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talk to me about retirement...

Eventing
#41

I run a retirement farm in Tennessee and the majority of the retirees here are from out of state, some out of the country (from Canada). There are some really good retirement farms, the issue is you have to be willing to pay for them. Four-board wood fencing isn’t any cheaper for me to build than a non retirement farm, and I should mention we have over five miles of it. I don’t get to buy quality hay cheaper because I’m a retirement farm, I could keep going with those types of examples but you get the idea.

Why do people send us horses from out of state? Typically they are often coming from a distinctly colder climate or from Florida which is hard on horses year round, or from southern California where grass turnout basically doesn’t exist. The other common reason is they want their horses out of a limited turnout, show barn type of environment because the horse is now retired and doesn’t get the daily exercise/riding session anymore and needs more turnout. We have a better nutrition program than most show barns. My husband’s education and professional background is large animal nutrition so we feed a custom grain mix that is seasonally re-balanced to our grass, soil and hay tests. We feed good quality, tested hay free choice with no exceptions. The horses get groomed, blanketed as needed, see the farrier regularly, have teeth floated annually, all the things that are needed to provide quality care. The Cushing’s horses get body clipped as often as needed spring through fall. The majority of our residents live outside 24/7/365 after a transition period. We don’t have a completely open visitors policy. Visiting is by appointment in that you can’t show up anytime you want, but nor is it time consuming or onerous to make an appointment. Just send me an email and let me know. We are also not shy about letting owners know when an end of life decision needs to be made. We’ve done it many times over the years now and some might accuse us of being a smidge quick to recommend euthanasia, but we are in the week to soon vs. a day too late camp. I’ve seen it both ways, and will always opt for too soon vs too late if it is possible. We do stay full with a waiting list and have for years.

There are occasionally unpaid retirement options that are good. Some therapy programs are excellent, but they can only take so many horses. Ryerss Farm in Pennsylvania is a non-profit, but you do still have to pay a fee up front. Compared to what it will cost to care for the horse for the rest of its life the fee is still significantly cheaper than paying a good farm retirement board every month. They also maintain a long waiting list.

If someone cannot afford, or chooses not to afford, a paid retirement for their horse, I am a proponent of euthanasia. There are FAR worse outcomes for a horse than a peaceful passing when they are in good health. We have been contacted so many times through the years by people who rehomed their horse who needed to move down a level or go to trails only type status, and after a period of time (sometimes years, sometimes not) they are either contacted to take the horse back with basically no notice or find out the horse is in a bad situation since it was rehomed again without their knowledge. Personally I would euthanize rather than hope for the best by rehoming a pasture sound horse.

11 Likes
#42

This is a good discussion and has been really interesting reading. Thanks, everyone.

My only thought is that maybe expectations for “retirement board” are a little high? While I understand that it may not be suitable for every horse, I’ve seen many retirees that were happy horses on 24/7 turnout in giant pastures. They had shelter, safe fencing, appropriate companions, free choice hay, and plenty of fresh water. They got senior feed 1-2 times per day with meds and supplements added as needed, were looked over 1-2 times a day by a knowledgeable horse person, and had good hoof care/vaccinations/deworming/etc. However, they weren’t blanketed or groomed or otherwise catered to. When they started to struggle with that level of care (which for most of them was close to age 30), it was taken as a sign that they were ready to go and they were humanely euthanized.

I currently have a retiree who is living out his days that way. I’ve also occasionally thought about offering affordable “retirement board” for a horse or two, but after reading the expectations for care for these horses, that idea is starting to seem a lot more difficult.

3 Likes
#43

Most horses would be very happy campers in that type of environment, and I am sure there are plenty of owners looking for exactly that! I wouldn’t let this thread deter you completely from offering a couple of retirement slots, just be upfront with owners about what you are able to provide and offer and at what cost.

A friend sent her mare (born and raised in SoCal) to a retirement farm in Wyoming, where she lives in a huge pasture with a bunch of other mares. She had a very rough go the first year, from adjusting to the weather to the pasture setting and everything in between. After that first year she settled in, her body acclimated, and she’s a happy camper.

1 Like
#44

Thank you! SoCal to Wyoming was probably quite the transition (along with the other adjustments), but it’s good to hear she has settled in. I think horses tend to be much tougher and more adaptable than we give them credit for most of the time! :slight_smile:

#45

May I ask why? Usually I associate this kind of policy with a red flag of sorts, but you clearly put thought and care into most aspects of the experience you offer. What made you decide to limit visitors?

1 Like
#46

  1. The time when someone accused us of not telling then their horse was dead after they spent 45 minutes walking around the 40 acre pasture without finding him. In 2 minutes I walked her to the hiding place in the woods whete he was with his buddies. She’d unknowingly walked past him several times.

  2. The time someone thought turning off tne water hydrant meant pushing the handle down halfway and the pressure build up blew out several hydrants.

  3. The time when someone fed their horse $300 of treats in a few hours in their happiness to see him after not seeing him for several months. Owner went home aand we spent the weekend nursing the horse through a bad colic.

  4. The time someone went in the pasture with their husband (who was an NFL goalie, both in flip flops )with a bag of carrots and apples and were surprised when they were dsngeriusly mobbed. NHL goalie came thisclose to a broken foot and screamed at us about career ending human injuries.

  5. I could give lots more examples and go on and on but hate typing on my phone.

Conclusion. No open visitor policy. People who haven’t been around their horse for awhile completely forget how to be around horses and do really dumb, unsafe things which often leads to expense and cleanup on my part. I now must know when they are coming and keep an eye on things, either up close or from a distance and everyone, especially horse owners, has a much happier experience.

5 Likes
#47

I spend $350 a month on premium alfalfa, fancy grain, vitamins, and bedding alone. :lol: The retirement programs I have priced out would run me close to $500 and that only provides “local” hay (low quality), no vitamins or grain unless purchased/provided by owner. I think mentally, my guy would be 100% happier in a group 24/7 setting, but feeding him appropriately presents a logistical problem and I am not in a position to afford spending $5-600/mo on ANY one of my horses, let alone the retired one. :lol:

For an easy keeper, I have no issue with what you describe, assuming it was within a reasonable price range. I fully realize my old guy is not the average retiree - he’s a massive TB with astronomical caloric needs, tends to be a picky eater, and his apple cart is easily upset by changes in routine.

#48

@onthebit holy heck! Those are some stories. Totally makes sense that once people are not routinely involved they can unintentionally cause disruption by reverting to an old practice or making up a new one. Does your policy differ for local owners? (Perhaps I should have first asked if you even have local owners or if all are too far to visit often?)

…all of this is purely Friday curiosity, feel free to disclose or not disclose whatever makes you feel comfortable. Mine thankfully haven’t reached the retirement stage so this is an area I don’t yet know too much about.

#49

I bet the liability insurance would be astronomical if you could even get that and licenses for child care services.

(eta it’s a lovely idea though!)

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#50

Why would liability be greater in this situation than in a regular lesson barn? I’m not being snarky, I just really don’t understand. The kids would be supervised by adults; presumably their parents aren’t going to be there but don’t parents often just drop their kid off for a lesson and pick them up later? (Sure did when I was a kid :)) And unless the parents are horsey, how would their presence make the kid any safer any way? I just don’t see how the insurance question would be any different than it is for any barn that has kids present, with the proper releases signed. Part of the justification for charging fees would be that the kids are getting real training, in proper horse care and safe handling, and that takes adult supervision. How does it work at summer camps, when the counselors who are supervising the kids are often just teens?

A license to provide child care probably varies from state to state. I think some states are pretty darn lenient about it, and there are a lot of in-home child cares that are licensed after completing some fairly rudimentary training.

Good points to consider!

#51

This is the level of care I think of when I think “retirement facility,” which to me is a far cry from essentially abandoning a horse in a pasture where eyes may not be laid on it for days at a time. That’s no way for a horse to live, old or not. I think Practical Horseman had an article maybe in the past year about the Maddens’ retirement facility, which surprised me in how hands off they were with “letting a horse be a horse.” The only item I really remember is that the horses don’t get fly spray, but the gist of it was very like the no blanketing, grooming, etc. It seems to me that with the lower overhead that would make, and with some amount of additional fundraising, it ought to be feasible to make a lot more of such places. That way owners who don’t have the luxury of keeping their old horses at home or at friend’s would have another humane alternative besides euthansia - which I’m not against. But I’d rather the old guys live as long as they comfortably can being “just a horse,” rather than the only choice being euthansia to prevent them from falling into a bad situation.

#52

My old man has a big field, a shed, a buddy, and some supplementation with feed and hay as needed. I only chase him down and force a blanket it on him if the weather is going to be really horrific (the rare blizzard or a prolonged ice event). I rarely groom him because he just doesn’t care and either walks away or argues with me the entire time he is tied. I DO clip him in the summer, which means he might get a bath or two a year. I do fly spray him, put a fly mask on him (because of a past squamous cell carcinoma, technically he should wear one year round, but he hates them, and at nearly 32, SOMETHING will eventually get him. Why make him miserable?), and I put sunblock on his pink nose. This is how he is happiest. When he can’t be happy like this, then I will help him pass along to the pasture in the sky. My dad will be so happy to see him. <3 :sadsmile:

2 Likes
#53

I would never fault anyone for euthanizing a horse with no purpose except for being a pasture ornament, no matter how old. The realities of life are just that, realities.
My trainer just euthanized a perfectly sound very nice 8 YO OTTB who would SNAP and become dangerous. No indications and no apparent triggers. Like attacking people mean. She told me that she could not, in good conscience, let the horse leave the property. And with her young children helping at the barn, as well as boarders/clients, could not entertain keeping him there either. It was a sad decision, but the right one.
We should remember that our ponies live in the moment and have no concept of what they might be ‘missing’. Euthanasia is most certainly a gift for our ponies. A gift that we ourselves, do not have the luxury of having. It may be something underused because humans are the ones who make the decision.

5 Likes
#54

This has been an excellent read, thank you everyone. I’m currently thinking through what a retirement situation for my 23yo might look like. He’s in totally fine shape now but I want to be financially & emotionally prepared when it’s time!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what a horse retirement pension plan would look like. Something where you could pay in X dollars per month over a horses’s career, the money is all invested together and makes reasonable market gains, and when the horse is Y age, pays out $Z per month. With X, Y, and Z determined by the owner’s level of investment in the fund - if you’re super-cautious, you could invest more up front, choose a plan with a lower potential retirement age and higher end payout.

If done right, it could be a great way to give owners peace of mind early on, and could actually lead to more robust retirement opportunities because there would be a bigger pool of people with the resources to fund a quality retirement situation. You could run the numbers and adjust all the possible factors depending on what there is a market for and what’s a reasonable rate of return.

1 Like
#55

Kerlin, I like the way you think!!! This is what it’s going to take to solve it…along with some creative overhead offset strategies, I think. Go at it from more than one angle.

#56

This is a timely thread for me, as opening a retirement farm is on my list of possible life paths right now. I am definitely leaving my current job and the hubs and I are planning to move. However, finding a job out of state is proving to be a challenge… And we happen to have some family property (about 200 acres) with a cute little farm house, functioning hay field and 40 acres of fenced flat pasture. It would need cross fencing and a barn… but it’s otherwise free.

The kicker- It’s in the middle of nowhere, make me want to kill myself, Mississippi. :lol:

However, I think I would be able to provide good care for about 10 horses. For me that means maximum turnout in small groups, coming in twice a day to eat, or during rain, extreme cold, heat, etc. Regular grooming, treatment of minor injuries, supplements, blanketing, fans in stalls and holding for vet/farrier.

I know it’s not a huge money maker, but it’s something that I’m good at and love doing. I would never limit owner visits, but because of the location, I figure my target market would be people who live in large urban areas who are paying an arm and a leg for board, and want a quality retirement for their horse for an affordable price.

I have one retiree of my own that I am lucky enough to keep at a friend’s house right now. However, few people have that option and finding a safe place for your oldster to go is a big issue.

#57

Short strided, I really agree with you that it’s a big issue. We owe these horses so much. And I think a lot of people would be happier in their career paths if they considered things the way you are - what am I good at, and love doing - instead of feeling obliged to pursue the max $$ path.

1 Like
#58

I am living proof of that theory. I’m still paying off law school loans. :sigh:

#59

I suspect retirement options and what is acceptable to you varies greatly by region.

When my previous horse was 19 it became apparent that we could not get him “serviceably sound” for riding any more. The vets felt he was comfortable and did not require maintenance medication if allowed to set his own pace. I could have continued walk trot with occasional bute, but did not wish to do that.

Around here, therapeutic riding facilities will not take a horse that is not sound - they have plenty of options. He was too reactive anyway. There was one retirement farm set up with the initial fee system, but you gave up ownership and I didn’t want to do that even if he could have gotten in (they also favored horses with famous owners or show wins to help with their fund raising)

Fortunately I was networked enough to know of the local “backyard” barns. Loved my boarding stable, but I didn’t need to pay for an indoor and the turnout was limited. My BO helped me find a place with lovely pastures and a snug stall. It was a mix of retirees and casual riders. It was way cheaper (although my horse continued to need orthopedic horseshoes up front!) I couldn’t afford another board bill, so I did not ride for years, but he lived there happily for 5 years until he colicked and I had to let him go.

IME, around here it is quite common to find retired horses at these small stables combined with casual and trail riders and the cost is lower if you don’t care that there is not a groomed ring or access to a trainer, etc. Seems to work for the barn owners as the people visit less and are lower impact. (Of course as a horse owner you need to do your research to make sure it isn’t a barbed-wire horror with bad management practices!)

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