Pine Brook Farm accepts geldings and open mares of all backgrounds, breeds, and locations, with a minimum age guideline of 16. Our previous retirees include hunter-jumpers, dressage, trail riding, as well as lead ponies, show, and racehorses.

New retirees arriving at the farm will be placed in a quiet, comfortable 64' x 88' paddock receiving area, where they can acclimate to their new surroundings, be carefully observed, and meet our current residents by visiting over the fence. After they have transitioned to the farm, your horse will inhabit our special 152' x 320' “holiday field” with several of our own, to encourage socialization and a gradual, peaceful integration with the herd. Once the horses have bonded, we try not to separate them for any reason other than special medical needs. They become family.

We work hard to keep your horse acclimated to people through daily interaction and treats.

At Pine Brook Farm, horses are fed free-choice hay of a high quality organic orchard grass mix, grown on an adjacent farm.  This is available to our residents whenever supplemental feeding is required.  Grain consists of an excellent, fresh 11% protein mix from our local feed mill.  Grain is provided twice daily in winter months, and once per day in spring and fall.  Horses are fed in stalls or separate paddocks to ensure each receives his fair share.  If a feed other than what we provide here is preferred, this may be arranged at the owner's cost.

Mineral blocks are located in our turn-out paddock and stalls, and are available 24/7.  Any medications or supplements required by your horse will be purchased in bulk by the owner, and administered by us at no additional charge.  Carrots, apples, and natural horse treats are provided to our retirees daily.  

Horses have access to pristine, spring-fed streams through specially designed coves incorporating pasture land.  Our brooks stay 54 degrees year-round and have frozen a mere three times in 24 years.  Residents may also drink from a 200 gallon container in our barn paddock with well-water of the utmost purity.  All stall and paddock water buckets are heated in winter.

Our retirees are happiest outdoors.  The Farm has numerous natural wooded shelter areas that provide shade and act as a buffer against the wind and weather.  In addition, our custom barn was built with a 10-foot overhang, under which our residents enjoy eating and and sometimes resting.  Stalls are available to horses under conditions of severe weather, medical issues, or other extenuating circumstances.  

• Halters:  Our retirees do not require halters unless we are catching or handling them.
• Blankets:  In the wild, the horse's coat changes naturally through the seasons, and blankets are not needed.  In severely inclement weather (excessive snow, ice, freezing rain, etc.), horses will be brought into the barn.
• Bathing & Grooming:  Horses will be bathed and groomed as needed.
• Fly Treatment:  In addition to the Feed-Thru Fly Control Program, we apply fly spray topically as needed.  Flies are also kept to a minimum by our healthy resident purple martin, chimney swift, and barn & tree swallow populations, whose members return every spring to raise their new families and enjoy the summer months at Pine Brook Farm. 

Our horses receive:

• Daily thorough visual inspection daily of their eyes, ears, skin, body, legs, and feet.
• Annual dental exam and teeth float, essential for older horses who need to be able to chew their food comfortably to aid in digestion.
• Annual hoof exam and trim every 6 to 8 weeks.  There are to be no shoes unless medically necessary.
• Deworming program developed for each horse by our veterinarian, typically operating on a 3-month schedule.  New residents should be dewormed before arrival. 
• Annual physical exam.
  
• Annual rabies booster vaccination.
• Initial West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis vaccinations; boosters will not be administered unless warranted by a reported outbreak in the region or at the direction of our veterinarian.