What's a Horse Rescue?

"I run a horse rescue," I reply.

This response is almost always answered with a blank look.

"What's that?" almost inevitably follows.

The first time this happened I was flabbergasted. I floundered for a bit wondering how you could not possibly know what a horse rescue is. Granted many people never have anything to do with horses and know nothing about them. But dog and cat rescues exist so logic would dictate that horse rescues exist too, right? Apparently not.

I'm still searching for the perfect answer to that question that hits the light bulb going off but stops short of the eyes glazing over in information overload. But I'm starting to get closer. At least I've surpassed my original response of "Um."

The basic answer. A horse rescue is a place for horses that are sick, neglected, elderly, or abandoned. It is also a place for people to give their horses to when they can no longer take care of the horse due to finances, health, family, or moving. Of course there are many other reasons a horse might end up at a rescue, but those cover many of the situations.

A more in depth answer. Once a horse is at a rescue it is rehabilitated if necessary due to health problems. If the health problems are severe enough the horse may be retired at the rescue or in extreme cases humanely euthanized. The horse may require retraining sometimes due to abuse, neglect, or just plain human ignorance. Once the horse is rehabilitated and/or retrained the horse can be put up for adoption.

Most rescues have an adoption process that usually requires an adoption application to be submitted that usually includes references, information on the person's horse handling ability, and more. If approved the horse is adopted out but the rescue will often keep ownership of the horse for a period of one to five years. During that time a representative from the rescue may visit where the horse is kept to check on the horse's condition. If the horse is found to not be receiving proper care it may be seized and returned to the rescue. If everything is fine for all the checks throughout the period of time designated by the rescue, then the ownership will be signed over.

Many horse rescues are usually non-profit organizations, meaning they are run on donations. They often have obtained a 501(c)3 or tax-exempt status from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) . The tax-exempt status makes donations made to a non-profit organization tax deductible for the person making the donation. This often encourages people to donate to non-profits.

Just like any other non-profit organization, rescues usually have to conduct fundraising. This is necessary to have the funds to take care of the horses they already have and to take in others. Many rescues close down due to lack of funding and support. Despite rampant myths to the contrary, the government does not fund horse rescues, even if they are non-profits.