>>>> What would be the average monthly lease on a horse these days?
I've heard that go from one extreme from another - from the owner picking up part/most of the horse's expenses only, to hundreds (maybe more?) for show horses. I guess it depends on who benefits most from the arrangement. When Emily was first learning to ride and starting to show a little, a "peer" of hers broke her ankle (not horse related) and couldn't ride for two months. The family wanted someone to keep the horse in shape, and Thunder wasn't nearly as far along as that mare was. We kept her here for free for the two months, and they didn't charge us for her use since they knew Emily was a good rider and was taking lessons from a responsible person. Emily took half of her lessons on her and half on Thunder - that was very beneficial for all of us for that brief period. Another time, I leased one of my horses who stayed on the farm for a couple of years, and I'd just warn you to charge enough to be sure it's worth any headaches. I finally stopped the lease when I realized that I was gradually losing more and more time and money, and getting basically nothing in return. Towards the end, the one leasing the horse kept "forgetting" to clean tack, wash saddle pads, then finally even using my clean pads rather than washing hers, etc. Since I couldn't stand to watch that indefinitely, I found myself doing HER chores - with as many horses as I have, I don't need anyone else's chores! (I'm not a total clean freak either...) Remember too, what may be beneficial for a short period - for instance, having someone to ride with occasionally, to keep a horse in condition, or in Emily's case, having a horse to ride who could help her get the feel for flying lead changes, etc. - may not be beneficial for a longer period. My suggestion would be to make any agreement for a short trial term initially, and try to think of specific and valid reasons for which either of you can terminate the lease, so either party can bow out gracefully once the realities set in. My mistake the last time was not being more specific about duties and responsibilities. Lesson learned: even "friends" may sometimes surprise you. :( The only other time I was involved with a lease was with Big Mac. We paid his board for one month with the freedom to ride him as much as we liked for that month, and then we bought him - our first horse. That was a good deal for us. Karen Thomas, NC
