Adopted/Rescued?

Question

Who as adopted/rescued a horse?

Would you do it again?

What were some hardships you had to go through?

Tell me your story's Please!

Answer 1

I got this little Arabian gelding a long time ago. He was kept 24/7 in a stall with no light as the people who kept him didn't likje him. They raised halter horses and he was a Park horse and really active, would chase their horses to exhaustion. He was not fed much and basically isolated for a couple years. It was even hard to tell he was Arab. I talked them into letting me have him. He had papers and he was royally bred, blue list. These people had NO idea what they had!! It took me a year to get him used to the world again. I would exercise him for 5 minutes to start as he was so run down. He got turned out in a small paddock at the front of the place and saw every single thing going on. Yelled and chatted nonstop. When we wormed him, he almost died he was so loaded. We made sure to feed him so he gained weight slowly so as not to colic or founder. Later in the year, he started packing the kids around and he loved them and wouldn't allow them to fall off, but he would get my husband off quite quickly. He loved to go show and would strut his stuff. He adored mares to distraction, would suck up his little gut, arch his neck and flirt shamelessly. He was just a little bitty snow white guy, but thought he was this huge macho studly man. By the time I'd had him a year, he was nicely fleshed, fit, happy and a lot of fun. I sold him to a young fellow who lived on a standard bred farm with all the amenities including 200 mares for him to ogle. The little boy loved him from day one and they lived happily ever after. I also found out he'd been rescued from slaughter at one point. The truck had broke down by a stable and this young girl went peeking and saw him. Her family was able to buy him off the truck and he was a show horse for the girl for a few years until she outgrew him, which is when he wound up at the bad stable.

I'd do it again.

Answer 2

i've just recently adopted a horse from a local equine rescue. he's a five-year-old gray arabian gelding, and he's so sweet. when i got him he was timid and skinny but curious. we got him home and on good pasture and now he's got a beautiful shiny coat and you can no longer see his ribs. the only hardship that we're dealing with is an allergic reaction and abscess that came with a vaoccine he got. but it is so worth it! adopting a rescue is an awesome thing that you can do to help a horse. sure, its more difficult, because sometimes they come with the extra baggage of abuse, but with a handler they can grow to trust, that can be taken care of. i would definately do it again! i dont think i willever get a horse or other animal from anywhere but a rescue ever again! there are some awesome horses there; they just need the opportunity to prove themselves! definately worth it. =]

Answer 3

Its always worth it first of all!!!!!

There are hard ships.

But there are so many good times and memories.

My first rescue was a 2 year old skinny mare i was at an auction looking for a good rope horse and wound up with a skiny un broke 2 year old she came back to health was broke to ride and was a dream to train some ties the rescues are skitish and warry of people but when they come to trust you they give 110% and want to do every thing right they want to please you since you saved them. I lost maggie last year due to stangles and internal abseces at the same time. I only had 2 years with her but they were great i couldnt have asked for a better horse or more willing.

Here is a pic of maggie and the rest of her story.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muahashleyt...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muahashleyt...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muahashleyt...

My second rescue was a little buckskin pony that was 36 years old she was starved to deatyh and forgot about i had her 2 weeks before she passed away and this was terriable she gained some weight and knew she was loved in her last 2 weeks but she was too old and in very poor shape.

I DONT SUGEST ADOPTING A HORSE THAT IS ANY OLDER THAN 15 YEARS!!!

My 3rd rescue was a yearling colt he is a black stud colt. I went to the sale and there was this scrawny little black colt that had hair 3 inches long no kidding you could see his hip bones and his spine stuck up it was so sad he only brought 35 dollars so of corse i bought him he had a cerificate  that you could send in to get papers and when i sent it in i was amazed he had 6 world champions on his papers doc olena, doc bar, rey jay, colonel freckles jewels leo bars,and young gun. so we named him lotto he is now fat slick and shiny and thinks he is somebody he runs around and trys to boss around the big horses if hes turns out to be as good as i think he will i plan on keeping him a stallion and showing him then standing him at stud.

HERE IS A PICTURE A MONTH AFTER I GOT HIM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muahashleyt...

RESCUEING A HORSE IS AWSOME YOU ARE SAVING A HORSE IN A BAD SITUATION AND THEY ARE SOME OF THE MOST LOYAL HORSES I HAVE EVER SEEN THEY ALWAYS WANT TO PLEASE.

SO DEFINANANTLTY RESCUE BEFORE YOU GO OUT AND BUY.

Answer 4

I have adopted or rescued several.  I bought three 6-12 month olds at auction for less than 50 cents/pound.  I trained them all and sold two of them, and still have one of them 13 years later.  They were all pretty easy - being babies, they hadn't been messed up by anyone yet.  They all needed lots of ground work, needed to be taught to lead, and needed to learn their manners and be gelded.  Not really any different from any other colt.

A pony I owned from 1984 - 1993 ended up being given up to a horse rescue after getting laminitis.  Once I found out, I took him back in 2001.  He was the same pony I knew, just with some new health issues.

Last July, I adopted a young pony who was rescued from neglect.  They took 75 live horses and a few dead ones off of a 30 acre property.  Most of the mares were pregnant by ungelded young stallions they were out with.  My pony was a year old when they took him, and had never been handled.  The rescue hadn't done much with him in the 7 months they had him, so he was still very unsure of humans when I got him.  Now, he is still a little wary, especially of new people, but is a friendly, easy going little pony who has been pretty easy to train so far.  The biggest "hardships" to getting him were the things I had to do for the rescue:  I had to visit with him three times on their farm to make sure I could handle him.  I had to schedule a home visit to make sure I could provide a suitable home for him.  Those things are totally necessary to ensure a good home, but were sort of a pain in the butt with scheduling it all, when I know I'm more than capable and have a good, safe place.  It was the same when I adopted a dog a couple of years ago.

So, in summary, I have done it many times, but always with young horses who are not abused or too set in their bad ways.  It worked out fine in every case. (the two I sold were a pony who turned out great but I didn't need a pony at the time, and a clydesdale my husband thought would be cool to have but he was pretty clumsy and expensive and refused to get along with my new mare when I got her, so he had to go.)

Answer 5

I volunteer for a Rescue.  I have adopted quite a few and fostered a couple.  I have had all positive experiences.  I adopted my horses to be in my lesson program.  I currently have a 23 year old, an 18 year old, and 14 year old, all from this rescue. I think older horses work out fine if the job suits them.  Some rescues have baggage but some do not.  I have Saddlebreds, all from Saddlebred Rescue, and many of these horses come from Amish land, and are absolutely fine in every way except that maybe they are not fast enough with the buggy, or don't handle the long driving days in the heat well.  Know what you are getting as best you can, ask the Rescue to test ride it specifically with your needs in mind.  Ask them to drive it if you need a driving horse.  Go and ride it yourself.  If it can do the job, it's a match.

Answer 6

I rescued 2 Arabian mares about 3 weeks ago. They saw the vet who told me they were in good shape except for needing to gain weight. An elderly man who's health declined discovered that his family was letting his horses starve to death and sold them to me.

The two biggest problems I have right now are 1) they have bonded so much that I will have to work hard to get each of them to be OK without the other even long enough for training and 2) it has been a constant fight with family over my decision that they are not to be ridden until they are of normal weight and that a particular cousin not ride due to drug dependency. Long story.

Yep will do it again.

Answer 7

I have and its what lead me to start my own rescue.  I have adopted 3 skinny ones all are doing well, one is still unsure when other are around, she is fine with me.  The others didn't have to much contact with humans either and it will take time.  Adopting can be rewarding, but there are some with issues and you just have to take your time bring them around.

Answer 8

My tb was owned by a girl at my barn who couldn't handle him. he ended up throwing her and breaking both of her wrists. needless to say, she lost interest in him and stopped coming down to feed him. unfortunately i board at a barn on a military post so animal control would not get involved and the members in charge were ******* and wouldn't do anything about it. for the next couple of weeks he wasted away in his stall losing all of his muscle and a couple hundered lbs and ended up stepping on a nail that went all the way through his hoof. After an intense battle with the girl who owned him, she did not like us at all, we finally got him. unfortunately, his attitude had taken a turn for the worse and he was out of control. he would bite everyone that passed his stall and his naturally bold nature had turned to aggression and frustration. with some food and turnout and me not letting him get away with inappropriate behavior, his started turning back into the goofy and inquistive horse that he is. we still faced a lot of problems with riding. with the other girl he would stop whenever he didn't want to go anymore and she would just get off and go back to the barn. so my  first lessons were really just getting him to listen to my cues. anyway, after a lot of groceries, some serious farrier work, and a major attitude adjustment he's now my superstar jumper. I absolutely love rescuing horse and i can't wait to have an opportunity to do it again.

here are some pics of him before and after and one old one of us jumping back when we first started.

before

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cf...

a few months after. still lacking a lot of muscle.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cf...

jumping

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cf...

Answer 9

all but one of my horses have been adopted/rescued. i refuse to buy a horse when there are so many out there that with a little work, could make my next $20,000 hunter.