Retirement livery - how much does it cost?

[MrsElle]

I posted in Soapbox a few days ago about the possibility of renting a large Victorian house and renting a couple of rooms out to elderly folks who can't or don't want to live at home alone but don't want to go into a nursing home. They would live with us as part of the family.

Well, it looks as if our plans might come to fruition

We have found a property, the landlords are willing to rent it to us for a reasonable sum and it has 10 acres of paddocks with it.

As we don't need that amount of land for just us and we are looking at more ways to earn some money we were tossing the idea of having a few horses on retirement livery.

Is there much call for this? How much do other retirement livery places cost?

Any info much appreciated!

 

[hellspells]

I'm not sure on price. But I looked into it (but more of a turn away and see) and there were few 'decent' places out there. Infact the best offer I had was from lovely people here. I would much rather send somewhere like you that was smaller and more personal.

 

[brighteyes]

I wouldn't send mine to a retirement livery which might be temporary - you are only renting and a retirement livery would need to have at least a few permanent stables, small turnout all-weather thing in case of bad weather and the promise of some long-term existence.

Many apologies if you intend to stay at this place for at least ten years and build the kind of facilities you'd need for a retirement home for horses. They can last for years and many owners will be expecting their horse to live out its final years in one place, settled and happy and secure.

 

[Enfys]

I have two retired horses living here, their board (stabling in winter extra) is exactly the same as I would charge for any other horse getting the same facilities, that is grazing, shelter, feed, daily checks, rugging and includes handling for Vet and farrier blah, blah, blah. It makes no difference to me what age a horse is.

Extras such as vet visits, drugs etc are charged directly to the owners and they supply medication and special feedstuffs.

I have no idea what the going rate for any kind of livery service is in the UK though, sorry.

Good Luck with your venture.

 

[Flame_]

£35 a week with daily checks and haylage in winter.

You could do with at least a shelter you can shut a horse in should it need emergency box rest. Then otherwise its the owners' problem if the horses need a stable long term, they would have to come and get them/pts.

 

[3BayGeldings]

It depends on the size of the horse where my gelding is. Will costs 22 pounds a week, including haylege. He's 15.3hh MW. He's checked daily, rug checked in winter, 2 large barns for shelter etc. Extra when they need feet trimmed. Probably best for you to ask Henryhorn, as she runs the retirement livery where my horse is!