Audrey was not the most likely candidate for adoption when she arrived at This Old Horse in Hastings, Minn. The small, 6-year-old Appaloosa mare had a newborn foal at her side and was in foal for 2020 when she came to the organization. She was not only severely neglected—she was also blind. Experts debated on a prognosis for her recovery and quality of life.

And yet, by the end of 2020, both of Audrey’s healthy foals were adopted into loving homes—and so was Audrey. The little blind mare found her way into the heart of one of the long-term volunteers who had been caring for her.

The path to “happily ever after” may be a little more challenging for horses like Audrey, but innovative new programs are helping a number of equine adoption organizations find homes for hard-to-adopt horses.

Online Matchmaking

The Right Horse Initiative, a program of the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), is working to increase equine adoption numbers through a national network of partner organizations, including This Old Horse and more than 30 others. The group’s online adoption platform, MyRightHorse.org, helps bring adoptable horses to a broader audience, while the ASPCA Horse Adoption Express helps transfer horses between facilities to locations where there is a greater demand or to trainers who can work with the horses to make them more adoptable.

“The ‘hard-to-adopt’ horses often have to be here longer for that right person to find them,” says Amanda Mullen, director of Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, a Right Horse partner organization in Union, Mo. “We’ve found that we need to make sure to market that animal through social media, website listings, awesome photos and videos, and take them to local horse shows, if possible. There is an owner out there for every horse, and our job is to get that horse in front of as many eyes as possible.”

Ozzie is one success story from Longmeadow Rescue Ranch who benefited from increased exposure through MyRightHorse.org. Cathie Chiccine and her sister were browsing the site looking for a horse for Cathie’s sister. They filled out an application for Ozzie, a 13-year-old gelding at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, who had been there for quite a few months waiting for his right match. Chiccine’s sister ended up falling in love with a different horse from the website, but Chiccine decided she wanted to go ahead and meet Ozzie herself, as she had recently retired her all-around horse.

The trainer at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch let Chiccine know about some of Ozzie’s behaviors and management needs that made him best suited for an experienced rider. A rider for 30 years and trainer for 20, Chiccine quickly fell in love with Ozzie and immediately recognized his potential.

As soon as she rode him, she says they fit together perfectly. The trainer and staff at Longmeadow noticed how relaxed Ozzie was with Chiccine. The pair has gone on to success in mounted games competition, where the forward-thinking Ozzie has found the perfect job for his busy mind and occasional “pony zoomies.”

“Our biggest challenge is finding adoptive homes with experienced riders,” says Mullen. “We find that a lot of people think they are experienced riders or perhaps were at some time in their lives but haven’t ridden in a very long time.”

To help remedy this, Longmeadow created a riding lesson program that helps both riders and horses gain experience, and Mullen reports that many of the lesson students go on to adopt Longmeadow horses.

Non-Riding Adopters

Redefining the market of potential adopters to be more inclusive increases the odds of placing a hard-to-adopt horse even further.

“If we target riders as our only market for adopters, unrideable horses will never be adopted,” says Nancy Turner, president and founder of This Old Horse. “But if we target horse lovers—an endless audience—then all horses are adoptable. There are lots of ways to love horses, and riding them is just one.”

By welcoming volunteers with no equestrian experience, This Old Horse has created a path that often leads to adoption. People come because they feel welcome even if they’ve never been around horses before, says Turner. And while volunteers gain experience, the horses draw them in. With education and support from the organization, they become enthusiastic about adopting a special horse of their own.

One of those volunteers that had no previous horse experience is Patrick Metzger, who adopted Gypsy, a mare who is over 30 years old, blind, and has survived a lifetime of abuse and neglect.

“I fell in love with her,” says Metzger. “I was depressed when I first came here, and she really helped. She’s a loveable horse and helps me every time I come out. In my daily life I think about Gypsy. I think of how she endures, and that gives me strength to keep going.”

Astrid, a 10-year-old Norwegian Fjord Horse with a seizure disorder, was adopted by the Teter family. They became volunteers at This Old Horse when daughter Mara participated in the organization’s 4-H Horseless Horse program.

“I don’t think the fact that she has a seizure disorder matters,” says Brenda Teter. “She’s a horse that our whole family can share and love on, and we learned a lot about how to work with her and work with the seizures. She has a great quality of life, and our family’s quality of life has improved because of her.”

When it comes to small animal adoption, no one is asked what they “do” with their pets, as Turner points out.

“It’s understood that it’s a relationship,” she says. “Our adopters are as quirky, unsound and imperfect as our horses, and we create a community based on kindness and compassion.”

Preparing for Ownership

Companion equines provide great opportunities to learn about horses outside of the traditional path of lessons, riding and shows, paving the way for horse lovers to become horse owners.

The Kentucky Equine Adoption Center (KyEAC) in Nicholasville, Ky., is another Right Horse partner welcoming new people to the horse world. They recently introduced an eight-week education program called Support a Special Horse (SASH) for people who are interested in becoming horse owners. Participants work with KyEAC’s companion horses and learn the basics to prepare for horse ownership: how to halter and lead a horse, care and feeding, and what you need to have a horse on your own property.

Through this program, KyEAC has already seen success for the hard-to-place horse. An older Quarter Horse gelding named Butternut who had badly foundered and takes medication daily was adopted by Katie Blair and Michael Schmitt.

“Through the SASH program he found a couple to adopt him, and he has gone on to a new home where he is taken care of and loved on and has a new purpose being a friend for this family,” says Kelli Sorg, development director at KyEAC. “They were not horse owners to begin with, but always wanted to be.”

Sorg believes that non-riding horses excel at making connections, perhaps because they don’t have the stress of being in traditional work or training. One of the reasons she started the SASH program at KyEAC was to help people interested in adopting a companion horse find acceptance in the horse community—especially since most boarding barns focus on showing or riding. She wants people to know that it’s OK to just hang out with your horse or do groundwork and obstacles or play games.

“It’s calling for a change in the horse world itself to see this as not a step down,” says Sorg. “There’s just as much value being nose to nose as there is to getting up on the back of a horse.”

The Perfect Marketers

Turner believes providing access is what makes the biggest difference for hard-to-place horses so that potential adopters can get to know them. They don’t have to be the perfect horse to be the perfect horse for you, she says.

“For a horse that is old, blind, needs medication—it’s not much of a selling point!” acknowledges Turner. “But if we provide access to horses, they do their own marketing just by being wonderful. When you see them and work with them and volunteer with them, they become so endearing. There is an old saying, ‘Give a horse its head and it will find its way home.’ We create a space for it to happen, and the horses do the rest.”

This article about hard-to-adopt horses appeared in the October 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Hard-to-Adopt Horses Find New Homes appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Adoptable Horse: Clara, a 15.3hh chestnut Thoroughbred mare who is approximately 15 years old
Organization: Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth, Texas

Get to Know Clara

Meet Clara! This tall beauty will light up your day when you come to spend time with her. She will walk right on up to you in the pasture to greet you! She is sweet and elegant and has the dearest nicker. She arrived at the Humane Society of North Texas needing some extra calories, as most thoroughbreds do. Although she has a lip tattoo, the rescue has been unable to find a match on her past and therefore does not have much detail on her history. Clara’s time at the Humane Society of North Texas has mainly been spent getting her weight to a healthy level.

In consultation with Petrey Horsemanship Training, she is starting to figure out what saddle work will look like for this girl! She has a huge, floating stride that will be amazing under saddle. Clara knows her manners, but she can be a little pushy on the ground—she is just so curious on everything happening around her! She responds well to rope halters and assertive handlers. She’s a big girl who wants to see the world. She is up-to-date on her vaccinations, Coggins, dental and farrier care, and she is microchipped.

Could Clara be your Right Horse? Click here for more information about Clara, the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week.

My Right Horse

My Right Horse is the online adoption platform of The Right Horse Initiative, a collection of equine industry and welfare professionals and advocates working together to improve the lives of horses in transition. A program of the ASPCA, their goal is to massively increase horse adoption in the United States. To find more adoptable horses and foster horses, visit www.myrighthorse.org. To learn more about The Right Horse, a program of the ASPCA, visit www.therighthorse.org.

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Adopt a Horse Awareness

“One of the ways we can help to normalize horse adoption is by increasing awareness, and a national campaign aimed broadly at all animal enthusiasts will help us do just that,” says Emily Weiss, Ph.D., Vice President of ASPCA Equine Welfare.

The numbers so far show incredible success to date.

“Throughout 2020, adoption partners of The Right Horse Initiative found over 3,500 new homes for horses, and we are committed to continuing that momentum by making the first Adopt a Horse Month, and all of 2021, another incredible moment for horses,” she adds.
For those that can’t adopt at this time, there are still ways to get involved if you are interested in helping advance the mission of horse adoption.

“The ASPCA is asking everyone across the country to share adoptable equines on their social media channels using the hashtags #AdoptaHorseMonth and #RightHorse,” says Weiss.

Adopt a Horse Online

For anyone with the ability and desire to adopt a horse, mule or donkey now or in the near future, the time has never been better.

“There are equines of all breeds and ages and many different disciplines available on MyRightHorse.org, the ASPCA’s online adoption platform specifically for equines looking for a loving home to call their own,” says Weiss.

The website allows you to search by location so you can browse horses nearby—you may be surprised that the perfect one is just around the corner! But if he’s not, don’t let the distance stop you.

“Potential adopters need not be deterred if a horse they’re interested in isn’t in their immediate vicinity,” says Weiss. “Partners of The Right Horse are committed to getting the right horse to their right person. The newly launched ASPCA Horse Adoption Express program will also be supporting our partner groups in facilitating matches that require transportation. The Right Horse Initiative is making strides to remove distance as a barrier to continue making successful matches throughout Adopt a Horse Month and beyond.”

Willingness to Adopt a Horse

An interesting result that came up in the ASPCA’s research was the number of people that are potential homes for horses in transition.

“ASPCA research estimates there are least 2.3 million adults in the U.S. with the resources and strong desire to adopt a horse,” says Weiss. “We encourage those individuals, regardless of their experience level, to get involved.”

Connecting those horses with potential adopters is at the core of The Right Horse’s mission.

“Adopt a Horse Month will shine a spotlight on the great horses transitioning to new careers and continue elevating adoption as one of the options for acquiring a new horse,” she adds. “While adoption partners of The Right Horse have significantly increased adoptions in recent years, we are committed to supporting our partners in even better matching demand with supply.”

Adopt your Right Horse

Of course, some adopters look for a particular breed, age, or size, and many search for a horse with a particular riding discipline in mind, such as trail riding, eventing, western events or hunter/jumpers. Throughout the month of May—and all year long—the ASPCA and MyRightHorse.org will share resources for adopters across all disciplines and skill levels, at whatever phase of their adoption journey they find themselves.

“We’ll also be sharing a host of adoption stories to continue shattering the stigma around horses in transition,” says Weiss.

If you’ve ever thought about adoption for adding your next equine partner to your life—or even if you haven’t—look into this great option for finding your perfect heart horse.

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“There are horses of all different shapes and sizes, ages, breeds, colors and disciplines,” says Emily Weiss, Ph.D., vice president of Equine Welfare for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). 

Through The Right Horse, the ASPCA’s initiative, the organization is working to increase adoptions, improve the lives of horses in transition and collaborate with industry professionals, equine welfare organizations and advocates. On its online adoption platform, potential adopters can view hundreds of horses ready for many different careers. 

“There are horses that come from our rehoming partners who end up being champions at horse shows, great trail riding horses, and best friends,” Weiss says. “Some end up being therapy horses that make an incredible difference in the lives of humans.”

With research from the ASPCA identifying up to 1.2 million U.S. households with the interest and resources to adopt a horse in need, there is a promising amount of matchmaking to be done. We talked to five adopters who all found their perfect match through The Right Horse’s partner organizations. 

Daisia and Calypso

When Daisia Bartos’ mom sent her a link to Calypso at the Humane Society of North Texas, she knew she had to make the drive from San Antonio to Fort Worth to meet the gorgeous gelding. 

“He’s about 14.2 hands, and I thought he was so cute,” says Bartos. “I decided to get him on the spot, because I just fell in love.”

Calypso, then named Flame, had been abandoned in a stall and malnourished before coming to the Humane Society. He’s now approximately 8 years old and spent a year getting healthy at the In The Irons Equestrian Center where Daisia works. There, he received some round pen training but needed a strong rider. At first, he would bolt when Bartos went to mount, and is still scared of anyone but her. However, the two have developed a strong bond. 

“His personality and mine—we’ve just clicked,” she says. “It’s beautiful. He’s taught me a lot. He’s so willing to learn. That’s why we’ve progressed so far in two months.”

Recently they began jumping, and the small horse has a big leap. 

“The other day I put him over a cross-rail, and he decided he wanted to jump 4 feet. That was awesome!” 

Bartos plans to show him and keep him for the rest of his life. 

“We’ve created such a big bond in this short time,” she says. “If he’s anxious—head is up high, ears alert, eyes wide—and I walk up to him and put my hand on his head, he completely relaxes.”

Of adopting horses, Bartos recommends it. “If you’re willing to put in a great deal of time and patience, you get so many great things out of it.” 

Erin and Cuda

Erin Degnan of Bernardston, Mass., knew she wanted to adopt an off-track Thoroughbred and found After the Races, a Thoroughbred rehabilitation and rehoming center, in Elkton, Md. 

“I was impressed by the honest, detailed descriptions of each horse available, the videos of the horses, how content and relaxed they looked, and the amazing reviews,” she says. 

She fell in love with Cackle the Cuda and adopted him in October of 2019. Eight years old at the time, he had retired from racing after 43 starts. In their first year together, they tried dressage, jumping and trail riding.

“He has proven himself to be an amazing trail horse and has lovely ground-covering gaits,” says Degnan. “With this in mind, I decided to try out some distance riding with him—something I’ve never done before. We recently completed a 15-mile conditioning ride, and I am hoping to compete in a limited distance ride [25-30 miles] with him next year.”

Degnan advises potential adopters not to judge horses by their breed stereotypes. 

“He is very brave; nothing fazes him out on the trail,” she says. “I feel completely safe going out with him alone, because I know he won’t freak out or do anything dangerous with me. He is excellent at finding the best path through tough terrain and always knows the way back on a trail.”

Degnan advises following your intuition when you meet the horse that you feel is the right match. 

“I knew as soon as I rode Cuda that he was the horse for me, and my intuition was correct,” she says. “He is my ‘heart horse,’ and I feel so incredibly lucky that I found him.”

Karlee and Hugo 

When Karlee Boots and her mom, Tiffany Smith, purchased a former racehorse ranch in Edmond, Okla.,to build a wedding venue, they knew they wanted to fill the acreage with rescue animals of all shapes and sizes. At Nexus Equine, an equine adoption center located in Oklahoma City, they discovered a 22-year-old Belgian Draft Horse named Hugo. 

“I fell in love,” Boots says. “We had to bring him to our ranch and let him live out his life.” 

He had come from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania with two other drafts. “All of their body conditions were very poor,” she adds. “He was the only one of the three that made it.”

Just home a short time, Hugo is in great health now and enjoying a ranch retirement with other adopted horses, dogs and even a pig. 

“He’s the most gentle giant I’ve ever met,” she says. “Since he’s been working his whole life, I just want him to be comfortable and happy. He’ll trot up to the fence for treats. He’s such a gentleman. Pampering him is my favorite thing.”

Boots says there are many misconceptions about adopted animals in general. 

“People think they’re better if they’re bought from a breeder. But in actuality, there are so many amazing horses in rescue. You just have to find the perfect one.” 

Kelli and Esprit 

Kelli Sorg of Nicholasville, Ky., had her horses stolen in 2007, never to be found again. It took 10 years before she was ready to try horse ownership again. 

“I decided to look into horse rescues, because I wanted to give a horse a second chance the way I felt like I had been given a second chance over and over again in my life,” she says. 

She heard about the Kentucky Equine Adoption Center (KYEAC) in Nicholasville and originally intended to adopt just one horse. 

“When I went out to KYEAC to look at the horses, one mare appealed to me immediately,” Sorg says. “Of the nine horses I had stolen, the boss mare in that group was a large black-and-white Paint. When I walked up to Esprit for the first time, I looked closely because I wondered if this was my Paint mare. Of course she wasn’t, but the bond was already established. After walking around the farm and looking at other horses, I met Mandy, an almost solid black Rocky Mountain Horse with blue eyes who is a very in-your-pocket sort of horse. Then I realized what most horse people do: Two horses are just as easy as one.”

Esprit had been the longest resident at the center and adopted and returned more than once.

“I was Esprit’s person,” says Sorg. “That’s all she had ever been looking for: someone to provide security and consistency and a sense of purpose. She was already beginning to fight with heaves, so she and I didn’t do a lot of riding, but she restored my confidence in myself as a horse woman. We played ground games and worked on liberty work that felt like dancing.”

Esprit recently lost her battle with heaves, but Sorg still has Mandy and has adopted several other horses. Her positive experience with the center led to her dream job as their development director in 2019. 

“Now I get to help make connections between horses and people just the way someone helped me make the connection with my heart horse, Esprit.”

Kendra and Cinnabar

When PATH Intl. certified riding instructor Kendra Loring of Albuquerque, N.M., decided to start her therapeutic riding business, she wanted to use adopted horses and began volunteering at New Mexico Horse Rescue in Stanley. 

When some people think of “unwanted” horses, they may think of old, broken down horses with behavior issues that aren’t rideable, but often this is a misconception and definitely wasn’t the case for Loring. 

“They were amazing horses,” she says.

She ended up adopting two horses from the rescue in 2013: Cinnabar and a pregnant mare, Misty. Cinnabar was not one of the horses Loring originally considered, but the Thoroughbred mare had ideas of her own. 

“When I went to meet a Quarter Horse in the pasture, Cinnabar was attached to me,” she says. “She wouldn’t leave me alone.”

She shares that Cinnabar enjoys being a lesson horse for both adults and especially for kids, whom she loves. Cinnabar is now 21 and lives a happy life at Loring’s equine facility. 

“She’s my heart horse—she’s a part of me,” she adds.

Kendra’s advice to potential equine adopters is to keep an open mind. 

“Just because you have it in your mind the breed, age, or type of horse you want, that may not be the horse that’s meant for you.” 

This article about equine adoption appeared in the January/February 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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