hand advanced riders come off often enough when things go wrong. Just this month a woman in my barn cracked two ribs when her 19 year old 4th level dressage horse got sproingy on a cold night in a crowded arena and bronced her off. She’s a lifelong rider in her 40s who has done all her own schooling on multiple nice horses. She’s still in disbelief this happened as is everyone else. But it does happen. It doesn’t change how we see her riding.
This. You’d need to lease or at minimum do a demo ride before getting excited about leasing this horse. Talk to your trainer. Make sure the owner sees you riding.
Also, who owns the horse? Ultimately, the owner needs to be on board with you riding relative to your level of experience.
Thank you for your advice! She wants to try me on the grey horse and see how it goes. She also thinks I’m ready for a lease and if I’m comfortable I can do practice rides unsupervised otherwise I will do them with her watching in a lesson.
Yes! I talked to my trainer and she wants to try me on the horse if it goes well I’ll be able to start the process to a lease!!
Thank you for your advice! I haven’t done any practice rides outside of lessons as my coach does not offer that unless it’s in a lease. She wants to try me on the grey horse if it goes well I can proceed with a lease!
Thank you for your advice! My trainer actually owns this horse. She would like me to try the horse and see how it goes
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t fallen off twice over the course of their learning-to-ride journey, or more. I don’t think your trainer will feel that falling off twice in 3 months means you’re not ready to lease. (I suppose there may be other things, but, I don’t think it’s the falls.)
Update: Now leasing Earl!! 
Attagirl! I think you should post us a picture :).
What a cutie, he looks like a good egg! Have fun and enjoy your lease. 
