Expert Horse Information
Alternatives To Horse Ownership
You love riding. You spend all your days at the barn soaking up as much horse as you can. The only problem? You don't have your own horse.
There may be any number of reasons why you haven't become an official horse owner. Perhaps you don't have the money right now for a horse's purchase and upkeep. Or maybe you lack the facilities. Perhaps you love to ride but have a busy work schedule that makes horse ownership not the best option.
Well, relax. You don't have to own a horse to enjoy riding. As a matter of fact, there are lots of great alternatives to horse ownership.
If money is the issue, there are lots of low-cost?even free?rides to be had. But be warned. What you lack in cash you'll have to make up
If your skills aren't quite up to par, consider becoming a working student. As a working student, you do chores around the barn like muck stalls, feed horses, and clean tack in exchange for riding the barn's horses. Since the best working student opportunities come from riding academies with seasoned school horses, this is a great options for someone without a ton of experience, but with a lot of passion for horses.
Loaning and leasing are good options if you don't have the lump sum to buy a horse, but do have enough money for the monthly upkeep of a horse. How are loaning and leasing different? In a loan situation, the owner is usually looking for someone else to take care of the horse?as well as monthly expenses. No fee is exchanged up front, but you are expected to take care of expenses like feed, board, farrier bills, and sometimes even veterinary bills. Leasing differs from loaning in that you sometimes pay a fee for the use of the horse, in addition to paying for its upkeep. Leasing is a great option for a talented rider who can't afford a fancy horse, as it allows a rider a fairly low-cost way of riding a real contender in serious competition. A lease usually runs for a set period of time?months or years?agreed upon in advance by both the lessor and the lessee.
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About The Author: Ron Petracek was raised in Souther Idaho,with a black morgan as his adventure companion. His Love for horses has expanded into the largest equine classified network on the internet to date with horse articles,classifieds and social networking. Please visit http://www.click4equine.com/network.php
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