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When ownership is too much to handle, leasing offers a way to bond with a favorite horse.
The next best thing
Since childhood, my dream of owning my own horse has never waned. In fact, it has grown. I have not yet realized that dream. Life decisions, jobs and children have kept me from horse ownership. But I have mastered the next best thing---leasing.
Over the past dozen years, I have been fortunate enough to lease a number of very nice horses. One misperception I’ve run into among horse owners is that, as a lessor, you don’t have the opportunity to truly bond with a horse. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Cheerio is a case in point. The towering bay Selle Français-Trakehner cross was the kind of horse who made you stop and look twice. It was love at first sight for me. But despite standing more than 17 hands tall, his personality was tranquil and warm. Spending time with him made me feel comforted, like wrapping yourself up in a favorite quilt. In the four and a half years we were partners, Cheerio and I grew together, and he became my everpresent listening ear. When I lost my job, I went straight to the barn and vented to him about the unfairness of it all. After a fight at home, I visited Cheerio late at night and let my tears soak into his silky mane.
I trusted Cheerio. When I got on his back, I never worried. I felt brave, relaxed and safe. We shared many adventures, cantering over fallen cottonwoods, galloping through streams and up hills, exploring trails and competing in local shows. With my doctor’s OK, I rode until my seventh month of pregnancy. Cheerio seemed to sense something was different and carried me placidly at the walk as my belly grew larger. It was as though he knew there was precious cargo aboard and it was his job to nurture it with every step. For me, there was something magical about knowing that my daughter rode before she was born, and he is the only horse I would have trusted to carry us. I gave up the lease with motherhood, but with his owner’s blessing I introduced my 2-month-old to “Big C” and continue to visit him as much as I can.
In many ways, leasing gives me the best of both worlds. I can fit riding into my busy schedule and budget, and I can create an almost custommade partnership with the benefits that go with it. And yet I don’t have the long-term responsibility and occasional heartache that comes with ownership. I don’t have to face the bigger veterinary bills or the difficult decisions that accompany them, such as whether or not to go through with colic surgery.
The biggest downside of leasing is that the horses who come into my life don’t belong to me, and if an owner decides to sell, I must say goodbye. This is something I’ve had to get used to.
On the whole, though, I have come to realize that leasing has given me something that owning just one horse might not---the challenges to enhance my riding by adapting to different mounts, the opportunity to form bonds with horses of various breeds and personalities, and the chance to create lasting friendships with their owners.
Do I want to pick out leg wraps in my favorite colors for the horse I will own someday? Absolutely. In the meantime, though, I can satisfy my passion while still being available as a wife, mother and friend. For me, as well as for many others, less is more. Or rather, lease is more.