Hunt Lease?

I’m helping out a friend who is looking at doing a hunt-by-hunt lease on her pony. Neither of us have experience doing a short term lease like this so hoping someone can shed some light on what they have charged or paid for the use of a horse/pony for a single hunt.

The details:

  • Pony hunted last season and is very game/hunts the fences. Not a difficult ride.
  • Tack would be included.
  • Owner would trailer to the hunt(s) up to 1h 30m driving time one way.
The hunts in this area are pretty low-key, some people turn out. We do not have hounds accompanying us.
  • What do you include in the written agreement?
  • How much do you charge the rider?

Your friend’s location is probably a key fact. Here is what some places in Maryland and Virginia charge for daily hire:

http://www.pleasantprospectfarm.com/Foxchase.html: $175 ($225 for formal meets)
http://www.huntersrest.net/more.php: “$100-300 depending on horse, field, and fixture”

I’d think it might be lower in other parts of the country, or for a low-key hunt without hounds. If I were your friend, I’d ask people from the hunt for their input.

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Where are you located? That would make a big difference in price. For example, in my area, people often lend horses to friends, friends of friends, or other guests/potential members and are sometimes paid gas money. Sometimes the guest rider will give a gift card or some small amount of cash (like in a thank you card). But I’m in a area where our hunt consists of a small but passionate group of hunters so we are always eager to get new potential members to give it a try and there’s simply not a market for hiring horses out for hunts. However, some of my east coast friends have paid up to $200-300/horse/day to hire one for a hunt.

If someone rides one of my horses, I have them sign a basic liability release (for my state) and they sign our hunt’s release. I have been advised (by horse professionals in my area - haven’t looked into it myself) that if I were to start charging for use of a hunt horse that I might need a different type of release form. I have my guest riders either tack up the horse themselves (and then I check it all) or I tack up the horse (and they check it) to double check everything is in good repair and adjusted correctly. Honestly, I do worry about the liability, but I’ve had so many people be kind to be with regards to lending horses that I feel like it is important to pay it forward now that I’ve got a couple of nice and easy ones :slight_smile:

Just out of curiosity, how does a hunt without hounds work?

Yes, please explain a hunt without hounds

Hunting without hounds is mostly just cross country jumping in a group. We have a hunt master that leads the field and a group of staff to aid where necessary. There are no foxes or coyotes being chased/hunted. I don’t know if anyone even has “proper” hounds in this area and if they did I don’t think hunting foxes would be allowed, maybe coyotes though. We have LOTS of coyotes around the area.

Awkward, never heard of that. You are not hunting anything. I guess it’s a fancy group cross country?

I paid $100 per hireling in VA but we were hiring off a lady we were staying with who runs a hunt B&B type place, so not sure if that would be a rate for someone not using her other services also. We paid caps to the hunt separately.

I’ve been paid $125CND all in for my made hunter to be hired out, trailering, turnout and tack all in. Cap fees separate.

Honestly I wonder if the $ is worth the extra risks. Liability plus added risk to the horse. I never did it very often, and I don’t think I’d ever feel comfortable doing it a lot.

Yes this is a big point too. Particularly when the horse is her own saddle horse, the other one my friend is hunting is a sale project. While you don’t want bad things happening to any horse, if it’s your main mount it is particularly tragic if something does occur.