options? retirement? no idea what to do for the best

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lexibell

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My horse of a lifetime was diagnosed with a keratoma 5 years back, despite our best efforts the surgery was complicated and left him with permanent damage to the coffin joint. We brought him home and 5 years on he is full of life and as good as sound on the soft, he struggles with prolonged periods of riding on hard surfaces and this means that most summers he needs 2-3 months off when the ground is particularly hard.

I bought another horse to ride as at the time I was keeping horses on family land so retiring one wasn't a problem as the costs were minimal. fast forward and due to a huge row which i wont go into on here I no long have free grazing. I cant afford 2 on livery. I am trying to figure out retirement options for old boy, hes 18 this year and whilst hes currently acting like a 4 year old he isnt able to school or compete which is what i want to do.

Do people take on light hacks? hes like a 4 year old in winter on the soft, but like a doddering old man all summer and on hard surfaces (on loan basis I wouldnt sell him or give him away) are there retirement livery's that dont want an arm and leg in the east midlands?

What are my options and what would you do? I have fleetingly considered PTS, but cant bring myself to do that to him when hes given so much over the years and in himself is happy and content, just the work that he is capable of is so limited. In general hes good to handle, and spent last summer on loan to a local charity working with autistic kids.

I dont know Im just trying to write this down to work it out in my own mind but would be interested to here others opinions?
 
Yes, I took my 35 year old out for light hacks (apart from when she took off with me in the fields still :D). We usually went out for about 40 mins max and she absolutely loved it!

Oh I realise now I misinterpreted your light hacks question. People who don't want to do much riding would probably be happy to take on light hacks, as long as they don't have a big medical bill attached. However, if your lad is lame on hard surfaces then I have to say I wonder who would be able to take him on as a ridden horse, no matter how lightly, as very few people are fortunate enough to be able to avoid roads (ie hard surfaces).

If you're considering paying for retirement livery, then surely you could look for new grazing? As the issue doesn't seem to me to be money. Personally, I don't really agree with retirement livery. They don't seem to get much attention, it just gives the owner a false warm fuzzy feeling.
 
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The options I would be considering if he were mine, are to loan him out as a light hack/companion and pay all insurance/medical bills to ensure he was getting the right treatment, if needed.

Retirement livery an option, or see if you can find a field to rent?

Or to have him pts.
 
hnmisty said:
Personally, I don't really agree with retirement livery. They don't seem to get much attention, it just gives the owner a false warm fuzzy feeling.
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I'm not sure about that! I have been considering it for my big lad if he doesn't come/stay sound as I only have a few acres here and I don't think that it's fair to keep a retired horse on a few acres and stabled most of the year at night (due to heavy clay ground). I wouldn't be doing it for a warm fuzzy feeling, it would be much cheaper for me to keep him here at home for free and I am not stuck for time to do him but surely he would be happier being out with lots of other horses 24/7 on 100 acres if he is no longer being ridden than kept as a ridden horse is?
 
I think you may struggle to loan him as most people prefer riding in the summer months and as someone else said hacking usually involves road work of some kind.

Think I would be looking into retirement livery or a field to rent too.

PTS wouldn't be an option for me if he is happy but that's just personal choice. Everyone's situation is different
 
Im hoping the charity will have him back. i am hoping to propose that if they would like to take him on then i will contribute to winter running costs and cover medical bills. otherwise I think I will have to look into retirement livery. I've been looking for grazing for sometime but with no luck. there are plenty of livery yards but i can't afford two on livery.
 
hnmisty said:
Yes, I took my 35 year old out for light hacks (apart from when she took off with me in the fields still :D). We usually went out for about 40 mins max and she absolutely loved it!

Oh I realise now I misinterpreted your light hacks question. People who don't want to do much riding would probably be happy to take on light hacks, as long as they don't have a big medical bill attached. However, if your lad is lame on hard surfaces then I have to say I wonder who would be able to take him on as a ridden horse, no matter how lightly, as very few people are fortunate enough to be able to avoid roads (ie hard surfaces).

If you're considering paying for retirement livery, then surely you could look for new grazing? As the issue doesn't seem to me to be money. Personally, I don't really agree with retirement livery. They don't seem to get much attention, it just gives the owner a false warm fuzzy feeling.
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I'm sorry but....... as a manager of a retirement home https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Horse-Retirement-Home/151315271580079?fref=ts

I take offence to that statement in reference to retirement horses in livery not getting much attention.........myself and my staff have battled through this winter mucking out, grooming , turning out all our elderly residents and giving them the upmost care they deserve, you cannot generalise retirement livery like that.
 
pastel said:
I'm sorry but....... as a manager of a retirement home https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Horse-Retirement-Home/151315271580079?fref=ts

I take offence to that statement in reference to retirement horses in livery not getting much attention.........myself and my staff have battled through this winter mucking out, grooming , turning out all our elderly residents and giving them the upmost care they deserve, you cannot generalise retirement livery like that.
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I agree with this, the local retirement yard has beautiful stabling, most are brought in all summer for a few hours, small feed, in winter they are out 10-14 hours in a specially built sand paddock, with shelter, housed overnight, they get fed twice a day in winter, and are all in great condition. They also get annual vet check, teeth rasped, farrier as needed.
Far better looked after than most horses in work to be honest. £60.00 per week.

I would not want to just stick a nice horse in a field, I think you would both miss individual attention, of course some horses don't mind, but most like a bit of fuss.

I would have taken on a horse like this as I only used to ride in winter, so there are people out there, it is finding them that is the problem, local RC or facebook perhaps.
 
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I'd go down the retirement livery route - I have a mare at Gorgeous Grazing in Cornwall, where she is looked after like a queen (I think she'd be gutted if I bought her home...she is spoilt rotten down there!) The mare was sound but not up to hard work, but too full of life for me to PTS - so I found the most affordable retirement grazing I could and haven't regretted my decision once.
 
If he's fine to ride but struggles with hard ground, why not remove the shoes and use shock absorbing boots, or boots with pads in, even if it's just for the summer months? Whether it's you or a potential loaner, it would mean he can be worked in the 'fatty season'.
 
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