Some athletes in the Pre-Competition program, and all of the athletes on the Neverland Show Team will begin leasing a pony to ride consistently throughout the year.
By leasing a pony, you’ll ride the same pony in every lesson, and take responsibility for their care throughout the year. This builds a stronger relationship between the rider and their mount. It helps them learn the unique personalities of their pony which helps them develop confidence and new skills that become very practical as a horse person.
Advantages
The primary advantages of the leasing programs are:
- Student rides the same pony every time they come to the barn which allows the athlete to develop a closer working relationship with their pony
- More time at the barn - this builds confidence, fosters lifelong friendships, and reduces stress and anxiety in young riders
- Pony Club - an additional program we provide which teaches foundational skills of good horsemanship and allows riders to get their ‘rider levels’ from Equine Canada
- Competitions - Leasing means you can take your pony to competitions with the rest of the Neverland Show Team. We compete on the Ottawa circuit mostly but also bring athletes to both provincial finals and the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto if they choose to attend those events.
Half-Lease
We offer a special “half-lease” program to help athletes (and their parents) take a smaller, progressive step into this next level of the sport.
In a half-lease, you’ll lease one of the “competition-ready” ponies we have in the barn. We choose a match based on who we think will be the very best teacher for the athlete.
Half-leasing also means you’ll share the responsibilities of care and upkeep of the pony with another rider in the barn.
What is the cost?
What is the commitment?
What if we can’t come to the barn to ride the pony because of (vacation, other commitments, etc.)?
How do you schedule with another rider sharing the pony?
Full Lease
In the case the athlete is ready for a full lease (or to own the pony outright) we will work with you to find and select the right pony by opening the search with our network of trainers and facility owners across North Eastern US and Eastern Canada. While we do offer to full lease some of the ponies in our barn, in most cases we will be looking outside the barn for the right match for the athlete.
A full lease is like owning your own horse. You are taking full responsibility for their care.
In return, you can come to the barn to ride your pony as often as 6 days per week!
You’ll be able to attend as many horse shows as you like as well.