Do You Think You Owe Your Horse A Retirement?

Flame_ said:
ETA, why do you think professional yards aren't full up with twenty-five year old field ornaments?
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It's funny that you should mention that, as the one person I know who very strongly believes in giving her retired horses a proper retirement is an Event rider. She does have her own yard though, so she has the facilities to do it.

The owner who has no land and can only afford to keep one horse at livery, will find it much harder to keep a retired horse. They have to decide between keeping that one or sell/loan/pts and get another ridable horse.

I personally would keep and give the horse a good retirement if I could and they were healthy enough.
 
I don't feel that I owe mine a retirement but what I do owe them is a good life and not to be sold on in an ever decreasing downwards spiral until they eventually meet their end. so if I was not in a position to keep one happily retired for many years I would give them a happy short time retired and pts at home. I don't think that people who buy a horse so that they can ride should be thought as wrong if they pts an old horse that can no longer be ridden even though I may not agree that its time but equally I think there are a lot of people who could do with learning that horses are not comodities they can pick up and put down with no thought or sell on an oldie as they don't want to do the right thing.
 
I think it's nice to give your horse a retirement if you can - and if you can give your horse a long term retirement without terrible detriment to your bank balance or the horse's welfare, all the better.

I wouldn't criticise someone for putting a horse to sleep under those circumstances. I don't approve of people selling on animals with very uncertain futures (light hacks/companions etc) as you invite dodgy dealers and such selling on unscrupulously and all manner of unpleasant ends for your horse.

For what it's worth, my old lad is in his 20s and is mostly chilling in my field as a very light hack. He's been my boy for 15 years and I do think I owe him on a personal level - he's put up with a lot from me and given me so much! If it becomes untenable to keep him (financially or logistically) he will be pts. He will never be sold on. I hope to have all mine until the end of their natural lives.

However, I agree with martlin that selling on a schoolmaster / useful "been there, done that" PC-type pony is a completely different kettle of fish.
 
I suppose it comes down to a philosophical question of how you value a horses life - does it have a value in and of itself, or does it only have a value while you are 'getting' something from it in return?

People can sometimes view a horse through the prism of their own human viewpoint, without acknowledging that that horse has its own life enjoying herdmates, sunny weather, spring grass, playing.
 
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I find I'm getting a surprising amount of pleasure now out of my horse who is moving towards semi-retirement, just being able to enjoy him for what he is, rather than the constant striving for competition success. Yes, he costs me in livery and shoes and medication, and in time, but he still repays me. Its surprised me, because before I always sold horses before they reached 12 and concentrated on competing, and its a real joy to have kept this one and to appreciate him for more than just the rosettes he won me.

But I see so many adverts for horses like him, who are probably beginning to stop, or have the odd pole down, or not do the same movements any more, because the owner quite possibly wants a younger horse, or loses interest in looking after the horse when they aren't doing what they used to do so well any more.

(I'm not talking about Grade As or ex Grand Prix horses who can still compete/work at lower levels when older).

What I cannot fathom is amateur riders, who depend so heavily on the partnership with their horses as opposed to their sublime riding skills, simply getting rid of that horse when they get a bit older. There are so many of those sort of riders who buy a 10 or 11 year old because they are a bit of a schoolmaster but seem to have no plan for when that horse becomes a teenager and a bit stiff.

I wouldn't have a horse in the first place if I had no intention of looking after it once it became older. I'd probably buy a nice car or a motorbike or something instead.
 
I do not ever pass my old horses on , as they age I will find them easier jobs ,
work them lightly when they need to stop work I PTS or sometime retire depending on the situation and the individual .
 
I currently have an ageing population. ony is out on loan at 22, still in full work and happy as larry. I suspect he may come back at some point in the near future, but he will either go on loan again, or have a sharer, he is telling me it is not time to retire just yet. Our old girl is semi retired, less so at the moment, as she doesn't want to be, but when the time comes, she gets to be a field ornament for as long as she is happy. The rest I suspect will all get to field ornament age at some point, and will hang around for as long as they are happy, but mine are my children, not everyones view I know, and I am happy to forgo much to keep them.
It might be slightly different for me, as I do ride for a living, so the riding isn't the be all and end all, luckily as one of mine has effectively been a paddock ornament her whole life having niggle after niggle, currently sound though so she had better watch out!
 
Mithras said:
I find I'm getting a surprising amount of pleasure now out of my horse who is moving towards semi-retirement, just being able to enjoy him for what he is, rather than the constant striving for competition success. Yes, he costs me in livery and shoes and medication, and in time, but he still repays me. Its surprised me, because before I always sold horses before they reached 12 and concentrated on competing, and its a real joy to have kept this one and to appreciate him for more than just the rosettes he won me.
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That is such a lovely thing to read.
 
Thinking about it, I can think of quite of few R/S, event/dressage yards that have a few old timers mooching around the place with honorary senior statesman status.
The sweetest sight at JP Sheffield's ultra beautiful yard was a small little old grey pony out enjoying the sunshine. He looked a little out of place amongst the gleaming, muscled eventers, but the dear boy was JP's first pony enjoying his retirement.
 
Yes i think i owe all mine retirement, i loaned out my 17yr old shire who is only suitable for hacking but this suits his loaner, i had an offer of purchase but turned it down because im responsible for giving him a happy retirement when the time comes should his loaner want to hand him back to get something younger ( which is fine, shes on livery and i have my own land)
 
In an ideal world, yes I do. However it depends on how old the horse is (can't imagine most people would want to keep a broken/ill 7 YO for the rest of it's days) and the facilities/ time and money owner has. If you have your own land/stables then no excuse not to really but if you are at livery, a v tough and costly decision!

If I couldn't afford to retire an oldie I would PTS.
 
I retired my cleveland bay at 7 (arthritis) and he has just turned 12. He costs an absolute fortune in joint supplements etc (approx £200 a month) but I have never had the same bond with a horse and I have had him since he was 5. I am not sure how much longer he will be around for, but I feel that I do owe him a retirement as he has taught me so much in the 7 years that I have had him (even though I only rode him for 2 years).

I am lucky that I could afford to have another at the same time (now 14 years old and has now been off lame for the last year) and again, I was lucky enough to be able to afford a 3rd horse last year who is now 5 years old.

I feel that I owe the 2 older ones a retirement, but I am not that attached to the baby despite having him for a year. Not sure if I am trying to keep a distance so that if I need to replace number 3 I will do so, rather retiring number 3 and being on the look out for number 4.

I dont have my own place (yet) so they are all on livery which costs a fortune but I wouldnt be without them. There is no way I would sell the 12 y.o. or the 14 y.o. with his problems - they would be pts.
 
Yes, without a doubt. When mine retires (he's 14 now) I won't be in a position to keep 2, so I'll just not ride, simple as.
He's given me the best years of his life and many, many hours of pleasure, the least I can do is give him a decent retirement and when the time comes, a pain-free end.
 
Yes I do.

I have owned my boy for 7 years and prior to that he was my lead horse at the riding school I worked at. I took all the hacks out on him and he even did some lead reins lessons for the kids. When I left the riding school he came with me.

He is now fully retired and has been for a couple of years since being badly injuried by another horse in March 2010

Last year I moved him to a quietier yard so he could really enjoy his retirement, it meant paying slightly more each month on rent but it has been worth it.

If his injuries or cushings etc get worse then I would PTS, I would also not hesitate to PTS if my circumstances changed has at the age of 28 with medical condition I wouldnt want him being passed from pillar to post but hopefully we have many more years together just enjoying each others company
 
Flame_ said:
ETA, why do you think professional yards aren't full up with twenty-five year old field ornaments?
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You'd be surprised. I can't think of any equine professional that I know personally who doesn't have at least a couple of geriatric horses hanging around the place. I have a few myself :) Most professional riders I know will sell their horses while they are still worth some money and are capable of doing a job, so they don't keep them all granted, but everyone has a soft spot for that special horse so we do hang on to some of them.

I don't view my horses are pets per se, they are all here to do a job and earn money however I do feel a loyalty to my horses so when they get older I don't feel the need to get rid of them. I own a lot of land so it's easy for me to make the decision to keep them, for people who don't own their own land I totally understand why they make different decisions.

I have to say though, age is a funny old thing, since moving across the Pond, 18 or 19 year old horses really aren't classed as 'old and useless' over here. Most horses of this age are still going strong and decent money still passes through hands for the sale of these horses. If someone came to me and wanted one of my slightly older horses (not the ancient ones in their 30s, I couldn't part with them I'm afraid) and they had a good use for the horse and I thought the horse would enjoy being with them then I would be happy to let them have use of that horse providing it remains on my property and in my ownership. Many horses over here who are around 18 or 19 years old have 10 or more good ridden years left in them so it seems a bit wrong in a way to suggest they should be retired to a field for another 10 or 20 years when someone else might get pleasure from the horse and reap the benefits of their experience. I've taken on quite a few horses who are/were in their twilight years and I've never regretted it, but I do feel sometimes that the previous owner who enjoyed 10 or 15 years with those horses are somewhat lacking in compassion. Who knows though, maybe their situations were ones that did not allow for such indulgences. Tbh I have an incredible fondness for super old horses so I kind of enjoy having them around the place :o
 
I find some of these missing on loan/ scam companion homes quite scary. Especially how many times they seem to get away with doing it!
Amymay just how close did you come to fallilng foul of that woman, and how did you avoid it?
 
Yes, I personally think that I owe my horses a nice retirement, and I also owe it to them to do the right thing if that is not possible.

That said, I bought a 16yo mare who had competed at a decent level at sj, then eventing, also hunting, was a lesson horse and kindly, patiently and firmly taught many people to ride and she is now my happy hacker horse who makes me happy, so if her owners hadn't first put her up for loan and then sold her to me I never would have had the opportunity to have such a fabulous horse.

Of course older horses need more maintenance so you need to be careful who you do pass them on to, especially a nice tempered safe one like mine, she has COPD and also arthritis, and I think her feet need some improvement- she could easily be ranted into the ground in the wrong circumstances, so she costs a bit more in supplements and her grass intake needs managing, but to me anyway it is worth it. I will retire her when ready, hopefully we have a bit longer to ride together and as long as she is happy she can be my pretty ornament, she has certainly earned it.
 
Its strange isn't it, I came across a lady who had a horse missing on loan, which I found for her rather quickly. The girl had done the same thing several times, selling horses whilst on loan, all from the same livery yard, using the same name!
 
My old girl finished her days out with me, as we'd always said she would. There was no way she was going anywhere. For me, the looking after part is just as important as the riding. Yeah ok, we kept her at home, dad is a vet, free hay and straw, so pretty low cost, but she would have had a home for life with us anyway.

I hate seeing older horses and ponies for sale.
 
A timely question for me with a 17 year old who has had problems for over a year and was finally retired a few months ago, we hoped at first he would come right but more and more problems have come to light. Although the vets have said he could do the off light hack on bute, I'm not sure I am comfortable with that, especially remembering how awful he felt last time I did ride him (about 6 months ago). Aside from being a bit stiff some mornings and getting up and down not being quite as easy as it was, he is happy in the field, playing and cantering around with his friends. But, he will not make a good companion and wouldn't stand being turned out at grass. He won't be left alone in the field, he won't hack alone, he is prone to laminitis in spring/summer/autumn (which was kept at bay with lots of exercise and a grazing muzzle) and abhores being out in the cold and wet. He can't be led out on walks safely, has always been one you had to be sat on and then is/was a lamb. So what to do? If I had my own land, the answer would be easy, he'd hang around in the field for as long as he was comfortable but I have another semi-retired pony and although I can afford to pay livery for both it is sometimes a struggle in winter and definitely could not afford another to ride. Selfishly, I know he could continue to potter around for another 10 years but I only have a limited number of riding years left in me, especially to ride at the level I would like to. Unselfishly (I hope) I would hate for him to get to the stage where he was permanently uncomfortable and really struggling to get up and down. I would never ever sell either of them on to face an uncertain future. Although my plan in my head is to give him the summer happy being a horse, the thought of PTS breaks my heart and I am consumed with the guilt that I do owe him a retirement...
 
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Biggine, If i was in your position I'd give him a good summer and then PTS. It sounds like you have done a lot for him, and circumstances are just completely against you.
 
Yep, I think a horse has every right to be retired and have a nice peaceful end to its life. I really don't like it when someone puts a horse down just because they want another riding one and can't afford two. We have brought a retired mare as a companion, and if someone is willing to give the horse a nice retirement home then its better than being shot just because it has no use to its owner. There is always a risk in selling an older horse to a good home, but that's why it needs to be vetted carefully.
 
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