Program:
Direct Intervention Horse Rescue
- Budget:
-
$100,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
SAFE
purchases and takes in horses that are at risk of neglect, abuse, starvation or being sent to slaughter. We
find at-risk horses by working with Animal Control organizations, attending auctions, monitoring classified ads,
purchasing out of feedlots, and through voluntary surrender by horse owners.
The horses are quarantined, evaluated by our volunteers and examined by a
veterinarian, before being placed into a foster home. Since many of the horses
we rescue come to us in poor health or under stress, they are given plenty of
time to rest and recuperate in their new environment. While in foster, we
provide veterinary care, hoof care, dental care, improved nutrition, and some
degree of training depending on the needs of the horse.
We
offer these horses for adoption via our Web site. Potential adopters are asked
to complete an application, provide a list of specific references, and submit
to a site visit. Completed applications are rigorously screened in order to
assure that the potential adopter will be able to offer a permanent and safe
home for their new horse. Once an application has been processed, the Board of
Directors votes to approve the adoption. An adoption contract between the new
horse owner and SAFE is then drawn up and signed. Adopters must comply with a
number of requirements, including agreements for ongoing site visits and
follow-ups by SAFE, a no-breeding policy for female horses, SAFE’s right to
reclaim the horse if it is neglected or abused, and restrictions on the future
sale of the horse. These requirements are in place to protect the future
welfare of the horse, and attempt to insure that it does not end up at risk
again. It is our intention, if possible, to remain in contact with each horse
we adopt out for the rest of its life.
Adoption
fees are determined by various means, depending on such factors as the original
purchase price of the horse, the horse’s use classification (i.e. riding,
companionship, special needs), and how much SAFE has invested in the horse for
training. We do not seek to make a profit from the sale of any of our horses,
and any money that is recouped from the adoption of one horse is immediately
put back into the SAFE Fund in order to help another at-risk equine.
Foster horse care expenses comprise almost 85% of SAFE’s
operating expenses. The funds for the Direct Intervention Rescue
program are obtained through donations made by the general public, and through
adoption fees and grants. All the work is done by volunteers in Washington. Direct Intervention Rescue furthers our exempt
purposes by preventing these horses from being sent to slaughter, and sparing
them the cruelty of a death in a slaughterhouse.
Program Long-Term Success:
Program Short-Term Success:
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Community Outreach Program
- Budget:
-
$5,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
Horse ownership can be rewarding, but it can also be very
demanding, physically as well as monetarily. Some cases of poor care or neglect
stem from horse owners that are simply overwhelmed by those demands. Horse
owners who have fallen on hard times and need help caring for or finding new
homes for their horses frequently contact SAFE asking for help. We do not
always have the resources to take more horses into foster care, so we try to
help in other ways.
Through Community Outreach, SAFE provides the following assistance to
community members:
• Emergency or routine vet care for horses in need
• Basic training services for horses to make them
more adoptable
• Hay or grain for horse owners in need
• Hands-on assistance with horses that need
special handling
• Placement assistance for owners needing to
rehome their horses, including advertising, applicant screenings, and follow-ups
It is our hope that by offering our assistance to other
horse owners, we can avoid future situations in which their horses may end up
at risk.
Program Long-Term Success:
Program Short-Term Success:
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Serenity Fund
- Budget:
-
$1,500
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
As rescuers, many of us have had to deal with horses in
very poor physical condition. Some of these horses can be rehabilitated, but in
other cases, sometimes the kindest thing that anyone can do for them is to
provide a peaceful and dignified end to their suffering. We have encountered horses that served humans their entire
lives, only to be sent to slaughter when they became too sick, injured, or
elderly to be of any more use. And we have purchased sick and injured horses
and paid for them to be humanly euthanized, simply to spare them a horrible end
in a slaughterhouse.
We recognize that sometimes horses may end up being sent
to slaughter because their owners cannot afford to have them euthanized.
Therefore we would like to be able to offer our assistance in this area as
well. The SAFE Serenity Fund allows us to offer our help in this area by working
with veterinarians who refer us to their clients in need.
Program Long-Term Success:
Program Short-Term Success:
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples: