Equine Retirement: So Much More Then Simple Boarding
By Richard and Gayle Beller, Promises Kept Farm
There are many reasons why people choose to retire their mounts. Generally, the owners that retire their horses have owned, ridden, and loved the horse for many years, and the horse has either gotten too old to perform, or has developed health issues which make him/her unusable for the owner’s needs. In some instances it’s the owner can no longer ride as they once did, and choose to retire their faithful mount rather than giving him/her up.
Almost without exception, the owner who retires their horse does not have the place of their own for the horse, or they may simply not have sufficient time to devote to their retired friend. Often the owner is paying a premium to keep their active horse in close proximity. Many active stables add fees for the various services they offer to their boarders, i.e. fees to handle the horse for the vet or farrier, fees to apply fly wipe, or fly masks, fees to put on and take off blankets, etc. Though the retired horse may be further away, retirement may well allow the owner to reduce the expense of boarding. Retirement is a long term commitment, so reducing the cost is often a major consideration.
Once you’ve decided that retirement is your best alternative, what should you look for when choosing a Retirement Farm?
When you searched for an active stable for your horse you had specific considerations; is the stable kept clean, are the stalls airy, are the owners/managers/workers reliable, how well are the horses fed, are they turned out or stalled all day etc. The same considerations will all apply to your decision about a retirement farm, but there’s much more.
Think of the Retirement Farm as a foster home for your horse. Retirement goes well beyond mere boarding. The owners/managers/stable help at the retirement farm will become your horse’s primary care givers. Over time they will bond with your horse, not in the same way you have bonded, it a different relationship but one that is still built upon love and trust.
Let’s assume that you’ve chosen a stable where the horse’s basic needs will be met, there will be a clean, dry stall each night, more than ample food, abundant hay, and clean, fresh water. But now you need to insure that all of your horse’s other needs are going to be met. As we said previously, the retirement farm will more than likely not be close to you so all the things you do for your horse should be done by the farm, presumably at no additional charge. Specific items to look for:
1) Is the horse groomed each day?
2) Are the horse’s feet picked each day?
3) Is the horse on a well planned, diverse worming program?
4) Is the horse fly sprayed, and fitted with a fly mask in the summer?
5) Is he/she covered with sheets or blankets in the winter if they are cold?
6) Are they held, and comforted when seen by the farrier or Vet?
7) Are they treated for minor cuts, bumps, or bruises?
8) Are they turned out each day?
9) When turned out, are they with other horses that are sociable, compatible and friendly?
10) When turned out, do they have access to fresh water all day and to warm water in the winter?
11) When turned out, do that have to shade, wind blocks, or run-in sheds?
If any of the answers to those questions is ‘no’, you may have to question whether the stable is truly dedicated to equine retirement.
Assuming all the answers to the above are ‘yes’, you know all your horse’s creature comforts will be met, but you need to go one step further. Your retiree has special needs. Will those special needs be met? There are two categories of special needs of your retiree, those that are concerned with their physical health, and those that are concerned with their emotional health.
From a physical standpoint the older or ill, retired horse will have specific needs. There may well be a requirement for a special diet. If your horse has lost teeth, perhaps they will need to have their grain moistened, or have access to hay pellets or dingy rather than hay. They may require one or more supplements. They may require medication on a regular basis, either by injection or by oral syringe. The retirement farm must be willing to step-up to these needs as part of their standard routine.
The older horse’s immune system is less effective than a younger animal, which makes the older horses more susceptible to thrush, ring worm, rain rot, scratches, etc. Consequently the retirement farm, as part of its standard routine, must constantly examine the horse for, and treat, these conditions.
In general, your older horse may be plagued with all manner of specific ailments, or afflictions whether Arthritis, Cushings, EPM, Heaves, or Navicular Disease. The retirement farm must be willing to adjust the horse’s daily routine to make the horse as comfortable as possible. Your horse’s quality of life should be of paramount importance to the retirement facility.
From an emotional perspective, your horse needs to know that he/she is cared about. Over the years, you and your mount established a mutual loving relationship. This is your horse, and you are your horse’s person. If you didn’t love your horse, you wouldn’t have considered retirement in the first place. You need to insure that your friend will have the emotional support that you’ve always provided. As the horse’s “foster” person, the retirement farm has an obligation do everything it can to fill that role. Whether by feeding the horse treats, or petting, or rubbing it’s ears, or just spending time talking to him/her when they are in their stalls, the horse needs to know they are loved.
Any farm unwilling or unable to fore fill the basic and special needs of your horse may not be the best placement. Over the past several years the number of “retirement farms” has grown substantially. Many stable owners see equine retirement as a form of “downsizing”, or an easy way of boarding, given that they would have to “deal with the owner’s” so infrequently. A horse placed in a retirement situation, with a care giver who has that attitude, is not well placed.
Recently a number of farms which breed, train, give lessons, have active boarders, and participate in the show circuit, have throne their hat into the “retirement” arena as well. Before placing your older friend at one of these multi-functional facilities, you need to determine exactly how much attention each retiree receives. It goes without saying that at these facilities retirement is not a specialty.
When you search for your horse’s retirement home if at all possible, it is best to visit the farm. Seeing the condition of the horse’s and their relationship with their care givers will tell you the whole story. If traveling to the farm is not an option, and for many it may not be, contacting references including the farms veterinarian, as well as long term boarders should give you a level of comfort with the facility.
As the horse and human population both grow older, equine retirement will become more of an option for many horse owners. Where you place you horse is the most important decision you will make regarding his/her life form that point forward. Make that decision wisely.
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