We are often asked by our retiree’s owners and by people interested in starting an equine retirement facility about the costs of operation. Below is a list of some of the expenses that must be factored in: Cost of land: we allow approximately 2 acres/horse Fencing and cross-fencing (we recently paid $7/foot for some additional 4-board wood fencing) plus gates and ongoing maintenance (the horses don’t write the checks so at times they chew them, scratch on them, kick them, lean on them, etc. We are sure they would be more respectful if they were paying the bill!) Running water & electric lines Yearly pasture maintenance: reseeding, fertilizer, lime Equipment to maintain farm: tractor, bush hog, manure spreader, chain harrow, etc. plus costs to operate, insure and maintain the equipment Cost of building barns/sheds (extra charges will be incurred for site preparation, concrete aisles, gravel in sheds, water & electricity, indoor wash racks) plus ongoing maintenance and insurance Cost of storage for hay, tractors, and other equipment Troughs, hay feeders, buckets, hoses, brushes, shampoos, grooming supplies, etc. Monthly hay bill: Our area (southeast) is currently experiencing a major hay crisis along with many other parts of the country, and hay prices have more than doubled in the last 12 months. It is also predicted that fewer hay fields will be planted as farmers are responding to the rising corn prices (for ethanol) and planting more corn. Monthly grain bill: Feed prices are expected to continue to rise due to higher diesel costs and due to higher cash grain prices for ethanol. Property Taxes Commercial Liability Insurance Salary for caretakers: preparing and feeding hay, grain and supplements; blanketing; maintaining pastures; clean/rebed stalls; repairing fences; grooming horses; scrubbing buckets and troughs; holding for vet & farrier; ordering supplies and picking up hay/feed; monthly billing and accounting work; updating owners and communicating with clients Monthly utility bills Costs for truck and trailer (needed for transport and emergencies) Cost to maintain emergency medicines and supplies and to replace outdated items (some meds are not cheap!) Farrier costs (included in all of our board packages) Costs for annual vaccinations (included in all of our board packages) Costs for deworming (included in all of our board packages) Marketing and advertising costs (we have to be able to let you know we are here!) (Updated August 29, 2022)

At Paradigm Farms our primary focus is on retired horses. We offer both pasture and stall board. If we have an opening, we will also accept horses needing turn out or stall board due to injury. Currently, we are only accepting retirees for boarding due to limited openings.

Frequent changes make it hard for the horses to establish herd dynamics. With this in mind, the minimum required boarding period is one year.

We will administer daily medications and supplements with feed at no additional charge as long as they are supplied by the owner. All horses are provided with free choice hay or pasture and grain (fed 2x/day) as part of their board. If your horse has nutritional requirements that cannot be met through these practices, we will gladly accommodate these needs at the owner’s expense. Fees for special services will vary and can be arranged based on each unique situation.

We do not carry the same type of insurance as training facilities and therefore riding is not allowed on the farm.

Absolutely! Visits are scheduled by appointment as one of us must be present per our insurance requirements. The farm is closed to visitors on holidays.

No. Our board prices include hoof trims (no shoeing) approximately eight times per year, de-worming six times per year, and annual dental and vaccinations. Horses must be boarded with Paradigm Farms for six months for annual vaccinations to be administered with no additional charge to the board bill. Any additional farrier or veterinary expenses incurred are the responsibility of the owner.

If an emergency arises we will make arrangements for your horse to receive veterinary care immediately. Prior to your retired horse’s arrival at our farm, we will discuss with you what your preferences are as far as treatment, diagnostics, and expenses in an emergency situation. Once we have made arrangements for initial veterinary care we will contact you and you will be the decision maker for ongoing treatment for your horse. In an emergency situation, we always arrange for initial veterinary care first and then contact the owner.

We strongly encourage owners to pull the shoes from their retirees for the safety of all the horses and humans on the farm. If you feel your horse can’t go without specific therapeutic shoes then they will be kept shod, with the additional expense of shoeing being the owner’s responsibility.

We are often asked where the retirees come from. Surprisingly, only a few of the horses come from our local area. The remainder of the horses come from across the United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. Some of the states represented include Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Washington state.

Horse owners choose to retire their horses with us, which may be quite a distance from where they live, for many reasons. The Tennessee climate is appealing to many, as their horse will not have the long, hard winters of the northern states and Canada or the extreme heat and humidity of more southern states. Our large, well-maintained pastures are another draw for many of our clients. Horses are herd animals but they also like to have their own space. We allow approximately two acres per horse in our pastures. This allows for good grazing and also means the horses never feel crowded. In some areas, land prices are very high due to development pressure. Simply due to the cost of land in these areas, most boarding facilities can’t afford to have large acreage with large pastures. The horses retired with us thrive when they are allowed to be out in a large pasture with other horses. Our stall boarders and our pasture boarders enjoy group turnout in our large pastures. Many of these same horses, before retirement, did not enjoy turnout in a small space either alone or with another horse. Our clients are searching for the ideal retirement situation for their horses, and often that means choosing a facility that is not in their local area.

The horses enjoying retirement at Paradigm Farms are a wide variety of breeds and disciplines. Some of the breeds represented on our farm include various warmblood breeds, thoroughbreds, Arabians, quarter horses, several ponies, and even a miniature horse. They were ridden in a variety of disciplines, and our residents have competed through Grand Prix dressage, Grand Prix jumping, “A” circuit hunters, upper-level eventing, polo, barrel racing, and gymkhana events. Other residents on our retirement farm did not show at all and enjoyed trail and pleasure riding with their owners and were treasured family pets. We are certain that they have a lot to talk about with each other as they discuss what they used to do when they went to the “office”!

The horses on the farm are retired for a variety of reasons. Our youngest retiree is 6, and we’ll protect the age of our oldest retiree (we will say that he is much older than 10!). Some of the horses are retired due to soundness issues, some due to injury, some due to illness, and some are retired because their owners felt they had worked hard for a long time and deserved to just be a horse.