Why I chose Retirement for Ben

Retirement..... It's never an easy subject to approach with any horse owner especially when you have had a few years of partnership. So how, when, & do you retire your horse? The decision is ultimately up to you but sometimes its not an option depending on the issue at hand. For Ben I slowly decreased his work load through the years until where we are now which is him being fully retired. When I first got him we lessoned regularly & showed every month from spring to early fall. Ben was about 20 yrs when I first got him but had no problem with the work load he was given. He took me through my first jump course up to 2'9 ft for fun in a lessons sometimes even. His heart was all for it & it showed. 3 yrs down the road I decided to retire him from jumping. Why? His heart wasn't in it anymore. He was a horse that never missed a jump to a horse that wasn't keen on every jump anymore. After being diagnosed with arthritis of his knees (I'm sure in other places as well) I decided to stop jumping him. Sure I could have given him some pain meds & kept going but how fair was that? I wanted him to be able to be ridden as long as possible & being comfortable while doing it. We then did flat work for 2-3 more years after that. After I noticed him tripping more & even coming to his knees at some points I stopped flat work. We then just did light trail riding & he adored it & had his passion again. We had an amazing summer of riding on the trails just at the walking taking it nice & easy. He was still fully sound & able & happy with it all. I made a promise never to do ring work again because he had enough of it through out his years. With him becoming sick in early winter it put a hold on any riding we did & at that point we only rode 3 times a week for 15-20 mins just enough to keep him happy & fit.

Once he was diagnosed with severe ulcers I stopped riding but wasn't sure at first if we would continue after he was healed. Now 5 months later after he was diagnosed I made my decision. I decided to fully retire him from any & all work. He is sound at all gaits. This wasn't as hard as a decision for me personally as one might think though. He has carried me for 6 yrs to ribbons, over jumps, through fields & woods, up hills down hills, given me the wings I lacked to feel free & fly. Never judging me but teaching me all along the way. He has been the best riding partner I could have ever asked for. This is why it was not a hard decision. He has given me so much through the years not just to me though to anyone who has ever sat on his back & asked something of him. So why would I deny him his right in a retirement? I cannot just buy another horse to ride or even lease one to ride. He is & will be my one & only. He deserves my time like he has so graciously given me his when I have asked him of it. Sometimes I just drape my arms & lay my head on his back just to feel his movement , his steps, his steady breathe beneath me, but never wanting to sit atop him. Just being in the moment with him. That is a beautiful thing.

Senior horses have a lot to share & give. They are like encyclopedias filled to the brim with years of experiences & knowledge we all hope to know & encounter one day. I do think they should continue being ridden for as long as they can & slowly decreasing the load as seen fit. If your horse is giving you signs that they have had enough its time to really think what's best for them riding wise. The signs are there it's up to you whether you want to acknowledge them or not. A horse that loves jumping suddenly stops or a horse that stood patiently for you to climb atop suddenly shy's away. You find you need to give pain meds where as before you didn't. These are just a small portion of signs something is not right both physically (internal to!) & mentally. Arthritis happens to every horse its just to what extent & where. You can manage it for many years but take in to consideration what your asking of that horse & how it will effect them down the road. Too many people (not all) just push & push & take no consideration of soundness for their future. Why do some care when they can just get a younger model & not have to "deal" with it right? It's setting that horse up for a very uncomfortable & possibly uncertain future ahead of them that's the "deal". So please take care of your horses physical & mental soundness. They all have their limits & they need to be respected. If you find that your horse is unable to perform at the level you want without prescriptions of any kind then that horse needs an owner who doesn't expect as much or accept the level they can give you.

Horses will often push themselves even to he breaking point just to please theirs owners. It is up to you to decide what is morally right & if they should continue at that level or riding in general. We all got into this sport for a reason right? It had to do with a love of horses to start with. Well this sport doesn't exist without them so treat them with the respect they so rightfully deserve. Sometimes I think people forget who their partner & trainer really is when it comes to riding & even beyond the saddle. They teach you even more if you just spend time with them & be around them not just climbing on top of them. Enjoy your partner & don't always be so serious all the time because you never know when something could come up.