Looking to lease my horse to someone out of state. Never done this before and need contract advice from people who have. This is a horse that w/t/c but not much else. Thanks for any help and experiences.
If you are in a state that she serves, (I really wish the platform showed location like it used to…) Kelly at MacQueen Equine Law is awesome and will help you put together a contract that you are comfortable with. https://macqueenequinelaw.com/
In addition to contract info, are you able to put eyes on the horse at least monthly? Either yourself (which I realize is likely not an option), or a friend, or some video sent to you? Part of your contract could require that video evidence of horse health and soundness is required at X intervals. There are some truly crappy “out of sight” lease situations despite trust and good intentions and even contracts.
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Are you leasing this horse to someone who isn’t in a program with a trainer? Who is going to have eyes on this horse to detect subtle lameness before it turns into something serious? If the horse is going to a program with a trainer, have you thoroughly vetted out that Trainer? If the horse is going to jump, make some parameters for how high that horse can jump, and how many times per week.
I would absolutely require a video of the horse being ridden every month. Walk trot and canter. No exceptions. Have something in place for you to step in if there is a subtle Lameness, and a two weeks notice if you feel that the Horse’s training is being compromised.
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Agree, and I want a way to know the video is current and not two months ago
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The problem w the video is you won’t know if the horse is on medication or not. It is better than nothing, but not foolproof.
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I have been on both sides of leases; fortunately they all worked out well. That said, only one was leased from out of state and the owner only let that horse come to me because she was very close to my trainer and he was a party to the agreement. I would personally not lease a horse of mine to anyone offsite unless I knew and trusted the parties involved AND if I was close enough to get the horse quickly if necessary and to check up periodically in person.
The only incident I had was when my old schoolmaster began to have some soundness/mild neuro issues while out on lease. I picked him up a day later, ending the lease as per contract; turned out he had cervical arthritis.
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How about who is financially responsible for maintenance or vet bills or anything health/soundness related. I guess i can write in what I want but is there some things I might not think of or miss? Thanks
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You are correct that anything can be written. Generally with a full lease, the leasee is responsible for all vet needs, dentals, vaccines, injuries, etc. This can be difficult if there needs to be any major decision made such as colic surgery, or serious injury. I leased out a mare who had some colic history, with full disclosure and a clause that in the event of a colic, any medical decisions would be mine and at my expense. You can also add things like: in event of injury/lameness requiring significant downtime, the lease can be terminated and horse returned. Transport could be leasee’s cost or yours, depending on what you want.
This depends on how much control you want over the horse’s life and health things.
