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The reality is, unless you intend to get a yearling, you will in effect be rehoming a horse by the mere fact that the horse would have already spent a substantial part of it’s formative years under the care of another, who will most likely have housed, trained, and worked it according to their own needs and standards. So when we refer to rehoming on this page, it is to address the more narrow definition of acquiring a horse through a charity or shelter.
There are enormous benefits in getting a horse from an animal rescue, not least because by doing so you will in effect be vacating a space at their facilities to be taken up by another horse in need.
So long as you have ascertained that the charity is legitimate and responsible, you can rest assured that the horse will have been thoroughly vet-checked, been properly microchipped, and come with a passport and all its vaccinations up to date. An assessment would have been performed on the horse in order to gauge its level of training and whether it was fit to be ridden. Finally, equine shelter staff take an abiding interest in each of their horses, desiring to know how they get on in their new homes, and will tend to offer ongoing advice and support to those that adopt from them.
Having said that, not all charities are keen to rehome their horses to someone that is inexperienced in horsemanship or to a space where their horse will not have the company of other equines. Hence there are many factors to consider even before one begins to browse the catalogue on a horse charity’s website.
If you haven’t read our page on ‘Choosing a Horse’, we would urge you to do so. All the points covered there – from space and time requirements to costs – would equally apply here, and in some respects even more so. A shelter horse has already been abandoned, neglected, or even abused, once in his life. You wouldn’t want to add to both his and your misery by having to let him go a second time. Chances are, though, if you haven’t done your homework, your application to rehome a horse wouldn’t pass the first hurdle, anyway, as shelters are extremely keen to ensure that their horses secure the best possible future upon leaving their care.
Things to Consider Before Adoption:
Image © stockfour / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Be honest with yourself about your own level of expertise and what you are able to offer. A good shelter will want to match their horses with those that will be able to develop their charges as opposed to use their newly adopted steed to develop themselves. By presenting an honest assessment of your abilities, you will be far more likely to achieve a match.
It is equally important to emphasise that many horses available for rehoming may appear distrustful or exhibit behavioural issues borne out of anxiety, stress, or a lack of positive training. Your ability to provide consistent support and welfare in a safe and nurturing environment will be essential to securing a successful application.
There are many avenues to explore when seeking to rehome a horse. You could look in a local shelter, search online for rescue groups, or even contact animal sanctuaries and charities further afield.
Whichever route you choose, please first check that the charity or shelter is both registered and licensed, and find out from where they source their horses. Knowing the latter can already give you some clue as to their horses’ possible histories.
Standard areas of enquiry you should cover include:
In order to recover some of the costs of caring for their equines, shelters usually charge an upfront fee when relinquishing one of their charges. This amount may vary between shelters but is generally around £300 to £500, which is negligible when considering the costs of health checks, feeding, and stabling a horse.
A good charity or shelter will want to ensure that you have multiple opportunities to meet with the horse prior to adoption, so it is best to select a charity that is within commuting distance. You will probably also want to spend time with the horse to make a proper assessment, so be sure to allot at least a couple of hours for each visit.
Many shelters will not rehome a horse to a place that offers limited or no equine companionship.
Be wary of any shelter that does not ask you about your financial circumstances or your daily routine and activities, for a shelter that genuinely cares for its horses would want to ensure that those animals under its care are placed in homes that will provide both security and stability. An organisation that does not ask for references or does not require a site visit to where the horse is to be stabled may appear to be offering you a good deal, but there may be underlying health or behavioural issues that in time will prove it to have been a bad purchase.
Avoid at all costs buying a horse online without actually viewing the horse, even if otherwise the horse is at risk of being sold for slaughter. This is especially true of horses coming from abroad that carry with them additional risks, such as the transmission of infectious diseases. While you may feel you are doing some good by rescuing a horse from slaughter, sadly all too often your money will be used only to perpetuate the cycle by funding the breeding of more horses for the meat trade.
Some sanctuaries allow you to return a horse or pony should your circumstances change or if a child for whom the animal is meant outgrows it. In these instances the charity will require more regular home visits and you may have to sign a loan agreement that stipulates that, while you are not the legal owner of the animal, you nevertheless bear all the responsibility for it while it is under your care. Be clear as to the terms of such an arrangement and how much advanced notice is required should it become necessary for you to return the horse or pony.
You may find yourself taken with a horse that you’ve viewed in a shelter’s online catalogue or that you’ve seen in a sanctuary, but how will you know if this is the right horse for you?
Firstly, you should always heed the recommendations of the shelter staff, who will have received your application and quizzed you on your abilities. They have cared for and worked each of the animals under their care, and so are best placed to know if a particular horse would be a good match for you. They may even advocate a few alternatives, and unless there are clear reasons why a certain recommendation would not fit your purpose, it is worth giving each suggested steed due consideration.
You will want to test each horse not only according to its health and sociability toward humans and other equines but also how it accepts being walked in-hand and being ridden.
A properly licensed and registered charity will have performed all the necessary health checks on their horses when they first arrive at the shelter, and tend to be up front about any issues that they have uncovered, but it is still worth observing the horse for any sign of dental problems, lameness, or skin conditions before moving forward with adoption.
Avoid probing the horse yourself. If the horse is already suffering trust issues, the last thing it needs is some stranger prodding and poking it. Instead, be sure to ask a shelter representative about any dental examination that has been performed, if this information has not already been forthcoming.
Assess the horse’s conformation simply by observing it in the field, yard, or stall. This should give you some extra clues as to the animal’s fitness and perhaps any underlying health concerns. A horse that has good conformation will have both forelegs and hind legs that are vertical and straight, and the hocks should be in line with the back of the rump. If the hocks are either turned in or turned out, or too far under or behind the body, then this is a sign of bad conformation. Similarly, the horses toes should be neither turned in nor out (pigeon-toed vs splay-footed). Finally, the various parts of the horse should be in proportion, so the length of the neck, shoulder, torso, and hips should all be the same.
When you ask to watch the horse being taken in-hand and ridden, note its gait and look out for any signs that the horse is favouring a leg, showing stiffness, or carrying its weight unevenly.
If you have the opportunity to pet or stroke the horse, having approached it as per our guidance below, feel for any lumps, lesions, or sores as you’re doing so. Again, charities and shelters are generally very good about advising potential adopters of any health issues or concerns. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to be vigilant, and by approaching a potential adoptee with this frame of mind will help to bring balance to any decision that could otherwise be made solely from the heart.
When approaching any shelter horse for the first time, allow the representative to take the lead while you hang back. Try to soften your gaze and be aware of how the horse responds to the representative’s approach. Does it step away or seem at all wary, or does it stand its ground or close the distance between it and the representative? Take note of its body language, as well as its head and ear position, for these will give you clues as to how it feels about human proximity. Refer to our page on ‘Horse Body Language and Communication’ for information on how to interpret these signals and signs.
When approaching a frightened or nervous horse, do so in a slight arc with your navel and shoulders angled away. Offer your closed hand with knuckles down so that he might smell you. Continue to stand at a slight angle to the horse so that your navel faces away from him. If the horse lowers his head to invite you to pet his forelock then by all means do so, but otherwise refrain from reaching out to stroke him. Steer clear of performing any expansive or sweeping gestures.
You may wish to employ a game of mirroring, in which you mirror the posture of the horse and the direction in which he is facing. If his head is lowered, then round your shoulders and lower your head, too. If he is staring off to the horizon, then join him in that sentry stare. If he is chewing on some hay or grass, pick up some in your hand and rub it between your fingers (you don’t need to put it in your mouth).
If all has gone well thus far, then while keeping your body facing forward reach up and stroke him on the withers. Having made this connection, turn and move away. Not all horses value proximity or sustained attention as we humans do. But having achieved all this, you will know whether he is sociable toward people.
When it comes to his testing his sociability toward other equines, it is best to check with the sanctuary representative whether they would be happy to place him in a paddock with other horses if he isn’t in one already, and then to simply observe their interactions. Perhaps he already has an equine friend. If so, gauge the age and energy level of that other horse, as well as who follows who around in the paddock. Think about the other equines that are presently at the stables where you are planning to house the horse and consider if any of them would make suitable stable-mates for the horse that you are viewing.
As has already been stated, not all shelter horses are suitable to be ridden. If you intend to adopt a horse for riding purposes, be sure to check with the sanctuary that the horse you are interested in would be a suitable candidate. If it is, then ask to view the horse being tacked up and pay close attention to what aids and what bit are being used. Observe the manner in which the rider mounts the horse and whether the horse stands its ground or shifts its weight during mounting. Be honest with the shelter if you intend to use a different bit or other form of aids, or if your mounting technique differs slightly from what you have observed, and get their opinion as to whether they feel the horse will be able to adjust accordingly or whether you may need to change your own technique and means of communication.
Allow the rider to put the horse through its paces while you watch from the sidelines. If all goes well and you are happy with what you see you may wish to enquire if the shelter staff would be happy for you to ride the horse, as well. Be mindful of the manner in which you mount and dismount the horse, and try to mirror the techniques employed by the rider that preceded you. Be aware that the shelter may require you to be assessed for your riding proficiency, using another horse or pony, prior to your being able to ride the animal that you are interested in.
Remember: It's Not All About Riding
Once you have assessed the horse in terms of his sociability, his health, and his ability to be ridden, be sure to spend some quiet time with him out in the field, as well. This is the most natural form of bonding for a horse. We may value the journeys taken down familiar or untrodden paths, but for a horse it is all about simply being one with their herd.
Image © G-Stock Studio / courtesy of Shutterstock.com
If you are considering fostering or adopting a horse or pony from a rescue organisation, be aware that the process can take a couple of weeks to a month. Most likely you will have viewed a couple of prospects on a shelter’s website or spotted a good candidate while visiting a sanctuary. But before you go galloping off in the sunset with your newfound friend, you will need to complete an application form that will cover not only your personal details but also the type of activities you wish to undertake with the horse, your knowledge and experience of horsemanship, details as to the facilities where the horse will be kept, and the provision of care available at that site.
If your interest is in riding, you will most likely need to take a riding assessment, which may include some basic grooming, hoof-picking, and tacking up before taking the horse in-hand to a nearby paddock for some walking, trotting, and cantering. Please note that the horse used during the assessment will most likely not be the horse that you have your eye on.
With the assessment complete, you will then be shown to the horse that you are interested in to similarly tack up and take to the paddock to ride. More than likely, the shelter will request that you return at least two or more times for further rides and hacks in order to firmly establish that you are indeed the right custodian for that horse or pony.
During this time, a member of that rescue organisation will wish to visit the facilities where you intend to keep the horse to ensure that it is safe and meets their welfare standards.
If all goes well, you should then be free to take the horse home. Not all shelters offer to handle travel arrangements, so this may be something that you will need to sort yourself. Have that conversation with the shelter early in the adoption process and if you need to source a lorry or trailer with a licensed operator, be sure to ask the shelter for local referrals.
As soon as you have taken custodianship of your horse or pony, book a visit with your vet to do a thorough health check, as well as to have your horse’s microchip scanned to confirm that the chip corresponds with the paperwork that you have been given. Mistakes do happen, so it is best to have this checked at the earliest opportunity.
Confirm with the shelter that they have communicated to the passport issuing organisation (PIO) of the change of ownership, or if they have not that you do so yourself.
With that done, get your new horse on a pet insurance plan that not only includes public liability but also takes into account all the activities that you intend for your horse to partake in.
A change of environment can be quite stressful to a horse, especially a rescue. Not only can this mean a change of familiar sights and sounds but also of human and equine friends, as well as a change of routine. He may feel isolated from his herd or stressed by the presence of another, established one. Give him the best chance to adjust and settle in by turning him out in a secure paddock for as long as possible so that he has both the opportunity to graze and space to roam. Keep him separate from other horses but ensure that he remains in proximity to the others so that he can get used to their presence and the other horses to him. You will want to do this not only to ease him into the herd but also to safeguard from the spread of any potential disease. For more information on introducing a new horse to an existing herd, feel free to browse our page on ‘Horses and Other Pets’.
Find out from the shelter the exact diet that he was on and try to replicate it as best you can. Even if you intend to change him to a new diet, now is not the time. For now, try to keep things as familiar to him as you can, and then begin to work on building the bond and trust that will be required for you to make changes to what he has known.
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