lease a horse??

[sara8]

does anyone out there know anything about leasing a horse? my daughter has loved horses since she was little (as most little girls do) and friday night she went to a birthday party at a friends house. they have a small horse farm and her friends mom said they were going to lease a horse out if she was interested. it costs $150 a month. i told her she would have to get a paper route or something to help with the cost and we would think about it. i wondered if this was a common thing to do or not? and if so who is responsible for vet bills? i would love to make my little girls dream come true but i don't want to get in over my head. any advice would be appreciated.

[Scarlette]

I leased a horse many years ago. The horse was kept on my property and I was responsible for all vet bills, hoof trimmings, vaccinations, feed, ect while she was in my care. I think $150 a month is a bit steep...unless that price includes all of the above. Horse prices are VERY low right now and you could probably pick up a really nice, kid friendly horse for about $500. That's figuring for an unregistered, middle aged (12-15 year old) horse.

[Millimi]

$150 seems really good for a full lease. Horses around here go around $1000 for a half lease.

[Scarlette]

Horse prices have been so low here lately. An aquaintance of mine goes to auctions and bomb proof, kid horses are selling for $200! I was going to sell one of my horses but she's a registered, gorgeous Appaloosa and there's no way I would sell her that cheap!

[sara8]

thanks that gives me some info as far as what to ask about what the money includes because i am clueless. i trust the people and i don't have a place to keep a horse of our own as i am in town anymore advice would be welcomed.

[Rocheal]

If you lease a horse, are they going to pay for a ferrier to come out and trim/shoe/pad her hooves? What about the cost of annual shots and teeth floating if neccesary? A vet bill if something happens?

Horses are so easy to take care of once you get in the groove of things. You have to bend your schedule around theirs so they get food at the right times during the day, enough attention, are worked enough so they keep up their trust and respect for you, and are groomed on a regular basis.

I feed Trix, my mare, bermuda three times a day and she does perfect on that. If I am going to be gone for a long period of time (all day) I can give her a whole days worth of hay with a little extra and she does ok. My aunts horses, on the other hand, HAVE to be fed three seperate times a day and can only have timothy because alfalfa makes them obese and one of her horses colics BAD on just a teeny bit of bermuda. She has colicked 4 times in the past two years so they have had to take the bermuda out of their diet completely. A single shot to get their GI track in gear and moving again is at least $500 each time the vet has to come out and give the shot.

Make sure the horse that you get, if you do get one, hasn't ever colicked. Not saying if you get one it will colic, and not saying that horses that have colicked don't make good pets. I am just saying that as a newbie to horses, you may as well be safe by getting a horse with a clean health history.

Horses are SO much fun!!! I always have someone to talk to. Always someone to brush, take care of, love on, ride on, spend time with, work with, the list goes on and on. They're definately worth the baggage they come with if you're truley into them and willing to work with them. It takes lots of love and lots of patience! Just make sure that's what your daughter and you really feel like taking on, it's a 1,200 lbs deal!!

[hoof2paw]

hi im sam i come from england wot do u meen by lease a horse i know wot full loan and half loan meens and buying and selling horses o loan meens wen u the person still owns the horse but another person looks after him/her so is that wot lease meens?

[sara8]

Quote: Originally Posted by hoof2paw hi im sam i come from england wot do u meen by lease a horse i know wot full loan and half loan meens and buying and selling horses o loan meens wen u the person still owns the horse but another person looks after him/her so is that wot lease meens?

actually this is the first time i have ever heard of leasing a horse too. we have thought about buying our own and boarding it but never a lease which is why i posted this thread. the more i hear people talk the more i think we are not ready to take this on time wise or financially. i will have to give it serious consideration (more than i already have) thanks everyone.

[Oz_Mice]

You could get a free lease maybe, I know in Australia you can, because my friend does free lease. In a free lease you have the horse but you pay for feed, shoes,vet bills and anything else you need. Thats the standard free lease deal. I know of other types of free leases where you pay for half the things and the owner pays the other half example you pay for feed and board and the owner pays for vet bills and farrier.
But maybe its different in America with the leasing of horses. Like the prices your saying to lease a horse are costly, you could buy a good horse from the slaughter house for that much. I haven't heard of any leases for that amount over here $50 is the max I've heard and thats for a full lease $50 dollars a month. Oh well. Leasing is a good idea to start with as it allows you to see how looking after a horse is like, and then if the horse say has any faults or if youcan't handle looking after a horse cause it costs to much, you shouyld be able to give it back. Which is better then buying a horse and then having to sell it if things go wrong.
Anyway Kind Regards Rhiannon

[sara8]

my daughter is having a hard time even finding a paper route right now and the whole idea has seemed to left her already which tells me she is not ready yet for such a big commitment. maybe in a couple years or so.