Retirement boarding?

We offer retirement board at our farm, actually that's really all we do. www.calumetrun.com pm me for more info if you are interested.

Horses are an expensive luxury. They are livestock and live a long time. Expecting someone to carry the burden of an older horse while giving up the pleasure of riding until the horse dies is unrealistic.
Joe your romantic idea of retiring every horse that you have owned sounds great but what are you going to do with 2 older horses a young one especially if the young one is not sound?
Horses live too long and cost too much money to be assured a long happy retirement.
Now of the 28 horses that I own 10 are 20-32 years old.
They get a little more feed and vet attention but that is all I am willing to provide. I will not give them supplements for joints or soak their feed. The extra cost of those 10 would affect my ability to care for the other 18.
The minute they have difficulty eating or being active I have them put down.
OP examine your finances see if you can indeed find a nice home for your horse ro a retirement facility.
Any decision you make will be yours and only you need to worry about why you made that decision. Good Luck. Shalom

Holy necropost...

You could probably, as others said, find inexpensive board with someone looking for a pasture buddy (board enough to cover the cost of food and such). That way you retain your rights to him, they get a buddy and aren't out any money taking care of an older horse. But, retirement farms have the plus that they tend to be permanent, and probably have resources to handle "the end" which a lot of average people don't have (though that doesn't sound like that's in his immediate future, but will happen eventually).

A stable I rode at as a teen had two retired horses. The owners had even designated funds in their wills should either one die before his horse did. Both had been retired about 5 years and the owners were in their 80's. The caring owners would visit occasionally until they couldn't.

As an owner of Old horses, 30+ yrs old.. it is more than just feed . Perhaps you could ask where you currently board , if you could get a discount on the old horse, if you supplied ALL of its feed. Or maybe have him in a corral with a cover and not a box stall, or put the "new" horse in the a pen with a cover and not a box stall.
Sr horses, have more needs than just extra feed, small issues can turn into huge Vet bills.
I would Never send one of my senior horses to be used as a kids horse, or as a pasture pet to someone else.
I DO WITHOUT so my horse don't have to . Cut down the clothes bill, the going out bills, eat cheaper .
I will go to second hand stores if needed, to make sure my OLD horses Have what they need.

Stevenson good post.
If I had to pay for board and for hay I would not be able to afford so many retired horses. Not all of the older horses I have are retired. Only the 32 YO and a 29 YO are no longer ridden. I do have a 30 YO that loves to go and is wonderful as a first mount for beginners.
When a horse starts to lose its ability to perform and maintain good weight it is time to consider what the owner can afford and what is financially sound for its owner. Shalom

The last sentence in the above post is supposed to read What the owner determines is best both financially and healthy for the horse.
That's what I get for answering the phone while typing. Sorry. Shalom

Dbarab.. my old horses are not rideable, not safely ! One has cataracts blind in one eye and has hysterical fits if his girlfriend is not near him(his seeing eye horse ) and she got hurt in the pasture her hip is messed up . The other old ones a retired brood mare never broke, a mustang that can be used for kids, but he is real short on patience, does best as lead line. Another old TB that has decided that he does not have to be ridden and it is not worth the hassle of making him behave (bad me ) but he was always a grumpy horse, and is just an asshat now..lol.. plus the fact He is no longer a beginners horse. He bites kicks strikes.. just a pleasure to be around... but he can live out his days being an asshat . Its not like he is the only rideable horse.. My other rideable ones are happy to go out, and one still must crow hop first.

I have owned 8 horses that have reached the age of 30 or more. There are 3 now. As long as someone has room and the finances to keep the horse that is wonderful.
However for those that board their horses one is probably expensive enough to keep. A horse that cannot be used though is a major liability for a boarder and may prevent its owner from buying a younger horse.
I can see why the OP is thinking about the long term care of her horse. Shalom