As Boomer Horse Owners Retire

In my March '07 column for Horse & Rider, I asked readers to fill me in on their plans for retirement--whether they intended to relocate, how they'd incorporate horse ownership into their golden years, what sorts of changes they'd make, etc.--and WOW. Did I ever hit a nerve. To date, I've received enough responses to add up to more than 25,000 words. To put that amount of commentary into perspective, the typical H&R feature-length article runs about 2,500 words, and a typical issue has four or five features. With that in mind, you can see why there's just no way for all those e-mails and letters to make it into print. Too bad, really, because they paint an eye-opening collective picture.

I'll share a few insights I've gleaned from reading all these missives:

* The notion of relocation is indeed a big factor in people's retirement planning. Almost everyone, it seems, is searching for his or her version of a personal paradise--where the climate is perfect, where places to ride are unlimited, where land is scenic and cheap, and where mass development is held at bay. Fantasy Island, anyone?

* Hardly anyone wrote about the meatier realities of relocation--such topics as state and local taxes, cultural differences between an area's natives and its newcomers, the challenges of making new friends and other key relationships, the need for good nearby medical care, etc. I ended up with a strong sense that many folks' initial retirement relocation move might not be their last one...that in looking for their idealized version of The Last Great Place, they were overlooking aspects that would end up being more important than pretty scenery.

* Something that might come as an unpleasant shock to those who are building and hawking planned equestrian developments: Hardly any of the people writing to me expressed any interest in living in such a place. "Too expensive" was one commonly-given reason, but even more frequently, H&R readers cited their desire for privacy, independence, and "living by my own rules."

* When the writers talked about showing their horses, they did so in terms of the past tense. A common refrain: "I've set aside showing in order to save money for my retirement." That'll be bad news to the breed and horse-sport associations that are counting on retirees with free time to keep their competition numbers up.

* A whole lot of downsizing is either underway or about to take place. People wrote about selling the big house, reducing their horse numbers, selling off their broodmares, even about trading at-home horsekeeping for the relative freedom of boarding their horses out.

The last time I got such an avalanche of responses to an H&R column was 15 years ago, when I wrote about the number of people in their 40s who were just getting into horses. That same generation of people is now about to reach its Social Security years. They brought much change to the horse world then, and it looks to me like they're about to bring just as much change to it again.

Going Grand (Parent, That Is)

I just got back from a 2,200-mile round-trip drive to see my new grandson. I figured it was my job to make sure the toy horses outnumbered all the other stuffed animals in his crib, and to give him his first lessons on the ol' rocking horse that entertained my daughter when she was little. Anyone remember the scene in "Gone With The Wind," where Rhett Butler goes on and on about his baby's inborn riding ability as he's pushing her down the street in a carriage? I'm sure I was pretty close to being that ridiculous about looking at an infant and imagining a future horse lover.

As role models go, I had a powerful one where horsey grandparents are concerned. Both my grandfathers were born and raised at the tail end of the horse-and-buggy era, and one, whose name was Francis Smith, was obsessed with horses until the day he died. Along with raising them, farming with them, showing them, trading them, etc., he also indulged us grandkids with ponies, horsey coloring books, model horses, trips to horse shows, and long summer stayovers at his farm, where everything was horse-horse-horse, virtually all the time. He subscribed to the first horse magazines I ever read, and just about burst the snaps off the front of his Bibb overalls when I landed a post-college job with one of them. To this day, I have a fascination with collecting paint-by-number horse pictures, largely because such pictures hung in the living room of his house as I was growing up.

One of the sad things about losing Najah, our Arabian who passed away a couple of weeks ago, is that he was the ideal grandkid horse--small, safe, incredibly kind, beautifully trained, and 100-percent trustworthy. He'll be hard to replace for that task, especially since every other horse-loving grandparent in America is out looking for the same kind of horse he was.

Of course, it's entirely possible that my grandson will be indifferent to horses as he grows older, with other interests of his own. But until those interests surface, I'll get to indulge the notion that it's only a matter of time before he wants to come and stay at Grandma's house, where everything is horse-horse-horse, virtually all the time.

Your Plans for This Year's Horse Fun

What sorts of fun things to do with your horses are going onto your calendar for this year? Now that I can look out my window and see greening-up grass instead of ice and snow, I'm thinking more about hooking up the trailer and going somewhere than about shoveling my way past it.

Here's what I have in mind so far as things to do with Riley, my 4-year-old gelding:

* Local open horse shows. I'm a been-there, done-that gal where breed shows are concerned, and now, instead of taking four days out of my life to go play the horse show game, I'm more interested in going to the kind of Saturday-only shows that leave me time to do something else before chaining myself back up to the computer on Monday mornings.

* Campout trail rides. I'll go to one or two of the organized large-group variety, ones that take place at a nearby private horse camp that's already familiar to Riley. Then, to broaden our horse-camping/trail-riding horizons, I'll be looking for someplace to go that's new and different. I like the state trail rides put on by AQHA affiliates, and haven't been to Montana's ride yet. Could be a possibility.

* Everyday trail riding. We're blessed to have that available to us right out the proverbial back door. Now that Najah's no longer with us, I'll need to be on the lookout for a second saddle horse to make available for my husband or a guest to ride, too. I sure wish there were such a thing as instant cloning of a great one like Najah. He may not have been very big, but as a riding horse, he leaves darn big horseshoes to fill.

My overall goal? To continue enhancing Riley's skills and versatility as a good all-around using horse for a magazine cowgirl. A horse show here, a trail ride there, a few photo shoots in between.

How about you?

You Owe It to Your Horse to...

...have a plan in place for the logistics and expenses of his death. Sure, it's not the most pleasant of subjects, but it's far more unpleasant to be facing certain realities at the height of your shock and grief, while having no clue what to do. Some things to take into account as you create a what-if plan for your horse's demise:

* What will you do with his remains, and how will that affect where he is for his final moments? Unless you intend to bury him on your property (provided it's legal where you live), his remains will need to be picked up and taken away--so do what you can to make the removal process as simple as possible for those operating the removal equipment. With that in mind, it's better (when possible) to have a horse put down in an open area, accessible by removal vehicle, than it is to have him euthanized in a stall at the back corner of a barn. If you'll be burying your horse at home, it's better to have him put down near the gravesite than somewhere that'll require his body to be winched and then dragged a long distance.

* Who will you call for removal or grave-digging services, and where can you keep those numbers for ease in finding them when you need them? Your veterinarian may be able to help you locate leads for those who provide such services. Call ahead, well before a mortality crisis, to ask about lead time needed and cost of the service. The sooner you can have the remains dealt with, the less traumatic for all involved. While not always possible, it's ideal to coordinate euthanasia and burial/remains pick-up for the same day. It's bad enough to lose your horse, but you sure don't want his body left lying on your place for days--especially in hot weather--if you can help it.

* If you plan on home burial, where will the grave be located? The spot you choose must be accessible by a backhoe, as far as possible from water-table contamination, and the hole itself must be about the size of a two-horse trailer. That's a substantial excavation project.

* How much will euthanasia and burial/removal cost in your locale, and how can you be sure to have the money available? For point of reference, our vet charged $125 for last week's farm call and euthanasia procedure of our Arabian gelding. A neighbor with a backhoe buried our horse free of charge, but the same service, by a commercial operator, would have cost approximately $300.


We went through this sort of "what-if?" planning at our ranch several years ago, and as it turned out, we were very glad we'd done so. Our horse became ill and had to be put down while I was travelling home from a business trip, and that left all the logistical planning to my husband, who'd never gone through the euthanasia experience until then. As tough as it was for him to go it alone, he did get a huge measure of peace of mind from knowing what to do, and how to go about it.

Let's hope you're among the lucky horse owners who never need face the realities of a dying or dead horse. Just keep in mind that hope won't be enough to get you through those tough hours if and when it becomes your turn.