WWYD: Lease? Buy? Experiences Owning & Boarding Multiple Horses

[ecpolo]

I have an outrageous number of horses. Aside from the financial aspect that everyone has mentioned, I need to emphasize the logistic part of owning retirees. I’ve tried the leasing to beginners route. It was a huge pain. I spent years dealing with old horse leasers and since they’re beginners they also don’t know anything about horses, especially old ones. Bad combo if you ask me.

Now I either just retire them outright and turn them out at a friend’s ranch with his other retired horses for super cheap, keep them around for my kid if they’re kind, or send them off for breeding if they are valuable and fit to carry a baby.

I now refuse to buy any horse over 6 years old.

[eh-equestrian]

Thank you everyone for the experiences and replies. It’s certainly giving me a lot to think about as I consider this decision. I’m playing the waiting game for a few months anyways, as I’m getting married in the fall and then will be on the honeymoon, so it doesn’t make sense to really start looking for a 2nd (lease/buy) until after all of that dust settles. It gives me ample time to assess my goals, budgets, and other variables.

I’m not overly concerned about time for 2, I have, over various times in my life, balanced rides on multiple horses and honestly, either I will be leasing out my current boy, or if that falls through, I’ll be looking into my cheaper retirement options for him.

Right now, I’d like to try finding a good lease situation for me in the fall. I think that’s my smartest choice, but if I can’t find anything and the perfect situation presents itself, I won’t be opposed to looking at buying.

I’ve been browsing the ads in my area like crazy, but it’s a bad time of year for leasing, and finding something that will be moved off-property is proving difficult so far.

[mydogs]

I would free lease. I’ve been very lucky to have nothing but great experiences each time I leased a horse. All of mine were through word of mouth and knowing someone who knows someone. Sometimes I cold-emailed barns/trainers and provided references because not all leases are publicly advertised. I also tried to be the best leaser possible.

I was responsible for all aspect of the horse’s care. Feet, farrier, vet, chiro, massage, etc. My horse had a health history so anytime something seemed off, I consulted the owner to get her opinion and would then consult with my vet. This not only allowed the owner to stay up to date on her horse’s health, she felt comfortable that I was never hiding anything from her and she was able to provide advice and insight on what was done in the past.

I posted about this often on Facebook, videos, pictures, all kinds of things. The owner was able to see how he was doing and know he was very well loved. I would also send her text messages with a more personalized update every few months. I invited her to all my shows and BNT clinics to watch. She was allowed to stop by the barn anytime to see him. I loved having a very open communication with her and I think it was the most critical aspect of the lease that made it work very well for the both of us.

My horse did experience a soundness issue towards the end of the lease. I told the owner and gave her my opinion. At this point, I had the horse for almost 2 years and she trusted me enough to let me proceed with what I thought was necessary. I always kept her up to date with results from the vet and my action plan for treating the issue.
At some point, it became too expensive for me to handle and I was ready to take a break from riding. He was still experiencing soundness problems and I couldn’t afford more extensive exams. She paid for the last set of vet visits but I also attended so I knew what I needed to do until he found a new home. This worked out well for the both of us because while she paid for the vet visits, I still paid for the other regular costs.

When I was ready to end the lease, I did not approach it with a “you have 30 days from now” mentality. It was very open-ended. Once she found a new home, he could go, but I was not rushing him out the door either. If it took another 2 or so months, that was fine by me. If he was ready to go in 2 weeks, that too was okay.

I had a horse with a joint issue that I leased out for about a year or so. I hardly received any updates from the leasers or the trainer. When they thought about buying him, the leasers took him to a vet school for a PPE and allowed me to tag along. The family was very lovely and friendly, but I wish I had received more updates, even if it just a random FB post. So I try to do what I wish was done for me because it can be hard to let your horse be in someone else’s care. But once you build that trust, it makes a world of a difference.

[candyappy]

All I can say is make sure your husband-to- be is onboard with the costs (and the amount of time you will spend with them) that is associated with having 2 horses.

[DoodlesMom]

I retired my heart horse several years ago. I realized around the time I was thinking of permanently retiring him that I actually could afford a second horse. I almost took on another boarder’s horse when she moved overseas, but that fell though (he wasn’t sound). But it made me sit down and work out my finances, and ultimately start shopping.

I wanted something made, that I could start competing with… so I bought a yearling lol. I free leased while my baby was growing, because I would have gone mad without something to ride (my old man was sound for walking trails only at that point).

Long story short, when the kid was broke, and actually rideable and in training, he turned out to be a pretty pleasant fellow. He’s still on the green side, but solid WTC. I leased him to a young rider at my barn who’s previous lease moved. She LOVES him, and he LOVES her. It’s adorable. And they’ve both grown so much! It’s only a 1/2 lease, but it works out great for both of us. I can ride when I want, and she can as well. She lessons with my trainer, and I pay for pro rides.

So yeah, I vote for buying and 1/2 leasing out, or simply leasing a horse.

[RedmondDressage]

I don’t board but with 4 horses, there’s always someone who could use a bit more time and it’s always nice to reduce expenses. When my FEI horse was ready to back down I care leased him to a teenager who was/is a nice little rider. She was able to show him 1st and 2nd and got to play with changes and some other fun stuff on him - things she otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work on. It felt really good to give a nice kid a chance to ride a solid, well trained horse and get some show miles with the side benefit of keeping him in work and off my payroll. He is now 25 and doing up/down lessons a couple of days a week for a trainer friend of mine. He is happy as a clam and it keeps him in shape so both of those have been good situations. If your horse has the temperament for that it’s a great option.

Like ecpolo I only do youngsters now - although it’s more for time reasons than board costs. I have my horse progression on a schedule now as I know I only have time to work two at a time… My goal is to always have a foal, a young horse, and a FEI horse. I’ll train/compete the young horse and the FEI horse, then when the foal is ready to start, the young horse should be transitioning to FEI, and the confirmed FEI horse will go out on lease as a schoolmaster (preferably to a Jr/Yr) to give someone else an opportunity to learn. Obviously anything can happen, but so far this plan is panning out well for me.

[quietann]

I had two for a while, my Morgan mare and a young Morgan filly I bought when she was 10 days old. The filly stayed at her breeders’ for a year after she was weaned, mostly because it was much less expensive to board her in Michigan than near Boston.

The filly was bought with the idea that she’d be my next riding horse, as the mare was having a lot of physical issues and I feared I’d need to retire her. I could afford to keep a youngster for a few years, and have it trained. The idea was that I’d have her until she was almost 3, and send her back to her breeder to be started. A lot of this breeder’s clients do this.

I had a rough time finding a good place to board a youngster, but ultimately the filly ended up with a small breeder I know through COTH. I could not see her more than 2 times a week. Seeing both horses (and riding the mare) would take up a whole day. Board alone for the two of them (different barns) was $1350. I could handle it financially, but …

I discovered quickly that the filly and I just did not get along. She was the perfect “born broke” filly, but we just did not mesh. I kept her over the winter, and sent her back to her breeder just after she turned 2. And a few months later sold her back to the breeder, and she now is 5 and has a wonderful owner. I am out $20 to 25K but much happier.

Along the way, my mare’s condition improved quite a bit, and I still have her, and at 21 she is showing no signs of slowing down. Part of this was getting her into the right barn, and letting go of a lot of frustrated ambitions. We trail ride a lot and for now I have no thoughts of getting another horse.

Given the cost of board in my area, it’s very unlikely I would ever have 2 again. The mare could go someplace less expensive, but I don’t dare put her out on grass, and a lot of retirement places want horses who can be pastured for at least part of the year. I’ve had a few good experiences as a leaser, so I might consider that route when the mare is retired.

[eh-equestrian]

@candyappy

All I can say is make sure your husband-to- be is onboard with the costs (and the amount of time you will spend with them) that is associated with having 2 horses.

Haha! Don’t worry! We’ve been together over 10 years already, and I’ve been heavily involved in horses the whole time. We share all house related expenses, but he’s not expected to fund my horse hobby. I do that on my own.

Thanks so much for the stories and experiences all, good, bad, and in-between! It’s very insightful.

[candyappy]

@eh-equestrian

Haha! Don’t worry! We’ve been together over 10 years already, and I’ve been heavily involved in horses the whole time. We share all house related expenses, but he’s not expected to fund my horse hobby. I do that on my own.

Thanks so much for the stories and experiences all, good, bad, and in-between! It’s very insightful.

Good to hear!