Should I retire her...?

To all horse owners. I have owned my horse for the past 11yrs, the past year I have not ridden my horse due to her old age and navicular problem (she is in her 30's). My question to you is, should I retire her on a farm in IA where she would get out all day long, but I would not get to see her very often (a friend of mine owns it), or keep her at the stable that she is at now (costs 400.00 per month w/ 3 days a week turnout; appox. 30mins of time to play, and see her almost everyday. My delemia is this: the farm in IA would cost half the price and turnout all day, but no way of seeing her all the time, or keep here where she is at now paying 400.00 per month with less turnout. My horse is a people person and I am afraid if I did retire her out there she would become depressed (yes this has happened before), or keep her locked up all the time in a stall. What would you do if you had a older horse that you wanted to see live out its days happy?

Public Comments

1. no
2. well this really isnt a question someone else should answer...its up to you she is your horse and if you want to see her all the time than you could pay the extra money but if you dont want to have to pay that much than you could retire her... sorry thats all i could help --PresleyKay!
3. I admire your nobility with regards to this situation. I don't know anything about Horses, but I appreciate your obvious attatchment to the animal. It sounds like a gut wrenching situation to decide. Best of luck either way you go I am sure it will not be easy, but make the best decision you can and feel good that you had the best interests of the Horse in mind, not solely your fiscal situation.
4. Being locked up is hard on them....especially those prone to arthritis, which most older horses are. Is there anyplace near you that would offer pasture board, and a good shelter, ? I'd make sure there wasn't anything else available near you as they do miss their families....I have a horse that begins to pout after a couple of days if we're not here so I know how that goes. I'd really try hard for a pasture scenario near you at present, may have to do a lot of calling, but it would be worth it to you and her!! She'll be able to get out and move around which is so very important to an older horse. Pasture board should not be as expensive.
5. When I got my first horse, he would show signs of being sick if I was not out there for more than a few days. At the time, I kept him far from where I was and between school and work, it was hard to get out there. You have to weigh your horse's happiness with your financial situation. Can you find someone near the other place to come and brush her off? Can you afford to keep her where she is now indefinitely? Personally, I prefer to see horses out as much as possible, so I am leaning towards the other place, where she is out more. I can see the dilemma of not wanting her to feel 'abandoned'. You might want to see if you can find someone near her to brush her off and give her treats - to fill the void of when you cannot see her.
6. You could also try an arrange a month trial turn out period... I have no idea what distance you would have to ship the horse. The horse then could decide for itself whether its a good idea or not.. You will see her enough to know if she is happy or not!
7. If you can afford it, leave her with her buddies (people & horse) where she is. I think you'll just spend time worrying about her if you take her to IA. Besides, it's good therapy for YOU visiting, petting, brushing, & talking to her.
8. only you and her know the answer.Is she going to suffer from a broken heart ?? If she is a person animal , gets happy when she sees you coming knows when your not there is very attached to you... you are her life and thats why she gets up every morning.. is the navicular bad enough were she won't walk much when turned out make a lits of pros and cons better than the one you have hear with her heart only in mind what makes her get up every day... I know when we have horses they trust in us to make every decision for them.... Follow your heart on this one ....only you know her so well
9. It seems like a question that you need to answer yourself, but I can give you some tips to help you along the way. I think that both of these things pose a great option, but you should think about what is best for her. Do you let her out every day when you are there? If so, I would say keep her there. But, Is money a problem for you? I think that you should keep her where she is. I hope things work out!
10. well if it were my horse and I was in this situation I would keep her at the place she is at. If you have been her owner for 11 years it would probably hurt her(emotionally and physically) to hardly ever see you especially being at her age. She is most likely used to the other horses,people, and place that she has been at. therefore, I would opt to keep her at the stable where she is now. It seems like she would be much happier.
11. Keep her where she is at!
12. i know that when my horse gets older we are going to let him live out the rest of his days in a pasture with some other horses. he too is a people horse. but i think it is better then having her at a barn where you cant ride her all the time. maybe if you ask your friend to just go out every once in a while and say hi to her give her a treat let her know she is still thought about. but it would be nice i think for her to be able to roam about the pastures maybe even better if she has some horsey friends to play with
13. I would check to see if there is a pasture nearby where you can put her. If not, I would recommend the farm in IA, as long as your friend is able to spend adequate time with her. I admire you for caring so much about your horse in her later years. I also have an old arthritic gentleman that I've owned for a total of 17 years, he's living his retired life happily as my Mom's lawnmower, which is also in IA. :-)
14. We kept our old boy in, he hated retirement and was ridden and shown lightly right up to his death at 29 from an ethmoid tumour. The two years of retirement he did have were the worst of his life, he was a people person and was lost in the fields. I dont know your horse but would say that old Mr P lived longer and was fitter than horses half his age, because he was interested and stimulated by attention and use, and although in the end he couldnt do much, he loved to be ridden and looked about 15. He won two ridden veteran championships weeks before he died. If your mare is happy where she is, play with her, walk her in hnd but dont move her as the shock might destroy her health.
15. this is a tough one to call, i have a mare who is extremely one to one only and i know that if i didnt get to see her often she would never speak to me again (sounds silly but she really would ignore me) so for me the option would be to keep her where she is so she gets to see you. but only you know your horse so it boils down to you. i hope this helps but i dont really know whatelse to say. is there no other cheaper retirement yard nearby? so you could still see her regularly but she also gets lots of turnout time.
16. I would go for the pasture thing. Especially if she is turned out with other horses. You may not be able to see her as often, but it would be better for her if you cannot find a place closer to you that has good pasture & good shelter. Good Luck.
17. I would do what I thought was best for my horse. If you really believe that it is best for her to retire to the farm then that is what you should do. It would be really good for her on the farm especially if all her other needs are met. Such as companionship, shelter and feed. If those needs cannot be met on the farm then keeping her in familiar surroundings would be best.
18. O ta i now wat your talking bout i have a 37 year old palomino mare and she is a barrel horse witch makes her in really good shape yes she does show her age now but no she does not need anything special to make her keep going. Really it is going to depend on how much your ride this horse and wat condition this horse is in. If the horse is in very good condition and needs no extra med. to keep her giong then i would say then it would depend on how much you ride it. Now if she is in not bad condition but need med. to keep going i would say retire the horse it just makes it easlier on the horse and you. Cuz i now even though my horse is in good condition i still sometimes feel guilty when i ride her cuz of her age. Good Luck And The Best of Wishes * Kater Tator *
19. If she were mine, I'd want her to be turned out as much as possible, for her sanity and her health. Turnout will help with arthritis, heaves, boredom, and many other issues. I would look for a turnout situation closer to home, and if I couldn't find one, I'd send her to IA. BUT, don't just toss her out in a grassy field if she is not used to it! Introduce it slowly or use a grazing muzzle.
20. Without knowing the horse, my first reaction is to retire her to pasture. It is not good for horses to be locked in a stall. Let her get back to nature and play. Kudos for caring so much!