# 45 a month for a tack locker?



## baseball2horse (Nov 9, 2018)

I am looking to lease a horse at the barn where I currently ride.I have ridden the horse several times and she feels like a good match and I would be able to take jumping lessons on her. (My barn only allows you to jump if you lease or own the horse). The problem is that she does not have her own set of english tack to use. I have just been using lesson tack when I've ridden her so far. The BO and the owner said they managed to find a saddle to use for her but that I would have to rent a tack locker for 45 a month to use it. To me 45 a month just to use a tack locker seems outrageous. Especially because board is only 400-600 depending on options at this barn. The lease fee for the horse for 3 days a week is 300 a month so adding another 45 to that is not insignificant. 

I do really like the horse but I am starting to question whether this is a good option or not.

Am I being a penny-pincher or is this too much?


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Can you keep the saddle in your car, or do other people need access to it? Depending on how long you'll lease the horse (e.g., is it a year or month to month?) you might do better to buy a used jump saddle and have it fitted to the horse (if allowed by owner) than pay $600 for a year of locker rental. 

I've never boarded at a place that required a tack locker fee but it sounds unusual to me.


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Every place I have boarded except one came with either a tack room or locker included. It sounds like the owner is looking into buying equipment for this purpose - I would say if the BO was the owner you are probably paying off the saddle more so than renting the locker. My son does not board where he rides but if he were to use a locker then I expect he would pay for the use. Some places reserve locker space for each stall so space may be limited or at a premium. $45 though would be a bit much if you are not only leasing but paying for lessons too.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Wait a minute...

You are considering leasing a horse the barn owns or is boarding on the premises... for 3 rides per week.
But you have to pay extra to lease a tack locker for a saddle the horse rides in in lessons you pay to take at this same barn??? :confused_color:
Yea, think someone is looking to take advantage.

If you owned and boarded the animal, the tack locker is part of the amenities for their boarders...included in board??
Somehow this deal sounds not to be in your best interest.
I've never heard of such a thing...
Any barn I've ever worked at or ridden at, a lease horse had their own tack to ride in that was fitted to that animal for comfort of animal. Whether English, western or both...the barn provides and stores/keeps the tack for _their animals._
They also had blankets provided for them...
This "deal" just sounds off and more than slightly weird to me.
Actually, the barn trying to make and squeeze every buck off me just lost my bucks..._no lease and my lessons would be soon taking me elsewhere._









I, me personally would just tell the place "I'm not paying to store a saddle I not own for a horse I not own and that others use during the week when said horse is not contracted to me to ride specific days..."
If you own the saddle,_ take it home with you._
Fastest way to have things disappear is for others to use, not appreciate and lose or damage...
If it is your saddle and you decide to "rent" a locker...then it is_ your lock and no one has a key or combination to it _or your possessions will be used and you know it.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

How about you just suggest you continue using the lesson tack on her and see what they say?

I think $45 a month, on top of boarding and lesson fees, is too much. Plus it's not like it's even your tack, right? They are going to buy it for themselves, and then charge you to store it?

If I really liked the horse, and liked the barn otherwise, I'd try to work with them so you wouldn't have to pay that fee. Otherwise, I'd be super annoyed that they were nickle and diming me (only that's not really nickle and dime amounts), and I wouldn't want to deal with it.

I agree with @QtrBel that it sounds like they're just trying to get it so that you're paying off the saddle they want.


----------



## Feathers7 (Jun 11, 2019)

horselovinguy said:


> Wait a minute...
> 
> You are considering leasing a horse the barn owns or is boarding on the premises... for 3 rides per week.
> But you have to pay extra to lease a tack locker for a saddle the horse rides in in lessons you pay to take at this same barn??? :confused_color:
> Yea, think someone is looking to take advantage.



I agree. That's silly. $300/month adds up to $3600/year. That should sufficiently cover everything - feed, farrier, vet, lessons, barn and arena maintenence, equipment costs, etc. And that's only if that barn owns the horse.


Does somebody else (besides the barn owner) own this horse you're leasing, and that person feels as though you should be paying the tack locker fee on top of everything else? If so, sheesh! You might as well own the horse at that point.


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

You'd do better to buy a used saddle you can keep. For $45 a month, you could buy a decent one for what you'd pay in a year for the tack locker. Take your tack back and forth in your car.


----------



## baseball2horse (Nov 9, 2018)

So once I start leasing her she won't be used for other lessons any more. It will just be me and the owner of the horse (well really his son) who will be riding her. It sounds as if the owner of the horse has a set of western of tack for her, but just not an english set. Which I didn't realized when I first rode her, because I was just using the lesson tack in my lessons.

I talked to the barn owner again (who does not own the horse, just helps facilitates) and apparently it is her tack and she offered to sell it to me for 800 dollars. But I am still not sure its the best fit. 

I think its more trying to fit a round peg into a square hole rather than actively trying to take advantage of me. The owner's son is in high school now so doesn't have as much time to ride so the barn owner is trying to help them set something up. But that doesn't mean I have to take it if it doesn't work for me.

The barn nominally has has half leases for 250 for 2 days or 350 for 3, for their lesson horses, but individual people can work it out differently and I'd be paying the owner of the horse directly. So them letting me do 3 for 300 feels like a goodish deal (and is the same or less than what I've seen for other barns in the nearby area) I'd also have a lot of flexibility with when I'd ride as the owner's son is probably only going to be riding once a week so I'd just have to coordinate with him.

In general I like the barn, they have some of the cheaper lessons and are really convient to me and generally seem to be well run


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

If you like the horse and the barn and the lease contract seems fair, I'd do the lease and then purchase tack. You can find something decent (used) for a lot less than $800.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

So $300 a month lease, no tack available.
What is the board bill currently? 
Shoes and vet who is responsible for? 
What are you allowed to do with the horse?
Jump, shows? Trails???
Or just lessons and supervised ride time in a ring?

I get paying a percentage, but not near the entire freight and load...you did say $400 or more right?
What happens if the horse gets hurt, goes lame and it wasn't you riding or created a problem?
How many others are going to lease the horse on your off days?
What is said and what is done are sometimes different to different people...
Although son is in HS, how much riding is he doing?
What kind of activities does he do with the horse cause it can make a difference, a pretty big one.

$800 for used tack _*is*_ pretty steep.
You can buy a new saddle from a place like Dover Saddlery in their own line of leather saddles for not much more than that, NEW!
Check out Stateline Tack too for a nice selection of synthetic or leather saddles affordable and decent quality at affordable prices.
You can also buy used and get a heck of a saddle with all the fittings, bridle and such for less than that offer.
Craigslist local to you could be your best friend, so can many local trade publications and other places that sell used tack. 
So many places at your fingertips with use of the internet and a look around.

Someone sees you being so wanting to ride and do they are setting you up to take advantage...
Innocently done, but they benefit and you lose a chunk of $$ from your pocket.
Beware!!
:runninghorse2:...


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I agree with what the others have said. 

If the board fee is 400 - 600 pr month and you are getting to ride three times a week that is $25 plus what they will charge you for the lesson.

All the other incidentals need to be taken into consideration as to what you are expected to pay for.


----------



## baseball2horse (Nov 9, 2018)

So its a 300 dollar flat fee, I wouldn't be paying for shoes or vet bills or any other extras. So while it is a significant percentage of just the board costs when you consider all the other costs its probably about half. No one else would be riding the horse except for me and the HS boy. I do definitely need to find out more about what he will be doing with the horse as I don't really know. And I would get to have flexibility with which days I ride which would probably be harder if I was leasing a lesson horse or a different horse.

I'd be allowed to jump the horse in lessons and ride her outside of lessons, as well as take her to shows and clinics as long as I coordinate with the owners.

Over all it seems like a pretty standard to good deal for a half lease. Except for the issue of her tack. 

I'm glad to hear your feedback on the price of the tack as I don't have a lot of experience with tack, having only ever taken weekly (and sometimes) bi-weekly lessons before. I admit I am a little bit weary of trying to buy my own tack as I've never done it before and wouldn't want to get something bad or over priced or that doesn't fit the horse. I also don't know how long I'll end up riding this horse. The BO mentioned it would be possible to just do a trial of the horse for a couple of months to see if it works out, so I leery of buying tack for her, since I don't know how long I'll be riding her.

The owners of the horse are still looking into different tack options, so if they have find something better it might still work out, but if they can't then this is not horse lease for me. 

Thanks everybody for all your feedback! Its my first time leasing so still trying to figure out what is to be expected and glad I'm not the only one who thinks 45 a month for tack/tack rental is crazy!


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Saddles are like shoes. They will adjust to you and the horse over time if you start with the right size and shape. Many saddles fit a variety of horses so unless she is a hard to fit or has specific body issues that need addressed you can work with what's available. Most horses are a common size and shape. You don't need a custom saddle. If you have a good idea of how a saddle should look and fit (or have someone with you who does) then finding something is not a task that should be all consuming. Have that person look at the horse and ask to borrow the English tack already there to get an idea of what you are going to want to look for. If there are consignment shops or tack stores that will let you bring the horse or with a deposit take home and try go that route.


----------



## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm going to take the other side here, but only for a trail. 

Since you don't know how long this arrangement will last, you might want to consider renting the tack/tack locker for one month only. During that time you could consider it a trail, if the leasing is working for you and if the saddle is good fit for you both. 


If it is a good quality saddle, and fits you both, $800 is not unreasonable. But we don't know the brand so...no way to tell if it is a good deal or not. But if you do buy it, ask to have the $45 fee for the first month taken off the price, and then just carry the saddle back and forth to the stable. It is rather a pain to tote things back and forth though, and you will want a place to store grooming equipment too. 


Can you negotiate to get a bridle and saddle pad with the deal? 


IME, fitting saddles can be a time consuming and frustrating experience. A saddle that fits you both and is of good quality is valuable. 


At the end of your lease, they might buy the saddle back from you. 


You could also ask the owner to reduce the lease price to cover the locker fee. All kinds of options, so best not to dismiss this saddle without a trail run.


----------



## baseball2horse (Nov 9, 2018)

I talked more with the owners and they're going to split the ccost of the tack/tack locker with me. So it will end up being for me a 325 flat fee per month to ride the horse 3 days per week basically whenever I want those three days to be.

Still have to hammer out some details and sign all the lease papers but over all I am excited.

If it turns into a long term thing I'll look into getting my own tack or working something else out since 45 a month for use of tack and a tack locker is a little outrageous but this works for now!


----------



## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Instead of renting my own tack room where I keep mine full board/livery I paid £80 for a metal storage bin and was allowed to put it somewhere out of the way. I bought sealant and a good padlock and voila. But I live in the UK, london to be specific. My livery alone (not including farrier, dentist etc) is £700 a month. I would be upset if I had to rent a tack room as well!


----------



## SKB1994 (Sep 28, 2014)

So as an owner who has leased out my horse, I personally would not want to buy tack for my horse for a discipline I do not ride. Spending $800 so someone else can ride my horse with no benefit to me is not an investment I would make. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the owner of the horse to ask you to contribute towards something that doesn’t benefit the owner directly. 

As an owner, I would only want my horse ridden in tack that is fitted to him. I ended a lease agreement over the summer because the lessor decided to use someone else’s jump saddle instead of my jump saddle when riding my horse and it sored him up badly. I had to spend a considerable amount of money to get him back to where I could ride him myself. I was a fool for trusting this person and not making them sign a lease agreement. 

Would you be able to rent or pay per ride for the English saddle that fits the horse already? I would allow someone to use my tack for a set fee if they were responsible and I didn’t think they would ruin it. The barn owner shouldn’t have to lose use of their equipment for nothing in return. Especially if you using her tack meant she couldn’t use it for a lesson that makes income. 

I wouldn’t want to spend $800 on a tack set and only lease the horse it fits for a few months and then get stuck with tack I can’t use on a different horse. I can see why you’re hesitant to purchase tack for a horse you don’t own. You could easily buy an adjustable wintec or Bates saddle for a lot cheaper and have better luck with it fitting future horses (that is not guaranteed of course). There’s lots of second hand saddles for sale that you could buy a lot cheaper. I’ve seen used wintecs go for about $250 and they do work for a lot of horses.


----------

