Part-Leasing with Another non-owning Lessee

[fallingwithstyle]

I’m new to the part leasing thing and I’m trying to be fair, but need some advice from seasoned equestrians.

I part-lease a horse. The original part-leaser I was going in with fell through after the horse was already at the barn, neither of us own the horse, owner charged a lease fee of $800/6 months where I was to pay half and she was to pay half. Since she backed out, the barn owner, with the horse owner’s permission, agreed to keep him and use him in her lesson program. Her deal was I would pay half board and all expenses for shoeing, floating, and shots. I paid the owner my $400 for the sixth months, I am unaware of whether she paid the other $400 or not. The barn owner does not provide tack and the horse came only with his halter.

Though the barn owner let me borrow a saddle, it was a horrendous thing with no knee rolls that I couldn’t ride the horse’s spook in, so I recently bid on a saddle at an auction and got a great price for it, really worked out well. Out of curiosity I looked up the price it would go for new, and the jumping saddles start at $2,000 so I got quite a deal. I’ve cleaned and oiled it and have it looking pretty good for a used saddle.

The horse has been ridden in a bit and bridle owned by the barn owner. She has suggested to the new part-leaser taking over her half that she should get a bit and bridle for the horse and we would share that then share my saddle. Here is the thing, this is my first saddle, and I’m protective of it. Additionally, I’ve ridden after the rider taking over the part-lease, and she’s failed to clean the bit off which makes me apprehensive about how respectful she is of tack. The barn owner in her e-mail to both myself and the new part-leaser said I got a deal on the saddle, which makes it seem to me like she’s treating the value of the saddle as what I purchased it for and not what it would cost for me to replace it and that makes me uncomfortable. My saddle used is more valuable than a new bit and bridle.

Do I buy my own bridle and ride in that if the barn owner won’t let me use hers? I don’t know how to handle this situation tactfully (hoho). Do I charge a fee for use of the saddle and require she clean it not knowing if she actually will or not? Help!! I don’t want to seem selfish, but as a new rider who just bought her own saddle, leathers, stirrups, and leather halter (which lives in my box, not outside like the other halters), I’m protective of my tack (and broke, we all know how that goes). Thanks!! Input is much appreciated.

[Come_Shine]

Please do not feel guilty about not sharing.

Perhaps you can share information about where you got such a good deal and specifics about the saddle, so that new PBer or BO can buy one. “Thanks so much for the interest in my saddle. I really do love it. It is an XXX that I got for XXX from XXX. I really hope you can swing as great a deal as I got.”

[Marshfield]

Do not share your saddle and do not feel guilty about not sharing. Well cared for, it could last you a lifetime. Buy your own bit and bridle. New part leaser can figure out the saddle issue herself. Presumably she signed a contract stating that the lease didn’t include tack.

[arapaloosa_lady]

There’s no reason you should be sharing your saddle. A saddle can last you 30+ years with great care or be destroyed in 1 year. I wouldn’t charge a fee for the use of the saddle simply because it doesn’t sound like she’ll properly care for the saddle regardless. It’s normal for each rider to have her own saddle, and it’s not wrong to insist on that.

You can find a decent used bridle pretty cheaply, so that shouldn’t be a big deal.

[taharah]

like the others have said, there is no need for anyone to use /your/ tack

you can buy your own bridle online for $20.

they are much cheaper than saddles, so that situation would not be a fair trade anyway.

and if you do not currently have one, find a good trainer that you can trust, who is independent of your barn owner, so that they can show you any red flags in your situation

[BeeHoney]

My advice would be to respectfully decline the suggestion to share your saddle. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a big deal for you to buy a bridle and bit if necessary, since I think that if you chose not to share your saddle, it’s not fair to assume that someone else will share a bridle with you.

I wouldn’t be defensive about the situation, the BO is probably just trying to help make things work out. The other person may not own a saddle, or their saddle may not fit the horse and buying a saddle for a horse on a part lease is a big commitment. You did well to find one for a reasonable price.

As a general rule, I think that it is not a good idea to share tack. I only very rarely loan out tack in special circumstance, and only to people that I know well. It is too easy for tack to be scratched or broken or just left dirty.

[SuzieQNutter]

The way i look at it:-

1/The cheapest thing about a horse is the purchase price. So you are paying everything else and don’t own the horse.

2/ You are extremely lucky if the saddle you bought fits both you and the horse. It is better for the horse to be ridden in a saddle that fits. If the other rider rides in a saddle that doesn’t fit, you could end up with either a sour or lame horse. Although I guess the saddle that you didn’t like could also be offered to the other rider.

I also think the owner of the horse should supply the bridle. What good is the saddle and bridle to you if you lease or buy another horse which they don’t fit?

The biggest thing for me is how good a rider you are. If you are learning from the horse you have a good deal, it would only be better if you can buy your own schoolmaster to learn from.

If you are teaching the horse then leave this situation as you are getting the worst deal out of the 3.

[PonyTales]

IMO It wasn’t the B/O place to offer your saddle in the first place. However, this situation does gives you some insight about the kind of person the barn owner is. Lack of respect to others & boundary issues - perhaps ? The barn owner could/should of suggested to the other rider that she could borrow the same saddle that was loaned to you. At the very least the B/O should have considered your feelings & asked you before the offer was made - which she didnt .

(No way) would I borrow my personal saddle to ANYONE. I’ve seen people completely destroy saddles in less than a year. I knew a guy who literally rubbed holes thru the saddle flaps because his legs slid back & forth @ every stride. Another rider who had a bad habit of sitting back on the cantle ended up breaking her tree. Another inexperienced rider who left the horse standing in cross-ties w/saddle sans girth. Yup saddle got stepped on, pee’d on & poop’d on. The possibilities are endless.

Plus- If you think wiping a dirty bridle is annoying, just wait til you have to re-adjust stirrups, clean the saddle before every ride, ride in a wet saddle pad , clean a sweaty girth & muddy stirrups. You already know what kind of person the share boarder is. I don’t see that this is a situation you will be happy in. Go get your own bridle & bit … & Happy Trails

[blairasb]

[QUOTE=fallingwithstyle;7881680]
I’m new to the part leasing thing and I’m trying to be fair, but need some advice from seasoned equestrians.

I part-lease a horse. The original part-leaser I was going in with fell through after the horse was already at the barn, neither of us own the horse, owner charged a lease fee of $800/6 months where I was to pay half and she was to pay half. Since she backed out, the barn owner, with the horse owner’s permission, agreed to keep him and use him in her lesson program. Her deal was I would pay half board and all expenses for shoeing, floating, and shots. I paid the owner my $400 for the sixth months, I am unaware of whether she paid the other $400 or not. The barn owner does not provide tack and the horse came only with his halter.

Though the barn owner let me borrow a saddle, it was a horrendous thing with no knee rolls that I couldn’t ride the horse’s spook in, so I recently bid on a saddle at an auction and got a great price for it, really worked out well. Out of curiosity I looked up the price it would go for new, and the jumping saddles start at $2,000 so I got quite a deal. I’ve cleaned and oiled it and have it looking pretty good for a used saddle.

The horse has been ridden in a bit and bridle owned by the barn owner. She has suggested to the new part-leaser taking over her half that she should get a bit and bridle for the horse and we would share that then share my saddle. Here is the thing, this is my first saddle, and I’m protective of it. Additionally, I’ve ridden after the rider taking over the part-lease, and she’s failed to clean the bit off which makes me apprehensive about how respectful she is of tack. The barn owner in her e-mail to both myself and the new part-leaser said I got a deal on the saddle, which makes it seem to me like she’s treating the value of the saddle as what I purchased it for and not what it would cost for me to replace it and that makes me uncomfortable. My saddle used is more valuable than a new bit and bridle.

Do I buy my own bridle and ride in that if the barn owner won’t let me use hers? I don’t know how to handle this situation tactfully (hoho). Do I charge a fee for use of the saddle and require she clean it not knowing if she actually will or not? Help!! I don’t want to seem selfish, but as a new rider who just bought her own saddle, leathers, stirrups, and leather halter (which lives in my box, not outside like the other halters), I’m protective of my tack (and broke, we all know how that goes). Thanks!! Input is much appreciated.[/QUOTE]

If you don’t want to share, you don’t need to share. Period. tack isn’t cheap, and it doesn’t sound like you stuff will be valued or protected. As a part leaser, you had to buy your own tack. I don’t think it’s out of line to expect the same from the new part leaser.

[jawa]

With a kind and sympathetic smile, “This saddle is a HUGE investment for me. I am not able to lend it.”

Go ahead and buy a bridle and bit. The first leaser bailed, the barn owner stepped in and has now bailed, hopefully the new leaser will be a good partner.

Just out of curiosity, how much will the new leaser be paying toward the daily care of the horse…shoes, shots, etc. From your description the barn owner had worked quite a deal for you to be paying for all of that and she was making money off the horse by using it in lessons.

[furlong47]

Buy your own bit and bridle, and let the other person get their own set of tack as well. I’ve found that other people almost never treat stuff well if allowed to borrow it. (And the ones I do trust typically have their own, so no need to use mine.)

[CaitlinandTheBay]

Do not share your saddle. Also, is other part leaser taking over half of upkeep? I’m not sure why you were paying for al the horse’s upkeep in the first place.

[RedmondDressage]

I was confused on the upkeep too. You should not be paying for 100% of the upkeep if you’re only half leasing. And there’s no way in hell I’d share my new saddle. Get a cheap bridle (there are some great sales this weekend) and politely decline that request.

[AndNirina]

We half lease our pony to another family in the barn. Between the two families we share no equipment. Our kids have their own saddles, bridles, etc and the other family invested in their own, too. We have separate tack lockers as well. It works beautifully because A) kids are forgetful and putting shared things back in the right place is a nightmare and B) I’m picky about how things are put away, bridles figure-eighted, etc. and sharing wouldn’t work. We have similar saddles and pads so that they both fit the pony and basically the same bridle, bit, etc.

Please don’t feel pressured to share your saddle. That’s asking too much!

[fallingwithstyle]

Thank you so much to everyone for your helpful responses! I really was feeling pressure to share, and I shouldn’t feel guilty about not sharing my tack. I do wish the barn owner had asked me first before offering my saddle–I’ve since e-mailed the other part-leaser expressing that the saddle is my first big purchase and I would prefer to be the only rider using it.

To answer some questions: I am a fairly green rider, the horse is just as green as I am, so we’re both benefiting from the situation and I do enjoy my barn and everyone there. This part-leasing situation has just been particularly stressful since I like, respect, and want to trust the barn owner, but understand she’s running a business and sometimes feel taken advantage of as I am less than two years into riding and lack the experience to know what is acceptable and what is line-crossing.

PonyTales, you made me cringe with those saddle stories. Holy moly! No more guilt tripping about lending out my tack.

The barn owner isn’t bailing on the lease, she found another part-leaser who rides at our barn. Had she not found anyone, B/O would have kept using him for lessons and covering half board. I will now be sharing costs for shots, shoeing, floating, etc. with the other half-leaser. Initially, when the other part-leaser backed out, I think there was concern about whether the B/O would be able to incorporate him into her lesson program or not since he is a green horse when it comes to arena work. She has since used him in lessons 2-4 times per week so that concern is gone. I’m just very grateful to be only paying half those costs now like I was originally expecting to without having to speak with her about it.

Thanks again for the responses!!! They are so appreciated.
Now, any bridle recommendations for fox hunting? We don’t show.

[jawa]

Bartville Harness in PA makes a lovely flat hunt bridle. They are Amish, so no web page. If you call early in the am you will actually speak with someone otherwise leave a message. I bought a hunt lash from them. They estimated shipping in the price. When I received the lash, the change, in cash, was in the box as they had overestimated.
(717) 529-6992

[SuzieQNutter]

No offence meant, just going by what you posted.

If you are a green rider then the question I ask is why are you leasing a green horse? You want to lease a school master not a green horse.

IMHO it would have been better if the horse had been continued to use in lessons as it would have kept learning from the Instructor even with other riders on it. 2 - 4 lessons a week with the Instructor is nothing when they are built up to it. It is better for the horse to be ridden every day than not ridden every day. Now it is only learning from you and the other leaser, who I presume is also green.

If the other leaser is also green. Then you are both green and training the horse, and for the next person to get the horse it is easier to train a horse than it is to retrain a horse after being ridden by green riders?

If the horse was your own horse and trained only by you it will be worth more than it is now after you have finished training it and hopefully you will end up with a better horse than the green one you started with.

[fallingwithstyle]

SuzieQ, very valid question! We were working within budget and availability. He’s a smart boy and while he’s got more go than he does breaks, we’re doing just fine. Last week we started trotting and cantering down steep hills out fox hunting and I trust him.

The new part-leaser is an advanced rider who jumps and shows at a much higher level than I, it will be very good for him. I appreciate your input and have definitely been considering the horse in all this. I agree completely that him being ridden in lessons is a good thing and mentioned the frequency and concern with whether he could be used in the lesson program at all in response to the question of why I was covering all upkeep costs.

He’s already learned a lot in the few months he’s been at the barn–love him to pieces!

Thanks, jawa! I’ll give them a call on Monday.