Retirement facility for high-maintenance horses

[alter-real]

After years of deliberation I’ve made the difficult decision to retire my 2 horses farther away. This has been an immensely difficult decision so please do refrain from expressing judgement. I’m in a pricey area of California and can simply no longer afford the cost of board, hay, and farrier care, nor do I have time to give them the attention and care they deserve.

And so begins the search for a facility I can trust to care for my geldings as if they were their own. I realize there are dozens of threads on this topic but the most useful ones are many years old. I found the perfect place a few hours away but it’s $700/month per horse (which is actually a great price for this area - I just don’t have the money). I want to see if I can find an equally wonderful place in an area with a lower cost of living, hoping to find $400/mo (not incl grain, farrier, etc) but I realize the amount of work involved so if that’s unreasonable I will raise my expected budget. I’m open to anywhere in the US that has weather that would not shock these arthritic fair-weather northern California boys (they’ve seen snow in their lifetimes but I don’t want them to think they’ve been sent off to Siberia). I’m thinking OR, WA, TX, VA, SC, etc.

I prefer a smaller facility with owners/carers on site, daily handling and weekly grooming, and access to excellent vets & farriers. Preferably retirement and lay-up focused. I’m not as comfortable with a primarily boarding facility that also takes retired horses since often they’re unable to provide adequate care for distant owners. Most important is great communication and strong recommendations, and a small staff (or just a one or two-person operation). It’s essential that the staff can handle sensitive horses and can detect subtle lameness or changes in demeanor. Both horses need a low-sugar diet and limited pasture access (either a muzzle all day and stalled at night, or a dry lot), blankets in weather under 45 degrees or sheets in the rain, and have sensitive (but very sweet and good-natured) temperaments, which does add challenge to finding the right place. They’re otherwise quite low maintenance, but aren’t simple “out to pasture” types.

This is such a hard thing to do that even writing this makes me nervous, so I sincerely thank anyone for suggestions!

[clanter]

sounds like you are looking for my place, but our kids former show/competition horses have all the space - just was my fault as I made an agreement with the horses after my daughter had one fall with her that if they would take care of their charges then I would take care of them, just was not expecting them to live so long … I am confident there are many places you will find that can meet or exceed your needs.

Since you will possibly be separated by a few thousand miles or so you may want a facility that has video monitoring that allows you to pull up video at will to check on the guys

We had a few horses in training in Kentucky back in the 90s… one thing I did was to have a special credit card issued for the horses… it allowed the training farm to direct charge vet/farrier and other expenses … and at times the Foxie horse would buy pizza for the barn staff

[fordtraktor]

This is out there but hard to find. I do it here, but I am full. And we have winter (though all the horses have heated water and are required to have several weights of turnout blankets so it isn’t that big of a deal, in many ways cold is easier on them than heat).

I think most of us who do this have private facilities and don’t want to deal with a lot of human traffic (we live here) but dote on the horses. There are a few facilities that cater to ex show horses in KY that would probably work too. A regular facility usually doesn’t have the kind of turnout situation in small groups I think seniors do best in. I keep mine in groups of 1-2 depending on needs and everyone has space, shelter and 24/7 hay. I have 2 dry lot areas too for the ones who can’t do grass. They need to walk around the older they get, I think. It isn’t really cost effective for big facilities to do this though and the big fields full of retirees can cause them to need to compete with space on the hay bales which is hard on seniors sometimes too. Some horses can thrive like that, some not so much esp if they aren’t used to it.

Your budget is definitely adequate in the Midwest. CA is very expensive. I charge the same as training facilities with indoors here, but what I offer is different and specialized…all the hay they want, quality feed, stall and shed in paddock, space, attention. Local facilities have issues with one or more of those so I have never had a problem getting clients. it can be hard if you are looking, though…the stars kind of need to align to get them in quick. I can go years without any turnover.

[Guilherme]

“High maintenance” equals “high cost.” That’s because to provide the maintenance means a human has to go out and do something and they are entitled to be paid for what they do.

It’s unrealistic to think somebody will accept $400/mo. for a “high maintenance” horse. At that level it’s quite possible that feed and stall maintenance costs are not being covered. If it’s a “pasture board” arrangement in someplace with a benign climate then maybe that can work. But even there you’ve not got much “J” factor to take care of urgent or emergent situations.

And “high maintenance” horses often generate impressive vet bills. If somebody can’t handle $700/mo. for board how are they going to handle the inevitable costs of the older horse that has issues???

I get that this is a difficult decision for an owner. But as I was told almost 30 years ago when we got our first horse that the last step in arranging care for the horse today was to think about how to deal with the horse when it it is no longer sound for use. Will it be “retirement” at home? Or at a boarding facility? Or donation to a vet school? Or turn it loose on public/private land? Or straight euthanasia? What???

What was not an acceptable answer was “pass it to somebody with a soft heart who will lose money keeping it until it drops dead.”

If the OP can’t afford “retirement” at somebody else’s house then they have narrow options.

G.

[fordtraktor]

They don’t sound particularly like high maintenance horses to me, Guilherme. They need limited grass and an experienced handler. That describes almost all the horses on my farm (except 2). Of those, one needs limited grass and the other an experienced handler…

[S1969]

@fordtraktor

They don’t sound particularly like high maintenance horses to me, Guilherme. They need limited grass and an experienced handler. That describes almost all the horses on my farm (except 2). Of those, one needs limited grass and the other an experienced handler…

I was just going to say that nothing in the OP sounds especially high maintenance to me. Blankets at 45F…maybe. But most retirement farms would expect to supervise horses for blanketing so if they need it, they need it.

That said, $400 is pretty low for many parts of the country. I wouldn’t take a retiree at that price.

[clanter]

@Guilherme

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It’s unrealistic to think somebody will accept $400/mo. for a “high maintenance” horse. At that level it’s quite possible that feed and stall maintenance costs are not being covered.

G.

OP was not including all the feed in the $400… appears just the basic care (stall/hay/personalized handling was expected)

hoping to find $400/mo (not incl grain, farrier, etc)

the gang here all is put into stalls at night most of the time, however we do have paddocks that could be used for nighttime confinement.

The full cost for grain/bedding/hay for me to keep three horses, three miniatures and one pony is around $600 per month. (of course excludes any payment for labor… so really not a good foundation for cost for a business). And we are not a boarding facility so business liability/custodial care insurance needed nor included in my monthly costs.

As a note the three minis equal one horse for bedding/hay/grain. The pony is just a pain in the butt however is estimated at being over 40 so he gets to play the Old Pony Card often… but he is in excellent health 100% sound

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if one wanted to make money boarding dogs would be more productive

[poltroon]

Kindly, I think you would do well to ratchet back your expectations a little.

It seems to me that what is important to you is that your oldsters live out their lives happily has horses, enjoying their days, looked after, rather than just chucked into a field and forgotten. When you say “can detect subtle lameness” why exactly? They’re out standing in a field. They’re old and arthritic. They are going to have on and off subtle lameness, most likely. What will you have them do about it when the horse is a bit short today on the left hind?

I have a couple of oldsters and I don’t jog them with any regularity. They have good days and bad days. Their eyes are bright and I am attentive to them but not as attentive as you would ask (and they are at my house and I work from home). I say this not as an attack or defense of my own choices but just to give you some feedback on concentrating on the aspects that are the most important to you.

For myself, I think the most important thing would be regular communication. Like maybe instead of daily brushing I personally might value a thorough weekly brushing with photo and email, or a place where you can drop in monthly. Stay flexible as you can, in pursuit of your end goal.

Your preference for a small staff, I think I know what you are going for there, but I think expecting a two-person operation to provide this level of care 365 days a year is unrealistic. People need weekends and holidays. Someone might promise you this, but I think in the end you’d be disappointed.

Finally, you’re mentioning hauling them all the way to the east coast… that is a stressful trip and not one I would choose for an elderly horse that was going to be thousands of miles from me. If this would be near a trusted friend or relative that you visit regularly, that would be different. But, in addition to the stress on the horse, I think that sending a horse anywhere that you can’t drop everything and get to if it goes bad is probably of concern.

I think, by the way, that you can find what you want here in California, or possibly northern Nevada, where dry lots are easy to come by.

[fordtraktor]

Maybe I am reading too much into it but it sounds like the horses are metabolically sensitive so I would want them at a place that had a good eye and experience with laminitis…if you don’t catch that early it can spiral downhill. Sometimes it does even if you do catch it early and do all the “right” things so caretakers need to be on top of it.

the horses here all wear sheets under 45 so a blanket is just picking up something else off the rack, no problem/hassle.

$400 for board is pretty high here. Some places charge as little as $200 for full board. I don’t see how they do it, but $400 plus vet and shoes would be on the high side. I can get training board for $600 at half a dozen places. You can’t really compare CA prices with other areas. I do think expecting super fancy things like video monitoring for $400 is not going to happen. I love taking pics of my horses so a pic from my phone not a big deal. I do think it is important to have $$ to go get them if it isn’t working out for whatever reason.

i would be a little reluctant to take someone that far away because it is harder to deal with if they stop paying. We have done it before but only when an established boarder moves away and decides to leave the horse with us but then you already know each other.

[Guilherme]

I went back and re-read the OPs note. The “high maintenance” comes from two places. First, she called them that and I’m taking her at her word. Second, the level of handling that will be required. The third paragraph says there will be a fair amount of human action required and THAT’S what costs real money in the world of boarding.

For what she’s wanting she’s likely better off to “bite the bullet” and take the $700 locally if that is a “full care” price. Putting solid forage and fodder numbers together is hard unless you just where the horse will end up. There’s also a suggestion that the horses will need special feeding and that will increase costs all by itself.

The requirement for “lots of communication” means somebody has to do the communicating and that’s not free.

Horses are not cheap. Older horses can even be less cheap. Her expectations are unrealistic for the price levels she is seeking.

G.

[Bagatelle]

Are people going to think I’m a monster if I gently suggest that putting an old horse with special need to sleep may be kinder than sending it so far away you can’t check on it regularly?

I do hope Alter-Real finds a truly wonderful retirement home for the horses.

[Guilherme]

@Bagatelle

Are people going to think I’m a monster if I gently suggest that putting an old horse with special need to sleep may be kinder than sending it so far away you can’t check on it regularly?

I do hope Alter-Real finds a truly wonderful retirement home for the horses.

Not at all. It’s not a perfect end but there are ends that are far worse.

G.

[poltroon]

@Bagatelle

Are people going to think I’m a monster if I gently suggest that putting an old horse with special need to sleep may be kinder than sending it so far away you can’t check on it regularly?

I do hope Alter-Real finds a truly wonderful retirement home for the horses.

If a horse is elderly with special needs that won’t be met, then not at all. A compromise position would be a plan maybe to give a particularly nice retirement for a couple of years and then euth on a nice day.

If the issue of detecting subtle lameness is about laminitis worries, I would be specific to that in instructions. Obviously laminitis-suspect lameness is an emergency. But, most lameness in a pastured horse is not, and I’ve learned that even in my riding horse, that there is a lot of value in just giving the horse a couple days off first for subtle things rather than trying to Do Something.

[seabreeze]

This farm is in Virginia. Very good care by farm owner (not my place, just know this place has a good reputation).

http://www.horseretirementfarm.com/

[SnortyPants]

@Guilherme

"

If the OP can’t afford “retirement” at somebody else’s house then they have narrow options.

G.

Well that didn’t take long, guess the COTH euth the geezers brigade got the bat signal. $400 is th going board rate around here for no frills “full board” which consists of 24hr access to dry lot with twice daily grain in stalls, hay as needed outside, blanket service. As long as the person bringing them in twice daily knows how to look for lameness on the walk from paddock to barn, then they seem to be covered by this basic service. If she’s willing to look st anywhere literally thousands of miles away then this is hardly a big ask. Might take some research but it’s out there.

[js]

https://www.socalequine.com/health_care/rehab_retirement.htm

http://www.bellacavallifarms.com/equestrian.html

http://saddlecreekfarm.com/index.html

[js]

All of these are in Southern CA. I can’t post the full links or my post will be unapproved

http://saddlecreekfarm
http://www.bellacavallifarms
http://cedarhillfarmgv.com/retirement_rehabilitation

[Angela_Freda]

@SnortyPants

Well that didn’t take long, guess the COTH euth the geezers brigade got the bat signal. $400 is th going board rate around here for no frills “full board” which consists of 24hr access to dry lot with twice daily grain in stalls, hay as needed outside, blanket service. As long as the person bringing them in twice daily knows how to look for lameness on the walk from paddock to barn, then they seem to be covered by this basic service. If she’s willing to look st anywhere literally thousands of miles away then this is hardly a big ask. Might take some research but it’s out there.

Older horses take more care and attention and time.
As they get older, which is kinda’ the point of retiring them- hoping they get even older, they tend to take even more.
The OP already labeled these horses High Maintenance and suggested they have special feed needs.

‘One size fits all’ is, IMO, the worst motto for any boarding facility, but a retirement boarding facility in particular. Especially when the owner isn’t part of the equation [as owners tend to pay more, closer attention to their own horses and provide undivided attention to same.].

You would not get full service, quality retirement board for $400 in my part of NY.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Listen to what people are telling you here about the dangers. They are right.

[js]

I think your expectations of $400 a month for essentially full board and care is unreasonable. Just because they are retired you are still expecting them to be cared for the same as full board, i.e. blankets, daily handling etc. and that’s great but also costs. Your expectations of sending them out of state and expecting them to be cared for to your likings is dicey at best, there are plenty of horror stories out there. There was a thread a few years back about a retirement facility in Florida that while it looked great in the pictures (of the property) the care and treatment of the horses was beyond bad. Without you being near to drop in and check on them, you are leaving them in the hands of someone who might say one thing and do another.