Leasing out my horse.....? ?

Question

So anyways I've leased horses from people before before but now I am leasing out MY horse (part lease, on property at the farm where he is boarded). I'm really nervous. Does anyone have any advice/experiences to help me out? I'm going to have a contract, what should be on it? Should I go to the barn the first couple times the leaser rides to make sure everything goes well? What should I watch out for? Please help me lol

Answer 1

First off, you should have a little "test out day" for the soon to be leaser to test out the horse see if its a good fit, you can also use this time to see how your horse interacts with the person and how the person interacts with the horse. If you disagree with how they work together, discuss this with the person, if it still bothers you, let them know that you dont think it will work out.

Be sure to have that the horse shouldnt be removed, and if they want to trailer it out, they must have permission, use of tack, how many days week, and what days. What should happen in case of an emergency or accident, when the payment is due  and the one i ran into, what happens when they need to cancel the lease.

take a while to think about the problems that you had when you first started with the horse, no doubt these will arise when person is left alone with the horse. Like me? Red, an ex racehorse, didn't like his hoofs picked, or to stay still for the mounting block, and refused to let me on when I got off. He was quite green still, but moved like a champ once I got going. We weren't a good match, but nether of us did anything wrong.  When I asked his owner for help, I got nothing useful.

What else...

Try to keep communication with your rider, for the first few times atleast, what they accomplished, what problems they came across..

Oh when your screening your matches, be sure to classify what your horse is capable, Red, who was fairly green, was just used for riding, nothing fancy like jumping. The woman was disappointed when she came all the way out for  the screening and he wasn't capable of what she wanted to do.

Thats all I can really think of.

If something irks you, trust your instincts, find someone new.

Answer 2

Your horse should be a big part of your family,unless you are in business for this.  FIRST>> Be sure the person can ride.  A bad rider can ruin a horse. Your horse may be returned spooked or all screwed up.

   Insurance >>in case the person is hurt on your horse or by your horse.

The amount is up to you but if your horse steps on the foot of say a professional dancer or an auto mechanic has his hand hurt,, it should cost alot.

   A pre agreement that they will not sue>> is B.S.  They get hurt and they will sue.

   And what if your horse gets hurt.  Like his front hoof in a gopher hole

or gets hit by a car or something..

     See my point  You need money that bad??  I hope not.

Answer 3

I am going to assume the lessee has tried the horse and you have seen them ride as well.  I'm assure you want this to be a comfortable fit for both horse and rider before you sign anything legal.  Once you get to that point, I highly recommend the forms from http://www.equinelegalsolutions.com/.  They have a part lease form, they are very inclusive, easy to use and they stand behind their forms in case there is a dispute about the contract itself.  We use them as our "standard lease" and have been pleased with the results.  When you make up your own lease or buy a standard lease from a place like Office Depot, it doesn't cover horses specifically or things you might not think about and you don't want to be left unprotected.

Answer 4

By all means, go to the barn and watch while your leasee rides.  Tell them all the little 'quirks' your horse has, and how he should be ridden.  Make sure the leasee knows all his medical history, so if he has a problem, they know what to do about it.  Good luck!

Answer 5

Hmm...never had experience with leasing before but some things I would be sure to put in the contract is that *you* can chose to end it at any time should you feel the lease is not working out with your horses best interests in mind, and if you do chose to end it if they will get a portion of their money refunded or not. You are not responsible to injury to the person leasing it.  If your horse causes any property damage while the person leasing him is riding, then *they* are responsible for damages, if your horse is injured while they are riding, or due to some fault of their own, they are responsible for any and all vet bills.  I would be there the first few times to mae sure all goes well, you an also have a few friends at the barn keep an eye out.  Watch for rough hands, rough riding, working the horse too hard...Also in the contract state what tack (bit especially) is to be used on your horse and whether or not they are responsible to supply properly fitting tack for your horse. Hmm, that's all I can think of for now.  Hope everything works out well!