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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Dilemma

I have some good news, but also a slight dilemma. The good news is, my trainer found a barn for the horses to move to. It is an nice eventing place called Third Day Farms that has multiple arenas, a beautiful barn, and a cross country course. It would be a nice place for me to start eventing later on. Going there will work out well so my trainer can be the dressage trainer there. However, only seven horses, the full training horses, will go there, which makes sense since that's where Meghan will train out of. The rest of the horses will go to a place called Parker's that is not too far away. Both seem like nice places and are actually a bit closer than Silver Rose.

 Chester will be going to Parker's, leaving my in a slight dilemma. It's not exactly a good idea for me to tack up Chester in a new place without my trainer nearby, and she might not be able to make it to the place until my lesson starts since she would be teaching lessons at Third Day. Plus, all the girls my age are going to Third Day since they are the ones showing. Most likely we will end the lease with Chester. I was beginning to outgrow him anyways and even had to take a step back by riding him on a loose rein to make him happy, rather than keeping a firm dressage contact. Chester is a great horse to learn on, but walk/trot/canter are the extent of what he can teach me, making him great for beginnings or people not interested in showing. I have learned a lot, but it is time to move on. This leaves me with two options to consider. 

Option #1: I can partial lease Mo, one of the lesson horses. Mo is a small bay Thoroughbred mare trained through 3rd level dressage, so she definitely has quite a bit to teach me. The only downside is that she is in her early twenties and will most likely need some shots to keep in regular work. These shots could be around $100 or a bit more or less depending on what's needed. We might have to be partly responsible for providing veterinary care depending how the lease works out. She doesn't have many physical problems but is a little out of shape. I rode her earlier this week.

Option #2: My second option is that I can take a break from my regular several times a week lessons and reduce them to once a week on Mo. This will allow me to set aside more money to get a horse of my own, hopefully around November or December if everything works out and if trainer finds a good one. Who knows, maybe I will find a buy or lease situation at Third Day.

Both options have their pros and cons. If I pick option one I would be able to ride a horse that can teach me a lot, yet my family would have to be responsible for taking care of some of her needs, meaning less money to set aside for my own horse. Option two allows me to ride and save more money for a horse of my own. What is your opinion on the matter? I'd love to hear your input on this decision.

15 comments:

  1. I guess it depends on what you *really* want. I did the lease thing for a long time and didn't buy a horse until Carlos and I was an adult. You can still learn a lot without owning a horse and leasing gives you the chance to try many different kinds of horses. I think event though I have owned and do own my own that I am a huge believer in leasing.

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    1. Waiting for the right horse by leasing can help me gain experience. Thanks for the tip.

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  2. If I were you, I'd ride more now. Mo sounds like an excellent choice, but perhaps see what your trainer thinks is best!

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  3. When I was a kid I only leased for a bit before buying my first horse. He taught me a lot, but it got me stuck in the loop of just riding that horse. If I could go back and do it again, I would take lessons on multiple horses & lease multiple horses to get more experience. You can always buy a horse later on.

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    1. I agree with Hawk. You learn so much more by riding different horses.

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    2. That's good advice. Then I can buy a better horse later on.

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  4. i think you can learn a lot about the care and maintenance that goes into a horse through leasing, and Mo sounds like a great teacher. and by just leasing, you're not committing for years on end and can get more experience and learn what you really want in your own horse. (this from someone who has yet to own her own horse lol)

    but yes - also talk to your trainer about it, as she might have some good points!

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    1. Thanks for then tip. Great advice because you lease right now.

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  5. Yeah, I know it's sooo tempting to start looking at getting your own right now!...but I would probably wait and ride Mo more often for now. I rode lesson horses and project horses for years before Riv. And now I really know where I'm going and so I'm not having to sell a horse I love just because I outgrew him. Some people can handle that, but I get too attached. ;)

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    1. Sounds like good advice. Selling a horse you outgrow will probably be hard and stressful.

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  6. The best thing I ever did was keep riding and pushing myself to learn more before I started horse shopping. Without the experiences I had in the 6 months prior to buying Miles, I would never have been able to ride him.

    My advice is to keep riding as much as possible because you're going to change so quickly and you don't want to buy a horse only to outgrow him in a few short years.

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  7. I'm with everyone else. Leasing and riding as many horses as possible is better than owning at this stage in your riding. =)

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