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Retirement Jobs
Jobs on their own pages
Therapy Horse, Lesson Horse, Police or Search and Rescue Mount, Military
Ceremonial Horse, Companion Horse, Broodmare (see Table of Contents at Left)
Our senior
citizen horses: They are loved and valued team members at many stables. They are useful
well into their twilight years, because we didn't wear them out or break
them in their youth or their prime. Years of training and experience
does not go to waste, but teaches the next generation of horsepeople.
One of the missions of Del
Camino is to help horse owners find timely information that guides them
through this journey. We want to keep our seniors as fit, as active,
as contented as possible, as long as possible. It can be done.
We dedicate our work to a few
of many beloved Del Camino horses: Freckles, who left us at age 43,
Miss Cricket, who delighted children until age 38, Captain Oliver
"Ollie" (photo with girl haltering him for a lesson) who fought Cushing's until age 32,
but couldn't withstand the loss of his best friend of 12 years, Jordan, to
bladder cancer at age 28, and Brandy's Prince,
and Smokey, both of whom had Cushing's which caused laminitis at age 26.
Thank you for having graced our
lives, and taught so many people the joy of horsemanship.
Please read the overviews of the topics before
clicking on links. We can't possibly list every reference available
on the internet, and we do not accept any compensation for a listing.
None of these listings were solicited.
This site is meant to distill information from a variety of sources, as
well as our own experience, before sending you off on your own
quest.
The descriptive paragraphs at the start of a section are there because we
believe they are important.
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Topics progress from those
for people caring for their senior horse, to those wishing to place their
senior horse in a new job, and finally, how to prepare for and make
arrangements to euthanize a horse to prevent suffering.
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Del Camino
does not endorse, approve, guarantee, warranty, or otherwise recommend any
product, service, vendor, book,
article, website, webzine, magazine linked on this page
Retirement Jobs
 Sometimes you can't give an older horse the
gentle exercise and continued attention he needs. He may be
serviceably sound for light work, but no longer able to enjoy the strenuous
sport you want to keep doing. If he is still sound on the flat at the
walk, trot, and canter, you may consider finding him a new job where his
years of training and experience will enable him to remain calm under
pressure or cross-train readily. Temperament and ground manners are very important for the
majority of these jobs dealing with the public, because often the horses are performing with public address systems. flags and other objects, under lights at night, to music, near vehicles in parades, and so on. Horses that give performances are often trailered to the event venues, so a horse seeking this kind of second career should load, travel, and unload easily.
These programs do not accept truly aged or
companion-only horses. However, they may give you ideas for other
programs in your area that do. All of the recommendations for
evaluating a therapeutic riding facility and its program, or a regular for-profit
lesson program apply when exploring these alternatives. Most of our
examples come from Arizona and surrounding states as a result of our own
independent research in recent years to help place horses. Any program
that would like to be added to our list should
Contact Us, and any horse owner who wishes to let us know about a
program where they were able to rehome their horse is encouraged to
Contact Us.
From medieval knights to the early colonial
days, revolutionary war, pioneers, explorers and mountain men, to the civil
war, numerous Gold Rushes, and finally the Great War and World War II,
history buffs re-enact everything from jousting tournaments to
pre-industrial age farm life to famous battles. This living legacy of
our culture and history is an invaluable resource for our country.
They couldn't do it properly without the horses, mules, and burros who made
it possible. In 1883 there were and estimated 11 million horses in the
United States of America. Today the AHC estimates there are close to 9
million. Can your horse re-train to be a re-enactor?
This job is usually a good transition for a
retiring show horse from rodeo or rail pleasure classes where they have been
exposed to large crowds with chaotic sights, smells and sounds, public
address systems, and may have a love of performing.
 Buffalo
Soldier re-enactor Ulysses Davis of El Paso, Texas astride Mercedes performs
many times annually throughout Texas for special events. Mercedes
passed away in 2000, but Mr. Davis continues their tradition of educating
citizens about the past with his Thoroughbred, Lincoln. Read about it from
the El Paso Animal Hall of Fame.
America's Buffalo Soldiers Re-enactors Association, Phoenix, AZ
TIP: When you look for a military re-enactor group, remember
that you will have the best luck with cavalry and artillery units, or even
quartermaster (supply) units, rather than infantry. Infantry officers
rode, but a unit with only one or two horses belonging to the members is
unlikely to have an opening for your horse.
Revolutionary, Civil War, and Later American
Military
This military re-enactor uniform supply company attempts to maintain a list
of groups across America. It's a starting point for your quest: Quartermastershop.com
Here's another list, organized a bit more conveniently by state:
Custer's Last Stand Re-enactors, Montana
Medieval Jousting
Modern jousting is a real sport, with state and national competitions and
awards for advancing skill levels. Today, horsepeople can enjoy the
sport aiming at rings rather than adversaries. Skilled teams don kit,
body armor, weaponry and heraldry to perform for audiences in tournaments
staged for Renaissance Fairs, craft fairs, art shows, and other community
events. Most of these horses have been trained in the American western
discipline of reining, except for those groups that wear full armor, in
which case they need drafts or draft crosses, most likely with a Dressage
education. Dressage, afterall, is a descendant of the battle maneuvers of
the heavy war horse engaging against massed infantry or opposing knights.
For the lighter work, less heavy horses with skill at rundowns and sliding
stops on a loose rein are fit for the physical maneuvers, but your horse
can't be one who shies at fast oncoming traffic when performing with live
opponents.
The National Jousting Association list of clubs.
Arizona Renaissance Fair/Entertainment Magazine Online list of clubs.
A few professional jousting stables:
Paragon Jousting and Adventure Theater,
Knights of Valor
New Riders of the Golden Age from War Horse Farm, Sarasota, FL use draft
breeds since their performances are frequently in full armor. A horse
and rider combination of old generally weighed a ton.
Seattle Knights/Pirates of Puget Sound, Lynnwood, WA
Old West Reenactors
Wild West Reenactors.com maintains an excellent database.
You can search for mounted performers by state.
 If
none of the retirement jobs we have discussed are appropriate for your
friend, it is time to just let him hang out and be a horse. It is time
to visit with his pasture buddies most of the day, be groomed by you and
enjoy his gentle stretches and massage to stay comfortable, be
inspected daily for possible injury, illness, or loss of condition or teeth,
and get a treat.
"Advancements in the equine health field have helped to increase the life
of the horse to well into their 30s, but often well beyond their athletic
usefulness. Prepare to be a responsible horse owner and plan ahead for your
horse’s retirement years and beyond. As a horse owner, you should also plan
to set aside an emergency fund for the unexpected but all too common
injuries or illnesses that may occur in horse ownership. One final point for
all horse owners to remember: the horse is a living being whose life and
welfare are in your hands." -- AAEP Health Article What to Expect When
Owning A Horse, Purchasing a Horse - February 15, 2007
[Comment: The emergency fund ensures you have the means to provide
humane euthanasia whenever that time comes.]
The Retirement
Stables
page has links to retirement stables, and information on how to choose one, if you
cannot keep your companion at home.
This happiness should last while he is still fit
enough to enjoy it, a timeline no one can predict. When rapid decline
occurs, when constant discomfort or even pain invades him, you will know.
Your long association as friends and companions will have given you an "eye"
and an empathy that is priceless. No one else will have this insight
into the change in his behavior, his demeanor, his eyes - not even your vet
who has helped you maintain him for years.
When you reach this leg of the journey, please
see it for the natural course of events that life is, and begin to prepare
for him to leave you. Please visit our
Euthanasia and Memorials pages, so that you
will be ready to help him across "The Rainbow Bridge" responsibly, just as
you have cared for him all along. Choosing to own a horse is something
like a wedding vow, and the very best horsepeople are just as skilled at
compassionate elder care, hospice, and end of life care as they are at any
other.
The Del Camino Products and Services catalog offers some horse
products of interest to owners of senior horses.
Horse Welfare Statistics
Equinezone Horse Supply
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