Adoption

Your self-assessment is done, but before you begin looking at specific horses, check out the rescue organization that’s offering them for adoption.

Is it a registered non-profit? If the rescue has 501(c)(3) status, it means the operators have gone through some extra work to define and run their business. There are no regulated industry standards, and not all rescue centers are well run, so it’s worth knowing whether the proprietors have at least gone to this effort.

Does the rescue rehabilitate horses from neglectful or abusive situations before trying to place them with new owners? It should. If it doesn’t, you might wind up bringing home a special-needs horse that requires a demanding regimen to be brought back to good health.

Are you being pressured? Back away from any attempts to hurry you into a decision. The best rescue operators want the adoption to succeed as much as you do and will spend the time it takes to make sure you find a suitable match. Again, adopting a horse is a huge responsibility, financially and emotionally. Take the
time it takes to make a prudent decision.

Can you return the horse if it doesn’t work out? A good rescue will allow you a time period for settling in together and will take the horse back if you feel you’ve made a mistake.

Does the rescue have good references? Find others who’ve adopted from the facility you’re considering and ask them about their experience during and after the adoption process.

You’ve found a facility you can trust. Now apply equal diligence in checking out any horse you’re considering for adoption.

Spend plenty of time with the horse while it’s still at the rescue. Ask about handling issues and whether the horse has any behavioral vices. If you’re looking for a ridable mount, have someone at the rescue ride it for you before you mount up. (If they won’t, there’s very likely a problem, and you probably shouldn’t try to ride it, either.)

When you find one you think might be for you, arrange for a health exam (vet check). Without one, your wonderful “bargain horse” can turn into a heartbreaking money pit. “This is a top priority,” stresses Jill. “Horses with navicular disease, ringbone, and a long list of other disorders could look and seem fine, but their hidden health problems can turn into huge vet bills.” For this reason, the lack of a vet check is the most common cause of a bad experience with a rescue horse. Some rescues have their horses examined by a veterinarian when they take them in; others don’t. Either way, you’ll want a vet you trust to check the horse before you take him home. You won’t necessarily need expensive x-rays, but you do need a basic, overall health assessment.

Expect to sign a contract if you do adopt. Most well-run rescues will require one; be sure to read it carefully and fulfill your promises regarding your new horse’s care, handling, and potential future transfers of ownership.

What won’t you know about your new adoptee? It depends on where the horse came from originally. Because there are more horses being relinquished these days by conscientious but financially stressed owners, you could learn a fair bit about a horse from this type of situation. Feel free to ask questions and inquire about registration papers.

Horses coming from abusive or neglectful situations, however, don’t arrive at the rescue facility with much information about their history, so you won’t be able to find out much. Fortunately, in such a situation, a well-run rescue operation can take some of the guesswork out of the deal.

For example, to help her make good matches, Beth at Grace Foundation has put solid evaluation techniques into practice. She and her staff use an in-depth behavioral assessment to learn about each horse they take in, then they rate the animal on a 5-star scale.

Horses that score a 5 can be considered safe for a beginner to ride. Horses with a 4 rating need an advanced beginner to intermediate rider. (Beth and her staff are also skilled at evaluating the people looking to adopt, to make sure a new owner’s skills match the needs of the horse being adopted.)

Horses that score from 3 down to 1 have challenges to overcome. For these horses, the Grace Foundation donates the adoption fee to a professional trainer, who works with the horse and the appropriately skilled rider in an effort to get them off to a good start.

Although a good rescue facility will give you a real advantage in finding the horse you seek, such operations aren’t the only source of no-cost or low-cost horses. An owner might be going away to college and more interested in finding a good home for a beloved horse than earning money in the transaction.

Or someone in need of a break from the cost of horse care might gift a horse, temporarily or permanently, to someone offering a good home. Broodmares might need to be culled from a breeding program, or young horses might need expensive training owners can no longer afford.

Increasingly, online horse classifieds are including “free horse” listings (see many examples at Equine.com–plug “$0 to $0” in the price window of the search function.) Here, you’ll see many horses that five years ago would’ve been in the ubiquitous $1,500-to-$2,500-horse category. Now, such animals often are offered for free, because much of the buyership in that range has become an “adopter-ship” instead.

Bear in mind, however, that you’ll still need the experience and/or the financial resources to provide any needed training if you’re looking for a horse you can ride. Without experienced rescue operators to help you, ask for the help and advice of a horse-savvy friend, or pay to enlist the support of a professional in your search.

Matches can also be made through bartering–that is, trading one horse for another with no money changing hands–but, again, experience is key. If you don’t have it, get help.

So, what are the real-world results of taking on a rescued or otherwise “unwanted” horse? Here are three stories from people who took a chance on a free or fee-only animal. Learn from their experiences how to maximize your own prospects for creating a great new equine partnership.

“I didn’t know what to look for, so it was important to have help from someone who was horse savvy,” he says.

Mike’s first horse came from the Grace Foundation, where he got the help he needed from founder/director Beth. She knew what Mike was looking for, and also knew that the twin girls, MJ and CJ, had some Pony Club experience.

A sweet Appaloosa mare named Shiloh turned out to be a perfect fit. She’d suffered severe neglect but was coming along well in Grace’s rehabilitation program. When Beth assessed the mare’s ridability, she discovered Shiloh had some solid training in her background, and a match was made.

The second horse Mike acquired for his girls came from a trade. “This time we dodged a mistake by having an experienced friend come along,” reveals Mike, who initially had answered an ad to trade a mini for a full-sized horse. He had the mini, but the horse on the other end of the deal turned out to be an unstarted 2?-year-old filly–an unsuitable choice for people with limited horse experience.

Mike’s friend helped negotiate for a different horse at the same location–a sturdy 10-year-old Quarter Horse gelding with miles of ranch work and trails behind him.

The result? Mike’s now happy to see his girls with reliable mounts for trail rides and local schooling shows. CJ and MJ are enjoying their equine friends while learning about commitment, responsibility, and leadership–not to mention the value of giving a worthy animal a second chance in life.

Emotion, high; results, low. But it’s not always thus. Combine lack of experience, a disreputable owner or facility, and unrealistic expectations, and you have the perfect recipe for a sour deal. That’s what Ohioan Sue Steiner learned when she started her journey with rescue horses 17 years ago. She had suitable living quarters for a horse, plus the desire to help one in need. What she didn’t have was much knowledge or experience.

As a result, she let her heart rule her head when she saw a staked-out, dejected looking horse in a field. Feeling sorry for the horse, she contacted the owners; when they told her the animal was “a perfect kids’ horse,” she took them at their word.

Exceeding expectations. An older, wiser, and far more experienced Sue recently had a much different experience. She acquired an Incentive Fund nominated Quarter Horse mare from a rescue organization she’d thoroughly researched. And 5-year-old Darcy is turning out to be a quiet, willing treasure. Sue’s 18-year-old daughter, Erin, hopes to compete with Darcy in Western pleasure when they’re ready.

No one knows why the young mare was passed through one auction to another and then to a rescue in Pennsylvania. “I think she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” says Sue.

So, with careful attention to your checklists, you too can make a winning match. You won’t necessarily come home with a potential show champion (although it can happen!), but you will have saved money, saved a horse, and started a wonderful new relationship.

This article originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of Horse & Rider magazine.