How should this be worked out?

Question

there is a chance that i will be leasing a horse for the next 5 months or so. he is an 8yo arab gelding. the owner bought him for his 11yo daughter, but he was too much for her. he has been trained and everything, but then he was just put in a paddock and not used. the owner wants to lease him out to someone who can puts some miles on him, so to speak. the way he put it was: i'd be doing him a favour by giving the horse some work, and he'd be doing me a favour by providing me with a horse i could ride everyday. i really, really want to be able to do this, but i need to convince my mum first. and she won't even listen to me until i can tell her all the details (like who's paying for what). so my question is this: who should be paying for what in this situation? the man lives too far away for the horse to stay on his property, so i'd have to agist near me (around $60 a month for a shared paddock). he's never leased a horse before and i've never had a lease horse before, so neither of us

Answer 1

Talk to your friends who ride,  have any of them leased a horse?  Do they have a copy of the agreement you can look at.  Is there a lawyer in your area who has done a lease contract?

In reality your folks and the man  who owns the horse need to have a sit down talk about it, decide what they each think is fair and draw up a paper..  Your to young to sign a contract anyway.

Answer 2

i think u shoul d pay 4 whatever the horse needs

Answer 3

Since you are not a professional trainer, you would pay for all costs...including board, feed, vet and farrier bills.  Your advantage is not incurring any up front cost for the horse...you enjoy all use of the horse, and put all the "miles" on the horse. The horse is not necessarily likely to increase in value as the result of you handling it, nor is it necessarily likely to decrease in value as the result.  However, it does decrease in value as it ages and is subjected to "wear and tear".  A written leasing agreement should be drawn up and approved by an attorney.  The horse owner should not be held liable for injuries you incur, or that others incur due to your handling and stabling of the horse. You should be protected from liability for the value of the horse should permanent injury or death of the horse occur due to accidental causes.

Answer 4

You should be paid for what would amount to services rendered.

Answer 5

i would say either do a free lease or you should pay to board since you dont want to go to his house and thats not really his fault and he should pay for feed and maitenence at the price where he is and if the feed you buy and such is more expensive, you should pay the difference. if that makes sense..

Answer 6

he should pay for the board and you should pay for the feed.

If you are going to work with the horse, it is like training to some degree and trainers get paid...

so, instead of paying you, he is paying for the other things.

Also, he is still responsible for all medical- unless an injury happens from when you are riding.

GL

Answer 7

A contract needs to be written up by either you or by him. In the contract, the details need to be spelled out.

1.  How long will the horse be leased?  Is there a probationary period where the horse can be returned and the monthly fee pro-rated should the leasee determine that the horse is not going to work out?

2.  How much is the monthly lease payment?

3.  When is the lease payment due each month.  (On this one, you should have a date range, say between the 1st and the 7th of each month.)

4.  What are the late fees and how do they accrue?  (On this one, the late fees need to be spelled out.  Late fees of $2 per day will begin on the 8th of each month should the monthly lease payment be made after the 7th of the month.)

5.  The horse will be kept where?

6.  Who is responsible for the bills on the horse?  (Spell this out.  Who pays for: farrier work, feed, water, hay, vet bills, emergencies, injuries to the horse, medications, de-worming, vaccinations, health certificates, coggins, etc.)

7.  Will the person leasing the horse be allowed to travel with the horse?  If so, how far may the leasee travel with the horse?

8.  What does the horse owner expect the horse to be able to do when he gets the horse back?  (You really need to be careful with this.  If he is expecting his daughter to be able to ride him, you might want to reconsider if you do not know what her abilities are. She may not be experienced enough to handle him even after 5 months of riding.  You may want to discuss and get in writing an average amount of time per week that this guy expects you to ride the horse and if there is anything specific he wants the horse to be trained to do during that time.)

In my opinion, there shouldn't be any fees changing hands if you are taking the horse to a location closer to you and the owner is simply looking for someone to work the horse.  However, my husband and I do charge horse owners who need someone to train or "fix" their horse.  We are doing all the work and providing hay, grass, feed and water which means we have bills due on the horse.  We do not, however, pay for vet or farrier bills.

Basically, you all need to have a written agreement that you will both sign.  It may take a couple of revisions to get the contract written in a way that both of you agree, but it needs to be done.  

Since you are only 16, your mother will have to sign the agreement on your behalf.  You cannot legally sign a  contract, so be sure your mom is comfortable with the terms of the agreement.  And don't fall into that "Oh we don't need a contract" idea.  You DO need a contract in place so you both are protected by the law should any problems or disagreements come up.

You might also want to include something in the contract about the owner stopping by to check on the progress or to let his daughter ride.  The horse needs to be on his property (in my opinion) if he or his daughter wants to ride him.  Try to cover as many possibilities as you can and try to think ahead.

Good luck.  Hope this helps.