When you’re going through a divorce, one of the main questions to ask is who will have custody of your children. You and your spouse are both well-off, so you’re both equally able to provide for your children. You agree that they should share time in each home and that you will split custody.
What you have a bigger issue with is your horses. Your child takes riding lessons and plans to be an equestrian, so you want to make sure that they have easy access to their animals when they need them. It’s not just a matter of having a pet nearby for fun, because riding is something they need to continue doing for competitions and events. How will you divide your horses in divorce to make this possible?
How can you make sure your child has the access they need?
This is a somewhat unique circumstance to have to think about, but it does require some careful planning. If you have horses for your child’s riding classes and competitions, you probably already have somewhere they’re housed.
If you will sell your home and the stables, one option may be to rent out stables in between both homes. Then, you or the other parent could drive your child over to the stables when necessary. If it’s a short distance, it may even be reasonable to put one or two horses into a trailer to take them to your child’s location.
If you want to keep them on site, another possible option would be to create a custody plan where your child is at the same location as the horses on the days when they need to ride, such as on the weekends or throughout the week. You may also consider splitting up the animals, keeping one or two horses at each home.
If that isn’t reasonable, a third option may be to live nearby to your spouse, so that your child can go to the parent’s home where the horses are being held and cared for.
This is going to be a unique challenge, but it’s one to carefully think about so that your child continues to be able to participate in their chosen sport.
