Partial On Farm Lease Price

[Feldspar21]

I’m thinking about doing a partial in-barn lease on my gelding. It would be a good friend leasing him. I’m trying to figure out what a reasonable price would be. I have only done free off farm leases (as an owner and a leaser) myself and I feel out of the loop on what the terms and cost of a partial lease would be.

Friend would just casually be riding said horse. No showing. Hacking around, trail rides, perhaps some lessons with the trainer there. It would be either 2 or 3 days per week (I’m thinking I’ll start with 2, then add a third day if she wants once he’s more fit). Horse is currently located at barn #1 (board is $1,175). I’m working on moving him to a different barn, probably mid-late spring. Board there is going to be between $800-900 (details TBD). Farrier at current barn is $150 every 5 wks, I expect it to be roughly the same at barn #2. He doesn’t currently get body work, but I am planning on getting him some massages once we move to barn #2 and he’s in more regular work. Supplements aren’t expensive enough at the moment for me to care.

What costs should I expect her to pay? What percentage of those costs should I expect her to pay at 2 days per week vs 3?

[Knubbsy]

400/month to half-lease (3 rides a week, showing possible) for a mare that roughly costs me 800/month (exclusive of training, that 800 just covers routine care). In theory, I charge the half leaser half of bodywork or “extra” medical costs but usually don’t (it’s a teenager and I don’t have the time or energy to chase down money from her or her mother). Doesn’t matter if they were lessoning or not, the charge is the same, they’re are putting wear on my horse.

When I was part-leasing for 11 rides/month (roughly 2/week with occasional extra days), it was 300/month.

[Mander]

For 2 days/wk I’d expect to pay a third of board and farrier work, and half for 3 days/wk. Supplements too, if they cost any sizable amount of money. I would let your friend know that you intend to start him on body work and you’d like them to pay for a portion of that as well. Of course, with the lower cost of board after he moves, it will still probably end up being cheaper overall.

For convenience, it’s probably easiest if you just do the math on the monthly upkeep and just charge on a monthly basis so you don’t have to worry about “oh I had feet done, will you venmo me?”. It also gives your friend some reliability on monthly expenses.

[trubandloki]

Riding half the time (which 3x per week is technically, horse ridden six days per week with one day off) should be half the expenses.

Depending on the situation (a horse bringing value to the relationship, or on the other side the horse owner trying to give someone an opportunity) you can charge more or less than this.

Your current board rate with your current farrier rate that would be $650/month.

[vali]

For 2 days a week with a trained horse I would do usually do 1/3 of total expenses (including board, shoeing, routine vet care/maintenance, insurance). For 3 days a week I would do 1/2 of the same. If the horse is young/untrained and/or the lessee helps out in other ways you could charge less, but it’s expensive to board so it’s reasonable to share expenses. You might want to also figure out if you will cover all vet expenses that insurance doesn’t cover or if you expect them to share the deductible or non-covered expenses. I’ve done it both ways depending on whether the person wants to show or take the horse off property. If they aren’t taking the horse off property I would usually cover the vet expenses, but if they are showing I would expect them to split the deductibles, especially if the injury happens on their watch.

[Scribbler]

Yes I’d do a calculation of total monthly expenses, board plus farrier plus any other maintenance or supplements and then prorate that. Unless the person is bringing value to the situation, do an honest prorate of what it would cost to keep that horse.

In our self board barn, having the leaser clean and feed so owner can skip the barn those days brings enormous value to most owners but that wouldn’t be true in full board.

If the horse is really special you could charge more than care cost prorated.

I think a monthly fee plus a contract evrn with a friend, no hitting them up to share random farrier or massage costs.

[vali]

Yes, I forgot to clarify that I think it’s best to have a monthly sum so there is no surprises. I also recommend a written lease agreement, but also keep open lines of communication so if needs change or tensions come up then you can talk them through. it’s also good to clarify minor but sometimes annoying things like whether you would like them to clean tack after each use.

[joiedevie99]

Figure out your average monthly expenses, and charge her 1/3 of that. You can always lower it when you move barns, or increase it to 1/2 if she starts riding the third day.

[Feldspar21]

Thank you all so much for your advice!

I think I’m going to do 1/3 of the cost of board + farrier + body work for 2 days a week, and 1/2 if she goes up to 3. I’ll cover supplements/any extra costs that come up (deworming, etc). It’s a mutually beneficial situation. I don’t have the time at the moment to ride him as much as I’d like to (he likes having a job and does better physically when he’s made to move around), and I would love to be able to put a lot more money into savings than I’m currently able to. She would really like to get back into riding, and he’s a cool horse that while not being super fancy, knows a lot of things and is happy to teach her the things.

Where does vet work fall into this? I would assume emergencies/unexpected bills are fully my responsibility, and that’s totally fine. However, where does teeth, vaccines, and any future maintenance (by that I likely mean hock injections) fall?

[joiedevie99]

@Feldspar21

Where does vet work fall into this? I would assume emergencies/unexpected bills are fully my responsibility, and that’s totally fine. However, where does teeth, vaccines, and any future maintenance (by that I likely mean hock injections) fall?

Anywhere you want. Just draft a contract that is clear. Some people average those expenses out over a year and add a monthly charge for vet work.

[trubandloki]

@Feldspar21

Where does vet work fall into this? I would assume emergencies/unexpected bills are fully my responsibility, and that’s totally fine. However, where does teeth, vaccines, and any future maintenance (by that I likely mean hock injections) fall?

When I leased my horse I took all of my early maintenance expenses and divided them out to a monthly expense. So figure out what your average vet maintenance costs for the year and divide it by 12.

I do agree with the whole contract thing. It will keep you both covered. What tack are they supposed to use. Are they allowed to jump any time they want? Can they take the horse off property with out telling you? Include something how either side can cancel.

[Mondo]

1,000 times YES to what joiedevie99 and trubandloki said. Whatever you decide, get it IN WRITING! Details to the nth degree. I’m not a lawyer by any stretch, but I know enough about this stuff to insist on a good contract. If your friend balks because it’s supposed to be between friends, don’t do the lease. A written agreement, signed by both parties, protects you both. Then if a misunderstanding or dispute arises, you can both refer to the agreement. (Ambiguity in a contract is found in favor of the party who did not write the contract, FYI.)

[Willesdon]

Write a contract so you can keep a friend.

[Gesaffelstein]

My questions are.
What is your horse trained to do?
What level rider is your friend?

You said you didn’t have time to ride, so would you be paying someone to take him out if your friend wasn’t around?

If my friend was a good horse person experienced and kind, I’d probably let her ride for free, she is doing you a favor.

Depends on the horse and person leasing, what should be charged or owed.

[BatCoach]

@Feldspar21

Where does vet work fall into this? I would assume emergencies/unexpected bills are fully my responsibility, and that’s totally fine. However, where does teeth, vaccines, and any future maintenance (by that I likely mean hock injections) fall?

I think regular upkeep like dental, deworming, and vax fall to you as the owner. Especially since the leasee does not have a say on your choice of vet or practitioner or what services you are ordering from that vet. As others have said, spell EVERYTHING out in a contract including what costs you are covering and what the leasee is responsible for.

@Gesaffelstein is bringing up a good point. All of these answers are colored by 1) are you leasing the horse out for financial reasons 2) are you still actively riding horse 3) is the rider less or more trained than the horse. If you are just leasing the horse to your friend so he gets exercise and stays in shape, then don’t fret over nickel and diming.

It sounds like a pretty low-key situation, no showing or high performance stuff that would cause significant wear and tear. Be clear in your contract and work with your friend on what her expectations and her budget are - I am sure you can come to an agreement that works out for all three parties.

[2tempe]

I half leased my horse for a year or so. Charged: 1/2 board, 1/2 farrier (4 week cycle) and added in another $50ish per month for miscellaneous (shots, supplements, etc) so I wasn’t constantly tracking stuff.
Contract said she was responsible for any vet things that were related to her - ie if he cut his leg while hacking in our woods with her, her problem. Major general stuff, my problem. This wonderful person actually handed me a check several months later for half the cost of getting his hocks injected - not part of her contract but she insisted and my mother always told me “never turn down money” lol.
In my situation I was more concerned about getting the right person than worrying about how much of my costs were covered.

[2DogsFarm]

@Feldspar21

Where does vet work fall into this? I would assume emergencies/unexpected bills are fully my responsibility, and that’s totally fine. However, where does teeth, vaccines, and any future maintenance (by that I likely mean hock injections) fall?

I never had a formal written lease when I had friends shareboard my & DH’s horses.
I asked for 1/2 board & covered trimming (both barefoot) & routine vet bills myself.
If a horse had gotten injured when in the care of a boarder, I’d expect them to share (if not cover*) vet bills.
*happened once, when my TB abcessed when I was out of the country. Boarder called vet & paid for the visit.

If anyone had been interested in showing, those costs would be all on them.
Both horses had mortality insurance coverage.

I also required less-skilled boarders to take a weekly lesson with whatever trainer I was with at the time.
Like @2tempe said about “the right person”, which meant I gave a month free trial. To see if they were a good fit for both the horse & me.

[EventingMaff]

I calculated out a couple different cost buckets:

• Total costs (including bodywork, avg monthly spend on necessary equipment / provisions, dental, saddle fit, etc)
• Fixed monthly costs (board, farrier, vaccinations, basic supplements she has to be on even if not in work)

For more skilled riders or ‘perfect fit’ riders, they paid the relevant proportion of the fixed monthly costs for number of ride days (3x = 50%, 2x = 33%), I covered everything on top. For less skilled riders or set ups where I felt like I’d be compromising, I gave them a lease price based on the total costs.

[clanter]

might want to check your personal liability coverage as the carrier may move you from personal to a business policy

[MsM]

I think you can see where the ballpark is by the replies here.

What you ultimately charge depends upon the horse, rider, and your goals and comfort levels. I have seen happy situations and unhappy situations under the same parameters, so you have to adjust for you. My friend half leased her horse for half board and half shoeing to a friend. She wanted the horse ridden more, the person was good person and rider, and she figured she would have the other costs anyway It was in writing, with regular vet care by owner and lease person only responsible if she directly caused an injury. The only thing she would have done differently is to roll the shoeing costs into the monthly bill for simplicity. I have seen other boarders partial lease with more money and more complicated costs, but I dont know the details and the horses were competing. YMMV.