The three most important considerations when leasing a horse are:

1) finding a horse with a good temperament
2) choosing an animal whose capabilities are compatible with your immediate goals
3) having a veterinarian check the horse thoroughly for soundness problems

I put temperament at the top of the list because a horse with a good attitude makes for safe and fun riding. The capabilities of the horse may not be up to your goals in years to come, but in a lease situation, it is fine if the animal is only suitable for your immediate goals. You can always lease another horse if your abilities surpass the current one. Soundness is also crucial, for a lame horse will waste your time and money.

The specific lease arrangements vary according to the worth of the horse. For example, if you are leasing a fairly old horse, then the owner my only require that you pay for insurance for the animal and absorb all of the fees attached to the upkeep of the horse, such as board, shoeing, and vet bills. If the horse is younger than ten years old or is a horse with a winning record, you’ll probably have to pay a lease fee as well, especially if you’ll be showing in recognized horse shows or events. A typical lease fee for the span of a year is 1/3 the value of the horse; but in cases of exceptionally successful horses—such as those that have performed well in hunter seat equitation finals—the lease fee can be thousands of dollars per day.

If you’ll be showing in classes sanctioned by the United States Equestrian Federation, you’ll need to register the lease with the USEF. The following information appears on the USEF website regarding lease registration:

“The lease registration fee of $60 must be submitted to the USEF office with a copy of the lease agreement signed by lessee and lessor. USEF does not accept agent signatures for the purposes of registering a lease. If a written lease agreement is not available, the USEF Lease Registration form must be completed, signed by lessee and lessor, and submitted with the lease registration fee. The lease agreement or registration form must indicate a start date and end date of the lease period. For competition purposes, the lease registration is effective the date that the proper fee and form (with required signatures) are received in the USEF office. Once the lease is registered with USEF, the horse/pony must be entered under the ownership of the lessee. We do not get involved in the terms of the lease. USEF must have written confirmation by both parties if a lease is extended or if the lease is terminated prior to the expiration date. Lessor or lessee must renew the USEF Annual Recording by November 30th. If the lease is extended beyond the previously submitted end date, written notification must be received in the USEF office within 30 days of its original expiration. If the notification is not received within 30 days, the lease must be registered again as stated above (with signed agreement and fee). (GR1108)”

Note: The reference to GR1108 is the current number of the rule that covers leases in the USEF Rule Book. However, the rule numbers change often, for as new rules are added, the number of every rule that follows in that section is affected.

A “change of rein” is a change in the direction of travel in an arena. For instance, if you are travelling clockwise in the arena, you must make a change of rein to end up travelling counterclockwise. A “change of diagonal” is a rider’s change from posting on one diagonal—that is, rising at the trot when the horse’s outside foreleg swings forward and sitting when the outside forefoot hits the ground—to posting on the opposite diagonal when travelling the other direction.  Regarding the change of diagonal for hunter-seat equitation riders, if you go to http://www.newrider.com/Library/Riding_Tips/changerein.html, you’ll find some numbered diagrams that will help you understand the following explanation:

Fig.1—Across the Long Diagonal-–If you are already posting the trot and the change of rein calls for a posting trot with a lengthening of stride, you don’t change the diagonal in the center of the ring (which would be X in a dressage arena), but should wait until you reach the end of the line and change diagonals just before you bend the horse in the new direction (Note: The rider of the black horse would change diagonals at M, while the rider of the brown horse, travelling the other direction, would change diagonals at K).  If, however, the test does not call for a lengthening of stride, but simply asks you to change rein across the diagonal, then you can change your diagonal at X or can wait until the end of the line and change your diagonal just before you bend the horse.  Changing the diagonal at X is considered the more elementary of the two choices, allowing the rider to change diagonals, then change the bend; whereas changing at the end of the line combines getting a new diagonal and changing the bend at the same time.

Fig. 3—A Half-Turn and a Half-Turn in Reverse—The top diagram shows a half turn, which is a half-circle, then a return to the track on a diagonal line.  In this case, the rider stays on the same diagonal throughout the half-circle and the diagonal line, then changes diagonals as he bends the horse back onto the track on the long side of the arena.  In the bottom diagram, the horse is performing a half turn in reverse, in which it leaves the track on a diagonal line, then performs a half-circle to return to the track.  In this case, the rider stays on the original diagonal until the end of the diagonal line, then changes diagonals as he changes the bend to commence the half-circle.

Fig. 6—Serpentine—These are three good examples of serpentines, except that they are all based on an odd number of loops, which would make you end up travelling the same direction that you started.  In order to change rein through a serpentine, you must have an even number of loops—2,4, etc.  The rider’s change of diagonal occurs as his shoulder crosses the centerline of the ring—about where the black horse is shown in the second of the three diagrams.

Fig. 9—Change of rein through a circle—The change of rein through a circle involves making a two-loop serpentine in the middle of a circle.  In this case, the rider changes diagonals as he changes the bend from the first loop of the serpentine to the second loop.

Figs. 12 & 13—Although the turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches, and leg yield are sometimes used in equitation classes, the change of diagonals does not apply.  The turn on the forehand and turn on the haunches are performed at the walk, and the leg yield back to the track is performed at the sitting trot.

Generally, the types of things that people can exchange for the opportunity to ride are grooming, mucking stalls, and feeding. If you are well-organized and good in mathematics, you might even be able to do some bookkeeping; and babysitting is sometimes attractive to the professional horseperson who has children. Anything that you can do for the professional that is not immoral, unethical, or dangerous is a possibility for a trade-out.

This type of arrangement, however, usually involves trading your work for the opportunity to have lessons, rather than for the opportunity to compete a horse. A professional can give you a group lesson once a week on a school horse without loss of money; but once you’re in the realm of showing, the situation is more difficult. There are shipping costs and stabling fees; so it doesn’t make sense for the professional to let you use one of his or her horses for showing unless the horse’s costs are being covered by a paying client who is competing in other classes at the same show.

Working students often complain that they are so tired by the time they get to ride that they really don’t get much out of the lesson. Although this route is a way to get “free” lessons from a professional, it’s a hard way to go. I think it would only be a good trade-out if you were receiving instruction from a highly-competent professional, so that you could take knowledge with you as part of your compensation, rather than leaving with only memories of time spent on a horse.