# Horse rescue rant!



## Reed77 (Mar 20, 2011)

I recently went to a horse rescue facility to look for a young horse, and I was quite shocked on how much they were asking on some of their horses! Apparently there is a horse or 2 they have there that is related to a VERY famous race horse, only thing is - it's 4-5 generations back, and the adoption fee is $2,400 because of 'said bloodline'...am I the only one who thinks this is outrageous?


----------



## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

Yup. The adoption should be the same for every horse in its class. Ie ridable, pasture pet, or senior. Otherwise they are horse traders like anyone else.


----------



## Reed77 (Mar 20, 2011)

lasergrl said:


> Yup. The adoption should be the same for every horse in its class. Ie ridable, pasture pet, or senior. Otherwise they are horse traders like anyone else.


Thank you, glad I'm not the only one!

4yr TB mare, off the track 1yr. needs to be restarted, ect! their green horses start at $600!


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

The term 'adoption fee' is rescue speak for 'sale price'. I have very little respect for 99% of the rescue operations ... they expect you to pay for a horse because they have 'saved' it ... put on weight, trimmed feet, maybe floated teeth ... in a few cases they may (or may not) have put some riding time in on the horse.

They basically do the same thing the horse dealers do ... buy (or with rescues, are given) horses someone can't keep, get them in condition and sell them to someone. Many of them are really not horsemen in the true sense of the word and may or may not know what the horse will do under new ownership but are usually willing to tell you all about how this poor, abused horse was brought in and how much work they've put in getting weight on the animal and making him 'happy' with life.

Horse dealers are likely to do much the same thing and while there are some that are very up front about issues there are others that basically tell you what you want to hear. However, I have more respect for the horse dealers. At least if you buy from them you get a bill of sale, registration papers if the horse has them and no conditions. You pay the money, you own the horse.

Read the contract on some of these rescue horses sometime ... in many cases the rescue reserves the right to come on your property, look at the horse and if they don't think the horse is in good condition, they can take him back. In many cases you don't have the right to sell the horse either, you can only give it back to the rescue.


----------



## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

In my experience a Horse Rescue has more to do with the 'rescuer's' ego than the horses.


----------



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Beware of "rescues".


----------



## mountainwmn (Sep 11, 2009)

I don't like rescues. Most of them are shady and worse than dealers.


----------



## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I only call it an adoption fee on craigslist where everyone is just sitting around waiting to flag any ad that looks like you could be a breeder. Part of the problem is that rescues take in animals who really should just be put down and then expend far more than their resources getting it healthy. They have to charge insane amounts for silly reasons on all their other animals to make up for the several thousand dollars they spent on a nearly dead animal who will never be fully healthy ever again.


----------



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

akane said:


> I only call it an adoption fee on craigslist where everyone is just sitting around waiting to flag any ad that looks like you could be a breeder. Part of the problem is that rescues take in animals who really should just be put down and then expend far more than their resources getting it healthy. They have to charge insane amounts for silly reasons on all their other animals to make up for the several thousand dollars they spent on a nearly dead animal who will never be fully healthy ever again.


I agree about putting horses down. I don't think it's cruel or shameful at all to put a suffering or useless animal down humanely.


----------



## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

I've been amazed at the number of people who advertised that they are a Horse Rescue facility. I agree with most have posted here. They are nothing but traders (or worse). Anyone can hang a sign that says "We Rescue Horses". We have a guy in our area that was continually advertising that he needed pasture for his pet cows. I mean, everyday he was on all online bulletin boards in our area. Now, suddenly, he is a non-profit horse rescue farm. Hummmmm, no pasture for cows, but he is willing to take any horse he can get for free. I emailed him to ask if he had his 503C Non-profit stuff registered with the state. Never heard back.


----------



## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Most of the rescues that I know of are run by well meaning but ignorant people who have little knowledge of horses. They are a danger to themselves and to the horses that they try to help. Mention putting horses down and they recoil with horror. :hammer:


----------



## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> Most of the rescues that I know of are run by well meaning but ignorant people who have little knowledge of horses. They are a danger to themselves and to the horses that they try to help. Mention putting horses down and they recoil with horror. :hammer:


:goodjob: :goodjob:

:bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy:

The local rescue I dealt with in the past is run by a retiree. She owes every feed company in the area money, begs for free equipment and feed in the newspaper, uses her Social Security payment to pay for expenses. The horses are housed in an old barn with the nort side falling off, cattle panel pens, and poor drainage. Mention euthanasia or slaughter to her or her lackeys and you are in for a earful of lambasting.


----------



## eggzackly (Apr 14, 2011)

The reason rescues are mostly run by ignoramuses, is because experienced horsemen know the equation, and can look at a 'rescue' prospect and immediately know the horse has no 'equity' in it. Any coninkydinky that equus, equation and equity all start with the same few letters? Me thinks not.


----------



## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I started this last horse search considering rescues. But I do not like the hold that most of them keep on their horses. If i am going to work a horse, vet a horse, feed a horse I want ownership of horse. If I choose to breed it that's my business. If i sell it it's my business. There are even rescues that will not let you volunteer or rescue if you have a padded horse or board where there are padded horses.( I personally don't pad my gaited horses but feel its noones business)
The nurse mare foals I saw for adoption were around $400.00-$600. the rescues say they have to pay for the foals. yeah they do..but the guy I called direct gets $100.00.
If a person wants to "save" a horse they only need to go to an auction or search craigslist for the lower end horses. Those horses are going to end up at an auction anyway.
I imagine there are good rescues and bad rescues. I do not understand sinking a ton of money into soomething that will never get well. when the funds can be used for horses with a chance.


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

I have norespect for any rescue of any species that charges a sliding fee...

i am very involved in cross species rescue and while we waive our fee for our hardest to place animals we do not charge more for the purebred or most adoptable animals -simply wrong in my mind


----------



## Reed77 (Mar 20, 2011)

I'm tempted to send the 'rescue' an email saying something along the lines of, I'll purchase the horse when it's up for adoption and not for sale!


----------



## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

I get the impression that some rescues try to pull in as much money as they can from the nicer horses to help cover the feed and care costs for the other horses they rescue. 

I have also noticed that many of the people involved in rescue aren't very knowledgeable. Good hearts, but misguided.


----------



## eggzackly (Apr 14, 2011)

Bottom line is, rescue is a very expensive business to be in. They usually take lost causes, do CPR and stabilize them and get them foisted off to other people willing to foot the bill from there on out. Not an easy, fast fix. Not cheap. They either have to get the $$ out of the animals adoption fees, plus donations, cash, appreciated stocks, vehicles, real estate, trusts, blah blah blah... or go under and their animals become rescues again.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Check the fine print on their agreement because most of them have so many terms and conditions and quite a few of them allow the horse to be taken back for many subjective reasons.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> Most of the rescues that I know of are run by well meaning but ignorant people who have little knowledge of horses. They are a danger to themselves and to the horses that they try to help. Mention putting horses down and they recoil with horror. :hammer:


Like.


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

The local horse rescuer looks to me suspiciously like she has a lot of traits in common with an animal hoarder.

I've heard rumors that she always has a reason to reject any potential home. I know she is at the auctions buying up cheap horses. Although I can't for the life of me see why a horse at the auction needs to be rescued. If there is any bidder at all, the horse has found a new home. Nobody here is buying horses for meat.

And oh my, yes. Non-stop begging for money. Donations.


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Having run my own small rescue (all out of pocket, didn't ask for or recieve a dime and didn't charge an adoption fee- adopters either worked the horse off or worked WITH the horse in exchange) and been on the BOD, a field investigator and a cruelty investigation trainer to many LEOs, I feel I have to comment. 

Yes there are SCADS of 'rescues' out there that are nothing more than traders or hoarders in disguise. The rescue I mentioned my involvement with is not one of those. As a matter of fact, they're pushing for TN to take on the laws surrounding rescues in other states (NM is one of them) requiring rescues to be registered with the state and be routinely inspected and regulated. I think this is a great idea. Cuts down on the folks who frankly don't know what the hell they're doing. 

Also, I agree- a horse's adoption fee should be relevant to it's experience and yes, the animal should be evaluated for skills. A set fee for rideable, needs work and pasture pets is what they do. 

I do not think the rescue should be responsible for training the horse other than basic ground manners and to make sure it is safe to handle. 

A reputable rescue who actually cares about the horses ALWAYS has a timeframe set before the adopter has ownership of the horse. Makes no sense to pull an animal from abuse/starvation and not leave yourself an opening to pull it should that happen again. I think a year is a fine middle ground. I don't see someone keeping up with an animal's care for 12 months and then suddenly dropping the ball. 

And as the author of the intake and euthanasia policy, I can speak with authority when I say that since the drafting of the document until I left in May, no animals came into the rescue's care that needed to be put down immediately or was a danger to humans or other animals. An evaluation period weeds out those who either fail to improve or have 'aged out' of the system based on their time there. Nor do they purchase from auction. The majority of horses come from LE cases and they hold the horse until the case goes to court then the animal is either release for adoption or returned to the owner. No owner surrenders are taken but those animals released immediately with the owners consent at the time of seizure are vetted and then put up for adoption. 

Yep, constant asking for donations. Feeding and vetting costs and with little to no volume discounts it is expensive. We had a cap on the amount that could be spent per horse on vetting (for those up for adoption), above and beyond standard things. When you house an animal for well over a year waiting on the case to go to court, spend into 4 digits for it's care, get a care bond set by a judge but no payment from the 'owner' (blood from a turnip and all that) and then adopt the animal out for 200-400 bucks.... well, that makes it hard to function. No money for the animal's care comes from LEO either. It's all from donations. 

What a lot of folks don't realize is that you HAVE to treat horse rescue like the business it is. Being passionate about the cause is great, but using your head to overrule your heart is the only way for an organization to survive.


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> What a lot of folks don't realize is that you HAVE to treat horse rescue like the business it is. Being passionate about the cause is great, but using your head to overrule your heart is the only way for an organization to survive.


true of all rescues...

if the plans for the land come together I would very much like to have a couple of stalls for horse rescue but you can be sure I'm writing that into my business plan quite specifically - and will probably realistically have to write it out of the plan


----------



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Truly, my attitude toward horse rescues and horse traders are virtually identical. There are good horse rescues and good horse traders both ... people who are experienced, sensible and honest. Those people can do a great deal of good, whether they operate as a licensed rescue or whether they operate as a successful business.

I haven't personally worked with rescues, but I have friends who have had good experiences with a rescue. I have had a good business relationship with two different professional horse traders, one in MT and one in KY. The one in MT provided me with some of my best TB broodmares that went to my Oldenburg stallion and the one in KY found me several top pony mares for my sportpony breeding program.

I have heard a lot of the horror stories about the other kind of rescues and I can tell you lots of stories of my own about the kind of horse traders to avoid!


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

yup and yup 

the bad give every one a bad name - which truly sucks ...


----------



## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

most of the rescues around here are the same. They are multi species rescues. I stoped looking at them when I would come across the goat/sheep/steer that was rescued from slaughter. They would drag this animal out in a "look how sweet we are, we care about all animals", but all I saw as a useless crossbred fixed male that takes hundreds of dollars to feed (if you have grass which most didn't) each year. Money just going down the drain when it could be put to good use. 

some had horses stuffed in any nook and cranny. One even had a stallion with mares! When I pointed this out they were shocked and supprised.............


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Shoot- my local ANIMAL SHELTER had an intact mini jack with a small, but full sized mare. They didn't seem to think he would even be able to reach her....


----------



## farmerj (Aug 20, 2011)

Lazy J said:


> In my experience a Horse Rescue has more to do with the 'rescuer's' ego than the horses.


Any animal rescue tends to be that way.


----------



## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

A local horse rescue in SC just got themselves in trouble for not feeding horses. Over a dozen were seized by the state. http://www.wistv.com/story/15591034/midlands-horse-rescue-forced-to-relocate-dozens-of-horses 

http://www.stormyfarmsrescue.org/Horses_for_Adoption.html at least they don't claim to be a non-profit.


----------



## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

All my critters have come from private homes, the day-old poultry from hatcheries. I don't do rescues, swap meets, auctions, etc.

I once stopped at a rescue or dog pond, don't remember which, just to see what they're like. They charged $200 for any mutt. They also charged folks who brought dogs in.
When I found out that many vets donate their time to spay/neuter, it really ticked me off, since that amount was tacked on to the dog. Charging those amounts, they have no reason to complain about all the dogs that are put down.

I've had dogs since I was born. My parents never paid for a dog (some pure bred) and I've only paid for two. Each was $50. Some of my dogs have been pure bred. 

And I've paid fair prices for horses, mules and donkeys -- not off the wall prices in the thousands.


----------



## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

We are actually giving away extra round bales to the horse "rescue" that moved in next door. At least until we can get it shut down. The problem is it's a bunch of cowboys throwing horses around who have probably 2 or 3 dozen on about 5acres which they never replanted in the first place after it was over grown by weeds from neglect and over eating by the previous neighbor's sheep and cows. He lost the place after they found a meth lab on the property and it was covered by police tape for a year. So these guys got hold of it and built a whole bunch of stalls too small for a horse to turn around and have crammed in the tiny barn who knows how many plus they tie a bunch to the trees. Now they have chickens and goats wandering around the front yard by the highway. I chased one of their dogs off the road a few nights back because we nearly hit it and they are sitting there on the front porch of the house just watching and yelling half hearted commands at the dog. The neighbors all around reported them probably 10 times during July and Aug for the number of confined horses with little ventilation or no water in the middle of the heat wave. All of a sudden several dozen horses would appear in the tiny pasture for about 3 days and then they'd lock them all up or tie them up again. Aside from when someone is on them dragging them various directions they spend their time standing in stalls that are exactly horse sized or tied to the trees too high to put their heads to the ground. They've only got a barn slightly shorter and slightly wider than mine which holds 8 horses if I get creative and I've seen more than 2 dozen disappear and reappear again on that property. They had a newborn foal out there with no shelter in early March while we were still getting snow and half frozen rain storms. My mom was going to loan them our foal blanket but seeing as it's been 5 years since we had a foal she couldn't find the container it was in. These guys are definitely closer to running a hoarding operation than a rescue.


----------



## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

akane said:


> We are actually giving away extra round bales to the horse "rescue" that moved in next door. At least until we can get it shut down. The problem is it's a bunch of cowboys throwing horses around who have probably 2 or 3 dozen on about 5acres which they never replanted in the first place after it was over grown by weeds from neglect and over eating by the previous neighbor's sheep and cows. He lost the place after they found a meth lab on the property and it was covered by police tape for a year. So these guys got hold of it and built a whole bunch of stalls too small for a horse to turn around and have crammed in the tiny barn who knows how many plus they tie a bunch to the trees. Now they have chickens and goats wandering around the front yard by the highway. I chased one of their dogs off the road a few nights back because we nearly hit it and they are sitting there on the front porch of the house just watching and yelling half hearted commands at the dog. The neighbors all around reported them probably 10 times during July and Aug for the number of confined horses with little ventilation or no water in the middle of the heat wave. All of a sudden several dozen horses would appear in the tiny pasture for about 3 days and then they'd lock them all up or tie them up again. Aside from when someone is on them dragging them various directions they spend their time standing in stalls that are exactly horse sized or tied to the trees too high to put their heads to the ground. They've only got a barn slightly shorter and slightly wider than mine which holds 8 horses if I get creative and I've seen more than 2 dozen disappear and reappear again on that property. They had a newborn foal out there with no shelter in early March while we were still getting snow and half frozen rain storms. My mom was going to loan them our foal blanket but seeing as it's been 5 years since we had a foal she couldn't find the container it was in. These guys are definitely closer to running a hoarding operation than a rescue.


By 'giving' them hay, you are potentially prolonging the situation. Here as long as the animal has food and water, AC won't touch it.

I know you're trying to help, but if you and your neighbors are attempting to get the animals removed, providing feed prevents animal control from stepping in.


----------



## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

They left the previous neighbor to starve his animals nearly to death. I had to keep putting them back because they broke all the fences to get in our hay field. We have no AC. We only have police and local shelters who won't do crap until the animal is near death. They'll probably lose several before anyone would do anything about a situation with lack of food. They've been called out 10 times for animals suffering heat stroke from lack of care and they still have them all.


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

It's a tough line to walk between enablining the humans and helping the horses-I think I would also be donating some hay in the same circumstance- and make sure everybody knew I was doing it


----------



## 1sttimemom (Mar 1, 2005)

I'm not a huge fan of most rescues. Many just don't know what they are doing or seem to be in it for profit. What really bugs me is that many folks feel if you buy a horse, put time and $$ feeding & training, etc, and then offer it "for sale" you must be a terrible person or just a heartless trader. However, when someone calls themselves a rescue $ does exact same thing they are praised and thought highly of for "saving" poor horses. 

I'm sure there are good & legit rescues out there, but there are many to be wary of. I had someone give me a 1/2 starved arab mare several yrs ago. A lady had left the horse with her and went off to college yrs before. Never came back, left no contact info, never sent board $$. Mare was extremely thin, but a nice little older (17 yrs) mare. We got her but not her papers for free. Got brand inspection and the mare did have the old arab branding under her mane so we could check out her bloodlines. Very well bred and had originally come from a well known farm/trainer. We brought her home, had her vetted & teeth done, hooves trimmed which was going to take several trims to put into shape, I must havde put 400 lbs on her. We rode her a few times and found her a nice trail horse, with no real issues. Perfect ground manners, would trailer, etc. I didn't need her & thought she might be a nice therapy horse. Not one therapy group would touch her as soon as I said "arab". I called a few rescues and none of them wanted her either as soon as I said "older" and "arab" and "no papers". One was willing to take her IF we would also donate feed, all tack (saddle too), and haul her there. Another would put her on their adoption list if we would keep her and pay all bills. When they found an adopter they would come get her. And both of these places charged adoption fees, asked for donations, etc. Another rescue was run by a lady who also bred QH and actually told me about taking in donated rescues and putting the nice reg'd ones right into her own broodmare band. I don't have too much of a problem with cuz at least she was honest, but if you adopted one from her you were NOT allowed to breed it. Just seemed weird...

Finally found one who had a lady specifically looking for an arab trail horse to replace her last horse. We worked it to just give the mare to her and last i heard the mare was doing well and turned out a great riding horse for this lady. 

This was back when horse market was hot. I could have probably easily sold this little mare for $1000-1500 no problem. I just didn't feel good about that since she was given to me as a sort of "rescue" case. I can tell you I will never due that again. I will just sell the horse myself and save the headache.


----------



## eggzackly (Apr 14, 2011)

You probably had more than that in her, in feed, worming, trims and time. I would not feel guilty to ask for market price.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I am not a rescue but over the years I have taken in horses that needed a lot of help both in training and health.

This last mare... cost me $6,500 to get her healthy... kid you not.... she used up my colic fund. That does not include the hours a day I have spend with her. 
Not having any money coming in, if I sold her, that is what her price would be. 

After this one.. she will be my last rescue. Am keeping her but I can see how people need to get some money back. Its not cheap getting them healthy, sound and sane to be able to be adopted out.


----------



## eggzackly (Apr 14, 2011)

and it cost newbies even more than experienced horse people for the same thing.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

eggzackly said:


> and it cost newbies even more than experienced horse people for the same thing.


Your new here but I am in no way a "newbie".
To put a blanket judge on people, that you have not worked with makes you look.......

Been doing rescues a long time, along with in the early years, riding and learning, then training, working, owning horses for going on 42 years.


----------



## Narshalla (Sep 11, 2008)

bergere said:


> Your new here but I am in no way a "newbie".
> To put a blanket judge on people, that you have not worked with makes you look.......
> 
> Been doing rescues a long time, along with in the early years, riding and learning, then training, working, owning horses for going on 42 years.


I don't think eggzackly was criticizing you, bergere, I think s/he meant that if a newb (like me, for instance) were to have to do the same rescue, I'd spend a whole lot more, just because I wouldn't really know what I was doing.

Eggzackly was right, but I don't think s/he was talking about _you._


----------



## eggzackly (Apr 14, 2011)

No, I wasn't talking about you. What I meant was, if a newbie did the same thing you did, it would probably have cost them 10k to rehab the same horse, in the same county, at the same time. Rehab is not cheap or fast. There is an old saying, when a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience gets the money, and the man with money gets the experience. Never so true (or steep a learning curve) as with horses.

Edit to add: ... and it a newbie actually spent the 10k to rehab the horse, odds are 10:1 they would get rooked in any case, and the horse would be no better off.


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

eggzackly said:


> No, I wasn't talking about you. What I meant was, if a newbie did the same thing you did, it would probably have cost them 10k to rehab the same horse, in the same county, at the same time. Rehab is not cheap or fast. There is an old saying, when a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience gets the money, and the man with money gets the experience. Never so true (or steep a learning curve) as with horses.
> 
> Edit to add: ... and it a newbie actually spent the 10k to rehab the horse, odds are 10:1 they would get rooked in any case, and the horse would be no better off.


Yup. I once took in a horse that 'had a cut on his jaw' who in reality had a severely fractured/swollen/infected jaw and was rail thin. So badly so that my vet sent us to UT vet school for an exam. 

Once the dr finished running down his treatment course (wire jaw shut and shoot feed & drugs via IV for 10 days THEN we'd know if he could be saved) and gave me a price tag of 10g JUST for that 10 days of care I almost lost it. 

The following conversation ensued:

You DO realize this horse is a rescue and i've owned it for all of (looking at watch) two hours, right?

Yes, yes I do know that. 

Um... hand me that little pink euthanasia form behind you, please.

Duh....


----------

