As YOU Age, Does Your View on Horse Ownership Change?

[StarRidgeAcres]

This is a topic I find is on my mind a lot lately and wondered what others my age, or older, think about horse ownership as you age.

I'm not sure what is magical about being 45, meaning why didn't I think about this so much when I was 44?

I don't have a good reason, but I keep thinking, and kind of worrying, that I'm going to be 46 soon and it's obvious to me that hauling bales, buckets of water, picking hooves, stacking feed sacks, etc., isn't getting any easier. But in addition to that, I keep thinking that Raven has a baby coming in 2012, God willing, and let's say horses live about 30 years, am I really going to be able to do this when I'm 76????

I'm not so sure I am.

And I'm planning to breed Goldie in 2012 so that would be a foal in 2013. Plus Poopy and Scarlet are only 4 and 3 respectively (Raven is only 5) so that's about 5 or so horses that could easily live til I'm in my 70s!

I've always felt that any horse I breed or buy I should be prepared to have that horse its entire life. Maybe along the way I would sell or give it to a great home for some reason, but I go into it thinking it's a forever decision. I'm not sure I'm going to be up for this when I'm in my 70s.

I would really, REALLY appreciate hearing from others who have thought about this topic. I have to admit it's kind of got me stressed out. I want this to be fun, not stressful.

Anyone?

 

[Riverrose28]

It's ironic that you bring this subject up, as I've been thinking along these lines all week. I just had another birthday, yesterday, and am in my 60's already. The weather seems to get me down more then anything. Right now it is the mud and slippy and slidding, it's almost as bad as the snow, just warmer. Falling down careing for horses gets worse as I age. The thing that really has me more concerned then caring for them as I age is the fear that I may pass suddenly and although I have asked my youngest to rehome them my fear is that she won't be able to rehome them all fast enough, or will have to take them to auction. I've already started trying to find homes for some, but sales are really down here in the east, and there are alot of horses looking for new homes. Plus the hay shortage here has stopped some from taking on more. Oh well, stressing over what I can't control doesn't do any good, I do think I've done all I can at this point by arranging for someone to take control of my babies if something happens to me, I just hope it doesn't become a burden to her, so I am trying to lighten the load. Just talking about this subject has helped me, maybe it will help you too.

 

[Equuisize]

I think and think and think about this a lot.

We are already at an age where many people would be giving

up doing horses and chores connected.

For exactly the reason you stated about keeping a baby for it's life,

we're in deep yogurt. It is a problem as we, at this point, have not

let any of our kids leave although that wasn't our intention when we

started this venture of wee ones from the big guys.

Fortunately I think I've got it covered, given nothing changes, that

they will all continue to be loved and spoiled.

We've made everything as streamlined as we can, as far as their daily care.

We've a hay elevator for getting the hay into the hay lofts and a slide to send

bales down to the main floor that will be used in short order. Water, bedding

and all the other assorted cleaning chores go pretty smoothly.

I have some life long health issues but the kids seem to continue to be

what makes me want to get out of bed in the morning to be greeted by those

lovely faces. Michael has maintained his good health so he picks up a lot

of my slack, when I'm down for the count.

I keep telling myself we'll 'know' when the time has arrived that we could

not longer care for them, as they've come to expect. I pray that is true.

 

[ohmt]

My grandparents are in their 70's and refuse to sell all of the horses. I have cut back considerably and only breed for a few foals a year to make it easier on them when i'm not around. My grandpa still does farrier work at 76 and farms. He just keeps on trucking

he said it keeps him young and I believe it. Of course, when my grandparents pass away (which I hate even thinking about), all of the horses and the farm will go to me. I go to college an hour away and would certainly be ok driving that if I needed to. I don't think I could ever be without my horses. I do hope that when I am a bit older, I think about what you have been thinking about Parmela. I wish more people did.

 

[chandab]

Amanda, your grandfather sounds like my FIL. My FIL is 76, he put up around 400 small squares of hay this year, maybe more (last year, he was on a roll, and put up nearly 1000 small squares), he doesn't have a bale wagon, so all those bales were bucked by hand onto the trailer and then into the stack. [He doesn't have to put up small squares, as his sons put up rounds, so there is plenty of hay to feed the horses, he just wants something to do in the summer.] He still has draft and saddle horses; although he has conceded that its getting too hard to harness the 17+hand Percherons, so he drives the Fjords more often these days (but bought a nylon harness so he could still harness the big guys if he felt like it). He has 2 Perchersons, or maybe its 3; 4 Fjords (which he sometimes drives 4-in-hand), and 2 saddles horses (he trained both from youngsters, both are under 10 years old). He retired from cattle about 10 years ago, but still helps both his sons with everything (branding, calving, fencing, shipping, moving machinery, swathing hay, etc), he doesn't do these things everyday, but jumps in when help is needed. If he has time or feels like, he also builds wagons, well I should say rebuilds/repairs wagons; he probably has 30 or so wagons. [He built me one for my minis. I still haven't used it, yet, I need to get a couple trained to drive, it would be so much fun.]



While just barely in my 40s, I do think about the future, and what will happen to my furkids, but then I look at my FIL and say I'll still be enjoying it, but with smaller horses than he has.

 

[Genie]

We think about it more each day. I am in better condition, health wise, and get to do most of the barn/horse/dog, work.

My husband is an excellent carpenter/handyman/caretaker and if I didn't have him around everything would just be poorly looked after and the property would not be very nice looking, that's for sure.

We are in our seventies and can see the nearness of our end.

Our horses give us a lot of enjoyment but winter is "for the birds" here in Southern Ontario. We have six months of winter and six months of poor snowmobiling

Our barn is cozy, we have a nice arena for year round use and hot water in the barn as well, for the daily "hot mashes"

I don't have any horses I want to sell but it just has to be.

We will seriously reduce our numbers next year and stick to a number that is manageable.

 

[targetsmom]

Hot topic in this household! One of the reasons we got into minis was because I could not see me buying another riding horse at my age (65) and the possibility of falling off. As we are often asked "how long do minis live?" we have done the math and realize that we must make arrangements for them after we are gone. (Our oldest mini is only 11 years). And because we don't have kids, or even relatives in the area, we need to work to find future homes for them.

It is also a topic at our Pinto shows where some of the competitors are around my age. We joke that in addition to training our horses for the hunter and jumper classes, we need to keep OURSELVES in training to keep up! It also gives me a great feeling when I can come home from a show with High Points in BOTH miniature divisions - competing against all ages - as we did at our last Pinto Show. And it is probably what keeps me in fairly good shape.

 

[Magic]

For me, horses are a way of life and I never want to be without them, God willing. But I do think more about the horses' future as I age (I'm in my forties). We have a few teenaged horses that will be here for life, and I ponder the younger horses, and future breeding. I'm sure we'll have to cut down on the size of our herd in the future, but having them keeps me and my husband active, which is a good thing. I'm thinking that I'd like to concentrate more on showing and less on breeding as time goes on. But we also have several very nice stallions and a bunch of wonderful mares, so the thought of tossing all of that work of so many years and progress to get where we are now is a depressing thought. It isn't easy getting older is it? But for now I'm healthy and relatively young so I guess it's best to just enjoy it,and keep thinking about what to do as time goes on.

 

[Ann knight]

Well, I am kind of thinking of this the other way

. I am thinking that my horses are going to keep me going, as I am getting far more exercise than I would otherwise . I have only had them 2 winters ( and I am 53) but having them has made me spend much more time outside than if I didn't have them . We live in central Ontaio where it is cold and snowy through Dec-Feb for sure . I only have 4 , so that is different than those of you with a large herd . Last winter I wasn't sick at all and I attribute that to going outside many times a day to check on the boys .

I've always said "i'm not going to the home "

so hopefully we will be checking out the same time . Saying that things don't always go as planned and I have made arrangement in my will to take care of all my canine/equine family.

cheers....Ann

 

[2minis4us]

OMG ! LOL ! I WISH I was only 45

I am 54 and in the winter my bones ache every single day. I am not a breeder and only have 2 minis, so do not have any where near the workload as most of you so I still enjoy them. They make me get outside and so something, and their warm breath and furry coats give me comfort. My grand kids love them and so does my husband. Right now everything is ok !

 

[HGStables]

Listen I am not in my 40s I am 24 but I hear this from a lot of my older friends. Where I live it's hard to have friends my age most are out doing the drug party thing and I'm not into that. All of my friends have thought that but the big question you need to think is. What makes YOU happy? If you are worried about what will happen to your horses if you can't take care of them anymore then have a little back up plan. My one friend has a document that states where her horses are to go if she can't take care of them anymore or the worse happens (similar to a living will). All I know is I will own horses until the day I die I love them too much to think about living without them but I will make sure there is a plan in place for them so they have homes if anything was to happen to me or I decided I could no longer deal with them.

 

[ohmt]

Isn't that just amazing chandab? I really hope that if/when i get to 76 I am as healthy and active as my grandfather and your father in law! My grandmother is not as healthy, but the horses are therapy for her. They get her outside in the fresh air and she loves to spend a few hours each day watching and playing with the babies. She says they are the best stress and pain relievers there is

 

[MindyLee]

Well Im not in my 40's+ but since I got into minis back in 2004, (24 yrs old then) I currently have lost a lot of interst in them. I will always keep a few of my sentamentle ones but have 1/2 my herd up for sale. (herd of 8)

I find that i really want to get into reindeer. And I cant have all these minis if I want them too. So since I tried the breeding thing and altho I have produced some very nice foals with 3 expected this spring, I cant seem to sell them because of the ecomany. So instead of wasting $$$ there, I will on my future small herd of reindeer since it has always been my dream to own a few of them. I love my minis and wont totally get out cause I do like to show at a few shows each yr, but breeding and having 8 is not me anymore. I use to eat caribou, so I also would have a supply of reindeer meat as well. And keep some for pets and use them in parades and show them off anywhere and everywhere!

But the minis I plan on keeping, will never leave and will stay with me till they cross the rainbow bridge! I love them sooo much! They are my heart!

 

[sfmini]

We are in our mid 50's. Took last year off from showing, but plan to go back at it next year. We are right sizing, meaning selling off the lesser quality horses and keeping only the best. That even involved buying 2 mares that I didn't plan on buying! Also, we had two foals born that we will keep and show and probably breed, something we rarely do but these babies are the nicest we have ever bred. Proof positive that inbreeding done carefully really works.

The good news is the quality of these horses is such that they will be easy to sell to good show/breeding homes so I won't have to worry so much. We also got a new trailer with only 4 stalls to limit how many we can take to a show as we were so guilty of taking too many and then not having any fun. Problem is, I am already wondering who to leave at home! The tack area is built to take horses, could hold several so that would be an option but......

I need to re-do our sales page, actually my entire website as it is so out of date. We are going out to Cape Cod to visit Dru (me) and deliver her new stallion while Judy and Pete go to Boston to visit their son and grandkids so I am planning to work on the website during the drive out there.

We have sold several horses, decided not to sell others, but we have taken a fresh new look at things and are moving forward with a plan.

 

[LaVern]

Oh, What a good topic. I agree with Ann knight. I think that the taking care of the horses is what keeps me healthy. Know I look like heck, but I feel great and I think that getting outside and working until you feel like you could drop is as good as any health club.

I realize that, I too, can't keep breeding and saving this many horses, as they will outlive me by a long way.

But, It was kind of like magic when I turned 60. All of a sudden kids don't need me, No one I want to impress, Don't want to go anywhere other than the barn. Nothing I really need. FFREEDOM, to be all about me. I love it. No more guilty feeling about stuff I don't get done that others think you should do. I do and say just what I please now, and the kids just tell everyone that I had a stroke, and everyone pats them on the back.

I feel that this is what heaven will be like. Messing with horses, so I am going to spend as much time as I can with them, They make me happy.

 

[Jill]

Well, I hope we all know that I'm just 29 and holding, but yes -- my views on horse ownership have changed since I got my first (big) horse almost 20 years ago. At one time, I thought I would NEVER sell a horse and felt that they were all my pets. Now I still love them all, but of course, I have and will continue to sell some of them to good homes. I no longer feel many of the horses are truly, specifically, out of a storybook attached to ME. Some of them love me more than others but mostly, horses enjoy the company of other horses more than a person (almost all horses), and that is part of what makes it easier to let some go to new homes. They don't pine for me as long as they're well cared for

When I think of how I will feel when I'm older, especially with some of the health issues I've already been through, I cannot see having this many horses in my 60's and 70's unless it's worth it to me to have a paid someone else on hand to care for them and do the heavier work. But, I do think I will always have a couple-few special ones

...Seriously, I need to consider upgrading that annual 29th before long!!!

 

[LaVern]

I agree Jill, I don't think most of them care where they are as long as they are comfortable and well cared for and like you say with other horses. No, they don't need me, I need them.

 

[bevann]

I have been giving lots of thought to this subject for the last several years.I am 72 now and have major joint issues and am in pain daily when walking or standing.I have had horses and ponies for almost 69 years and I am an addict.Nothing like the smell of a horse , leather or a soft whinny to get me high.Winter is coming and I dread it with the possibily of snow and freezing cold.I have been breeding Minis since late 1980s but my last foals were 2007.Gelded several stallions,sold some, gave some horses away.Now I am left with 6 - several in their 20s with health issues.I have planned for my Minis with my club buddies and my dogs with my dog groomer and friend.Taking care of horses is forced exercise, but I do realize that I may have to give it up someday.I am happiest when I'm in the barn mucking stalls and taking care of my buddies.I was also doing a guilt trip on myself thinking about not being able to foster for Chances Mini Horse Rescue when the need is so great.I have a great facilitys of hay and nice pastures and a nice cozy barn.I just feel that I am not able to take on any more work especially with winter coming.At my age I have to be practical-IT STINKS not to be able to do more.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Thanks for the responses. This is really something that is weighing on me. I do agree that the horses are what keep me moving and active. If I didn't have them I hate to think of what my life would be like or what my health would be like. I'm overweight, but knock on wood, am pretty darn healthy. My cholesterol is 178, my BP is normal, my sugar levels are normal; I actually qualify for every health discount my work offers when many of my slim or average weight friends do not. But I still feel it in my knees when it's cold and I hate slipping and falling these days. Just seems it hurts longer and bruises more than it used to.

I do have written plans, with financial considerations, for all of my animals should something happen to me. But I started to realize that most of the people I have asked to care for each animal...well, they are older than me! So if something happens to me tomorrow, the animals are taken care of, but that still doesn't answer the question about what happens 10+ years from now.

I guess if money was no object this wouldn't be something that even crossed my mind. If I could afford to have full-time help with the animals, well how wonderful would that be? I could just do the fun stuff of loving on them, showing them if I wanted, giving them treats, etc. I wouldn't have to worry about hauling hay, stacking 50lb feed bags, cleaning and bedding stalls, and filling water buckets when it's below freezing outside.

Maybe I'm just fretting when I don't need to, but if all my horses were already 20 years old I think I'd feel less stress. It's so hard to know when it's time to let them go...for their own good. For me at least.

 

[susanne]

We only have three horses, but they'll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands. Even if we have to hire someone to help with chores, they're staying. It took me over 40 years to get my horses and I'm not giving them up that easily.

But I have given great thought about the fair, ethical and loving way to protect them after I'm gone.

Everyone, no matter how old or young, needs to consider what would happen to their animals if they should suddenly kick the bucket...buy the farm...go to that big stable in the sky. Any one of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and as responsible animal owners, we need ot make certain we've made proper arrangements.

As a type I diabetic with some serious health problems, I've lost much sleep over this issue. Fortunately, Keith loves all of our fur kids and would keep all that he could take good care of and find great homes for the others. We have godparents in case we should both go, and my sister has agreed to make certain they're all cared for until they go to their new homes.

This last is something else to think of: even if you have placements worked out, do you have someone who can feed and water until your will is read? Do you have a go-to person who knows what arrangements you've made?

Oregon has great pet trust laws protecting one's right to provide for their animals. We plan (still need to see the lawyer) to have our property sold and the money used to help those who agree to take in our horses, dogs and cats. This is a great law, and it would be wise to check with your state; if no such laws are on the books, you should talk to your legislator -- you don't want some selfish relative contesting your decision or rushing your beloved horses off to auction to avoid any hassles.