Why is it so hard to find a place for my retiree?

[fordtraktor]

I did retirement care for many years before building my indoor. I do not approve of the lump sum model at ALL.

Most elderly horses will have some sort of health issue at some point that requires expensive care, but they aren’t really ready to go yet. I would be wary that a lump sum place would just put them down, rather than doing something fairly easy like testing for Cushings/Prascend, etc.

I will say I selected retirees whose owners were devoted to their horses and with plenty of money to spend. I could text them that their horse needed fly boots/a new sheet/whatever and it would arrive from Smartpak no questions asked. I also structure my retirement board so things like fly spray were built in, so I didn’t have to nag them about supplies.

My oldsters have all passed on at this point, but I kept them through my business change…I get really attached to them. Luckily I have a big “back field” that nobody in the training business wants to use because it’s a hike, so the retirees fit seamlessly. Now one of the training clients has a retiree and I have a retired pony of my own, so they go back there.

[SMF11]

What @fordtraktorsaid!

I screen owners SUPER carefully, also looking for people who really love their horse. I wouldn’t take someone in a super precarious financial position (though the only person who abandoned their horses here was probably my richest owner). (As a result I insist on dealing directly with the owner, with the deadbeat I only talked with his personal assistant).

I ask for, and provide, references. By this point, having been doing this for almost 20 years, I have red flags, and green lights I look for. As much as people might decide my barn isn’t what they are looking for, equally I frequently decide someone isn’t a good fit for me.

One of the keys is to make sure they really want what I offer, and they aren’t looking at my barn as a compromise. By that, I mean that I live in a very expensive part of the country, and land costs a lot. As a result there are almost no places offering 24/7 pasture board. I want owners that think that’s the best possible situation for their horse, not someone who really would prefer their horse come in at night, but would consider my place because it’s cheaper. I would not take them – if they aren’t happy, I’m not happy!

I also require that new boarders open an account with the vet practice ai use. The vet practice takes a credit card.

When I stop doing this I want to write about how to do retirement boarding. I have learned a TREMENDOUS amount over the years about the business.

[clanter]

@SMF11

I also require that new boarders open an account with the vet practice ai use. The vet practice takes a credit card.

the two years we had our kids’ horse in Kentucky, the horse had her own credit card for such expenses (vet/farrier/whatever). Trainer held the card for her, but anything that was not covered under the boarding contract was charged to her card (she also liked her groom and was approved to buy her lunch once a week)

It was so much easier for me and it provided records of the expenses

[OverandOnward]

@SMF11

When I stop doing this I want to write about how to do retirement boarding. I have learned a TREMENDOUS amount over the years about the business.

I want to read your book. It would be gratifying if you wrote it sooner – plus I have a feeling it would be a best seller in the horse world.

For some reason this interests me, partly because there is a huge need for it in the local region. Around here for most people who want to retire their horse and don’t already live on land, their options are to buy their own farm just for the horse, or board it at regular rates till the end of its life.

[SMF11]

Ha ha, no book! Maybe I’ll start a thread on COTH

[OverandOnward]

Works for me! COTH thread eagerly awaited!

[Widget]

@OverandOnward

Around here for most people who want to retire their horse and don’t already live on land, their options are to buy their own farm just for the horse, or board it at regular rates till the end of its life.

This was my predicament. Though I am still casually looking to purchase a place so she can come “home”.

[equinelibrium]

I would also love to read your book/COTH post about boarding retirees. I’ve often thought about boarding retirees once I get my own property, but the idea is daunting! There’s just so much, and I’m positive there’s some big things I haven’t even considered.

[Pico_Banana]

Count me in too!

[clanter]

@TheAnxiousAmmy

with a great place for a senior horse to land in the DFW, (TX) area let me know.

my daughter says “Spellbound Farm in in Van Alstyne”, they are a Class A “show barn” but also house retirees

http://www.spellboundfarm.net/index.html

[TheAnxiousAmmy]

Thank you all for the responses thus far. I have been reading each and every one! It sounds like finding a place is not easy in general!

I think I might have found a place at someone’s house. It has another senior horse, lots of trees plus run in shed with gates for feeding. It offers me a lot of flexibility with feeding/hay. The owner is comfortable providing senior care, and they are currently doing so for the current boarder. It is 5 min from my vet, which is great too. It is farther from me, and I won’t be able to go out daily anymore. I think what I struggle with most is the big jump from full care boarding facility where horse is in the stall all day/out all night, to total pasture board with another horse and complete retirement. I mean I know a horse is a horse and probably doesn’t care, but I know him well and know he is happy in his current situation. He’s a happy dude, and I truly think he enjoys his very light rides and grooming daily. Right now he doesn’t need any special feeding, but in the future he might. I don’t know if current barn can/will do that. I know where I have found will. Current barn allows me to see him every day, or my parents to see him every day if I am unable to. Money isn’t an issue when it comes to caring for this horse, so I am so torn between keeping him where he is now (where he has lived for 20 years), or moving him to this other place. It just feels that going from what he has now to pasture puff is a huge jump. I don’t know if he will be the type that hates being out 24/7 or hates being turned out with another horse. I’ve never tried it. Am I crazy? Any insight?

[vxf111]

@OverandOnward

Questions for those who know how retirement care farms are run, especially if the horse is living a considerable distance from the owners …

Do owners keep up with monthly board? I would think that there is a risk of the horse becoming ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and the owners abandoning. Are there any steps up-front that will help assure that the owner continues that monthly payment?

Do owners provide adequate funds for extra care if the horse has a vet situation? Same thing, if the horse is no longer nearby, maybe an owner becomes slow or dismissive about this.

I don’t remember the name of the farm, but I saw an ad for one that basically took ownership of the horses kept there so that they could make all decisions, including when the end of life should come. They took an up-front payment from the owner of $6,000 (I think it was) to be to provide for the horse for the remainder of its life, and that was the only financial contribution the owner made. On the one hand I get the logic, on the other I can see an open door for abuse of finances and horses. What do people who know retirement care think of this model?

You’re probably thinking of Ryerss.

I charge monthly board. I would not accept as a boarder any owner I had concerns about paying. The horses I board belong to owners who have cared for them for their competitive career and have never been deadbeat boarders during that time. I take references and am serious about screening.

I do not ask for a retainer for vet care. I do have each owner fill out a pretty detailed questionnaire about what care they do/don’t authorize if I cannot get in touch with them in an emergency. If I was to authorize care beyond what they have said they would want done (which I have never done) I would expect to pay for it myself. Luckily I have never been in a situation where I couldn’t get an owner on the phone when I needed to. The owner pays their vet bills directly to the vet. I don’t have any involvement in that. The billing doesn’t go through me. I will hold for the vet and administer the care prescribed by the vet but I have nothing to do with any financial arrangement between the vet and owner.

My board is all inclusive of everything but vet and farrier. That way I don’t have to remind people to bring fly spray etc. and I’m not constantly having to track what I do and what I spend. If you horse needs it, your horse gets it. Period. It’s built into board.

I would (and have) board a horse for an absentee owner. I would not board for an owner I didn’t have 100% confidence would hold up their end of the bargain. But the same would be true if I boarded show horses. Who wants to go though the hassle of placing a lien etc. etc. Nobody. I would not board any horse for an owner I had any concerns about-- both in terms of paying and promptly making decisions for the horse.

[SMF11]

What @vxf111said! That’s exactly my set up too.