After much talk, Back in the Saddle Project has decided to blog every Friday. With our full time jobs, children to love and care for, and the horses to feed, groom and ride, we are short on time-so Friday it is. Please check back with us once a week to get the weekly low down!
Little Bit dressed as Christmas Elf with Ruby and Jamie
We have three horses signed up for the January euthanasia clinic where we are able to provide Veterinarian administered euthanasia and rendering for $100 a horse. We have 1 horse signed up for the $50 gelding clinic and we have almost completed the paperwork for our IRS 501(c)(3) filing. Deb and I are on the hunt for electrical horse tape and other fencing materials, wishing we could afford to rent a hydraulic t-post driver!
Monday, we were contacted by a family who came across a starving horse in an abandoned pasture near their home. Although they had no horse experience they knew, they could not leave him there to die a slow and painful death. They were able to get permission to take the horse home and walked him down the lane to their pasture where they fed and rehabilitated him. Now that he is healthy they are looking to place him in a home, but they know little about him.
Goldie, the mustang
I was going to be in the area so I stopped by to check him out. After shaving his neck it was evident that he was a BLM mustang, approx 9 years old and he was still intact cryptorchid with poor confirmation. I took pictures of his brand and have sent them off to BLM to try and get title figured out. In the mean time, the family is keeping him and taking care of him until further notice. Goldie is very lucky that these people are loving and caring enough to help him out before it was too late.
While out on a Christmas BITS Bites delivery to Sammie’s Friends, a call came in from a donor who was picking up, Cash, an emaciated horse that Sammie’s Friends was willing to rescue and rehabilitate. Unfortunately, Cash would not load in her slant trailer and she was unsure of how to transport him to Sammie’s Friends. Sammie’s Friends has a horse fund and are able to take in 1 or 2 horses at time. They understand the importance of proper rehabilitation, vet care, hoof care, and they believe that proper training before adoption, is necessary.Since I was there, I offered to transport Cash in the BITS stock trailer. We set up a time to meet the following day, Christmas Eve and transport Cash to his rehab home. After the morning chores of feeding horses and cleaning stalls were done, Deb and I set out driving down to Lincoln to pick up Cash. When we arrived at the home we found Cash in pretty bad shape, after evaluating him, we found him to be an approx. 28 years old, sway back, Arabian with a bit of an attitude. His teeth were worn down, but he did not drop any feed when eating, Deb noticed signs of ringbone and bone spurs as well.
Deb evaluating Cash
Even though he looked bad, he still had it in him to put a healthy fight, as he was unwilling to load in the stock trailer as well. We were all set to put up some panels when the owners arrived home.
We began to talk with the concerned donor and the owner and found out the owners had little horse experience, but wanted to do right by Cash. They did not understand that the horse was elderly and most likely his weight loss was due to a metabolic issues rather than neglect. The owner was willing to provide humane euthanasia if that was what the horse needed.
It was then decided to return Cash to his pasture and help the owner set up the vet and rendering. Before we left, Deb and I took the opportunity to help the owner clean up the discarded baling twine and metal gates in the pasture, explaining to her the dangers they presented to her horses. We found the water trough empty and explained that horses need an average of 10-15 gallons of water each a day. The owner was very thankful and asked if we could come back and help her on the day the vet came to put Cash down, we happily told her we would do whatever we could to help. Deb and I could have simply loaded the underweight horse and left the home, but by taking the time educate the owner rather than just take her problem horse away, we were able to help make a better horse owner out of her and hopefully help keep the other two horses she has healthy. Remember most neglect arises from lack of education and is not intentional. Education is the key!!
On Christmas day, Deb was on her way to feed the horses when two dogs ran out in front of her car. After stopping the care and feeding them some of our Christmas BITS Bites, Deb allowed the two to jump in the car. She knew she would not be able to enjoy Christmas dinner in her warm home if she left the two to fend for themselves.
Bones sleeping on Deb's couch, which is normally a big NO NO in Deb's house.
As you can see from the pictures, Bones, an intact, male, pit-bull, is emaciated to the point that he feels pain when he is petted. Diva, the black lab mix is sweet and not as bad off as her mate but still underweight and dehydrated.
Bones and Diva resting in the warm house on the comfy couch
The two are resting happily in Debs home for the weekend and we are looking to place them in a home as soon as possible. If you are interested, please contact us a info@backinthesaddleproject.com
Getting ready to deliver our BITS bites
Little Bit did his job on Christmas afternoon, delivering Christmas BITS Bites to neighbors and BITS supporters. He was such a good little elf, he really likes the attention he gets from his girl! We hope you had a great holiday week and wish you a Happy New Year. See you next Friday!
BITS had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we have certainly been enjoying all this amazing weather, which has allowed us to ride almost every day. We attended the Chico Equestrian Association Turkey Trot and checked out their great facility and met a lot of really nice riders.
We are certainly making headway on the Euthanasia and Gelding Clinics. Our new pals from Nevada County, Sammies Friends, have donated 3 gelding procedures! We are so grateful and so very excited. Sammie’s Friends is a group dedicated to helping shelter animals get the small procedures they need to adoptable while helping other animals in the community with veterinarian care as well.
Yesterday, Jamie sent out about 30 emails to equine veterinarians in Northern California requesting help with both gelding procedures and the Euthanasia Clinic. 5 hours after the emails were sent a response came back from Dr. Dewey. Not only is she donating 2 gelding procedures, but she has pledged to head the January euthanasia clinic and is a active member in the Equine Medicine Club at UC Davis Veterinary school. She is going to help get a FREE gelding clinic set up in Nevada County where we will be able to geld 10-15 horses in one day and offer valuable experience to the next generation on veterinarians! We are picking a date and will be sending out the information later this week.
One last thing: As you all know, this economy has hit the non-profit sector really hard. When things are hard, there is an even bigger need for those dedicated to offering relief for those who need it. BITS would like to suggest that since most of us are cutting back on Christmas spending this year, maybe we could all take a different approach to this giving season and donate our time. We can accomplish a lot with help, so we encourage you to find a non-profit which is close to your heart and offer your services. The local food banks always need extra hands, and your salvation army has many to feed this year and a blanket drive for the homeless can be done by simply walking the block and asking your neighbors and friends for warm blankets to pass out to those who need it. Good luck!
Happy to report that BITS is meeting with a well established animal rescue in Nevada County. Hopefully we can work together to get some more vets on board for the gelding clinics and establish our Nevada County foster home and volunteer base. Deb and I are so excited, this is a perfect contact who knows how to work with the local animal control and can help us get in there and make a diffrence. Keep good thoughts and we will let you know how it all goes!
Tuesday night Deb and I went to CAWS meeting in Nevada City. It was a quite amazing group, mainly dog and cat rescues, but none the less a group of individuals from various organizations getting together to help network and save lives. Deb and I were totally amazed. Can you imagine what kind of change could be made for the horses if horse rescues were interested in working together? There did not seem to be any competition for donors, and everyone was there to offer advice, suggestions and support. Deb and I will be going back in January for sure! Thank you to Scooters Pals, Sammies Friends and For Pets Sake, we are grateful for the warm welcome to the group.
C.A.W.S
Wednesday night, we went to Bette's (our cheerleader) for great burgers, wine and the most amazing homemade garlic french fries ever. It is so amazing the support we have received. Many people are astonished to see the truth behind so very many non-profit organizations. BITS promises to conduct our organization with ethics, compassion and the best interest of the horse at ALL times. We are certainly out to make it known that there is an alternative to the conventional horse rescue. Please join us in our efforts.
On another note, we received our first confirmation from a local vet who will be donating two free gelding procedures for the year 2010. BITS has made it our goal to geld 100 horses in the new year! BITS is in favor of, and thankful for the responsible breeding of registered, purebred and wanted horses. We are not however, nieve to the back yard breeding epidemic which is the cause for many of the 100,000 unwanted horses in the USA today. Please help us in passing this great program on to your local vet, we are not confined by city, county or state lines; we have no boundaries. The amount of unwanted horses that can be saved prior to their conception is infinite. Please help us Save Unwanted Horses!
Today I was doing some research on the unwanted horse statistics and found that the 2009 Unwated Horse Survey has been issued. Click here to read survey
"The Unwanted Horse Coalition, a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council, is concerned that some horses may slip through the various safety nets within the equine industry. Too many owners are unaware of, or do not give enough thought to, the available options, services and assistance available in the industry to help them ensure that their horse has caring and humane support throughout its life. The Unwanted Horse Coalition will help educate the horse industry about this issue and help people learn to Own Responsibly."
Page 31 shows the most appealing solutions to the unwanted horse problem
Horse ownership education focused on buying and owning responsibly
Increase ability of rescue/adoption/retraining facilities to care for unwanted horses
Reopening U.S. processing plants
More resources for humane euthanization
and along with the least appealing soluntions to the unwanted horse problem
Expand legislation or regulation to control horse ownership
Federal funding for carcass removal
Increase awareness of animal welfare rights
Federal funding to expand horse adoption
What I take from these statistics is that it is up to us. The general public who love horses and are corcerned about their welfare. We need to band together and start taking action on behalf of those who need help and those who cannot help themselves. Please take a moment to read our objectives for the Hay Bank, Low Cost Gelding Clinics and Euthanasia Clinics. We are taking a leap of faith in our efforts to form a Non-profit for the horses and we need your support.
What can we do today that will change the outcome for tommorow?
I confirmed with the owner of Roseville Livestock auction yesterday that they are closing their doors. The property needs too much repair to be brought up to county code, and the property owner is not interested in making the $60,000+ in repairs. So I ask you, where does that leave the desperate horse owners? Anywhere from 50 -100 horses a month were run through the Roseville Auction each month, many owners brought their horses to this local auction in hopes that they would be purchased and fnd a new home. Many brought their elderly or untrained horses as the last resort because humane euthanasia was too expensive and traveling to another auction 3 hours away is not possible. Owners who had no luck selling privately and where unable to properly care for their horses had at least this option, now what? Is there going to be an increase in horse abandonment? What can we do to help?
We hope our hay bank will help owners who want to keep their horses but are just struggling temporarily with hay costs. We also hope we can help owners connect with trainers to help horses with behavior issues through our rehoming assistance but what about the rest?
Although we would all like to help each horse find a new home and plan to try our best to help but the reality is there will be many who will not be able to find homes. BITS believes that many horses will be forced to suffer this winter simply because their owners are unable to care for them. We can prevent that suffering if we give owners the option of having their horse put down by a vet in a humane manner and at an affordable cost. It is not a wonderful option but until another solution can be found it is a neccesary one. We hope you understand it is in the best interest of horses that cannot find homes. BITS has formed a network of giving vetrinarians and disposal businesses who are willing to donate their time and equiptment, all that is left is the funding to make it affordable for every owner in need. Do you know someone who might be interested in donating to this worthy cause?
First off it seems like our bad luck is over. BITS received wonderful news today. We have been chosen to receive a grant from the Ralph and Virginia Mullin Foundation! The grant will pay for all of BITS IRS filing fees. This is fantastic news and we are all so excited. Yesterday we had our first tabling at the Ride & Dine held at the Camelot Equestrian Center. What a place, with trails and arenas everywhere.
Thanks to Betty our cheerleader(pictured in the pirate witch outfit), we had a great table next to Valley Tractor complete with witch hats and hanging bats! Deb made fun candy mice, caramel apples and crispy treats to sell for our Hay Bank. Aside from making a few dollars, we made great contacts with the Pony Club and some enthusiastic college girls. The kids had a great time doing everything Halloween and horsey.
They even had a pumpkin polo match.
BITS will surely be back next year. Thank you Camelot, we had a blast.
Sorry for the delay in posts. The bits team has had two weeks of bad luck! First is the was the craigslist scam that cost us a day in driving, two tanks of gas and two girls in a funky mood. Then it was followed up with a death in the family, a blown transmission and a rain storm. We were felling like "Why us?", when a package came in the mail.
It was the cutest flymask all decked out in American Pride courtesy of The Well Groomed Horse!
This is a serious fly mask and since Lil Bit has gone through 3 in the past 2 months, it is a welcome site. The well enforced back strap is sure to stay closed. Great handmade American craftsmanship!
Even my husband was impressed by how well it was put together and the fabric is soft and sturdy so it will not rub Lil Bit's hair off. If you remember, he has to wear a fly mask at all times due to the improper way his torn eyelid healed prior to his adoption.
When I walked out to place on Lil Bit he was hesitant, he is still working on his confidence. After the mask was placed on him, he was all smiles for the camera.
Even Shorty his pasture mate was jealous. So a huge thank you to The Well Groomed Horse for the great pick me up. She makes an excellent product, if you are interested in purchasing some of her new gear, click here to check out her blog .
Aurora and I took a trail ride at Spenceville Wildlife Preserve. The Epic Journey as Aurora calls it, started at 8 am at BITS to load up Emmy. Emmy loads herself on any kind of trailer and would probably drive if she could, so that part was easy. Needing a new battery for my truck, getting lost (there are no signs as we were told there should be) and getting directions such as "turn where the road turns" and several roads named Spenceville Road didn't make it easy to find. We finally arrived as the trails and although it was incredibly hot we did enjoy the peace and quiet and a nice cool dip. We did not see much in the way of wildlife , unless you count the red dun hippo. Emmy we have decided was a hippo in another life, as she will put her whole head under the water and blow bubbles out her nose as well as graze underwater.
Aurora's Arab had never crossed a creek before and he was very brave and jumped right in. In fact he has decided that cool creeks are much better than hot trails anyday. He is a great trail horse who can really step out and now he can add creeks to his list of accomplishments.
All in all , it was fun to go riding. The horses were absolutely perfect and it beats a day stuck behind the computer working or in front of a TV anytime.
Emmy jumped in before we could even get her leadrope on .
The Red Dun Hippo- the only wildlife we spotted other than a squirrel
Show off your horse and help a fellow horseperson in need!
BITS is having a calendar contest to raise money for an emergency hay and feed bank for horseowners in financial crisis. If we can help a horseowner through a tough time that keeps one more horse in a home. Our hope is to help horses before they end up in rescues or worse. The calendar will be titled..
Get Back In The Saddle America!
Our hope is to rebuild the horse community and economy by getting people back in the saddle, keeping horses in homes and getting more horses and riders exposed to different horse activities. Show off your horse in red white and blue, take a picture of your horse in a beautiful American landscape, send a picture of your horse under the stars and stripes. You get the idea now go get the camera! One of these horses will be the cover model is it yours?
Every person entering gets a copy of the calendar and a chance to get your horse featured on a calendar.
Show off your horse , help feed a hungry horse and keep one more horse in a home and get bragging rights!
On Monday, Deb took Repo back down to UCDavis Vet Hospital to do a re-check on his eye.
Apparently Deb and I are really good at rehab since the whole staff was amazed at his recovery. The ophthalmologist said most times owners take horses home who need meds every 2-4 hours round the clock they come back and look worse.
Deb's dedication to Repo paid off. Poor thing she slept on the couch and put most of her own life on hold to make sure Repo made a full recovery. Neither of us could stomach the fact that such a young and promising horse could loose his sight.
3 more vets have signed up to donate their time along with another livestock removal company. We are on our way to being able to provide low cost clinics in various locations throughout Northern California. We are confident that by taking this service to areas where there is a large cost to euthanize we will be able to reach those who really need this service. Please help us spread the word that help is available!
BITS is here to help desperate horseowners, so when this can across our email we thought it appropriate to send out. If you know of anyone who might be able to help this mustange out please contact his owner. If you know of anyone who might be willing to sponser this mustange to live with BITS until his owner returns from Afganistan or can be re-homed please have them contact us at help@backinthesaddleproject.com.
PLEASE cross post wherever appropriate!
Lucky is a 19 year old sorrel BLM mustang gelding. He is owned by Thomas Glover in the north Reno area. Thomas is a National Guardsman who has just been called up and is being sent to Afghanistan.
Thomas will be unable to board Lucky while he is deployed so he needs to find either a temporary or permanent home for the horse. Otherwise he will have to consign Lucky to a livestock dealer when he has to ship out, which he clearly does not want to do.
Lucky can be ridden, stands for the farrier and trailers. Tom will be happy to trailer Lucky to anyone in the region who could take him.
Let's not send Tom to serve our country in Afghanistan worrying about what will happen to his horse. If you can take Lucky or provide Foster Care until he can be placed or until Tom returns.
Please call Tom at 775-997-4545.
So Deb has been up every 3 hours, walking to the barn in the dark to deliver Repo his eye meds. I know we have promised pictures for awhile, so finally they are here. Here is Deb as the sun rises giving Repo his dose of 4 liquid eye meds and Banamine.
PICTURE REMOVED by Deb
Way way too scary of a picture.
Of course he had to tear out a part of the catheter and needed a visit from the vet to fix the missing pieces and adjust the eye piece. Repo is such a good patient, he is getting a little fussy after the week of medication; however, he remains he great self, calm and ready for anything.
We wish we had pictures from when the eye first became infected, but here is what it looks like today, about 50% healed and 100% bettter! Keep Deb in your prayers, she has taken on this huge task of medicating Repo every 4 hours and even every 2 hours yesterday to make up for the tear in his line.
Poor guy, he really wants to make his way to the pasture on run with his buddies. I doubt we will be able to coax him into a stall again anytime soon.
It's looking better everyday, and tomorrow morning he is going back to UC Davis for his follow up exam; hopefully everything checks out okay.
Three veterinarians from the Livermore area returned our calls today, and every one of them is interested in donating time to our Euthanasia Clinic. We hope to have everything worked out and ready to go for an October 25th date. The vets are also interested in doing low cost vaccination and gelding clinics! We are so excited to be able to offer these programs to struggling horse owners. For more information on our clinic please click here.
BITS wants to stay proavtive and try to help horses and their owners before they become desperate. If you know of anyone that might benifit from our clinic, or might be willing to donate, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help the horses! Click here to donate!
We are so proud of the improvements he has made. Notice no more goat hairs on his face? He still has a long way to go, but he is starting to socialize well with the other horses (something he did not do well when he got here), and is allowing us to touch him more and more without fear. He is pictured here with his mate, Tonka.
He is set to have another lesson with Erin Murphy of Equestrian Partners Inc next week. He still has a scratching issue, which we belive is due to fungus so his daily bath with anti-fungal wash continues! Deb and I took another trip to UC Davis Vet Center today. Anyone who has dealt with a melting ulcer of the eye will know what we have been through. So not only did I have to put Handsome Jack down on Saturday, after the long morning Deb and I headed out to Davis to take care of her horse Repo's eye. The whole story with gruesome pictures and the medication schedule tomorrow. BITS wants to know, did you ride your horse today?
As many horse owners know, having to put our trusty steads down is one of the hardest decisions we make as horse owners. Saturday was a doosie for the Back in the Saddle founders. "Handsome Jack", was a rescue horse I adopted the day after mothers day this year. He came to the rescue where I saw him with a body score of 1 and a tired look on his face. I knew Jack had to come home with me, whether he would ever be a great ride or not. He had been left to die in a pasture with his mate, Pike,the least I could do was take him home and try to make it up to him.He needed me- I knew that. So he came home and he got custom mash made by his little girl, and lots of love and attention. He was 25 year old and quite large. When my vet came out two weeks ago to winterize my herd she said the words I knew I needed to hear. "Jamie, you did a great job rehabbing him- he really looks great. But I have to tell you that I think this winter is going to be really hard on him and the more weight he gains the more uncomfortable his hind end gets". So there it is. I had to say goodbye to my Handsome Jack Saturday morning. Thank god for Deb, she held him when it was time while I sat and cried on the front deck. This is his last picture:
Good Bye Handsome Jack, we will miss you!
In honor of Jack and those oldies but goodies like him, Back in the Saddle is starting a low cost euthanasia clinic. We hope to allow other horse owners of seniors and uncomfortable horses allow their beloveds to pass quietly and with peace. When I called to get an estimate on putting Jack down I was shocked. It was going to cost around $300 for vet and rendering fees. I know how tight my budget is right now and am thankful that I was able to afford it. But that left us thinking, what if we could not afford it? What happens to all the elderly arthritic horses who's owners are not able to afford their peaceful passing?
We are almost there, Janice Pemental has already taken care of the rendering and place to hold our clinic, so now all we need is a vet to donate their time. If you have questions or want to help, please email me atjamie@backinthesaddleproject.com or click here. We are asking for donations for this program, we would like to be able to cover any cost the owners can not.
Our first clinic will be held in Livermore, where we will be able to reach many horse owners in need of some assistance. Back in the Saddle wants to help all horse owners, and we feel that this another way to do so. Please help us help them!
Most people think that horse rescues are noble, big-hearted people who have dedicated their lives to help horses . Well, sadly that is not always the case and considering the recent stories on the news as well as the countless email groups, blogs and internet forums dedicated to reporting about the fraudulent or neglectful horse rescues . I would have to say finding a good rescue is not as easy as you would think. In fact although the original plan was to start a horse rescue , we at BITS decided not to jump so quickly on the rescue bandwagon but to work pro-actively rather than retroactively to horse neglect.
We will take in horses that cannot be quickly re-homed and those horses will be accepted into the BITS 4R program ( Rehabilitation,Re-conditioning, Re-training and Re-homing.) However we will not be bringing horses into this program until we have the adequate vet and training funds to assure the program is successful, and does not rely day to day off of donated money . Our standards are non-negotiable when it comes to horses. While we applaud the rescues who do take great care of the horses entrusted to them , it is far too common for rescues to cut corners for various reasons at the facility while posting happy stories on the internet.
Our focus at BITS will mainly be on taking a new approach to helping horses and horse owners. While not as emotionally stirring as pictures and stories of starved horses , we do feel that our programs will help prevent the neglect for many horses for a longer period of time. Simply put we feel that EDUCATION for horse and horse owners is the long-term approach to the unwanted or neglected horse problems .
Rather than dwell on all the endless reports or even our many personal experiences about fraudulent horse rescues or horses being neglected , starved , suffering and worse in the hands of horse rescues , lets talk about what makes a good horse rescue.
Any rescue should be following or exceeding the guidelines for horse rescues written by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Here is a link to the document it is a fantastic resource for any horse owner and a must read for anyone in rescue. The guidelines have a checklist of things to help any donor or visitor evaluate a rescue as well. While animal rescues may be operated in a perfectly ethical and legal manner, many are not and usually the person who has sent their horse to the rescue does not realize it until it is too late.The BITS staff actually feel that these guidelines should be strict policies and rules of all rescues and hope someday they will. AAEP Rescue and Retirement Guidelines
The following BOLDED paragraphs are excerpts from the AAEP guidelines . The first section listed seems to sum it up very well .
Ultimately, the best indicators of proper management of an equine rescue/ retirement facility are the physical and emotional health of the horses and the overall improvement in horses previously suffering from disease, trauma or neglect. Unless there is a medical explanation, all horses should regain and maintain an acceptable state of health and well-being with proper care. Allowing rescued horses to deteriorate due to inadequate care, resources or space is no favor to them and can progress to the point of cruelty. Those who take in very animal, regardless of their ability to provide care or refusal to recognize when an animal is suffering, are hoarders, not rescuers. All rescue and retirement organizations should periodically reevaluate their principles, practices, capabilities and goals with the help of objective, knowledgeable outsiders, such as their equine veterinarian.
**Tax exemption status 501 c3 has nothing to do with the type of care provided. The IRS does not evaluate horse rescues. In fact there is no regulation of horse rescues other than the local Animal Control who often have no experience or training with horses. **We highly recommend that anyone donating to a horse rescue facility or surrendering a horse to a horse rescue visit in person and really check things out.
Here is a list of questions to ask and things to look for when visiting the facility or even just checking the website out. All photos below were taken at rescue facilities that have been cited or shut down. Please understand that BITS does not believe that all rescues operate this way, we are just interested in educating supporters that this has, does and will continue to happen until there are monitored guidelines for rescues.
1.Ask how long a horse has been there? When looking at horses a lot will depend on the horse's condition when it came in and underlying medical conditions but if the horse has been there for more than a few months , has lost weight or condition or still looks like a severely neglected horse, in most cases it's because -IT IS. Horses can suffer from neglect at rescues. 2. Clean and full water troughs. No algae , feces or empty water containers. 3.Is there enough and adequate shelter from sun and bad weather as well as stalls for horses that need to be contained while injured or ill? 4. Is it overcrowded for the size of the facility? Horses are not dogs or cats and need room to move around. Horses are susceptible to parasites, overcrowded conditions , uncleaned pens and animals that graze or eat from the ground is a recipe for a parasite infestation. Horses will fight , particularly over food and water when overcrowded serious or even deadly injuries can result. As the AAEP states;hoarding is not rescue.
5. What is their quarantine program like? Would you believe there are rescues who do no quarantine at all ? Horses who are new or ill should be kept in quarantine and the quarantine area must be separate from other horses. Adopters should be very careful that they do not take a horse that has not been properly quarantined and expose other horses to diseases.
6. Are older, or weaker horses kept with younger or healthy ones? Weaker horses will not get their fair share of food in a herd situation.
7. What is their worming program , farrier schedule , shots, feeding schedule including types of feed ? These are real basic needs if there is no documentation on when the horse had shots wormer or it's teeth or hooves done- you can probably bet that it's because it has not been done. Always get an outside vet check on any horse from rescue or private party. 8. Do they provide more than just food, water and shelter? Are the horses groomed? Do they know the horse's personality or training? Every horse should be evaluated thoroughly if it is up for adoption. No excuses.
9.Who is running the horse rescue? Are they knowledgeable horse people? Do they have a Board of Directors and staff that are knowledgeable horse people? Some common factors among rescues that have gone bad are ; operators who rely on the rescue for their income, absent or unknowledgable about horses Board of Director members, relying on volunteers and no real staff taking in far too many horses than the on site people could possibly care for properly.
10.Is the rescue truly evaluating the potential adopter and where the horse will go and are they following up with the horses they have adopted out?
11. Is the rescue ran with a standard of ethics? Many times rescues will charge an owner of a surrendered horse a fee to “take it off their hands” and then turn around and charge the adopting family a fee. The rescue may even take the animal from the adopting family after a certain period of time, but never refund the money to the adopting family, again finding a new adopting family and take another sum of cash from them.
Again we cannot stress enough how important it is that you know exactly what type of rescue you support and the only way to know for sure is to visit the facility yourself , ask questions and be aware that calling themselves a rescue does not make them a true rescue. Just because the word “rescue” or “humane” appears in the name of the organization does not mean that they will follow through in taking care of the animal.
