PLEASE DON'T BE FOOLED BY A NICE WEB SITE!!!

I don’t want to discourage anyone from helping an animal in need, but if it isn’t correct and properly educated help, you will be doing more harm than good.  I have spent the last 30+ years observing and caring for a lot (thousands) of horses in many large stables. I have been exposed to a multitude of problems through my experiences and employments at rehab facilities and veterinarians, and have seen too many not make it. This is very difficult to deal with when you loose one, it is a hazard of the profession. BUT… (scenario) you go to the auction because you have a day off from work or nothing to do on a Friday night. You like horses and expect to see some and maybe pick up a souvenir for your niece’s birthday. Horse after horse is paraded in front of you with bids you can’t understand. The excitement, the atmosphere, and the auctioneer are making this an enjoyable evening. Such beautiful majestic creatures; wouldn’t it be great to have one. Then in walks that skeleton of a horse with matted down mane and burrs entangled throughout his tail. You could hang your hat on his hips and you can see rivers of sadness in soft brown eyes sadly looking your way. You think, and legitimately meaning well, “I can have an extra stall. I have an acre of pasture, I have a friend with a barn…I can rescue this poor creature and save him from the doom that he faces. He’s cheap… I can afford this. I’ll give him a bath and a new hair do. I’ll give him some extra food. I’ll save him and make him all better and won’t I feel wonderful for the kind act I have just performed”. Well, do you really know what you are getting in to? If so, are you prepared to take on the responsibility of that animal’s life for the rest of its life?

             Auctions are an outlet for many people to dispose of their unwanted equines. They are also a trading ground for dealers to move or restock their inventories. The butcher representatives are there to pick up the cheap ones that no one else wants for slaughter. Many times there are quality horses at these auctions but experience is necessary when purchasing the unknown. Remember the horses at the auction are there for a reason. The reasons can be as simple as the owner needing cash fast, not advertising sufficiently to sell privately, a life change and the owner has no where else to turn, or more often than not, there is a significant reason the horse has ended up at an auction and not sold by his owner. The fancy pretty one, the ones you think why are they so cheap, are usually dealing with some sort of behavioral or psychological issue that has not been dealt with and resolved. These horses can be dangerous and even fatal to their new unsuspecting inexperienced handlers. Without knowing the history of the horses’ treatment or the truthfulness of the seller’s word, the new owner often finds he has bitten off more than he can chew. The horse may have been sedated or drugged with painkillers and when these drugs wear off, there is a new potentially psychotic animal in your presence. Not knowing what can trigger a violent attack or flight, you must be experienced enough to be able to handle or foresee the unthinkable.

Health is another issue. Many times a skinny horse is simply underfed. Are you qualified to make that determination? Do you have to pay extraordinary amounts to the vet to have him/her uncover the underlying health issues that have deemed this horse possibly incurable or incapacitated? That sweet skinny horse is so kind, you are willing to do what is necessary to help him feel better…but then what? Is he so kind because he is too sick and too weak to misbehave? It’s more than just feeding a few extra pounds of hay and grain. Improper feeding can cause a variety of long-term health issues if not death. Colic, founder, laminitis, infections, worms, ulcers, azorturia (tying up) are just a few of the common reasons for health concerns with 100s more possible reasons for weight loss, lethargy, or illness. Do you have a place to isolate for at least two weeks or more so no one else in the barn is infected or exposed? Once you have treated the animal for what ails him then what? What do you do when his full strength of 1200+/-pounds is back and he has become scared or out of control from whatever horrors he has experienced in his life before? 

            LCR has experience in handling, understanding, and evaluating a multitude of health and behavior issues. LCR has a huge network of resources worldwide to rely on for support and information.

             LCR rescues unwanted equines. Mainly horses from auctions that have been or about to be sold to slaughter but have a chance to live a healthy happy life. Making that qualified conclusion is based on experience and knowledge. Many times they are purchased directly from the slaughterhouse representative for a fee above what it had cost them. LCR pays price/pound. Usually ranging from $100 to ~$500+ (for the larger ones). Once the horse is purchased it has a coggins test and an evaluation to check for obvious illness or injury. He is then transported to a place for isolation and further evaluation. Some diseases or illness have a 10+ day incubation period. These horses can spread disease or illness to others in the herd causing a high risk and or death in the herd, sometimes without contracting the disease or illness itself.

             After initial evaluation and quarantine and medicated or treated accordingly they are vaccinated, feet trimmed, teeth floated, wormed 3+ times with in the first month, and fed a high quality, well thought out diet all within the first 2-4 weeks of arrival. These expenses incurred can range for the first month from $350 for a horse without illness or injury to $1000s depending on treatments necessary. If a horse is not properly treated for unseen health issues their agony is just prolonged and inevitably taking their lives in the end. 

            Once a horse has become an LCR horse it is guaranteed health and happiness; a lifetime commitment from us. These horses have already been through the undeserving horrible hardships a human can bestow on it. We at LCR have committed to never allow such horror to occur again. We retain ownership so as not to allow the horse to fall into the hands of the unthinkable and ultimately end up back at the auction again so we can buy them back and start all over again. We place these horses in loving prescreened homes for them to live out their lives in permanent security. Owning and/or caring for a horse or any pet should be carefully considered before anyone attempts to become involved. Horses can live up to 40 years or more and don’t deserve to be thrown away when not useful or become too expensive. Please remember the downfalls before you decide to “rescue” that poor pathetic horse. Are you really doing him a favor or just prolonging his agony?

The Give and Take of Rescue- Rescue Organizations and Adopters

What A Good Rescue Should Do

If you decide to adopt a rescue horse verses purchasing one, a well-run rescue will grill you and check you out thoroughly. After all, the rescue horse has most likely already been through enough to begin with. The rescue will want to ensure things go well for the animal. Don't take it personally. If the process is done correctly, I think it should feel sort of like applying for a mortgage- not exactly a fun experience but easily survivable. I totally support all contractual clauses allowing follow-up visits by qualified representatives from the rescue and prohibition on breeding and resale of the animal. As one individual who runs a rescue said to me, "once we adopt them, we don't want them back, but we are always here if they need us". My translation: a well-run rescue wants be sure of the permanent home they have found before they adopt out the horse.

 If you want to maintain ownership of the horse, be very careful about your contracts. You are at possible risk of having the contract voided in a court dispute if not completely and correctly worded. I am not an attorney and this is not professional advice. Seek the counsel of a competent attorney regarding this and any issues.

Questions Prospective Adopters Should Ask and will be asked of you.

Confirm the rescue is committed to operating within a framework of accountability to the public and their supporters by obtaining information as follows:

1. What is the organizational structure of the rescue? Who has the power? Is there only one person in control, or is there a truly functional Board of Directors with equal voting rights. You can find this information by reviewing the Articles of Incorporation.

2. How is the accounting handled- who writes the checks? How is the money disbursed? Some non-profits require two signatures to disburse funds. Ask for financial statements.

3. What is the primary supply source of the horses? Neglect cases? Auctions? donations from the public? Ask for documentation. Many of the LCR horses are donated by their owners because they want a guarantee of a good home.  Make sure you publicize correctly the information on each animal to add credibility to your name and organization.

4. Review the medical records of the horse you want to adopt. Make sure everything is in order. The rescue should follow the requirements it sets for others and have all documented proof of such records.

5. If possible, have your vet examine the horse before it leaves the rescue property. Suggest this to potential adopters.

If you still want to rescue, here are some ways to get started.

“Starting a nonprofit horse rescue begins with a dream, grows with hope and succeeds with hard but rewarding work. If you are up to the challenge, a horse out there needs your commitment, concern and passion.”

 There are so many things to consider. Before you get started, here are just a few things to take into consideration: 

1.      Money, lots and lots of money just to get started.

2.      Time, lot and lots of time: Running a rescue is a 24 hour/day 7 day a week job. There are NO vacations, and NO time off, and more often then not plenty of sleepless nights.

3.      Land/ Facility: Acres, the more the better, figure 1 acre minimum per horse. Barn with several stalls for separating for feeding and/or injuries. Quarantine area for newcomers. Fencing, safe and secure for the wild ones and youngsters that misbehave or are afraid.

4.      Experience- horse, medical, veterinary, office administrative. It is not as easy as taking a thin horse and feeding it extra grain to make it fat again. There are so many complications involved even in a horse that is underweight. Feeding them too much or the wrong thing could kill them. If a horse’s physically challenged it takes veterinary expertise to know what the proper regime is and diet for them to recover. If there are training issues, beware.

5.      Money, lots more money –general operating expenses are usually about 70 times more than you anticipated

6.      Lawyers

7.      Accountants

8.      Volunteers or staff

9.      More money to pay for the staff and professionals who won’t volunteer pro-bono

 Applying for a non-profit application or filing the form 1023 and articles of incorporation sounds simple…but must be done precisely accurate or you will be denied.  Best to get the lawyer to fill these out for you or at least review them. 

If you have all of this in place and are ready to get started, personal public relations are a key part of your success. Remember you are either going to promise someone you will care for their equine, or you will be staking your reputation on the equine you just put into the hands of that 10 year old kid with little to no experience and the mom and dad think it’s a new family member that will listen to the English words “Don’t get hurt”.  Any time you become involved with an equestrian sport there is a lot to think about. When you become involved in the public eyes with a very demanding physically and/or mentally challenged equine it becomes a job of passion and career choice with a tremendous amount of physical and emotional work, but the rewards are priceless.

 Have you consulted with a veterinarian? There are many things to take into consideration when bringing a horse back from malnutrition. He should probably have blood work and a fecal exam first. Then discuss with your vet about feeding him and a proper worming regime. You don't want to worm him all at once if he has a heavy worm burden. Panacur, slow kill, over several weeks before you use a harsh wormer. Free choice Fresh good quality timothy or grass hay to start. Limit his pasture to 1/2 hour 2x/day at first adding in 15 minutes each time every other or third day or so. Grain can be tricky. If he is not used to it and his systems are challenged, you could kill him easily with colic or impaction by feeding him incorrectly. Beet pulp is good, and many feed companies have a complete feed premixed with beet pulp and other nutrients needed. A good feed company should have a feeding consultant available to talk with. Starting out slowly is the key to feeding him. Hay is the best to start with, when he is eating hay and drinking normally and passing correct manure (not diarrhea or too solid and dry) then add grain. Starting with handfuls several times per day (5-6 times/day). then increasing by only small handfuls. Make sure he has a salt/mineral block easily accessible to encourage him to lick it which will encourage drinking.

 SO you still want to start a non profit? Click here for valuable links and information.

NOTE: *This information and all information contained in this website is that of the opinion and combined collected information. It is NOT to be taken as law, legal advice, veterinary advice or info. This is only a guideline of tools to be used to start the initial long process of your search for continual education and information.