Part- Boarding a horse, is it time?

Most people who get into riding usually start their equestrian journey off with lessons. You sign up for riding lessons an hour one day a week, just long enough to leave you eagerly waiting for next week to roll around hoping to build upon what you learned the week before. This goes on for a while and for some it is all the riding they need to satisfy their horse fix. For others it starts to grow a little frustrating, you feel your riding isn't progressing quickly enough. You may become frustrated with doing the same lesson week after week when all you really want to do is get out and ride a horse the way you want to where you want to.

If this is how you are feeling it may be time to look at part-boarding. Part-boarding, sometimes referred to as leasing is a great way to increase your riding time and skill at an affordable price. Basically part-boarding is having limited access to a horse without having to purchase one. Most agreements allow the part-boarder to ride the owner’s horse on prearranged days. The other days are allotted for the owner or other riders access to the horse. Every agreement is unique but the ones I have been involved in had the cost of maintaining the horse( i.e. board, vet, food, tack) falls on the shoulders of the owner all I had to do was pay the monthly fee agreed upon.

I really like part-boarding, it allows you to get in a lot more riding and helps you figure out if horse ownership is the right decision without having to make the expensive mistake of buying a horse and deciding it's not for you.

In my next blog I will discuss the pitfalls and things to look for when getting into a part boarding agreement.

Steve Wawryk