As anyone involved with horses knows, they are expensive creatures to maintain properly.
At the most basic level of ownership, if one just wants to have a pet horse to visit and to coddle, the horse needs somewhere to live, basic medical care (vaccinations, worming, hoof trims, etc.), food to eat, and probably some clothes to wear (a winter blanket, maybe a fly sheet and a mid-weight blanket).
The more you want to do with your horse, the more it will cost you.
Want to ride? You'll need a saddle and bridle, stirrups, stirrup irons, a girth, a bit, a saddle pad. If your horse is strong, or young, or pushy, or has special health needs, or has specific conformation challenges, you may need extra equipment like half pads, boots, martingales, a breastplate, a crupper, a double bridle. You'll probably want to enlist the help of a trainer for your horse, a coach for you, or both.
Want to take your horse somewhere, like on a trail ride, to a show or to a clinic? You'll need a truck and trailer (or someone who will haul for you), shipping boots, a poll protector, possibly a passport for your horse and/or a Coggins test. And don't forget at shows, you'll have to pay your entry fees (and a scratch fee if something goes wrong and you need to back out), a fee to use the warm-up ring, a coaching fee, possibly a fee to board your horse at the show grounds overnight. You'll need show clothes for yourself (helmet, breeches. show shirt, show coat, gloves, field boots) and, if your saddle and bridle are older or shabby, show tack for your horse. You may even need to pay an annual membership fee to an association or group to enter certain show series.
Insurance for your horse is a necessary investment. Responsible horse owners ensure that they have coverage for damages caused by their horse, and to protect themselves from being wiped out financially by sudden illness, like colic. If you plan on letting others ride your horse, you'll need to be insured in case of accident or injury, and you'll need coaching insurance if you want to give lessons.
And then, of course, you have to take unexpected expenses into account. Maybe your horse will need shoes. Maybe he'll need a custom sized saddle. Maybe he'll come down sick or sore and require medication or surgery that isn't covered by insurance. Maybe your horse will be injured or incapacitated in some way that renders him permanently lame or un-rideable. The costs associated with horse ownership are crazy!
That's why, sometimes, horse owners look to defray the costs of ownership and look for ways to lighten their financial load. That's where people like me come in.
As a semi-recent university graduate with an unstable source of income, I can't in good conscience buy a horse. I could afford it, but just barely, and in my 15+ years in the horse world, I have seen what just barely being able to afford a horse does to an animal (I'll leave that for another post). To get my "horse fix", I have found part-boarding to be an economical and beneficial route to take, both for me, and for the owner of the horse I am part-boarding.
Basically, part-boarding is a form of "renting" a horse. I pay a specified monthly fee to the owner of the horse, and in turn am able to ride a particular number of times per week each month. My part-boarding agreements have always included one lesson on the horse, and two "free rides" each week. The free rides are basically my time to do whatever I'd like with the horse, whether that be schooling something we've been working on in lessons, or going for a relaxing hack. In this way, I am having the opportunity to work and build a relationship with a horse without the costs associated with having one of my own.
This blog will explore my experiences as a part-boarder. I will share stories about my struggles, challenges and successes in the hopes that other part-boarders out there can learn about the pros and cons of entering this interesting type of relationship.
Please feel free to post questions, comments or advice!
Essie
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