i want to start a horse rescue? what do i need to know before starting it?

Question

ok a little about me...
i have a horse and a mule, ive have had them for 5 years trained my horse by my self and have had in since he was a colt. my grandmother and i want to start it together, i have horse trainers in the family and i know a shoer and a vet, iv loved horses since i was little my frist word actually was horse and my first stuff animal was a horse, my life is all about horses.


i want to start a rescue, im 15 i have my own area to house the horses, i know a vet, and shoer like i have said up there ^ what r the things i need to know about starting it, i would train the horses and then adopted them to family's i know that can handle them, and if the family cant then ill tell them if they cant hand the horse they can bring it back, where can i save the horses, like where can i buy them from the kill buyers.


p.s. ive saved my own money i have over a thousand and i have a job that pays well, and i live in Arizona us

Answer 1

Okay you need money and space.

Why not contact your local rescue and see about volunteering or fostering. They usually need trainers.

Now you will have to search for livestock auctions around you. The big thing is knowing the horse.

What is wrong with it?

Can you spot a drugged horse?

Can you re-train - to what ability?

Do you have the money for vet and farrier?

Maybe just start real small. You need to find people willing to do this even on bad days. Will you be around after graduation?

Answer 2

Unfortunately, starting and running a rescue involves a LOT more than just having a big heart and knowledge about horses. The best rescues are run either by rather wealthy individuals who can afford to foot the bills themselves OR are groups that have qualified for non-profit status. Being a non-profit has many advantages, such as the fact that people who donate to your rescue can receive a charitable contribution deduction on their income tax, and you also usually do not have to pay taxes on the supplies you buy. People tend to trust 501 c3 and similar charities because they know that the charity is using the money/supplies it receives for a certain purpose (in this case, to care for horses.) To be a charity, however, requires paperwork and a board of directors, and I'm not sure that you as a minor could do this.



Sadly, another BIG issue you would need to consider is insurance. Even our local non-profit rescue has to be careful when visitors come onto the property. If someone were to get hurt, the rescue could be sued. If a family adopted a horse and it bucked someone off, the rescue could get sued. Once again, this is why the most stable (LOL) rescues have boards of directors that include lawyers (as well as accountants, grant-writers, etc.)



I know that $1,000 sounds like a lot of money and you should be congratulated for saving it, but a rescue can go through that in one day or in one vet visit. Rescues require HUGE amounts of money. Many of the horses that come to them are in need of extensive retraining or must be on special feeding/medical programs. I don't know any rescue that gets all its farrier work and vet work free, even if it's at a reduced rate.



I know this is probably raining on your parade, but it's better to look at the situation squarely from the beginning than to start a "rescue" and then suddenly run out of money and then YOU have to find a rescue to take your horses. Many rescues end up "saddled" with un-adoptable horses- horses that are so wild, ill, old, or deformed that they will not find homes. These horses are on the rescue's feed/vet bill for the rest of their 20+ years of life. In a worst-case scenario, a rescue get a crazy horse that was drugged at the auction, and this horse becomes a liability for the staff and other horses.



Perhaps a better plan for you would be to try to find ONE quiet gentle old (but HEALTHY) horse or even a friendly colt that needs love and attention. Work with this horse, give it all your time and attention, find it a home and THEN get another horse to work with. Another idea is to work with a charitable rescue in your area for a while and get to know the business; then you can start your own rescue later in your life. If you could foster for a local rescue and train horses for them so that those horses might find families, then you could be doing a great thing for a good cause right now.

Answer 3

When you rescue horses you do not buy from the kill buyers - this only gives them money, instead what you do is you go to the same auctions that they go to and you bid on horses that they are bidding on - however if an other bidder is also bidding you do not bid because in that case you are buying a horse that somebody is already interested in saving/buying.



These auctions happen once a month in some areas, more often in others, I am not sure about Arizona, you can call the auction markets to find out, or ask the local livestock feed store or tack store they might know - these auctions are not the quality auctions held by proper farms they are the lower auctions at the auction market where cattle are usually sold on other days.



Here is a link that tells you how to start a horse rescue business.



http://factoidz.com/how-to-start-a-horse-rescue-business/



To be VERY honest you are best to save your money now, get a really good paying job, but live cheaply so you have a lot of money to devote to a business in the future, if you start now you wont be able to save as many horses, if you get a job and make lots of money you can save more horses in future years.



Also most rescue horses are kept barefoot - its way cheaper!



You can also learn more about BLM Mustang adoption from their adopt a mustang site.

Answer 4

Have you considered being a foster home for rescued horses? Rescues are in dire need to just get some healthier horses out to make room for the most needy cases. The rescue you associate yourself with will get the horses well enough to travel, and once at your place, you'd rehabilitate them and help them become more adoptable- this can mean training (on the ground, then under saddle once they're healthy enough), and continuing that training until they are adopted, and you should be prepared to absorb a few horses into a permanent herd situation at your place. If you don't have a ton of money saved up, you're going to be limited to probably no more than 10 horses at one time, give or take a couple depending on their condition and training needs.

Answer 5

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Hey there, I've copied an answer I posted to the same Question about 2 months ago. She was already taking on and feeding some horses, and was only on a small block of land. Any of your animal welfare organizations will be able to put you in contact with other organisations, that either are equine specific or have equine rescue contacts. So animal control and your local SPCA is the best place to start your inquiries. The big thing to remember is that all of these groups are run on charity, and charity alone. This means you will have to be prepared to foot all the costs yourself. Most will pass on some funding and assistance in the form of cheaper vet care and some food and donated equipment. But as a rule you need to pay for these things yourself. Any way I hope this helps..... read on. October 2009 Your a wonderful person for doing what you are doing! Before going into an official 'horse rescue' status you need to look seriously at weather you can handle the heartbreak? Do you have the time to look after seriously ill horses? How much experience do you have handling and rehabilitating mentally traumatized animals? I have rescued so many and always run at a loss. Most of those I've had, have been abused and neglected. The average cost of a rescue horse with minor medical issues for me, is around $500 - $800AU per month for the first 3-6months. I do my own farriery, and have a wonderful vet who supplies drugs and other medication at cost price. Also I don't pass the horses on till medical, dental, and podiatry problems are either resolved or easily manageable. I average about 1 in every 3 that I've had to euthanaise because of dead gut sections or cancer. My last mare I had for nearly 5 years till the right person came along for her. Ask around you may find there is a rescue organisation that would be prepared to take you under their umbrella. This means that they will send you only the horses that you are able to deal with and you wont have to take on those that are above your facilities and experience. Also it would be a really good idea to spend a few months volunteering at an established equine rescue centre, to see the negative side of rescueing and financing and the obligations with being a charity. Another idea after you have done this if you still want to go ahead with registering yourself as a rescue organisation, is to try and get other property owners involved. 14 acres is not going to go far if you have 10 or 15 horses at various stages of rehab and disrepair. If you can get a few other properties involved, you can turn out those horses requiring time and feeding only, while allowing you to have more time for those that need intensive care, and medical supervision. The other thing that is invaluable is finding a reliable feed supplier. I have a farmer that produces large bales of hay, and I stock up seasonally as it is cheapest at the time of baling, and I can be a bit fussy. I also have a heavy transport fellow that ships horse feed products all over the state and therefore gets all my other feed at wholesale prices for me. Personally I decided that the obligation of becoming a charity organisation would actually reduce the quality of individual care I could offer each horse as an individual. Therefore with all the animals I rescue I follow the motto " It is better to save one animal properly than five animals poorly" Unfortunately with me not being in the US I can't help you with contacts, and we see a lot of drought here so everything is very much seasonal. Goodluck

Answer 6

Bluebonnet Horse Rescue

Answer 7

Learn Train Your Horse Easy!

Answer 8

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RE:

i want to start a horse rescue? what do i need to know before starting it?

ok a little about me...

i have a horse and a mule, ive have had them for 5 years trained my horse by my self and have had in since he was a colt. my grandmother and i want to start it together, i have horse trainers in the family and i know a shoer and a vet, iv loved horses since i was little my...

Answer 9

I would think the place to start would be with contacting your local animal control about your ability to house and care for abused horses.