Horse ownership is an extreme commitment that should never be taken lightly. Unfortunately, the glamorous promise of private horse rides, and a lack of understanding about what horse ownership truly entails, means there can be as many as 10,000 horses in US rescue centers at any one time.
This heartbreaking statistic highlights the need for more adoptive horse owners.
But, in the case of care requirements that include significant financial sums, waking up at the crack of dawn, and the daily mucking out of stables, a simple call for adoption isn’t necessarily enough.
Of course, more keen and experienced horse owners should look into adoption instead of horse breeders.
But, for brand new owners, a smooth and long-term horse commitment is often best started with horse leasing.
This arrangement, which involves leasing a horse from its owner on a monthly basis, is the ideal way to test the waters of having a horse.
In this blog, we’ll consider just a few of its benefits.
# 1 – Cost Savings
Some horses can cost their owners up to $250,000 upfront, as well as around $2,100 per year in care costs.
Unsurprisingly, many owners end up either cutting care corners or abandoning their horses for financial reasons.
Leasing, which can cost as little as $250 a month and often includes things like shared food and medical bills, can be a far more cost-effective option in the short term.
This frees up money that can be put towards that horse’s comfort, including stable refits, quality Western saddles, and weather-hardy horse rugs, many of which might end up falling by the wayside if you blew your budget on buying a horse upfront.
# 2 – Shared Responsibilities
Horse care comes with a great deal of responsibility. Busy professionals can’t always guarantee they’ll manage things like putting their horse to stable before dark.
While a full-time lease will see you taking on all horse care responsibilities, there is such a thing as a part loan, which will involve sharing horse responsibilities with its owner on certain days.
This can be fantastic for enjoying horse ownership, while still fitting this commitment with other areas of your life like work and family.
# 3 – Becoming a Better Owner
Leasing horses is also a great way to become a better owner at the start of your journey.
It can serve as a crash course in how to take care of horses from all different breeds and medical backgrounds.
This is something you simply won’t get from owning one horse and is a great way to determine what kind of horse your budget and facilities can manage, and also what kind of horse you enjoy caring for the best.
Then, when you adopt your own horse in the future, you can ensure the ideal pairing which is more likely to result in you becoming that horse’s forever home.
Looking to break into the world of horse ownership? Start as you mean to go on by looking into leasing.