leasing a horse at hrf

 You’ve come to this page because you’re interested in leasing a horse! Maybe your child has been asking you for their own horse and you’ve decided to lease before jumping into buying. This is a great move as riders abilities and needs change drastically and quickly as they grow. Maybe this lease is for you! If you’re in a phase of life where the idea of owning a horse is a little bit more commitment than you’re prepared for, but you’d like to have a horse to ride/show/enjoy more consistently than just during lesson times, a lease is a great option. 

But what exactly does a lease entail? How much can you expect to spend on a leased horse? How often can you ride your leased horse? What other care will you be financially responsible for? We’re sure you have questions, so we’ve created this document to help answer them and help you decide if leasing a horse is right for you and/or your rider!

Financial

Let’s start with everyone’s biggest question: “How much will this cost me?

Lease terms run for 6 months at a time and each 6-month term is somewhere between $1500 - $2500* [lump sum paid at the initiation of the lease contract]

Monthly board ranges between $450-$980+* 

This is dependent on what kind of board the horse is on [pasture board or stall board], how much monthly routine medical attention the horse requires, and the farrier. 

So! The monthly board payment will include all care [board], farrier, and medical expenses in one set payment that is described in the lease contract under “board”. There will be no extra expenses billed to the customer regarding boarding or care of the horse.

So what else will show up on your invoice? Anything else the rider has actively signed up for! [Camps, lessons, horse show fees, barn days, etc.]

*The variance in prices depends mostly on the horse you are entering into the lease contract for! Some horses require more care than others. Some require less. Some horses are worth more money than others. Some are worth less.

Riding

Now on to the fun part! 

A leased horse is guaranteed to their lessee for horse shows! 

A leased horse may be ridden 3x total per-week. Lessons count as rides! Outside of lessons, riders may hack their leased horse on their remaining ride days.

So what does a hack entail?

A hack is light flatwork. That means no jumping outside of lessons. Ever. No exceptions.

What should you/your rider do in their hacks? Well, that’s where your trainer comes in! Always ask your trainer for specific “homework” for your hacks. When in doubt, and easy walk/trot ride is the way to go. 

If rider is under 16, hacks should be always be directly supervised by a guardian. We know sometimes it’s easier to sit in your car, but please be present in the barn and at the ring with your rider and their leased horse. 

There are also plenty of fun exercises you can find online that don’t involve cantering or jumping. But always clear any new exercise or activity you’d like to try during your hack with your trainer first. Jessica, Katie, and Bri are all generally very responsive to texts.

Hacks should also be limited to :45 minutes including a good walking warm-up and cool-down. Your horse is your team mate and we expect them to be treated as such! Just like us, when a horse is overtrained they’re more prone to injury and illness. 

As far as before/after your ride, horses should be caught and tacked up/untacked and turned out properly [as they would for a lesson].

• Catch your horse with a proper fitting halter and attached lead.

• Bring your horse into the barn’s crosstie area - never tie your horse to a fence or any other object. The crosstie area is the safest place to tack up for both horse and rider.

• Groom thoroughly // pick feet before tacking up.

• Make sure your horse is cooled down properly! Hose off/bathe your horse on warm sunny days and curry saddle and girth area when the weather is chilly!

• Please take the time every week or so to clean bridles and saddles if you are borrowing them from HRF. Tack rental is not part of the leasing fee but tack is provided to our riders in their first 6 month lease term in good faith that they will not take it for granted. :) Riders will need to purchase their own tack [saddle, bridle, bit, girth] by their second 6 month lease term. Your trainer will be happy to help you find exactly what you need.

• Put away saddles [run stirrups up] and bridles [figure 8 and hang, with girth, on designated hook] before you leave. Place dirty/sweaty saddle pads in the laundry room.

These rules may seem like a lot, but they create a safer situation for you/your rider and our horses! They also create a clear pathway to growth and progress within our program! We make champions, so we hope you’ll trust our process!