Retirement Farms - NJ, PA, NY

[Indy100]

A friend is looking for a retirement home for her horse. She would like to find a home for him within a 3-4 hour drive from Central New Jersey.

If you know of any retirement farms (with great care) in the NY, NJ, PA area, please post or PM!

[MoonWitch]

Can I ask what would be the diffence between a regular boarding barn & a retirement barn? Is she looking for strickly older horses etc? The reason I ask is that I know of several that are low key barns that are reasonable, but not necessarily "retirement barns". I'm in SE PA.

[joiedevie99]

I know a few in Orange County NY- pm me if you'd consider the area.

[mvp]

I think your friend will need to be more specific about the kind of care she wants.

To some people, it means turned out 24/7 in a group pasture with hay as needed and a run in.

To others it means that plus blanketing and perhaps fly masks or even spray in the summer.

To still a third group, "good care" at a retirement farm means some version of the above plus a stall at night or during really bad weather.

Since she won't be visiting her horse often, it's imperative that she gets a really good sense of the barn before she ships her horse there. Tell her not to be afraid to visit and ask follow-up questions as needed until she thinks is sure she has picked the right place.

PM me if you'd like for one place in NY off of 17 that I would not go, despite appearances. I'll tell you what I know, and you can make your own decision.

[SonnysMom]

My boy Sonny is at Old Friends in PA run by COTH's lawndart. He is VERY happy there and I get regular email updates including pictures. He is about 3 hours away from me but the emails and and pictures help me be assured that he is doing well.

[FlashGordon]

PM me if you'd like for one place in NY off of 17 that I would not go, despite appearances. I'll tell you what I know, and you can make your own decision.

Erm, I think I may know that place, had my suspicions about it...

If your friend is willing to let the horse go further south, check out Paradigm Farms. The owners are lovely and the place is gorgeous!!!

http://www.retiredhorses.com/

[Dressage_Julie]

I know Ryerrs farm is a really great place for the retired. I think there is quite a waitlist though. http://www.ryerss.com/. A very special horse of mine is a retiree there. If you friend visits tell her to say hello to "Willy".

[Cherry]

One problem with Ryerrs though is that you have to sign away all interest to your horse and then they get to make the decisions when the horse gets sick or needs to be put down. :eek:

There is also a one-time fee that needs to be paid upfront--it used to be $2,500., I believe. Check out the link above.

The horse must be at least twenty years old too.

It's a very nice place I just don't know about abdicating responsibility for the horse's care to them as there are many, many horses waiting for a spot to open up....

[SMF11]

I just looked at the website. There are 340 horses on the wait list, with an average wait of six years, and the fee is $5000. This is similar to Mitchell Farms in CT. These barns area good idea, and way cheaper than paying board for several years on a retiree. But clearly not something one can arrange quickly!

[Indy100]

Here’s some add’l info - my friend’s horse is over 20 years old and she is very particular about his future retirement home. She adores him and is having a very difficult time ‘letting go’. She would like a stall for him (at least initially) and lots of grass turnout, blanketing if he requires it, grooming, etc. She will not sign over rights or ownership. She would like to visit him at last once per week (depending on the distance). It doesn’t have to be a retirement farm but she is looking to reduce her monthly expenses but at the same time, insure he has the proper care.

Thanks for the responses so far!

[Penthilisea]

I have my two geldings at a "retirement" barn in Holland Twp, NJ (08848) and I believe there are openings. PM me for info if you're interested.

[tarynls]

PM me if interested. Farm is in Howell (where my horse is). Stalls are available & they have large grass turnouts. My horse is 14, the other horse is 31 and there is a pony that's possibly 36? All turnout is individual.

Also, what is your friend's price range?

[theoldgreymare]

Two resources your friend might want to check out are:

http://www.ushja.org/content/programs/retire_facil.aspx
and http://www.whinny.org.

In order for a farm to be listed on the USHJA site they must provide references that USHJA does call and check. WHINNY has many farms listed on their retirement pages.

[lolalola]

She should be able to find something reasonable in central NJ. How much is she paying now and what does she want to pay for a retirement home? There may also be people in good backyard situations who want a companion horse who pays the bills.

[peskee]

We do take in retired horses also
http://paardhillfarms.com/kwpn_manheim.html

[marta]

also, fawn run in ringoes is a retirement facility (on wertzville road). and then down the road on county road 579 there is a retirement facility (my friend has her retired jumper TB there). if you're interested in contact info for this one, let me know and i'll ask for the phone #.

[Buffyblue]

My friend works at one on Wertzville Road - might be Fawn Run - can't remember the name but will check if you're interested. The owner's name is Kat and she's really great with all the horses. Most are out 24/7 with run-ins, but she has a small barn. Lots of grass and she also feeds grain.

[JanWeber]

You have a PM.

[marta]

Kat is the owner of Fawn Run.

[Androcles]

There may also be people in good backyard situations who want a companion horse who pays the bills.

How does she go about finding them?

[JanWeber]

Androcles - good backyard boarding situations should not be all that hard to find. Look at flyers at the feed store, tack shop, local deli. Call, ask questions, be honest about what you're looking for, go visit. When I put my flyers up last summer, I had two calls in one day which equaled two new boarders. Vet, farrier, trainer, feed store owner all are also excellent sources of information. As is COTH - I sent the OP a PM since I just had a stall open up here...

[Buffyblue]

Kat is the owner of Fawn Run.

I thought so, but wasn't sure of the name. Thanks.

[juliewotring]

I retired my horse a year and a half ago to a farm in Medford, NJ, owned by coth'er mkevent. I am only able to visit once a month at the most, usually less, but feel with utmost certainty that he his being well cared for. His blankets are changed as needed and he is groomed regularly when I can't make it out. He has a stall and good turnout. She cares for the boarders as she does her own horses. Please pm me if you would like additional information.