:no:
[QUOTE=chism;4389312]
I’ve always looked as a retirement home for horses as just that. They’re retired. They get all the perks of being a horse (quality care & lots of turnout) without having to work. They’re paid their dues and are on permanent vacation. It sounds good to me. 
Once I get my kids graduated and I get out of Massachusetts, I can’t wait to buy some land down south and start my own retirement farm, heck I’ll have a few of my own oldies to start with. I love the older guys & gals.[/QUOTE]
This is how I see it too. I love the oldies and those with special needs. 
I think there is a place for retirement farms, like the one that onthebit runs, with of course the caveat that sending a beloved critter very far from one’s own supervision creates an additional responsibility for due diligence and careful followup. But some people ride and keep horses in places that are insanely expensive and turnout poor, which makes it hard to retire one beastie while continuing to ride another, should one be able to consider that choice.
I would think that one potential cost savings in operating a retirement only facility is that one wouldn’t have to carry insurance for owners to ride on the property – the main risks would be any possible injury to the oldster that is in some way caused by a lapse in care by the manager, or injuries to the manager from handling critters. But no owners are likely to be riding at such a facility.
Also, a retirement farm doesn’t particularly need an arena or lights or other costly riding related improvements that one does need at a boarding barn where horses are in work.
I would expect / hope to be able to keep my girl nearby when she’s not going to be ridden anymore, but I would very likely keep her someplace that traded things she wasn’t going to need (riding rings, jumps, indoors) for things that she definitely did need (turnout companions of suitable age and activity level, knowledgeable caretaker for old ponies, etc.) Sometimes one can find this where they are already boarding, or of course at home. But sometimes a place that specializes is the right solution. But no one is suggesting that retirement facility == send pony away to never be seen again, or some intentional diminishment of care.
Around here retirement board places only take “not in work” horses, and usually don’t have riding rings, etc. A couple people I know who run that sort of place aren’t interested in the busy-crazy of a lesson barn or boarding barn where people are coming and going all day long. Horses tend to get more turnout than is available at a show or lesson barn, and the owners are experienced with “elder care” issues…Some retirement places I know also take broodmares or horses on long layups. Some regular boarding barns tend not to want to board retired horses, because they don’t get the additional $ for training and lessons that a horse in work generates.
The main advantage for a horse owner is that board is usually half the price of regular board (in part because there is no indoor ring, etc.). It’s not always the case, but usually.
Sports horse also would like green pastures but… professional barns here are near city so it means no possibilities for bearable turnout. If horse is in training and gets ridden every day, lack of turnout is not so bad. Oldies just need space and peace more than young and full time working ones.
I’m not a retirement farm but this winter here will be 3 boarders - all 3 with medical conditions making them non rideable currently. What the point to keep them in small turnout in busy place if they can come here, and have acres for fun? They are not dumped - they are well cared, will spend winter here and in spring will go back to their city “home” again. And I already know that owner will come to visit them often - we are just an hour away.
I wasn’t very clear in my OP…
First of all, I do not mean this in any way as an attack on anyone who utilizes retirement farms…I just got to thinking about it. I’ve thought about having one some day when I win the lottery…I’d like to foster kids and have a horsey retirement facility because I think the two together could be beneficial for both. So I’m not against the concept per se…I love the oldies.
What I guess I don’t understand is how people can let their oldies go so far away that they’re not seeing them regularly and such. I’ve seen the “bad” stories here…and the good too. I know it can go either way. But from a “horse person” standpoint, I’m not sure that I personally could ever retire my horse to a place that was say…several hours or states away.
That is the part that has me scratching my head a bit.
Please keep in mind though–I’ve never lived in a super heavily populated area or big city where board is a gazillion dollars a month. Pretty much everywhere I’ve lived, there were options for less expensive boarding. It did take me awhile to find a facility when I first moved here that would accommodate some of my old man’s needs–like being fed 3-4 times a day, no hay, no grass, etc…but it was still doable. I realize it’s not that way everywhere.
So anyway…just asking questions…thanks for the links and the stories!
Well, I just think of it in terms of ‘people,’ instead of horses.
Say for example, your mother or father has been living in, say, Vermont for their whole life. You went to college there, and ended up settling down 20-30 minutes away; you still see them almost on a daily basis.
Then it gets to the point where their bodies can’t handle the harsh winters of New England, and they’re overall miserable until the spring and summer months. Eventually they decided to relocate, or retire, down to Florida, or Georgia, or Texas, or what have you.
Would you expect to pick up your life and move down there with them, in order to be close? Or accept the fact that in order for them to live out the quality of their life, they need to live in a different environment?
Just the way I see it.
That’s an interesting perspective Schune. While I see your point, I guess I’m of a different mindset.
As my mother and grandmother age and have increasing medical issues, there has been a lot of talk of moving them closer to me so that I can help take care of them. They are 8 and 20+ hours away from me now, respectively.
Also, I’d like to add that it all depends on the horse! Everyone who’s posted is “right” – that is, some retirement facilities pull shoes, throw out in large field, no grain etc. And for some horses that is just fine! And there are other retirement facilities that have a 24/7 supervision, staff always on premises etc. and for some horses that is exactly what is needed! The price of the two will of course be very very different. The places with all that staff are expensive, in my experience.
And then there are those of us in the middle – my horses are out probably 360 days a year and I only put them in stalls in horrible blizzards. But they do have stalls. I do not groom several times a week, but I do brush mud off (to keep rain rot at bay) and pull burrs from manes and tails. I do wrap abcesses, but I had to ask the horse with anhydrosis to leave because I couldn’t keep him in a stall all summer and I couldn’t be on call to hose him off every hour when it was hot.
For example there is a retirement farm 2 miles away from me that charges $2,000/month. He is full. His horses get a very different kind of care than what I offer at $425/month.
It all depends on what your horse needs.
I’m really lucky in that my current barn is one of two in the area with a lot of turnout, great fencing and a BO with the knowledge to care for the seniors. Plus the BO’s hubby is an equine vet so that helps out quite a bit! It’s a private farm and my horses are the only ones there besides the BO’s horses. I get a crazy cheap board rate for a gorgeous facility and my 21 year old forever horse will get to live out his days in style with a huge stall, all day turnout (all night in the summer), the top care he’s used to as my ex jr hunter, and he’s close enough that I can see him everyday.
If I had not lucked into such an amazing barn I would have to consider sending him out of state or at least many hours away to find a comparable situation as the other barns in my area are ONLY show barns that mandate training on every horse in the barn. I would be paying $800 base board plus $400-800 training fees ever month on a horse who is retired! Plus none of them have turnout and he would be confined in a stall pretty much 24/7.
It just wouldn’t be feasible and for his sake I would have to send him away so he could have the quality of life he deserves. It would be horrible not seeing him every day but you have to do what is best for the horse.
BuddyRoo, you’re not alone. I moved from NJ to KY with my oldies so I could start a retirement farm because I could bear to send them away!
It IS hard to do, sending your horse away. When I get calls from people who are undecided I try really hard NOT to talk them into it; I answer questions as thoroughly and honestly as I can and allow them to process and decide.
I had one horse here from NY who, after 3 years, her mommy still missed her too much and brought her back home. She was thrilled with how good the mare looked and actually started trail riding her again.
All that said, kind of like Schune said, you have to think from the horse’s perspective. Would they be happier standing in a stall or being out in a pasture? I am sure that there are some who would rather stay in a stall, but from my experience the vast majority are extremely happy turned out.
I also take offense to the statement that retirement care is typically minimal. All our horses here get quality full care, just without being shut in a stall.
References are definitely the best way to fin a suitable place, there are a lot of excellent ones out there.
The reason some people send their horses too far away for them to see them all the time is that they are doing what is best for the horse - not for themselves The horses who are retired here could care less if they ever see their owners again. They have a herd partner and fantastic care. All of their needs - as a horse are satisfied and so there is no longing for a person to show up and gratify them in some way.
Thinking that the horse will be miserable if it never sees its owner again is just wishful, Black Beauty thinking. Yes, they perk up when they see a person, they might be bringing dinner :lol: but are they out there dreaming that their owner might show up? Not likely.
People project a lot of things on their horses and this is one of them.
The other reason is, of course, that they cannot get the quality of care and peace of mind they are looking for, for their retired horse, close to them. BOTH of the retired horses on my farm belong to clients. They’ve known me for years and they know that their horse is being well cared for, they know my standards.
Interestingly enough, I often have inquiries about retirement board - the type where you throw the horse out in the field and forget about it. I don’t do that, and I outline my care program and what it costs and why. So the people who do send a horse here are very committed to their horses high ongoing care standard. There simply IS no field here with neglected horses in it, I refuse to do that.
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I think retirement board actually saves a lot of horses.
Not everyone can keep a horse until they’re old, particularly not at “training board” prices when they can’t ride. Or, situations change and they can’t afford to. It is what it is.
Having the option of keeping them safe and happy for a lesser price probably prevents some from being sold or given away to less than satisfactory homes.
The important thing is to simply do right by the animal. As long as they are happy and healthy, that’s what counts. Some folks do that differently than others, and that’s okay.
[QUOTE=EqTrainer;4389555]
The reason some people send their horses too far away for them to see them all the time is that they are doing what is best for the horse - not for themselves The horses who are retired here could care less if they ever see their owners again. They have a herd partner and fantastic care. All of their needs - as a horse are satisfied and so there is no longing for a person to show up and gratify them in some way.
Thinking that the horse will be miserable if it never sees its owner again is just wishful, Black Beauty thinking. Yes, they perk up when they see a person, they might be bringing dinner :lol: but are they out there dreaming that their owner might show up? Not likely.
People project a lot of things on their horses and this is one of them.
The other reason is, of course, that they cannot get the quality of care and peace of mind they are looking for, for their retired horse, close to them. BOTH of the retired horses on my farm belong to clients. They’ve known me for years and they know that their horse is being well cared for, they know my standards.
Interestingly enough, I often have inquiries about retirement board - the type where you throw the horse out in the field and forget about it. I don’t do that, and I outline my care program and what it costs and why. So the people who do send a horse here are very committed to their horses high ongoing care standard. There simply IS no field here with neglected horses in it, I refuse to do that.[/QUOTE]
This is how I feel about my guys. If there comes a time that they would be happier where it is warm or if I should ever move to a location where they would be stalled, well, they will go where it is best for them…not me. :sadsmile:
My neighbor boarded two retirees, both TBs who’d had show careers. I believe their owner was hundreds of miles away in another state, where she had relocated. I speculate that she felt a change of climate and a huge move would be too much for them at their advanced years. They went from a life in a big city to life in the country with a milder climate, someone on the premises round the clock, 24/7 turnout and stalls they could go loaf in if they wished, blankets when needed, etc. They were well up in their thirties when they died. Their “real” owner was aware and involved from a distance, but my neighbor was probably the one who grieved the most when they had to be put down (colic for the first, and perhaps a broken heart for the second, because it went only a few weeks later.)
My neighbor only charges 350/month. I expect there are lots of people who would consider that a bargain, and that affordable good care for the horse might offset the lack of frequent contact with the horse.
[QUOTE=EqTrainer;4389555]
The horses who are retired here could care less if they ever see their owners again. They have a herd partner and fantastic care. All of their needs - as a horse are satisfied and so there is no longing for a person to show up and gratify them in some way.
Thinking that the horse will be miserable if it never sees its owner again is just wishful, Black Beauty thinking. Yes, they perk up when they see a person, they might be bringing dinner :lol: but are they out there dreaming that their owner might show up? Not likely.
People project a lot of things on their horses and this is one of them.[/QUOTE]
Good point, really. Horses have memory, sure. And they can remember you as a “good bucket” or as a “bad bucket” but I really doubt that majority of horses prefer humans instead of herd. There can be strange exceptions, but majority are much happier living natural “horse life” instead of hanging around posh barn with indoor arena only in hope to see you again.
I totally understand the “retirement farm”. My mare is retired, but not at a “retirement farm”, let’s say a quieter, private farm where there happens to be retired horses, trail riding horses that belong to older ladies, one young OTTB learning to be a horse, etc.
My mare did not need the riding rings, the x country course, etc. She needed good care though and when my then BM offered to move her down to her SO’s place down the road, we jumped at the opportunity. Big fields, big stalls, her BFF with her, trails, but mostly SAME CARE, at half the cost!
There is ONE retired horse there who has not seen his owner for 4 years! The cheques come every month, farrier and vet bills are paid. My daughter and I have taken over his grooming, treats, etc. and with the owner’s permission, my daughter has been able to give him some exercise (on the vet’s recommendation). He is a happy fellow now and is much less trouble in the fields too. The owner keeps saying "We will never sell him. He is part of the family!). Great family indeed!
I would not be able to send our mare away and never see her. We visit two or three times a week (she is only 1/2 hr away).
Buddy I have my QH out on free lease to a lovely lady whose own horses are all retiree-age. 25+ and in varying degrees of soundness. Her private barn is full to the brim with horses that can’t take much riding and working. She wants to ride. But she has nothing TO ride. I bet you dollars to doughnuts that IF she chose to place them in a good retirement farm situation, she’d go buy herself a younger horse or two and ride the hair off 'em. Instead she’s going to play nursemaid to 6 horses that may well live another 10 years, filling her stalls and taking up a lot of time. Were she to CHOOSE to home them in a good retirement farm, even just one or two of them, I surely couldn’t blame or her judge her.
And as for my QH I’ve owned since he was 3, and he’s now 15, he couldn’t have cared less when I came by for a lesson Friday. He’d just gotten a bath and liniment, and was eating his supper. He looked at me like "I’m eating, come back later’. Horses - with RARE exception- just want good food and a place to get out of the weather, someone to rub on them, and a buddy or two. THey don’t particularly care who does the rubbin, just any old body will do.
Great question given the current situation here in Orange VA.
I’ll give you the example I know of personally. A good friend of mine had 2 horses, one was funnily enough a retired Polo Pony and she got him for her 10 year old son who learned to ride and go on to play polo on him, albeit it wasn’t as strenuous as the Polo you see in The Hamptons and such. She also had a Warmblood that was only 8 and fractured a bone in his foot and was unsound for riding. Both were kept in her one acre backyard
When the son went to college and stopped riding, the Polo Pony was close to 30. So, my friend sent both the 8 yr old and the Polo Pony to a retirement farm.
Not only does she call to check on them, she also goes to see them. They are both happy, healthy and living large. What a nice thing to do for 2 horses that worked as hard as they could for as long as they could (and now get to live out their lives in a huge pasture.)
All the retirement homes I know of have a set up like adult living where as you get older and not well, you move to a house closer to the care center, or you have the option of having someone come in and check on you. The older you are and the amount of care you need commensurates with the type of attention you get.
Not everyone has 30 acres to turn out an older horse and this friend of mine did not want to stop riding. She can’t keep 3 horses on a postage stamp, so this was the answer.
Also, I don’t think it has to be far away. I do know some friends who retired horses several states away, but that was because they had a close friend there or had previously lived in that location, and knew there was an ideal situation for their horse (and they traveled there fairly frequently anyway, so they would get to see their horse when they went to visit friends and family, etc.).
Personally the ones on my list are within 1/2 hour drive.
