Adopting a horse, regardless of when or how it occurs, is always a special occasion and a reason to celebrate. But since 2021, the entire month of May has been dedicated to placing special emphasis on promoting adoptable horses and, very likely, placing them in a perfectly matched new home. Will 2025 be the year that you take part in Adopt a Horse Month?
Cheyenne & Whisper
Alexa Atchison of West Farmington, Ohio, had always dreamed of owning a horse.
“When I was told that I was going to get one, I couldn’t keep my eyes off myrighthorse.org,” Atchison says.
While much needed to be done before she and her family were able to bring a new horse home, when she saw Cheyenne and her dam advertised, they immediately planned a visit for the following day to ASPCA Right Horse Partner Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary in nearby Raveena, Ohio. During the visit, while Atchison was busy meeting the horses, her father noticed the cute-faced Whisper in the stall across the aisle.
“Her fee happened to be waived for Adopt a Horse Month,” Atchison says. The family was smitten with her and signed the papers that evening. “I fell in love with Cheyenne, and Whisper was the perfect companion to help her leave her mother. I was thrilled, because not only did my dream come true with bringing Cheyenne home, but because of Adopt a Horse Month, we were able to bring Whisper home, too.”
Pony Hero
In 2024, Alina Bartlett of Springdale, Ark., adopted Hero. Bartlett had previously adopted other horses from the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC) in El Reno, Okla., but unlike her other adoptions, Hero was not supposed to stay.
In the process of being relinquished by owners that could no longer care for him, Hero stayed with Bartlett overnight before she was to return him to the ETAC.
“He was coming to my house for only one night,” Bartlett recalls. She says that while she didn’t know Hero’s entire story, she did know that at some point he was mistreated. “In his younger years as he was growing, his halter had grown into his soft tissue and had to be surgically removed.”
Hero was also exhibiting some behavioral challenges while at Bartlett’s home. He was very nervous and untrusting around people. As such, Bartlett placed Hero in a stall and advised her boyfriend, David, to be watchful. Wanting to ease David’s mind, she also told him not to worry because the pony would be going back to the ASPCA in the morning.
A bit later, as Bartlett was feeding her other horses, she found David sitting in a lawn chair in the stall with Hero. Soon enough, Hero had taken to David and was allowing him to give pets and scratches, much to everyone’s surprise.
“I had no need for a pony, nor did I want this one,” Bartlett says. “I was taking this pony back and adopting another horse.” David, however, had another idea. He spent hours in the stall forming a bond with the timid little pony.
“David fell in love with this pony,” she says. The next morning, as she went to hook up her trailer and head out, David told her to call whoever she needed to and find out how to keep the pony.
Now, she says, on top of the many horses they already have, they also have a pony that is just around for David to love on.
“Hero is very spoiled and really only likes David,” Bartlett says. “He was meant to be here with David. They needed each other.”
Ella’s Story
“Adopt a Horse Month is such a great opportunity to promote our available equines,” says Allison Hungerford, director of communications for the Susquehanna SPCA in Cooperstown, N.Y., an ASPCA Right Horse Partner.
In 2024, the organization received a stipend from the ASPCA Right Horse program to spend on paid advertising for their horses, something that allowed them to expand their audience.
“The opportunity was one that I was grateful for because so many of our adoptable horses at the time were going to be happiest living out their days as companions only, which is something that can be an adoption hurdle,” she says. With the stipend, Hungerford was able to target groups looking for horses similar to the ones at the facility.
“While these promotions increased inquiries for all of our adoptable equines, there was one horse in particular that found her match through the campaign,” Hungerford says.
Ella had come to the Susquehanna SPCA through a suspected animal cruelty case.
“She was extremely emaciated upon arrival and had a foal at her side that she was caring for,” Hungerford recalls. “After the case was closed, Ella became ours. Ella’s foal was quickly adopted, and she was healthy and searching for a pasture where she could spend her days relaxing while munching on grass, maybe participating in some light riding now and then.”
Hungerford says that sadly, Ella kept getting overlooked and had been waiting for her person to come along for quite some time.
“With the help of paid and targeted advertising, I was able to reach folks who lived in areas we weren’t necessarily accessing with our regular organic outreach,” she says. “This did the trick for sweet Ella, and she found her match!”
Facilitating Adoption
When the Adopt a Horse Month initiative officially started, everyone involved dreamed about how it would evolve and what it would one day become.
“Adopt a Horse Month plays a critical role in raising awareness and excitement around equine adoption,” says Cailin Caldwell, director of the ASPCA Right Horse Program. “In 2024, thousands of horse lovers explored equine adoption for the first time by visiting myrighthorse.org and met adoptable horses online.”
Caldwell says that as a result, more than 200 horses, donkeys, and mules found homes during the month through ASPCA Right Horse Partners.
“We’re hoping to make this year’s Adopt a Horse Month even more impactful and encourage everyone to get involved,” she says. “If you know someone looking for a horse, encourage them to consider adoption by visiting myrighthorse.org or their local adoption group. Or share on your social media channels to raise awareness and interest in these amazing horses. Whether you’re looking to adopt or not, there are countless ways to get involved and support these amazing equines.”
Be part of something big during Adopt a Horse Month 2025. Join The Rescue Effort to see how one adoption creates space for more horses to be helped. Learn more at aspca.org.
This article about Adopt a Horse Month appeared in the May 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
