Originally Posted by futuredoctor
After you're done lessons, is there a way to ride horses without owning one?
Yes, you can lease. There are different types of leasing that involve different amounts of responsibility from the leaser, and it can still vary from person to person, but basically leasing is when you pay to use a horse. Sometimes it's more like owning them for a certain period of time, sometimes the most you get to do is ride them on certain days of the week, it all depends on what the contract between you and the horse's owner says. You pay a certain amount of money to have those rights to the horse for a certain amount of time, essentially.
I definitely recommend leasing before buying. It gives you a taste of what it's like to own before you commit fully, and it's more cost effective. Sometimes people buy the horse after a lease, if they really like them, too.