Would you consider going to a rescue facility to look for your next horse? Please take a moment to comment and let us know.
Indee's looking for the right family.
Would you consider going to a rescue facility to look for your next horse? Please take a moment to comment and let us know.
Every so often, we bring you information about a rescue horse we’ve found on the “Home For Every Horse” part of www.equine.com. Some of the horses, like Indee here, just seem to be too nice to have been abandoned.
Indee is a two-year-old pony mare. She’s got the potential for pony hunters, but she does need training. She’s easy to handle, but her training is little more than longeing. She’s $500.
If you needed a pony, would you consider Indee? (And if you do, you can learn more about her here.
We have 6 rescue horses, an aging (24) ex-racer thoroughbred, an now 15 year old arabian, a 11 year old pasofino, and 3 7 year old mustangs, not all are rideable, but all are fun and loving. They cost a lot of money, especially keeping weight on the thoroughbred, but to me it’s worth it. Thankfully I have a job that allows me this luxury. I have come to riding and horseownership late in life (above age 40), but have ridden the thoroughbred , the arabian and the paso fino. the mustangs are still works in progress and if I had more time we would be able to ride them as well. I think the right rescu horse in the right home is wonderful. All of my dogs are rescues and they are wonderful, just with rescue dogs it takes training and love and sometime rehabilitation to end up with a companion who loves you and is happy to see you in the morning and whenever you come into the pasture.
andrea
Yes I would adopt a “rescue” horse….my latest acquisition was adopted from New Vocations. I had operated a very small private horse rescue for many many years. I would either buy horses from the killer buyers or I got horses through word of mouth (once the word gets out that you’ll take starved or abused or neglected horses, folks start contacting you!) I was very fortunate in that most of the horses I got were all sane and nice. I rehomed most of them and still have several that are now retired here. But, based on my experiences I would highly recommend that anyone wanting to get a rescue horse go through a reputable rescue facility. It may look like the horse is “expensive” and that it would be much cheaper to respond to a local ad for a horse that someone has to find a home for, or to go to a local auction and get a horse that is underweight for $50 or $100 (I’ve seen nice yearlings go for $10 at my local auction) but if you go through a reputable rescue facility you will get a horse that has been screened . A reputable agency will do their best to match the horse to your interests and abilities, and the horse will be healthy (or at least you will be told about any health issues) and you should be able to return the horse in a short amount of time if it is not what you understood it to be. Sadly, I have seen dishonest sellers buy horses at an auction and then advertise them as rescue horses. In the long run it really pays to go through a good facility.
I am responding to your request for comments about aquiring rescue horses. I currently have two “recycled” racers in my family. Magic a.k.a. Waltrip is an 18 year old Standardbred who has been the love of my life for the past 11 years. He came to me after rehabing from stress fractures that forced his retirement from racing. Although he had no idea what saddles and riders were all about, he had wonderful ground manners and was, and still is, an eager student with a wonderful work ethic. Delivered, a 20 something TB mare, joined our family a little over a year ago. Her racing career was lack lust so she became a brood mare. When she was in need of a new home, I agreed to give her a forever home. She has been a wonderful addition, she is a trust worthy trail horse and a wonderful companion. My comments wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Tess, our 30 something big pony/little horse that was adopted because she had such an endearing personality and needed a home. She was with us for about 6 years when a fall resulted in a fractured ulna bone. Sadly, she wasn’t able to recover. All in all I would encourage anyone looking for a horse or pony to look into rescues. Do your homework; approach a potential horse with an open mind, people love to get hung up on the sad tales of abuse and neglect.
Be prepared to put some effort into possible rehab and re-training. Get professionals involved. If you have no experience training a horse, find one; get vet and farrier checks done so you know what you may need to address and then prepare to fall in love.
Yes, I would adopt a rescue horse. As stated already, going through a reputable agency is an absolute must! I’ve adopted multiple horses in the past-some have been wonderful, some not so wonderful. The beauty of adoption from a reputable agency is the ability to return the animal if needed. You do not get a refund to return a horse, but you do get peace of mind that they will be cared for and found a new home that is suitable. For example, we adopted a wonderful trail horse for friends who used to ride with us. They drifted away from riding as a hobby and the horse sat idle, so we returned him. He was adopted out within 2 days because he was such a great mount. Stereotypes of “rescue” horses are misleading. Horses end up in rescues because people care and want to ensure a proper home. Many horses are there because of divorce, family financial issues or death of their owners-it’s by no fault of the horse! I applaud those who choose to donate their horses to adoption facilities to ensure they are found a good home.