Transitioning a Horse to Retirement Livery

[H&HUser88]

Hi all, looking for advice on transitioning my 18-year-old competition horse to retirement livery.

Sadly he’s having to retire due to injury and I’m trying to make the move as smooth as possible for him, both physically and mentally. He’s always been in full work and has lived a fairly pampered lifestyle, so I’m a bit emotional about it and just want to get it right.

Current routine:

• He’s been at a standard livery yard for years, living out during the day & in at night.
• I switched him to night turnout (3 pm – 8 am) a month ago to help prepare for the change, as his new retirement yard will be 24/7 turnout in a mixed herd.
• He’s generally good in company—he’s been in mixed herds before and tends to be middle of the pecking order, not overly dominant but won’t get bullied either.

Feeding:

• He’s a very good doer. Feed at the moment is just a handful of chaff, a balancer, foot supplements, and soaked hay when he’s in.
• At the new yard, a lot of the herd aren’t fed hard feed through spring/summer. Is it fine to stop feeding altogether and just reintroduce hard feed if he starts dropping weight? (His foot supplement comes in chewable tablets I can give daily.)
• Fields are large, rotated regularly, with good grass and hay provided in winter.

Skin & fly concerns:

• He’s a chestnut with very sensitive skin and reacts badly to flies.
• Currently wearing a Premier Equine lycra fly mask and Equilibrium fly rug for up to 17 hours a day with no rubbing. Is it OK for him to wear these 24/7 in summer if flies are bad? I’ll be checking him daily to adjust and make sure he’s comfortable.

Other details:

• We’re moving mid-to-late September so heading into autumn/winter.
• He’s up to date with vaccinations, teeth, and worming.
• He’ll still get daily visits and fuss—I’m keen to make sure he doesn’t feel “abandoned” after such a busy, interactive life.

I’d love any tips on:

• The best way to integrate him into a retirement herd.
• Feeding & weight management for good doers in this setup.
• Rugging (fly and winter) for sensitive-skinned horses on full turnout.
• Anything you wish you’d known before retiring your horse.

Thanks in advance for any advice—he’s my heart horse and I’ve had him for a long time, so I really want to make sure he enjoys a comfortable, happy retirement.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Though you’ll get many people suggesting that horses love to live out 24/7, for a horse that had had a pampered lifestyle I’d be looking for somewhere where he can be part stabled at least as option.

I would not send a horse to a retirement livery where living out 24/7 was compulsory. Not nearly as many horses thrive at those as some people would like you to believe.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

I’ve got an oldie who is retired but she loves her stable and certainly this year the lack of grass coupled with poorer dentition I need to bring her in to make sure she eats. I ll also admit that I find it difficult to relinquish control to someone else and I also found retirement livery worked out more expensive than my usual diy yard.

 

[stangs]

For context, I've one boy on a retirement livery where we've got a range of horses from those who moved here in their late 20s, horses who used to be on individual turnout, horses who've competed internationally, as well as ploddy types like my boy.

In my experience (spending a lot of time horse-watching and chatting with yard staff), the majority of horses transition to living out 24/7 perfectly well (and, at my yard, not many horses get regular visits from their owners). The nice thing about retirement livery is that there's no strict routine. Your boy will be surrounded by settled horses who don't expect to come in, don't expect to get a hard feed, etc and that will help him adapt to his new routine quite quickly. Absolutely no problem with stopping feed altogether.

Having said that, I agree with Tiddlypom that you do want an option to stable if needed; we've got quite a few that, as they've gotten older, have had to be stabled at different points in the year for medical reasons (increased sensitivity to flies, increasingly prone to mud fever, etc).

• The best way to integrate him into a retirement herd.

Generally, retirement livery herds are a bit more stable/sensible than herds at other yards (older horses, always out together, no gate tension), and will also be out in more space, so less risk of serious fights if you add him to the herd straight away. However, it does obviously depend on the herd. Ask the YM what they think is best.

• Feeding & weight management for good doers in this setup.

My boy's a very good doer in a herd of very good doers who go on the worst grass, and weight management is still an issue because he gets fat on hay that the others need to stop them getting ribby. Muzzles are really your only option unless the YM is willing to create a starvation paddock.

• Anything you wish you’d known before retiring your horse.

Be mindful that a lot of horses can develop separation anxiety on retirement livery, especially those that are used to being stabled. After all, they're now spending the vast majority of their time with their herd so being with the herd becomes more important to them. Also, retirement doesn't mean you can't do anything with your horse anymore. I take my boy for walks, do some in-hand work in his field, and do some clicker training with him too. That might be an option for you if you find he struggles with being out of work.

I also found retirement livery worked out more expensive than my usual diy yard.

Retirement livery involves all care - which can be a lot with some older horses - and as well as all field management, so it can't be too cheap. Frankly, from what I've heard and seen, the cheap retirement liveries are normally the ones that chuck horses out in a field and forget about them. Those are the yards where you get welfare concerns.

 

[Exasperated]

Though you’ll get many people suggesting that horses love to live out 24/7, for a horse that had had a pampered lifestyle I’d be looking for somewhere where he can be part stabled at least as option.

I would not send a horse to a retirement livery where living out 24/7 was compulsory. Not nearly as many horses thrive at those as some people would like you to believe.

Absolutely. It became very fashionable for a while to describe stabling as ‘being imprisoned’, stables as ‘cells’ - and if that was all your horse ever experienced, that might be correct.
I think if yours has been used to having shelter, bedding, forage all to himself, and lots of ‘pampering’, then 24/7/365 turnout might not be ideal, altho sounds a nice yard.
Re the rugs, if you are attending every day, simply swopping one rug for another in any 24 hour cycle, so that he is always rugged but any pressure points are altered, would be worth considering.
Is he entirely out of ‘work’, or can you hack / lead him around for the odd half hour? Being brushed, taken out a bit would make the change less abrupt.
Good luck, great he has someone who genuinely cares!

 

[poiuytrewq]

I agree with the above. I have retired too many over the years, most have stayed at home and they keep the same routine, stabled part of the day, other than not being ridden. Two recently have gone else where (still me looking after them) to live out. They have both been absolutely great over winter which was my worry but both utterly miserable standing out in flies all day.
One is currently back here as he was just plastered in huge welts and his unshod feet not coping with such hard dry ground, the other has been granted a nice wooden shelter which has made him happier but I still think he misses coming into bed!
Friends horse retired and has taken to the whole thing like he was made for it! Its very horse dependant. I think its always worth a try though.

 

[ihatework]

Plenty love retirement 24/7 out! I would always try it, but have a back up plan for if they aren’t thriving.

Good doers - your bigger problem is more likely to be weight gain if the environment is good. If they are loosing too much then it’s either a poor environment or they are unhappy.

My main advice would be to lay off bathing and minimise excessive grooming. You want them to build up their natural oils in the coat.

Try not to rug too early, let them get their coat through. You might be surprised at how well they do unrugged when the coat is allowed to function naturally. Rugs can always go on if needed later.

Flies. If mine like their masks they have them on 24/7. I’ve got a sensitive chestnut with a white face who will not keep a mask on so she has factor 50 and phaser gel daily. Not a burn or a gammy eye yet this summer.

On the whole I try and avoid fly rugs if they are out 24/7 but obviously it would be horse dependant and if they were distressed then of course.

September is a good time to start the transition weather wise so that will help.

Start to think about feet/shoeing. Ground is hard which isn’t ideal but if in during day it might be worth considering so you can monitor/adapt things? At least get the backs off.

 

[frankieduck]

Personally I think he will settle fine, when they are out in a herd they form their own lives and social life and are much less dependant on us and our routines than when we have them stabled and relying on us for entertainment. I've transitioned a few to 24/7 living out retirement from busy competition lives and all have taken to it well. Less so when you're just talking a couple of horses left in a paddock, but herd life gives them the stimulation they need.

I've always fed mine through winter and not through summer with no issues, I just gradually introduce and increase feeds in winter as necessary. The biggest change for me was that they do drop weight over winter and can come into spring quite lean, but this is nature taking it's course and no bad thing - as soon as the grass comes through that condition will come back on. So I would say don't be scared of seeing a few ribs heading out of March, it's much harder battling an overweight horse all summer.

Rugging wise a good investment is a turnout with a liner system, it makes it much easier to swap rug weights depending on weather without having wet, heavy rugs lying around and also much easier for the yard to store for you. They will acclimatise much better living out than when we are bringing in and stabling, so you may find you can rug less. Mine spends most of winter in a 100g liner and then switches to a 200g when the weather gets really bad/cold, occasionally a 300g if we have very cold weather with a driving wind etc.

Mine has sweet-itch so basically lives in a fly rug from March-Sept with no issues. I would be wary of leaving a lycra fly mask on 24/7. I have seen some bad wounds from them rubbing and cutting into the skin when they have been left on long-term, I just think that particular design is perhaps not suited to them not having a 'break' from wearing it. Mine that lives out often wears a fly mask 24/7 and I opt for the fleece lined ones to avoid rubbing - I like the Shires and Masta ones and have had no issue with these rubbing.