Specialized trainers and targeted marketing have helped place horses that may have taken longer to find homes for in the past. Photo courtesy ASPCA

Identifying a Need

According to Tom Persechino, senior director of the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC), there are transitional points that occur in the life of every equine that can lead to times of vulnerability. Aware of these transitional points—and knowing that there were a lack of available resources to help—the ASPCA launched programming to meet this need in 2018.

Taking information gained from their work with dogs and cats, the ASPCA began testing how they could help horses with some fully subsidized veterinary or other care if it would help owners keep their horses long-term.

“We did our first pop-up pilot program in the Dallas/Fort Worth [Texas] area in 2018,” says Persechino. “We were there from about July through December.”

Texas Results

During those six months, the program helped about 60 horses. Relinquished horses were taken in and immediately moved to an Adoption Partner of the ASPCA Right Horse program.

Tatum, an American Saddlebred gelding in his 20s, was transferred to ETAC from a partner shelter for additional training support. He was adopted by a local family who came across his profile on myrighthorse.org. Photo courtesy ASPCA

Practical medical care was provided to horses who had sustained an injury, experienced weight loss, or were having lameness issues, just to name a few. In these instances, owners who were experiencing a life event such as a medical crisis or the loss of a job were able to keep their horses long-term.

“If we could just get them past this bump that they were experiencing with their horse, we knew the horse could go home,” says Persechino.

Providing resources that permitted some of the horses to safely go home allowed the organization to keep more funds available for horses that did need to be taken in by an Adoption Partner for eventual placement with a new owner.

Despite multiple happy endings, in that first pop-up program, a small percentage of the horses were in rough enough shape that euthanasia was the best, most humane outcome for them. Persechino says that the organization learned a lot from the initial pilot of the program.

Oklahoma Program

Given their success, the organization decided to validate or invalidate the program by testing it out in a different market. They looked at several different options as they decided where to go next. As a very horse-centric area, Oklahoma City got the nod.

“Transport was a big part of what we did in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Oklahoma City is a crossroads, with interstates and highways that run through it [so] that moving horses would be easy to do,” says Persechino. Offering the same types of services as before, the second pilot program was launched in 2019.

The program continued to offer safety net care, euthanasia, and relinquishment opportunities at no cost to horse owners.

“We also added a component where we kept a subset of these [relinquished] horses ourselves to prepare them for adoption,” Persechino explains.

Organizers realized during the initial three years of the program that some of the horses being relinquished were those that would be considered by rehoming organizations as the most difficult to adopt out.

“They were unhandled or very lightly handled, unsocialized or under-socialized, or they had some type of behavioral issue going on,” Persechino says. “We wanted to keep these horses and start working with them to learn more about the most efficient ways to help them find new homes.”

This decision led the organization to consider what was keeping relinquished horses “stuck” for a long time in adoption facilities across the country while awaiting new homes.

“Our focus expanded and shifted [so that] now we have a training and behavior specialist on staff that works with the horses,” says Persechino. “We [also] have a marketing and adoption coordinator on staff that develops the marketing programs and decides what platforms we’re going to use in addition to MyRightHorse.org, the ASPCA’s online adoption platform for equines.”

These initiatives ensure that these horses get in front of the people who can provide them with their next home. Prior to adoption, the horses receive a thorough veterinary workup to make sure that they are healthy, fit, and ready to go to new homes. This way, when manageable medical conditions or physical limitations exist, adopters understand and are prepared to care for that need.

The organization plans to use the data from this program to help its partners across the country offer similar opportunities. These programs have already been established by the Humane Society of North Texas and additional partner organizations in Florida and Kentucky.

The program decided to keep some of the harder-to-adopt horses with the ASPCA for additional training, such as those with behavioral problems or minimal handling. Photo courtesy ASPCA

Presently the program leases space, but in addition to helping partner organizations, one long-term goal is to have a permanent ETAC facility.

Success Staying Home

To date, the program that is now available year-round has helped nearly 450 horses in need across the state of Oklahoma, and more than 500 when you include the Texas pilot.

Persechino explains that the program helps owners regardless of whether they own a single horse or many. So far, about 20 percent of the total number helped have been candidates for compassionate euthanasia. Another 30-35 percent meet the criteria for re-homing, but the remaining 50-55 percent of the horses can stay in their current homes—underscoring the need for community support services for owners.

Although it may seem plausible that once an owner receives help, they will continue to seek it or end up relinquishing the horse down the road, the reality is that this occurrence has happened in only about 1 percent of the cases seen over the last five years, proving that one-time assistance can be all that’s needed to help keep the horse in a loving home.

A Helping Hand

For anyone seeking to help this program or any ASPCA Right Horse Adoption Partner, one significant area of need is volunteers. Volunteers can fill a wide array of needs, including assisting the marketing coordinator by grooming horses and preparing them for photographs or by taking the photos yourself.

Other volunteers help with cleaning stalls, feeding, and office work. As an open intake program, horses are never turned away. This means that foster homes are also needed while the adoption process is ongoing.

Finally, the ASPCA is committed to removing distance as a barrier to adoption. Should you have an interest in adopting a horse from ETAC or any other ASPCA Adoption Partner, you can consult MyRightHorse.org to see which horses are available.

This article about ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center appeared in the July 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

In 2022, Nexus Equine hosted the Center of Family Love, a residential care facility that serves mentally and physically disabled adults. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

A Fateful Ice Storm

While the organization had been able to meet and exceed its goals year after year, they always knew that they could do more with the right facility.

“For the first five years, we didn’t have an official facility,” says Hoch. “While the previous facility was adequate, the weather forecast for that fateful month in 2021 indicated that it would be really cold with life-threatening wind chills.”

With the predicted ice and extreme cold, there was a legitimate concern that not only would the caregivers be unable to reach the horses at Nexus Equine, but that the horses might not have the type of shelter they required to meet their needs.

“We ended up having some longtime supporters take some of the horses in,” explains Hoch. “One of them was my father, and I ended up staying out there with him for a week during the storm.”

One morning during her stay, Hoch received a call from a donor.

“The roads were bad, people were out of power, the water was frozen, and we had 17 Nexus horses at my father’s house so that they could be taken care of and have adequate shelter,” Hoch says. “When [the donor] called, she asked what I was doing. I explained to her everything that was happening. She marveled at it all and was impressed and grateful for the lengths we were going to for our horses.”

Hoch returned to her chores, but about 30 minutes later, the donor called again.

“Between the two phone calls, I had fallen in the snow and my niece had to get me up,” Hoch says. “Both of us were laughing at how crazy all of this was. We were trying to break the ice. We had to carry water buckets to the house to fill up since the water was frozen at the barn. It was a nightmare. When she called back, she said we’ve got to get you into a facility where you never have to do this again. She said I want you to be able to carry out your mission both today and tomorrow. I started crying!”

New Nexus Equine Facility and Outreach

Fast-forward to June 2021.

“We were given this beautiful opportunity to get into this property,” Hoch says. “It’s on the west side of metropolitan Oklahoma City in a small town called El Reno. It’s a 160-acre property with a beautiful barn, along with hay and equipment sheds. There’s a beautiful 3,000-square-foot home that allows for someone to be onsite 24/7, with 5½ miles of pipe and cable fencing and multiple run-in sheds. It also features an indoor covered arena and an outdoor arena. We can do anything with this facility.”

The new Nexus Equine facility opened in 2021. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

Without that phone call, the current level of organizational maturity might never have happened or, if it did, it may have taken years of fundraising to reach. Today, the anonymous donor, along with others, continues to demonstrate their support.

“Today, we can take care of any horse that we need to take care of,” Hoch says. “We can increase our capacity to help more equines.”

More room means that no horse has to be turned away. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

Beyond being able to help more horses, it’s equally important to Hoch to expand the organization’s community outreach.

“We want to create opportunities for the community to be involved,” she says. “We want them to have interactions with horses that they otherwise might not have. Since we’ve been out here, we’ve had many different organizations come out that would not have been able to if we were not at this facility. In particular, it would not have been possible for children to come out and ride and interact with horses, learn something, then go back to inner-city Oklahoma City having done something different.”

Rita Hoch has a passion for community outreach, and the new facility has allowed for hosting organizations like the Center of Family Love. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

Just one example of the organization’s expanded community outreach is a partnership they have with the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Police Athletic League. This partnership allows children to come to the facility and be exposed to positive opportunities and interactions. In addition to riding and engaging with the horses, the children have an opportunity to learn about farrier care, nutrition, and other aspects of horse health.

“Any time you can show these kids—especially ones that have never been exposed to horses—that there is a whole other world of interests and opportunities they may not have been aware of before, it’s pretty incredible,” says Hoch.

The new facility has allowed Nexus Equine to partner with the OKC Police Department’s Police Athletic League. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

As someone who knows firsthand the impact that horses can have on a life, she believes it is very important for her to create these types of opportunities for others. Another example of Hoch’s vision was hosting the Center of Family Love, a residential care facility that serves mentally and physically disabled adults, earlier in 2022.

“It brought us all to tears watching them interact with the horses,” she says. “Spending time with horses, interacting with their quiet beautiful nature, not only brings positivity to one’s life, but I believe makes us better versions of ourselves.”

Nexus Equine’s partnership with the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Police Athletic League allows children to come to the facility and be exposed to positive opportunities and interactions. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

Help Is Still Needed

Like many organizations, Nexus Equine was hard-hit financially by Covid. If not for their grittiness, increased costs for even the upkeep of the old facility might have been out of reach. Now, however, they look to continue to grow. Increased opportunities for youth engagement and a bigger facility mean a bigger budget. Financial contributions are always welcome through the organization’s website, nexusequine.org. The organization also has an Amazon Wish List to help meet their needs.

Community members can now interact with horses that otherwise might not have gotten the chance. Photo courtesy Nexus Equine

If you are unable to contribute financially, volunteers are always welcome, and increasing the organization’s volunteer base is at the top of Hoch’s list of goals. An application can also be found on their website.

It’s an exciting time at Nexus Equine, and everyone is welcome to take part.

This article appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Nexus Equine: Taking Horse Adoption to the Next Level appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.