Pasture/Retirement Board in Colorado

[dani0303]

As much as I hate to admit it, my current boarding situation is no longer ideal for my guy. My BO is super duper wonderful but he’s in a small dry lot and only out on pasture a few days a week. My boy is coming up on 22 and I’m having a bit of trouble keeping weight on him for the first time. It’s finally time for me to admit that I need a pasture board/retirement board type situation.

What I’m looking for is a grass pasture that’s 5 acres or bigger. Free choice hay fed in winter. He’s been out in mixed herds before and is generally mid pack. He’s barefoot and still in light work, but riding facilities are not necessary. I do need trailer parking for a small 2 horse. Other than that I’m not super fussy. I live in Greeley and would ideally like to keep him relatively close but I’d take anything from Denver to Cheyenne if it’s the perfect situation. Looking for $200-$300 range but would be willing to pay more if necessary. This would only be temporary as my SO and I are looking to buy a small farm in the next 1-2 years.

Anyone know of anything? Google isn’t being very helpful and I’m relatively new to the area and don’t have a ton of contacts.

[Shahrazade]

When I lived in CO there were a few private facilities fitting this description in Sedalia, but that’s quite a hike from you. There are also some in the Watkins area… I would say putting up flyers in feed stores in areas where there is grazing may serve you best, many of the folks out there are not really internet savvy and probably don’t have Googlable websites. Call up Colorado Horse Rescue and Horse Protection League, they may know of places where adopters are boarding limited-use horses they’ve adopted that require similar situations.

(Sidenote: Age alone shouldn’t cause weight loss, did you do teeth and check bloodwork for indication of health issues? Don’t send him off to a farther away pasture without being sure a health issue isn’t behind the weight loss - could decline rapidly if an underlying issue pops up in a large pasture)

[dani0303]

[QUOTE=Shahrazade;7787558]
When I lived in CO there were a few private facilities fitting this description in Sedalia, but that’s quite a hike from you. There are also some in the Watkins area… I would say putting up flyers in feed stores in areas where there is grazing may serve you best, many of the folks out there are not really internet savvy and probably don’t have Googlable websites. Call up Colorado Horse Rescue and Horse Protection League, they may know of places where adopters are boarding limited-use horses they’ve adopted that require similar situations.

(Sidenote: Age alone shouldn’t cause weight loss, did you do teeth and check bloodwork for indication of health issues? Don’t send him off to a farther away pasture without being sure a health issue isn’t behind the weight loss - could decline rapidly if an underlying issue pops up in a large pasture)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the suggestions.

And as far as weight loss, it has been confirmed by the vet that his metabolism is slowing down. He needs more forage than my current situation is allowing him to get. He’s far from skinny but did get a little ribby after a minor colic episode this summer. I’ve got him on a new feeding program and he’s gaining weight back nicely. Both vet and I have agreed that pasture (or 24h access to hay) would be best for him at this point in time.

[rhymeswithfizz]

Five acres is not typically enough to sustain a horse around here. We did have an unusually wet summer, but normally by now my grass is completely fried, even with careful management, and doesn’t have much nutrition. I would think you would have better luck getting weight on with a good quality free choice hay situation.

And it may be time to supplement with some grain. My senior horse dropped a ton of weight this spring (lease gone bad), and to build him back up he is getting free choice hay plus about 8 quarts of senior feed and 2 quarts alfalfa pellets.

[rhymeswithfizz]

Double post, sorry

[dani0303]

[QUOTE=rhymeswithfizz;7789206]
Five acres is not typically enough to sustain a horse around here. We did have an unusually wet summer, but normally by now my grass is completely fried, even with careful management, and doesn’t have much nutrition. I would think you would have better luck getting weight on with a good quality free choice hay situation.

And it may be time to supplement with some grain. My senior horse dropped a ton of weight this spring (lease gone bad), and to build him back up he is getting free choice hay plus about 8 quarts of senior feed and 2 quarts alfalfa pellets.[/QUOTE]

He is on 8qt Triple Crown Senior, 1qt alfalfa pellet, SmartCombo Senior, and SmartGain 4. They’re all working well but I am looking for a better situation. He doesn’t need to be in a training barn (dry lot, stall with run) type situation anymore and I am having a hard time finding anyone that offers pasture board.

[MustangSavvy]

My old barn before I moved had a large grass turnout during the winter + they were fed hay twice a day. During the summer they are in a dirt pasture though, as the other field is also the hay field. I paid 275 a month. Green Tree Farm in Longmont.

I don’t know of my anything else though. True pasture is hard to find in CO.

[Simkie]

Yup. Here:

http://www.hhquartercircle.com/

Great people. 3 acres fields with 1 or 2 horses each. Free choice hay year round, and a lot of it. They’ll feed your grain and supplements. They have an arena and you can ride forever out, if your horse can do that.

Not an uber fancy place, but a GOOD place Just moved four horses from there to MN and was there for a couple years. It’s a real gem! Send me a PM if you want more info.