Bonnie View Retirement Livery

26/12/2024

Beautiful Boxing Day! Even got some of them out without rugs ☀️

14/11/2024

We’re on Look North main story tonight at 6.30pm! I would never have been able to set up the yard without Lucy so please help us raise awareness. Follow us on Lucy’s Legacy and reading this article. Thanks so much for all your support in what has been an incredibly hard year 🥰

13/11/2024

This lovely dry weather has allowed us to keep the majority of our horses out 24/7. We are of course supplementing the grass with haylage. We specifically chop our haylage for easy digestion and then any waste is harrowed around, adding natural fertility to the field. We plan for everyone to live in on an evening from Sunday.

07/10/2024

2 weeks ago I lost my beautiful sister. Without her I would not have been able to set up our yard. I owe her so much . This is the start of Lucy’s legacy. If you can donate please do. Post natal depression/psychosis needs a real change and it starts here!

Lucy’s Legacy - Raising awareness for Post Natal Depression and Psychosis

06/09/2024

Cabins are all set up, hot tubs are lit and warm ready for our guests checking in this evening. Time to relax! 🧘‍♀️ The horses that live here certainly know how to. 🐴 #

23/08/2024

Breezy morning for these guys. This little group are all in their mid to late twenties but certainly don’t act it. They have been great companions for many years now. We group our horses in 2’s, 3’s or 4’s. Never alone and never in large groups. Just a small group of similar age and temperament companions. I find the horses are happier this way, feeding them hard feed daily is safer and it’s much nicer for owners when they come to visit so they are not bombarded by lots of other horses

19/08/2024

I Love this time of year when the heather on the moor turns purple. It’s just so beautiful. I’m sure our horses appreciate the view too.

12/07/2024

That north wind is chilly today so all of our horses are in rugs. This week has been so changeable. They’ve had one night in when it was awful rain, turned out without rugs and are now all rugged as it certainly doesn’t feel like July! This is summer care the Bonnie View way.
Many people’s perception of retirement livery is often that the horses are all just turned out in one big herd to live out the rest of their days. The reality of running a good retirement livery is the complete opposite. As our horses age this is when their needs intensify. Roll on summer ☀️

06/07/2024

Relaxed, shiny horses 🐴 on a breezy sunny day.
I’ve recently been asked to write a little piece for an equine magazine. One of the questions was:

What about a horse's life and needs changes when they are retired? We are so used to keeping them well with exercise, how can we ensure they maintain muscle and sufficient fitness/bodyweight for a healthy retirement?

I believe that once a horse has retired, a busy yard of ridden horses coming and going is often too mentally stimulating for them and this causes them to stress. Horses thrive on routine and this is a huge factor of our yard. Our horses are turned out in small groups (maximum of 4). All of a similar age, temperament and grazing needs. Even in winter we turnout daily. We use approximately 100 acres of fields for grazing alongside our sheep which is great for parasite control. We offer both large fields and smaller more slightly restricted paddocks for those that are susceptible to laminitis. Living on a hill farm seems to suit the needs of the retired horse perfectly. Our grass is slow growing so never lush which encourages a more natural grazing environment. They need to move to graze and with many of the fields being on an incline our horses often have more muscular hindquarters now than when they were ridden! I really wish we could put a pedometer on them as they must walk miles each day.Happiness is freedom. Freedom to roam with a small group of companions in a large field alongside the security that we are providing everything they need.
I have very high expectations of how our horses should look. We regularly groom them and keep them looking neat and tidy. Our yard manager Joanne Bumby BHSAI weighs them monthly and this information along with a monthly report and pictures is relayed to owners. Our professional team are experienced at dealing with conditions that are often related to the older equine, and our yard is small enough to ensure that each horse is cared for like our own and treated as an individual.

31/03/2024

Rudey dudey weekend at last! Happy 🐣 Easter ☀️

05/03/2024

What a beautiful day yesterday was. Some of our good doers even had a naked day but rugs were back on for bedtime. 🌞

17/01/2024

Makes a nice change from rain ❄️ ☃️

13/01/2024

Well deserved staff meal. We are so lucky to have such an amazing team 🥰

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas to you all 🎄 🐴 🥰

11/12/2023

A case of wine and a lovely card sent to us today from an owner. Thank you so much to all of our owners who are sending us Christmas cards and presents.
Many of our owners send their horses hours away from where they actually live. I will never underestimate how hard this is for them. The responsibility of looking after these precious horses is huge but the satisfaction of knowing our horses are happy is even bigger. ❤️

02/12/2023

Christmas key rings on the way to our fabulous owners. Thank you for trusting us with such precious horses and thank you to those that still continue to wait for a space. 🎄 🐎 🤶

30/11/2023

I believe a massive part of keeping horses happy and healthy is daily turnout with friends. Even in weather like this! They are all back in now tucking into ad lib haylage, stood on a big straw bed.
Keeping them mentally occupied let’s them thrive and turnout keeps them fit.

05/11/2023

Everyone back in from the fields just in time for sunset 🌅