Leasing for the first time--am I getting screwed?

For $500 a month for a half lease I would be expecting an extraordinary horse showing at high levels.

You said it would be $140 a month for lessons, I assume your lessons are $35 and you are taking one a week.
How about upping that to two or three a week? You'd still come out ahead of leasing the horse that you would only have access to three days a week anyway.

I haven't called the BO for a breakdown of the fee, but I'm not even sure I want to at this point. My gut is saying this is not the right situation for me. I think it's time to move on.

I went for a lesson in a different discipline yesterday at a new barn that's only 10 minutes from my house, and I was really pleased and impressed. I told the BO there that I was interested in doing a half-lease, but for the moment I just wanted to try out a few different horses and see how it goes. I had such a great experience that I've already booked my next three lessons.

....Now to figure out how to break the news to my trainer that not only will I not be taking the lease, but that I won't be riding with him anymore. Yikes.

I think leaving this barn is a good choice for you. It sounds fishy.

But also, I think it is a good idea to try a new barn and new trainer because I think that the more you can get your hands on different situations, the better the educational experience. Everyone does things differently when it comes to horses. Therefore, I think it's very beneficial to learn from different trainers who have different methods.

Ok, I'm going to play devil's advocate. For disclosure, I'm just a horse owner. Not a trainer or BO. So I'm not biased towards them.

First, just about everyone here has responded that a 1/2 lease should only cost it's equivalent in board fees. Honestly... that wouldn't even cover half the expenses. Maybe some people are hard pressed for $$ and willing to use leasing to reduce their overhead cost. But in reality a lease should cover expenses for the following:

Board
Veterinary (std routine care)
Farrier
Tack
Supplements
Consumable equipment (items the horse goes through, ex treats, buckets, blankets, sheets)
The value of the horse (it's not worthless, or free, so some charge could be reasonable)

If you think about it, even at $500/mo I doubt the trainer is scamming you or making money. Probably breaking even on costs at best.


Let's put it into perspective like a car. When you rent a car, you pay for the gas you use. This is the equivalent of covering the board %. But you also pay an additional daily fee to drive that car because you are putting wear & tear and miles on it. The longer the car is rented, the more it's value is reduced. While you are renting the car, it can't be rented out to anyone else on those days to generate additional income, only you can drive it. This is all factored into the daily rental rate.

Before you decide that you are being scammed, think about the true cost of what owning the horse would be. Perhaps you can get a cheaper deal elsewhere... but that doesn't mean your trainer is scamming you.

I find conversations like that to be very uncomfortable. But if I were you, in this situation it would help me to think that she did this. It's not a situation that you created, it was her own doing. You are much better off leaving than staying and being nickeled and dimed at every opportunity.




I am not sure I agree. She is the BO, so boarding costs are rated at a profit for her to cover her work and costs. This isn't some top show barn, it's just a normal everyday barn. Her costs are basically just feed costs, hay and bedding - that's nowhere close to the cost of boarding.

If it did come out at $500 a month, I'd expect that to be a full not partial lease.