Questions About Leasing Out My Heart Horse - Special Circumstances

[DoomPony]

So, I may be moving barns to a more expensive place, and my horse needs more miles anyway so we might lease him out to someone. I’ve never leased out a horse before so I’m a bit clueless.

Would you write up a contract? Why?

How much do you charge for a part time lease? What do you allow your leasers to do, or not do?

Would leasing my horse out make him less connected to me and lose the bond we have? How do I keep that bond even if someone else is riding him?

As I’m a lower functioning para dressage rider, and I don’t canter, how do we handle the other rider cantering? Is there a way to put a very clear ‘button’ on my horse so he doesn’t start accidentally cantering for me? What would you do for that ‘button’?

Thank for for dealing with my idiocy. Any advice is appreciated!

[GraceLikeRain]

Absolutely have a contract in place stipulating days that the horse is available, renewal timeline, payment method, late fees, liability for an injury, what tack can be used and replacement policy, weather conditions in which the horse cannot be worked, etc.

Put every last thing in writing. This prevents miscommunications down the road and gives you a legal leg to stand on if things go awry.

Lease rates depend on your area, how many rides per week, and the quality of horse. I have seen rates from $100-500 a month. In my area the marketability for a half lease is almost non-existent since we have an unusually high number of young adults who will ride for free and therefore do not need to lease a horse. Your trainer can help you determine a competitive rate.

Having someone else ride your horse will not alter your bond. If you never want your horse to canter under any circumstance then the leaser should not canter the horse. However, this will significantly limit if not eliminate the number of potential leasers. There are very few people interested in paying to ride a horse they can only ride at two gaits. I know a lot of people who only ride walk/trot but that is different than being told they can never canter. People like feeling as though they have the option even if they never use it.

If you are capable of safely and comfortably bringing a horse back down from a canter to a trot then I think a leaser shouldn’t create issues by cantering. Do you have a trainer that can school the canter for you so that a potential leaser can see a developed 3 gaits? A trainer could school the trot to canter aid with an exaggerated outside leg back to reduce the possibility of an incidental cue?

[SillyHorse]

I think Grace has it covered. I have been on both ends of leases, and the reality is that the more spelled out in writing, the better.

There is a market for a walk-trot horse, if he’s a real steady guy. I know there are some riders who are timid, or older, who would love to have a nice horse to just walk and trot.

[Daisyesq]

I think you will definitely have the same bond with your horse, even if he has another rider! Leasing can be a win-win for both!

Definitely spell it out in writing, even if it’s just a few bullet points. Leases come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a fixed portion of the board, and that’s it. Other times it’s a full-expense sharing. Your contract should be clear about vet expenses.

Also, you should have a contract that’s terminable at will (or with 30 days notice) by either party - not for a term, if possible. You want to be able to cancel it if you don’t like some aspect (and so would leasor)

[DoomPony]

About that canter cue, what would you do for it? It can’t be the traditional aid because sometimes I get tight and my leg slips back, so that would likely cause accidents. Any other ideas? Also, how would I keep his bond more on me/make sure he doesn’t come to like leaser more? Do you think $355 is too much for a half lease (3 days a week, and showing privileges)? My mom’s idea was to split board and farrier in half.

[SillyHorse]

[QUOTE=DoomPony;7667486]
Also, how would I keep his bond more on me/make sure he doesn’t come to like leaser more?[/QUOTE]
If that is a real concern, you are not ready to lease your horse to anyone. I sure wouldn’t want to lease a horse from someone who was going to be jealous if the horse seemed to “like” me more than her. You will need to pull yourself together and be a grownup about it if you want a successful lease.

[Training_Cupid]

Equine.com has free legal form templates including a lease agreement you can look at as a starting point: http://www.equine.com/help/legal.aspx

[betsyk]

Leasing your horse requires some letting go, because if you feel like you have to, or want to, control every aspect then it will not work out! Part of the letting go is realizing that the person leasing may ride better than you do, or maybe just let your horse do different fun things like trail riding (or cantering) that you can’t do with him. In the end, it makes him a better horse, really!

I do think horses can learn that with Rider A, they never canter, and with Rider B, they do sometimes canter. Most of our therapy horses have that button very clearly installed! They will canter for staff and for riders who ask properly, but rarely if ever volunteer on their own. A little laziness is sometimes a useful thing! The other side of that can be true as well, and you can use your leasor to help train your horse to have a specific set of canter cues that works with your particular abilities - say you need him to pick up the canter from only lifting your inside hand and making a kissing sound. Your leasor can help teach him that set of cues so you can do it yourself and he’ll know what you want.

Not sure what costs are like in your area, but for half the board and shoes plus showing privileges, your leasor is probably going to want to take lessons and work to improve their own riding. Be sure your horse is up to the workload and the level of expectation. You’ll have a harder time finding someone who is willing to pay that much if there are a lot of restrictions on what they can/can’t do.

[jenm]

[QUOTE=DoomPony;7667486]
how would I keep his bond more on me/make sure he doesn’t come to like leaser more? Do you think $355 is too much for a half lease (3 days a week, and showing privileges)? My mom’s idea was to split board and farrier in half.[/QUOTE]

If you and your horse already have a good bond, adding another person to the mix shouldn’t affect what you two have.

I half leased my horse for a year and I LOVED that the woman and my horse got along so well. They took good care of each other and it didn’t change the bond I have with my mare at all.

My original plan was to charge half board for 3 rides a week and showing privileges, but that was a little to steep for this person so I took $100 off my original price of $350. To me, it was more important to have a decent rider who loved my horse.

[Zuri]

I have a question for all you knowledgeable COTHers. In a lease, who is responsible for vet bills? Do you split the vet fees? And if the horse is insured, do you have the lessee pay part of it or require them to take out insurance with you as the payee? TIA

[GraceLikeRain]

It is all dependent on the individual situation and therefore it should be VERY clearly outlined in the contract. Most people I know expect the owner to cover all regular and unexpected vet expenses unless the leaser did something that directly caused an injury. For example, leaser hacks horse in deep wet footing despite knowing that the horse is prone to pulling shoes. Horse takes off shoe and half of his hoof. The leaser paid the resulting vet and farrier bills. Lameness is usually more vague and just because a horse is off the day after a leaser rides him does not mean the leaser directly caused an injury.

It is really hard to find partial leasers so I think keeping the monthly amount as consistent as possible helps a lot. A portion of board + farrier bills or a set dollar amount regardless of upkeep expenses seems fairly commonplace around here.

Your horse may adore a leaser. That is the reality of letting anyone ride your horse. Rather than anticipate it as something that ruins your bond, think about it as an opportunity for your horse to have a more enriched daily life. My mare loved my trainer, the farrier, and several other people she interacted with daily. I think this is much healthier than desiring a black beauty relationship where you have a horse that only tolerates you.

[Training_Cupid]

[QUOTE=Zuri;7667918]
I have a question for all you knowledgeable COTHers. In a lease, who is responsible for vet bills? Do you split the vet fees? And if the horse is insured, do you have the lessee pay part of it or require them to take out insurance with you as the payee? TIA[/QUOTE]

Zuri - the owner is responsible unless otherwise provided for in the lease agreement.

[meupatdoes]

[QUOTE=DoomPony;7667486]
About that canter cue, what would you do for it? It can’t be the traditional aid because sometimes I get tight and my leg slips back, so that would likely cause accidents. Any other ideas? Also, how would I keep his bond more on me/make sure he doesn’t come to like leaser more? Do you think $355 is too much for a half lease (3 days a week, and showing privileges)? My mom’s idea was to split board and farrier in half.[/QUOTE]

It is unlikely that the horse will confuse an involuntary movement from you with a canter aid. A canter aid is a pretty specific set up of weight, leg position, and rein aids, and the leg aid has a specific “hold” to it. By way of example this weekend I was riding down to the outdoor ring and saw a green head just behind my leg on the horse I was riding - I just swiped back quickly with my calf to wipe it off. The horse didn’t even change the walk rhythm because, while that was a movement, it in no way felt like an aid.

Also, as someone with a horse or two leased out myself, I think you should be rooting for your horse to loooooove his leaser to bits. It is so, so, SO rewarding for me to see a horse of mine clocking around and being awesome for someone else, whether it is my former competition horse being a lesson horse extraordinaire and lighting up the face of a student, or a different horse laying down an awesome trip with an adult. You always want your horse to be happy in his work, so root for him to have a leaser that he can really get in a groove with and rock out.

It doesn’t mean he can’t also rock out with you.

[SnicklefritzG]

^^Yeah, think of how nice it is when a horse can perform well for a wide variety of riders.

Snowman comes to mind, doing everything from leadline to the GrandPrix!

[WasthatC]

[QUOTE=DoomPony;7667486]
Also, how would I keep his bond more on me/make sure he doesn’t come to like leaser more? [/QUOTE]

On one hand I totally understand your concern that your bond with your horse might be weakened by bringing another human into the mix. But on the other hand wouldn’t you prefer that your horse like the leasee? If the horse doesn’t like the other rider then the horse is unhappy in the work and you really don’t want that.

Good luck, change is hard but it’s usually good for us.

[candysgirl]

Horses can absolutely learn to canter with some people and not with others. I worked at a therapeutic riding center with some severely disabled riders. The horses never offered to canter with any of the students. They got schooled by volunteers and instructors 2-3 times a week at all gaits. Some of them even jumped with volunteers, something they’d never be asked to do with students. They figure out the difference pretty easily.

I’ll echo Meup’s thoughts on the horse liking other people. My Arab is absolutely my boy. I just had a baby and other people have been riding him since February. He’s got several people he is clearly attached to, but he’s still very obviously attached to me the most. He’s my buddy and always will be. I’ve had him since he was a 3yo. That doesn’t mean he can’t be attached to other people too though. He’s a sweet, people oriented Arab. He’d live in someone’s house like a dog given half a chance. I’m happy he’s been working well with a couple friends of mine while I’ve been out of commission with the whole baby thing.