I have too many horses to sustain in the manner they deserve (many retired show horses who lovingly, but expensively, are living out their retirement years), and wanted to explore a training option for a nice mare that I own. She is 8 years old; has lovely, correct gaits and a good mind, but has had only very basic training. I don’t want to sell her, for reasons I will explain. She has come off a slight ligament sprain and is almost ready to enter serious training. But especially with the stresses of the current economy, I can’t afford to place her in a quality dressage program. I can afford to pay her board and otherwise maintain here - it’s the training that will break my camel’s back. Would it be an attractive option for a working student to take her for training if I were to pay her board and maintenance? In other words, the student and her mentor/employer would supply the training in exchange for my otherwise supporting the mare’s costs? It’s just an idea I had for furthering her development in a cost effective way. I would agree not to sell her, or to pay a commission if I did. I would even GIVE the mare to the student if, after a period of time, it looked like a great home. I don’t want to sell the mare because I commit to my horses once I buy them, and I can’t absolutely guarantee she will hold her soundness because of her past injury. Her injury was very slight and she’s been cleared for full work but there is just no guarantee and I want to do the right thing for her. Is my idea feasible?
Yes, I would think it would be possible, it sounds like an awesome opportunity for the right person.
This sounds like a free lease. Owner pays for everything, someone else gets to ride.
I did this with one of mine when I was extremely busy with work and he was just sitting – one of the pony clubbers got a nice horse to ride, and he was in shape when I did have time to ride occasionally.
I think if you are up front with the dressage trainer about the situation, this could work out very well. Just be prepared if she does not stay sound that you’ll have to make other arrangements.
If you do this, please pay a lawyer to write up a contract that protects all the parties involved. Figure out how your liability insurance works, sometimes the lessee will need to have that policy in their name. This might work better if the trainer’s business leases your horse and then provides it to their student.
@wsmoak Good input, thank you. I thought free lease meant no lease charge, but lessee paid the expenses. Thanks for the correction.
I have heard free lease used that way as well… the terms might be regional. I would call it a ‘care lease’ if the lessee was paying for the horse’s expenses but not use of the horse itself.
Yes, I think that would be a very useful arrangement. I know several working students who came from overseas so did not have a horse if their own to work with, who would have loved such an opportunity. Of course you must choose the trainer / program carefully but it sounds like a win/win
I was in a similar arrangement when I was a working student. I covered all my competition and special clinic costs (I say special since I received daily lessons with my trainer).
I ran into issues when said horse needed chiro, a saddle fitting (owner had no saddle, so we worked with a few spares we had at the barn), or other special needs. Owner wasn’t super keen on doing the maintenance that we thought maresy needed to stay rideable.
YMMV
@BigMama1. Yes, finding the right situation would be critically important. There is only one trainer in my area who I think would fit the bill, and her barn is full. But I appreciate the input and am seriously considering putting out some feelers. Thank you.
@Displaced_Yankee. Well, what a disappointment that must have been. I hope I’d be different because I am excited about this mare’s prospects - she’s not just a project horse - but have seen my horse ownership getting sharply more expensive in recent times and don’t want to underestimate the cost commitment. Thank you for your input.
I think this could easily be win-win and is something I’ve seen be successful in the past.
When I was a working student at a high-level dressage barn, we didn’t really have boarders it was just people who sent their horses for training and would come at most 1x a week to ride. However most of them sent their horses and stayed purely as owners. Those that wanted the horse trained and competed by one of the accoladed trainers paid significant training fees. Those that had long-time working students train and compete paid significantly reduced fees on top of their horses board and upkeep. Many of these long-time working students were extremely skilled riders and it gave them access to nice horses to compete and ‘build their brand’ before going out to become independent.
Not quite the same, but my mare is going on lease with a working student for a fixed term while life keeps me out of the saddle. She’s further along than it sounds like your mare is, but still lots to learn. Working student will take on full costs though – it’s win-win as student needed a horse and I was hoping not to have my horse on the backburner.
@EventingMaff. You’ve definitely identified the issue that I thought might sink my idea: high quality dressage training is expensive and deserves to be. People don’t pay you for it; you pay them! But I was thinking about a smaller barn, perhaps with less all-star qualifications and achievements (or, really, one that doesn’t have a bench of qualified students who are already part of the training regime and are the client’s riders as a matter of course). A talented rider who wants to commit but doesn’t quite have the funds. You know! Thanks for your input.
It was, but I funded what I could (depo kept maresy rideable to learn on at home).
But my point is to keep in mind that you and working student may disagree on management. Heck, you make insist she get routine chiro, that funny thing with the tubes (PEMF?), massage, shoes, ulcer preventative etc and they might think she is happy barefoot on pasture. Best set expectations promptly.
Where are you? You can PM me if you like. I know a few qualified Grand Prix trainers who keep a few working students that would love this sort of set up. No one that I wouldn’t send my own horse to. For what a former Pony Clubber’s standards live up to.
Yes I did that with my talented oldenberg horse, but with a young up and coming trainer. Mt dressage trainers daughter wanted a talented horse she could demonstrate she was training through the ranks, and I suddenly had to travel across country for work. It became a free lease I supported the horse and she trained him. He was a talented training level horse, bred for three day events, and she wanted to learn three day. She took him to a coach for stadium and another for cross country and trained him dressage herself. She used him to get her bronze and silver and her home schooled PRE she used for her gold. Her was good for her resume. When he was second level she bought him and he is still part of her string, well taken care of.
Find the right person attached to the right trainer.
@Displaced_Yankee. If I feel strongly about something and the trainer isn’t averse, I’d want to go right ahead at my expense - but there are very few maintenance techniques that I feel so strongly about that I would override the trainer’s (or the vet’s) vote. The one general thing I feel very strongly about is identifying and treating physical issues. Twice I’ve had horses whose trainers felt they were physically fit and just needed strength or more mileage to overcome “training issues,” but I have a pretty good eye for lameness and, by pushing for exam by a specialist, we indeed discovered root physical issues. (One had old embedded bone chips that irritated every once in awhile. They were surgically removed with a phenomenal improvement in the horse’s trainability.). But I’m wandering here … you have such helpful input, thank you. Once I get to a desktop I will send you a PM!
It must be regional. Around here, this is what free lease means - lessee pays everything, but there is no additional use fee to the owner. If the owner is paying expenses, I wouldn’t use the word lease. The horse is ‘sponsored’ or some other word.
And yes, I’d personally email Dressage4Kids. Lendon does Summer and Winter intensive training programs and sometimes a qualified rider applies without a horse, or a rider’s horse goes lame and they need to find something to ride to stay in the program.
I think things have kind of shifted lately. It really depends on the area you are in if you will find someome - like supply and demand… but lately ive seen a hella lot of bad riders think they should get paid for their work.
If horse supply in your area is low you can find someone, if its high then they will want to be paid and experts in their own mind…
A program such as the OP siggests could work depending on the education and ability of the lessee.
