Advice needed re Retirement Livery

[Tillyizzy]

Advice appreciated please:
I have my lovely gentle 29yr old gelding currently at a retirement livery..it broke my heart to let him go, but he became very very stressed after we lost our 30yr old arab x, who was his best friend. He couldn't cope with anything leaving the paddock without him. I made the heartbreaking decision of homing him at a retirement livery...I had always hoped to bring him back one day..if I ever won the lottery and got a house with land 🙏...we are now 3yrs later and I do have the opportunity of bringing him 'home' because my daughter has bought a house with land and she has a veteran sec d gelding and she will be also getting another companion...She has kindly offered a place for my boy, which I am very excited about..BUT I am just a bit concerned about bringing him away from the retirement livery because he has friends as he is very clingy. But I also want to bring him 'home' so he can have more 1:1 care, things like being groomed, checked over several times and day, fly rugs, hoof regularly picked, bathed, stabled, lumps and bumps noticed immediately..you know...just generally having more care and attention..he has sweetitch and has suffered despite having the vaccination...he also only has his cheek and back teeth..so grazing can be a huge issue for him... I have missed him dreadfully but I am concerned about him actually loading and travelling away from his friends on his own...this move will be based on his welfare and welcoming him home, not about reducing the livery costs which are £450 a month. The retirement livery are good but as we all know...'noone will look after our precious horses the way an owner does'...🥰....I really am unsure of what to do...but my heart wants to bring him home now there is the option to..thoughts folks?

If he was happy and you were happy with the care he’s getting and you could afford it I would leave him there. It doesn’t sound like you’re really that happy with the 121 care he’s getting though - is he just out in a field or is he stabled overnight?

i think he would get used to living somewhere new especially if he’s got a couple of companions

I would bring him home in a heartbeat. He would go from being a distant presence in your life to being a pet. The move will take a little time to bed in but he knows you and your daughter will smell like you so that will help.

Yes he is used to being where he his..but essentially there is a huge difference between being looked after as 1 of over 150 horses to being 1 of 3..my daughter will give him 1:1 attention love and care and he does love to be touched and groomed and he only has that once every couple of weeks or so...I don't want to cause him upset by bringing him away but I feel in the long run it is the best option to guarantee he gets everything he needs x

Thank you so much for your comment...I am 95% sure that we will bring him 'home'. It is good to have other people's opinions that are not emotionally involved if that makes sense...I am secretly hoping everyone will respond in the same way you have...❤️

He is getting everything he needs to a point..but on a couple of visits I have had a couple of concerns about swelling on his knee and a hematoma that was quite large between his front legs that wasn't noticed... I know neither are serious but they could have been. If he is with my daughter these would have been noticed almost immediately..so I am fairly sure I will bring him 'home' ...😊

Definitely at home for me, as much as he is cared for where he is you are right in that an attentive close bond makes a huge difference to the horses comfort in spotting things early. I'm sure he will be fine and mollycoddled, good luck!

My retired horse is at a retirement yard on livery. I would say that she is happier their living in a big herd living a natural lifestyle and well looked after than a life I could give her at a smaller place. Do horses really care about human contact and pampering?
I’d never move my girl, I wouldn’t put her through the stress of it but tbf I’m extremely happy with the standard of care she has.

No, I agree that horses don't care about human pampering, but if it means the difference in being able to feed mashes etc appropriately because of the inability to graze, putting fly rugs on when needed and spotting swollen limbs, then it's a no-brainer imo. At 29 he likely doesn't have long left and paying attention to the smaller things can often mean they can be comfortable for longer.

Old horses can often do better in a smaller group than a herd environment too.

He can't live in a big herd, he has no front teeth so he as very specific needs ...he wouldn't cope without a supplement of hay and haylage so has to be in a paddock with only 2 others and he has to be stabled through the winter too to ensure his feed and hay intake...though I understand your thoughts about a big herd and it works well for your horse ..it wouldn't suit him at all.....