I also try to keep a rotation of 4-5 SB's going at any given time, but I try not to get too comfortable with the situation which almost always leads to those drought periods you speak of. I know most people can't imagine how easy it is to go from 5 girls to zero without even realizing what happened, but it's happened to me on more than one occasion. One moment I have having to put off girls I really do want to see, just not "today", and the next I am sitting there with my dick in my hand looking for a provider because none of my SB's are available.

I too live in a small city with a limited talent pool and I never let my membership lapse as I am constantly cultivating new talent. I am younger than you at 58, but I also refuse to waste my time being celibate and quite frankly I don't even like porn. lol

I agree with GaG, you can pretty much only just try to plan for attrition as some of them tire of not regular enough meetups.  In the end, gotta remember, imo at least, that's a big reason many are SBs and not providers, the comfort and reliability of seeing the same person regular enough to supplement their income without the unpredictability, grossness, whatever, of having to meet up with whoever picks up the phone.  If they aren't getting enough supplement, they go back to the pool just like we do.  

With that said, I always have had a built in excuse.  I get feeling I am pretty young for an SD (45), and I have a school age child with my ex that I share custody.  So when I have had multiple SBs at once and needed to delay, I would always let them suggest nights first, then conveniently I had my child those nights, darn...  Maybe come up with something "regular" like that you can refer to as your built in excuse.  Even then, I think it's just delaying the inevitable tiring of being delayed and moving on from SBs.  

But the excellent long term arrangements you have enjoyed have never hampered my Sugar Dating.  I've had two of those so far in my 3 years of Sugar Dating.  And the thing is, in both cases, the girls had multiple SDs going just like I had multiple SBs.  They still did not consider themselves escorts although they both did acknowledge they were sex workers.  Don't ask me to parse that logic, I just go with it! But the point is that they did not depend on me for a high frequency of visits.  I could back off and play with others whenever the opportunities became numerous secure in knowing my favorites would be there, no problem, when I asked for another date.  Matter of fact, one of those women is still in my life.  Haven't seen her since mid April, but I know she'd say yes if I asked for another date.  So you gotta find SBs who are not dependent so much on just you for their financial and sexual needs.

Had mine 4 months.    Every once in a while she goes off in her head  and I say I'm leaving and she will see things my way for a while.     She can't make it with out help with her bills so she falls back in love.     71 too so I don't want to be steady hunting a new one.      Seeing a new one this weekend I met at a casino.     Just out of the blue she called and wanted me to pay her light bill.     I said I don't know you but a lot of women need help and make arrangements.    
She said It's sounds like she a bad person and I explained that she not a bad person needing help.      Thought maybe she would scam me but I think now she thinks she might need help later.    Told her I would take her to dinner too.
Her last boyfriend wanted her to support him.     An arrangement she knows she will all ways have help and could find love too.     Isn't life great.

I recognize now that I've been wanting to ' have my cake and eat it too ' and that there is really no silver bullet to resolve the conundrum...lol  !
Ultimately all the time expended and frustrations in hunting for new pussy as the current ones regrettably fade away is worth it and I'm grateful for all the fabulous times they have given me

Is this a GREAT HOBBY or what ?

Happy hunting  fellow mongers and thanks again for your comments.