I want to star up a program where I can take rescued horses and work with them so that they can be used again.. and learn to trust people.. where can i find horses to rescue or get horses to work on??
Answers:
First of all, you have to be qualified to care for the animals. Do you have at least five intense years of experience with horses? Can you properly decide if a horse needs medical attention. Can you correctly ration a horses feed to its weight, age, and matobolism? Are you prepared that some of the horses may have to be uethanized?
If you don't have enough experience with horses, you may be doing them more harm than good. Instead of starting your own rescue, you can help at one. It would be a great way to learn about how a rescue works and how to care for the horses.
If you still want to have your own rescue there are a lot of things that are required:
The most import assest to any rescue is funds. Do you have enough money to properly feed, provide medical attention, medicate, vaccinate, shoe/trim, etc. the horses? Most of the horses that come to rescues will be more costly than regular horses because they have weight or other health issues. You can not rely on handouts, ther has to be an alternate source of money.
You have to have a facility that is not only large enough, but has enough shelters to house the horses. Most importanly the facility has to be safe; if the the barn is old and falling down or the fence is barb wire, will the horses really be better off than from where they came from?
Will you be wiling to commit 365 days to the horses. You can't leave for a vaccation or take a sick day..the horses have to fed and medicated at least once day (usually it is two to four times a day). If you can't provide full-time care for the horses, is there someone who will?
You have to ask yourself a lot of questions. Even though you are trying to help the horses, if they aren't properly cared for it is all for nothing. Make sure you can handle the job before making the plunge.
If you decide to start a rescue, you don't have to do any government forms or such. However, many people do because they qualify as a non-profit- no taxes. Each state is different, check at your state's website to make sure what is expected from you.
When you are ready to start accepting horses. Notify the local shelter and animal control. When they have a rescue horse, they will notify you. You can also try horse auction, the ones that are going for meat can range from 100 to 300 dollars, of course you will have to pay for the horses. Also you can do independent advertising, letting people know what you are doing.
Good Luck.
Set up your property first. So you are prepared
Contact your local animal control agency and see how they handle their livestock and how do you get a contract for horses only. It is best to start volunteering at the shelter so they get to know you. This way they don't think you are some nut trying to collect animals you cannot care for.
On the animal planet the shelter in Florida when to a horse auction where the horses were being sold for food. They bought about 20 horses to rescue. Spent about $10,000 You can check the auctions.
Good Luck, make sure this is what you really want to do. Rescue work is heart breaking but rewarding after helping an animal to heal from such cruelty.
Also start an organization and apply for not-for-profit status.
WOW! My most sincere complements to you for what you are trying to do! I can't say I know much, but for what good it will do I will share what I know. You might try a horse auction house. These are horses being auctioned off for slaughter. My understanding is that horses of all types come through and that some have considerable training on them, etc. I know of one such place in New Holland PA. Not sure where others are located.
You may also want to contact an established horse rescue group to see if you can do some foster work for them. Crossed Sabers is a group in West Virginia. MANY horses come though there. They might be worth talking to.
Finally I would say contact your local ASPCA. They might have some leads and information for you. GOOD LUCK WITH THIS!
First, you need to have 10 or more acres. That property needs to be fenced with wood, reinforced with electric wire. The electric wire is to keep your rescued animals in and other animals out.
You will need to have a barn with a minimum of 4 box stalls measuring no less that 10' x 10' and a source of bedding suitable to all manner of ailments. Many horses have respiratory ailments and cannot be bedded on sawdust or wood chips - they will need straw.
You will need no fewer than 4 separate pastures so you can effectively rotate the grazing area you provide.
Then register your farm at the local humane society. If and when they get horses in, they might call you to pick them up. So you'll need a horse trailer and a truck to pull it.
Be ready to list your credentials. You will need to have at least one veterinarian (for large animals) vouge that you are a responsible horse owner, that he has worked on your horse and you keep your horse vaccinated regularly. The humane society will want to know you aren't just trying to make a profit getting horses cheap and selling them later for a tidy profit. Giving the name of a veterinarian they know as a reference will accomplish this.
Horse rescues are not normally in the business of reconditioning or training a horse for later adoption or sale. The rescued horses are simply given the care they need to regain good health and are given sanctuary for the remainder of their natural lives. It costs money. It takes time. It takes dedication.
I question your real intentions.
I believe you want to "buy low and sell high." I would suggest you get involved with something more suited to that end - invest in the stock market.
First you will need to have yourproperty set up with an area where you can quarantine the new animals comming in. You will need to have secure fencing and the ability to keep the horses seperate from each other.
Then most people go to the sales and buy them from the slae barns. The ones who are being bought buy kill buyers are the ones they will bid on and buy. It will save them from the kill buyer.
Some of these horses have huge issues and really can not be re-habed. Some have huge medical problems and can never be ridden. Some have been trained and just need a minor tune up to be ridden again. you need to be able to tell what you are looking at and know what it will cost to work with one with medical problems.
You will need or want to apply for 501 3 C status with the government as that is tax exempt status and anyone who donates to you can deduct it off their taxes.
Take a class in grant writing as this will help you to obtain funding for you program.
Get an office space set up you are going to need it for all the paperwork you are going to have to do.
Get help volunteers are necessary to run a rescue. Someone will need to look after the horses and work with them. Someone will need to answer the phone and handle the officepart of it.
You will need a way to advertise the horses you have available for adoption. Web site or through area feed stores or what ever.
Threre is a class offered out at Best Freinds Santuary on how to set up and run a rescue program that would really help you out the most. It is a great program and teaches you most of what you will need to know about it.
Good luck. It is a huge undertaking and very time consuming.
You first need to realize that not all rescued horses will be adoptable after rehabilitating them. This means you will in essence be stuck with them for life. You cannot adopt out the suitable ones until they have fully recovered from whatever they were put through. These are very expensive horses. You may be able to go to a slaughter house auction and buy one for $30 but think about the possibility of numerous and costly health and weight problems and potentially never being able to place them in adoptive homes. Many will after all the time and money you put into them still need to be euthanized anyway. CAN YOU HANDLE ALL OF THIS? I f you can honestly answer yes to all of this then go for it-I did- but if you can't, volunteer with a local rescue. It takes time, money, and patience. Can be extremely rewarding at times and depressing at others.
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