Just out of idle curiosity because both my budget and work schedule at the moment doesn’t allow for me to become a snowbird and ship down to WEF for 12 weeks in the winter. I was wondering what the price of a weekly lease at WEF is these days. More specifically, wondering about a horse doing 3’ or smaller, something that an adult could do and just go in and have a good time. I know the answer will vary greatly based on numerous factors, just looking for a ballpark figure to satisfy my curiosity.
I did look through old posts but many are several years old so thought I’d ask and see if anyone had any updated numbers.
Thousands. There is an ad for this year I found for weekly rates (depending on horse & division) ranging from $1000 to $2000 a week. Covers training, hay/grain/shaving expenses. Leassee responsible for horse show expenses and braiding. For a decent horse that is a minimum cost I would expect.
Depends on the program but likely $500-$1000 for the horse for the weekend plus day care ($100+), training ($100+), braiding ($80+) etc. per show day… P.S. They typically want you to show 3+ days. That said, I have heard of people getting lucky where a trainer has a horse for sale and wants it in the ring more. Do it! I’ve only been once, for a long weekend, and it was truly horsey heaven. Have fun!
Edited to add that the shopping down there will give you a mean case of, “budget be damned, I want all.of.the.things,” syndrome. There are tents upon tents of amazing clothes, tack, wares etc.
I leased a mare in 2010 to do the Children’s Jumpers during my last junior year and she was $3,000/week, worth her weight in gold though because at the time I could barely ride my way out of a paper bag and she managed to get me ribbons in what is a HUGE division down there. It is definitely an amazing once in a lifetime experience to do if you get the chance.
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I paid $1500 plus show fees
1k-2k for just the horse. If it is halfway competitive at 3’, double that, increase for each height increase. Plus show entries and fees, stall charge, day care, trainer, like lessons and coaching services. Most will want you to show the whole division over 2 days plus a few warm up classes and at least one lesson day and you will be expected to pay for the whole week even if you only actually show 2 or 3 days.
The good horses you can lease generally require trainer networking and references in advance and most are probably already spoken for this year. But you never know, ask your trainer for help lining something up. Generally not going to get anything just walking in, very much who you, or your trainer, know and what they have that might be available down there that’s not already booked.
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Thank you to everyone who responded! Those answers were very helpful 
Sounds like you should just bring your own horse! I’m shipping my horse to Tampa Charity in March.
I’m happy that you love your new horse, but must you bring every thread back to you and your horse?
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lol…not true! stop being a hater!
Well you must admit that you mentioning shipping your horse to a show was entirely irrelevant to the OP’s question about leasing a horse for WEF.
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Not sure why that bothers you…just skip over?
Like a bazillion dollars plus your soul
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For some of us who don’t live anywhere near Florida, the lease cost of a horse already down there could easily be the cost of shipping down and back so I see the appeal.
As someone who doesn’t have a horse in the first place, I have also been interested in this. It’d be like a vacation along with the chance to ride something really fun. Alas, I don’t think my husband sees vacations in quite the same way.
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Comparing Tampa Charity and WEF is at best comparing apples & oranges. It’s more like comparing apples & baseballs.
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Florida has beaches. Give him a cooler full of refreshments, a sand chair, and some sunscreen - his and hers vacations. He gets the beach and you get the horses 
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Driftwood Stables seems to be the go-to for a weekly show lease. I can’t claim any firsthand experience but they seem consistently well-reviewed and having kept a horse at WEF before, their all-in price last year of $2k a week for care/training/feed/stall was not a bad number http://www.driftwoodstable.com/florida-2016-2017 . I stabled basically the closest hack away you could imagine at a very kind “friends and family” rate, and even then was looking at $1k a week minimum with myself doing weekend care & riding. Hay is expensive AF down there.
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That is who I got my figure from in my first post as well 
Just didn’t want to advertise as I don’t actually know anything about them.
Previous WEF adult champions lease for $3-5 per week plus fees. A reliable winner (one that has been champion multiple times or a “name” horse stepping down from the AOs) will command $5 per week. This sounds expensive, but the same horse might be $300-500 to buy, so the lease might make sense for some. Also, if it costs $2 to participate, isn’t it worth spending $3 for a chance at winning? Just my two cents worth…
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I’d spend $3 or $5… totally have that in my bank account. I think you mean $3k or $3,000
