# Retirement Livery Why?



## merlin12 (19 January 2015)

I have owned horses for years . I keep my horses on DIY or rent a local field. When my horses retire I want to look after them until the end of their days, I have done this and PTS when the time is right. Why do people send their horse to a retirement livery? Is it cheaper than caring for the horse yourself? Do people do it to save time? Save money? Make room for another horse? Is it down to child care issues? 

How much does retirement livery cost? If the livery is not local how do you know they are really caring for your horse?

I would genuinely like to know why people do it, and what the benefits are.


----------



## Amymay (19 January 2015)

In my experience retirement livery can be pretty pricey (and rightly so), so I don't think it can be considered a cheap option for keeping a horse. 

But I do think it can be a wonderful way for a retired horse to live out its days. Herds are often stable, living out all year round. Sure you have to do your homework on where to send them. But it's something I considered very seriously for a horse of mine.


----------



## Firefly9410 (19 January 2015)

I am the same as you OP but I kept my horse years ago on a yard which did grass, DIY or retirement livery. Retirement livery meant your horse got fed in the field daily, vet, worming and farrier were organised as necessary and horses owner billed for it. The YO was a no fuss type so there were no dentists, physios or anything like that. Any wounds, sweet itch or other health problems were cared for and YO would let the owners know when she thought their time had come. 

One lady worked abroad a lot and had hunted her horse prior to him developing arthritis and a heart problem, so not a sellable horse. I cannot say whether the owner would have paid for full livery if no retirement livery was available or if the horse would have been PTS. She visited a few times a year.

Another person retired an arthritic horse when she could no longer compete and bought a new one for her stable space. The poor mare went from stabled nights in winter to suddenly living out 24/7 and looking miserable. The owner only brought her in once a week to feed and groom. The horse went onto retirement livery at the YOs suggestion so she could have daily feed with bute in. 

Another horse was a working carriage horse for tourists in summer and went onto retirement livery through winter. That owner only came to drop the horse off and pick up again.

One girl tried for six months to sell her horse but nobody who could ride him wanted him, so he came for a year on retirement livery while the owner went travelling. 

Another absent owner rode the horse to the yard then did not return for five years until the horse started losing weight living out and the YO said they either moved to DIY livery or collected the horse.


----------



## maxapple (19 January 2015)

My horse is at retirement livery. I made the decision to send him there as the care was better than I could provide. He needs to live out now and on DIY livery I was struggling with sharing a field with other people, battling to make sure he had enough to eat and struggling with mud etc. He broke his leg 4 years ago, so I wanted him in a smaller herd and not to be pushed around by younger horses which is what was happening. We tried renting our own fields for a while and then sharing on grass livery but neither were really suitable for him. 

In retirement livery he lives out in huge fields with other old horses with amazing grazing and huge amounts of space. I would not have been able to find an equivalent lifestyle for him at a livery yard or renting my own field - unless I could find 20 acres to myself! He is also safer with an older herd and living a totally natural life. 

I have had him for 8 years so it was hard handing over care to someone else, but it's the best decision I made. He is the healthiest he has ever been living on a lovely big farm and at 22 is one of the younger horses there. The cost is double what I would have paid in the summer but probably about the same in winter but it's money well spent. I miss him as we just visit every few weeks now but in my case I chose what was best for him rather than what I would have preferred. I think I struck lucky with an amazing retirement home that I couldn't recommend highly enough.


----------



## TheMule (19 January 2015)

I rented some land and keep my old boy there. I love seeing him everyday, couldn't imagine sending him away, he's been with me 15 years!


----------



## YouOnlyLiveOnce (19 January 2015)

I think the answer is going to vary depending on who you speak to. 

For me personally I took the decision to send him away to retirement livery (a place I'd known of through a friend who had horses there for 10 years and I had visited) due to not being able to afford two horses at full livery where I live (I require full livery due to working full time), and taking the view horses cost us too much (money and time) to not be able to do what we want, which I couldn't with my boy. 

He was / is happy and healthy and personally I couldn't make the decision to pts, I felt he deserved much more than that. 

He has gone to a fantastic place which costs me less, enabling me to have another horse near home to do what I planned with. 

This was the reasoning behind my decision.


----------



## cbmcts (19 January 2015)

I've had two on RL but am now down to one.

If I could have kept them locally I would have but they both needed to live out, one because of arthritis and the other because he really didn't cope well with stabling (he's retired at a relatively young age for mental rather than physical reasons) I live in an area that has got really built up over the last 10 or so years and about 70%+ of what was grazing now has houses on it.

The Grass Livery yard I was on for many years changed hands and lets just say that it wasn't a good thing. Looking for other local livery was a nightmare - fields closed from October to April at least is the norm around here as are 20 stables with 5 acres of land. The only other grass livery available was 20 miles away, along really horrible roads and it was bleak - no shelters, massive watery ditches separating the fields and if you wanted your horses to have hay you had to take them out of the field and stand there while they eat it - sorry, that's not good enough for my horses. I would have killed to be able to find a field to rent.

Mine ended up going 70+ miles away, another county in fact. Originally the younger horse moved there while the older horse went onto a local yard - as he was recovering from an injury, the lack of turnout wasn't such an issue. What I had planned if he came sound, was that he would go to RL for the winter when I didn't ride much anyway so he wasn't stuck in and come home in the summer. As it happened he never really came sound so he was retired full time and had a lovely three years before he was PTS last year.

Is it cheaper? Probably a bit but both mine are/were very good doers so I'm not paying the premium that extra feeds etc would cost. The cost is balanced in that I very regularly do a 150 mile round trip to see him. Is my remaining horse pampered? No, because he really doesn't like people much so takes his security from the herd and prefers to be left to be a horse TBH. 

If I hadn't found this place for him, he would have been PTS - the yard he'd been on for over 10 years was getting more and more unsuitable - too many gates left open, too many kids riding bikes or kicking foot balls under horses, too much politics and finger pointing by idiots who had ponies to keep up with the Jones's. He would have killed somebody there, probably not totally his fault but I couldn't have that on my conscience. 

I do miss the day to day contact more than the riding, it's the first time in nearly 40 years that I've been 'horseless' but their welfare had to come first.


----------



## Antw23uk (19 January 2015)

maxapple said:



			My horse is at retirement livery. I made the decision to send him there as the care was better than I could provide. He needs to live out now and on DIY livery I was struggling with sharing a field with other people, battling to make sure he had enough to eat and struggling with mud etc. He broke his leg 4 years ago, so I wanted him in a smaller herd and not to be pushed around by younger horses which is what was happening. We tried renting our own fields for a while and then sharing on grass livery but neither were really suitable for him. 

In retirement livery he lives out in huge fields with other old horses with amazing grazing and huge amounts of space. I would not have been able to find an equivalent lifestyle for him at a livery yard or renting my own field - unless I could find 20 acres to myself! He is also safer with an older herd and living a totally natural life. 

I have had him for 8 years so it was hard handing over care to someone else, but it's the best decision I made. He is the healthiest he has ever been living on a lovely big farm and at 22 is one of the younger horses there. The cost is double what I would have paid in the summer but probably about the same in winter but it's money well spent. I miss him as we just visit every few weeks now but in my case I chose what was best for him rather than what I would have preferred. I think I struck lucky with an amazing retirement home that I couldn't recommend highly enough.
		
Click to expand...

Lovely and an excellent example of why horses go to retirement livery  thanks for sharing.


----------



## View (19 January 2015)

We made the decision to send our lad to retirement livery rather than PTS.  He was field sound and happy, and relatively young (16) but not sound enough to ride.  There was no way we could have sold him on, and nowhere near us that was suitable to turn him out 24/7 - and keeping him stabled was wrong for him.  Bluntly, it was retirement livery or PTS.  He had given us several wonderful years, so we owed him some time being a horse in a herd, with the sun on his back in the summer and a good barn available in the winter.  He was well cared for (without fussing) and we were able to see him as often as we wanted until the day he told us that it was time.

Had we had our own land with enough grazing and a companion or two for him, then he would have stayed with us.  For us, it was about doing the right thing for a wonderful horse.


----------



## merlin12 (19 January 2015)

Thank you for all the replies. I can see the sense of it. I did not realise there were so many Retirement livery yards.There is obviously a demand for it.Obviously very caring owners.


----------



## maxapple (19 January 2015)

Just to add - my boy is about an hour away from me now. The retirement livery have a facebook page and regularly put photos of the horses up so we can all see them. They are taken with a proper camera so I have some fabulous shots of my boy!  After sharing on my page I've had numerous people asking for details of where he is, friends of friends contacting me for details etc because he looks so well.

We can also visit whenever we want - Id go every week if I could but my horse just doesn't like coming in anymore really! He gets grumpy and wants to be out with his friends so we go less often - again as that's what is right for him rather than for me.


----------



## julie111 (19 January 2015)

I had to retire my youngster I did consider a Retirement Livery but I was able to find grazing very nearby to me, he is in a herd of about 10, they have very large fields with a stream and I can see him everyday. It s very cheap so a win win situation for me.


----------



## Evie91 (19 January 2015)

I'm with you op - couldn't imagine sending mine away. She's been an amazing horse and I feel I owe it to her to look after her to the end. It means I can't afford another (the people I know who have sent their horses to retirement have wanted another ridden one) but that's my choice.
Also she would hate and detest living out. I think it's fine for a horse who is used to this but do feel sorry for those who have been pampered all of their lives, then suddenly have to live out in all weathers in their twilight years.

Saying that if I won the lottery I'd quite like to set up a retirement livery ( I'd provide barns for shelter in winter tho!).


----------



## Spring Feather (19 January 2015)

merlin12 said:



			Why do people send their horse to a retirement livery? * I have quite a few retired horses living on my farm and the reason most of them are here is because their owners want their old horses to live an easy laid back retirement in a stable, unchanging herd with other old horses, in large fields with access to warm barns when the horses wish.*

Is it cheaper than caring for the horse yourself? *Retirement livery is usually considerably more expensive than regular livery*

Do people do it to save time? *Perhaps.  If they've researched their retirement home well then they know they don't have to visit the horse every day.  Some of my retirement livery owners never visit; I just send them photos every few months.  Often old horses require feeding numerous times a day and most people don't actually have that time available to be running to the stables to feed their old toothless wonders gloopy feed every 2 or 3 hours so time is most likely a factor for some people*

Save money? *There's no saving money when it comes to retirement livery, as mentioned above, it is usually a more expensive form of livery.*

Make room for another horse? *Maybe.  Not in my liveries cases though*

Is it down to child care issues? *No idea but not in my liveries cases*

How much does retirement livery cost? *More than regular livery.  Will depend on the area what the going rate is for it I suspect *

If the livery is not local how do you know they are really caring for your horse? *You don't.  You do a lot of research and speak to many people.  You visit the farm to see with your own eyes what the old horses look like.  Hopefully you can hear about a place via word of mouth. *

I would genuinely like to know why people do it, and what the benefits are.
		
Click to expand...

Hope this helps you understand a bit more why people do search for good retirement livery for their old horses


----------



## wyrdsister (19 January 2015)

I sent my old lad, because the place he went to he could live out 24/7 in a herd, with great grass, natural shelter & exactly the kind of care I would provide, except that there was nowhere local to me that he could be out 24/7 & his arthritis objected to staying in overnight. The yard also specialized in retirement livery, so knew what he needed without being told whereas on part livery I was always afraid someone would miss something when I wasn't there & couldn't be there due to work. 

I've also sent both of my mares away (separate instances, both short term) to recover from injuries. One because she just stressed if she was with me but not able to work, fence walking, charging about, generally unhappy, but settled in a new, herd environment with no expectations (hers). I did try to hang onto her, but admitted defeat after 12 months of struggling to placate her. The other, more recently, again for the sake of 24/7 turn out & being at a phase of my career where mine are now on full instead of DIY due to shortage of time.

I'd rather have had them all with me, but chose the best and most realistic option for them in each instance.

ETA: I always keep them as close as I can without compromising on care & check on them regularly.


----------



## SnowandSunshine (19 January 2015)

I have 2 retirees. One is 26, I've had her since she was 5. She's a fussy old bag, won't live out and has to be in by 2 in the winter or she gets the right arse! I could never send her away, she is my horse of a lifetime and I love looking after her.
The other is a 15yo gelding. He did his tendon at 10yrs old, I had just had a baby so I decided to turn him away. He happily lives out and needs an all gelding herd. I live in the South East where grazing is v. expensive so I sent him to retirement in Devon. He loves it, massive fields, stable herds where the horses are matched with suitable buddies, no shoes, no horses being taken in and out of the field, people giving feeds, treats etc. I could bring him home but he is so happy where he is I'd feel guilty bringing him back!


----------



## Equi (19 January 2015)

My friend has one on retirement. He is a 9yo who due to problems couldn't ride. It was cheaper than DIY livery soooooooo

But he since going, has been getting care from vet/livery (turmeric i believe) and has came back into work on a very limited basis. So he is used ridden by the yard and still on retirement prices


----------



## YouOnlyLiveOnce (20 January 2015)

Evie91 said:



			I'm with you op - couldn't imagine sending mine away. She's been an amazing horse and I feel I owe it to her to look after her to the end. It means I can't afford another (the people I know who have sent their horses to retirement have wanted another ridden one) but that's my choice.
Also she would hate and detest living out. I think it's fine for a horse who is used to this but do feel sorry for those who have been pampered all of their lives, then suddenly have to live out in all weathers in their twilight years.

Saying that if I won the lottery I'd quite like to set up a retirement livery ( I'd provide barns for shelter in winter tho!).
		
Click to expand...

I would just like to add being on retirement livery doesn't mean needing to live out 24/7 all year round. My boy is out overnight in the summer months but when the weather is colder they come in overnight unless the owner wants them out all year round.


----------



## Sprig (20 January 2015)

Mine is on retirement livery because he loves to live out and where we are there is not enough grazing to do that. It costs me £20 a week in summer and £30 a week, if they are being fed hay, in winter, for full grass livery, where he is checked at least twice a day and farrier/worming etc sorted for me and charged at cost. He is only an hour away so I still go every 2 weeks or so to check on him. Also, selfishly, if I had him on 'proper' livery I would probably not be able to afford/have time for a new riding horse so it works well all round. If he did not like retirement livery I would either bring him home or pts.


----------



## MagicMelon (20 January 2015)

I would consider it for some of mine if I could afford it. My reason being that I have only just enough land for 2 at my own house, I keep my other 2 (retired) horses at my mums but she is now putting her house on the market so I am frantically trying to find somewhere for them to go long term  We can't afford to move house to get more land and I've been asking the local farmers if I can rent some of their land but you know what most farmers are like - they generally hate horses destroying their fields   So not sure what to do right now. If i could afford a retirement livery type place then I'd put them there, however only on a DIY type basis (much like a normal non-retirement livery I guess but I wouldn't need facilities as such). I'd never send my horses away to be looked after by anyone else.


----------



## Sheep (20 January 2015)

equi said:



			My friend has one on retirement. He is a 9yo who due to problems couldn't ride. It was cheaper than DIY livery soooooooo

But he since going, has been getting care from vet/livery (turmeric i believe) and has came back into work on a very limited basis. So he is used ridden by the yard and still on retirement prices
		
Click to expand...

Are you in NI equi? For some reason I have an inkling that you are, where does your friend keep hers on retirement? Just out of interest at this stage lol.


----------



## HHO admin (20 January 2015)

You might find this piece from H&H magazine, which explains how retirement livery typically works, of interest. 

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/exclusive/retirement-livery-work-hh-vip-457993


----------



## pastel (25 January 2015)

I run a retirement home , the main reasons people send horses to us is 
1) elderly horses mixing with horses their age group rather than bring bottom of the pecking order
2) all year round turnout ( ours are stabled in winter months) 
3) we are cheaper than a normal full livery yard
4) experience in care of elderly horses 
5) lack of time of the owners , family commitments etc therefore the horse is not getting enough attention


----------



## Gleeful Imp (25 January 2015)

I have 2 on retirement livery. My lad has arthritis, and I could not provide the facilities to keep him happy - round me winter turnout for more than a couple of hours a day is very rare, and he just wasn't coping. He went off to retirement and my mare stayed with me.

I retired my mare and reunited them because after 2 years, I had to accept that I couldn't fix her. She was so pleased to be reunited with my lad I could never split them up again, although it breaks my heart to have them away from me. They are as happy as the proverbial pigs in muck, although I think Annie would rather still be a pampered princess!

They winter out at a retirement livery, then come home for 24/7 turnout over summer, I do it because it is best for them, but if I ever could have them home, I wouldn't hesitate.


----------

