5 Reasons to Lease a Horse vs. Buying

So, you’ve decided that you want a horse for either equine sport
or just because you would like to get out and trail ride, but have
you thought about whether you want to buy or lease? This blog
will give you 5 reasons why you may want to lease your first
horse. 

Have you ever wondered what leasing a horse is all about? Maybe you
don’t have the space at home, live in a place that is zoned for horses or
have the money to purchase one. Leasing could be a great option for you
and here are some reasons why.  

Leasing is basically renting. You don’t own the horse, but you can ride
and care for them part time and enjoy the benefits, without being
completely responsible for their care. This is a great option for people
that don’t have a place to keep a horse or don’t want the full cost of
owning a horse. Horse prices will be all over the board depending on
what type of horse you want, how well trained they are and what you
want to do with them. For example, if you want to get into the sport of
horse jumping, you will need a horse stable and horse that is trained
for this sport. That type of horse will cost you more than a horse that is
for leisure horseback riding activities. 

You can search online for stables near me to find barns that would
offer leases. Leases typically involve paying the owner a set amount
for monthly keeping, or paying all the costs associated with owning a
horse such as vet bills, farrier bills and feed in exchange for getting to
ride them. The horse’s experience, your location, and what you’d like
to do with the horse will all factor into the type of lease you choose.
Make sure that everything you are committing to is drawn up in a
contract so that everything is in writing and each person knows what is
expected.

There are a few things to think about when signing a lease:

• Who is responsible for monthly expenses such as board, hoof care and hoof trimming, veterinary care, training, feed, etc.
•  Is the horse insured? Who pays for the insurance?
• Are you allowed to take the horse off property?
• Can you show the horse?
• Who makes the decisions about care changes – like feed, farrier changes, how injuries will be addressed or horse trainer changes.
• Will the horse be in training and will you get lessons included with the lease?

If you work a lot, have a family, have a lot of commitments, or just
don’t have a lot of time, leasing or partial leasing may be the right
thing for you. Horses require a lot of time, energy and money so if you
don’t have time or money available, leasing can provide you with a
horse part-time while someone else takes care of the horse.
Owning a horse can get expensive. Between the monthly cost, training
for horse and rider for horse sports, miscellaneous expenses, and
keeping up an emergency fund for the inevitable time that your horse
gets hurt or sick, the costs add up quickly.
If you are progressing up the levels and want a more experienced
horse, buying one can be unexpectedly expensive. Many high-level
horses are very expensive, and that just isn’t possible for a lot of
people to purchase. If you don’t have thousands of dollars to buy a
new horse, leasing one could cost you a couple hundred dollars a
month and teach you enough to become a better rider.

If you would like to purchase a horse, but aren’t sure what you want or
haven’t found the right fit yet, then leasing is a great stepping stone to
buying. If you find the perfect horse while leasing, you could end up in
a lease to buy situation as well. Leasing can allow you to ride different
types of horses to see what you like too. You may find that you like
quarter horses over thoroughbred horses, or a small horse instead
of a large horse.

Additionally, if you are perusing the horses for sale section of the
want ads for the right horse to come along, leasing is a nice way to
ride before finding your forever horse. Or, if you are already riding at a
barn and tired of your lesson horse changing and want to keep things
more consistent then leasing a horse might be right for you. Riding the
same horse will likely help you progress in your riding skills.

Do some investigating to find information for “leasing horses near me” or
“horse stables near me” and you should be able to find the right place for
what you are looking for. Do your research and talk with different barn
owners to find out how they do things before you decide.