Last Chance Ranch Equine Rescue.

Dear Horse Owner,

Thank you for choosing Last Chance Ranch to find your Equine a new home. We understand for whatever the reason you are donating your equine it can be an extremely stressful and emotional time. We wish to make this as easy as possible and reassure you that your equine friend is in good hands and will be cared for the rest of its life. Your equine will not live with us and will be placed in an approved appropriate home. We are not a retirement home, we are unable to be due to the lack of space we have.

We can assure your equines new home will be a good and loving one. Our potential adopters are thoroughly screened after they fill out an application and carefully read through and agree to our Rules. These can be viewed on our web site under forms. We contact references, their Veterinarian, Farrier, Dentist, and inspect the facility where they will live. This process enables us to match each Equine with an appropriate home.

To start the donation process mail several quality pictures, completed "Horse Bio" and the signed intent to donate form to us ASAP. Please be as honest and thorough as possible. We do not reject any applicant for any reasons, whether it be health or behavior issues. Most everything can be fixed...except: We will not take a completely blind horse. It is not fair to move them into a public atmosphere such as here. Most blind horses cannot adjust to the commotion. We will also not take an equine that is in the end stages of their wellness or happy life. In other words, if we cannot help them or give them a quality of life and they would be better off being put to sleep, we will not be able to accommodate you. We will not process your application without all paperwork. Your equines picture and short Bio will be added to our waiting list and discussed with potential new homes. We need to be informed immediately if you decide to keep your equine or you find your equine a home that will not be going through LCR's Placement process. We work diligently to find a home for your friend or bring him to our facility asap. You are also welcome to pursue other avenues to find your horse a happy home. www.petfinder.com is an excellent place. Please remember though, if your horse does not come through the LCR program, we will not be responsible for it and its future.

Due to LCR's limited space we may not be able to transport your equine to our facility immediately, but will do so as soon as possible. Please be patient. There is a waiting list of horses to come in. This could be up to 6 months or so depending on the available space.

Your equine must have a recent (within 2 months) negative coggins test, and be up to date on all vaccines, worming, dentistry and hoof care.

When transport to our facility is possible, you will make transfer of horse ownership from you to Last Chance Ranch by you signing a horse release form and transferring any registration papers (if available). Keep in mind in the event of the placement we do not transfer ownership to the new guardians.

At this time we do not require a fee for this service, but a donation is welcome to help cover our high expenses incurred in caring for and a finding new homes for each horse.

We look forward to working with you in finding your Equine a happy home.
Sincerely,

Lori McCutcheon-Benetz, President LCR

Horse Donation/Horse Biography Form

or E-mail for Donation Forms to lbenetz@lastchanceranch.org or fronto@lastchanceranch.org and request forms with
"Horse Donation" in the subject.

Suggestions for donated horses needing homes asap

- Look for a home locally through friends and other contacts. Tell your veterinarian and farrier that you need to find your horse a new home.

- Check the phone directory or search the internet for local SPCA’s, humane societies, animal control agencies, horse clubs, councils or rescues which may be able to provide advice or contacts.

- Be very careful about who takes your horse and why. Some good advice and ideas can be found at:
- http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/rescue/donate.htm
- http://www.equusite.com/

- There are some retirement farms for horses. Payment is usually required and there may be a long waiting list. Search the internet for the terms "horse" and “retirement.” Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines (http://www.ryerss.com/) in Pennsylvania is the oldest and most established.

- Do not “donate” your horse to a horse rescue unless that is truly your only option. They are there for the neediest horses. Keeping an accurate list is hard because many equine rescues do not last long. Lists of rescue groups by state can be found at
- http://www.equinerescue.com/staterescues.html
- http://horsewelfare.8k.com/rescues.html
- http://www.ahdf.org/rescues.html.

- Contact local colleges with riding programs to ask about donating your horse. IHSA directory of programs: http://www.ihsa.com/IMS/IMS_HallofTeams.asp

- Some therapeutic riding centers may be willing to take a sound horse with the appropriate temperament. A directory of programs can be found at: http://www.narha.org/Centers/FindCenter.asp

- Some mounted police units accept donated horses. A list of programs is here: http://www.mountedpolice.com/donation.html

- Some breeds have their own rescues and placement networks. Check the internet, breed publications, and local sources.

- The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has a Racehorse Adoption Referral Program. For information, call 877-576-6872. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and ReRun have farms in several states.

To find a rescue close to your area try these links:

http://horsewelfare.8k.com/rescues.html also--

http://www.equinerescue.com/staterescues.html for a search by state

http://www.petfinder.com/ click on the "shelters/rescue groups" link at the top of the page and then type in your zip for a listing of shelters and rescues in your area.

Remember that these links are not the only resource for shelter/rescue listings. A search of "horse rescues in (your state)"

typed in your search engine can result in a lot more that may not be listed on these other links.

Good Luck with your searching!!