# Question on Horse Rescues



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

I think I had this discussion on here before. I think it's ridiculous for a rescue to ask more for a horse than what someone can find cruising craigslist or dreamhorse. I could go out and get a Thoroughbred for next to nothing. In fact if you go on horseadoption.com you can find several with no fees at all. I don't consider what they are doing rescuing I consider it flipping. 

I do understand that some horses get donated to rescues and they are there to be sold to help the rescue out. But the ones they get from auctions, the neglected, starving, on their last leg horses shouldn't cost more than I could go out and get a horse who hadn't been through that. 

There is a "rescue" around here who does this. They take in owner surrenders and turn around and sell them for upward of $3000. That's not rescuing! That's flipping. 

There are some rescues who will call you if you are somehow linked to a horse and make you pay out the ying yang to get the horse back. Seems pretty unethical to me!


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Agree with the above, but sometimes there is a fine line. 

One of the legitimate and well thought of organizations that reschools and rehomes OTTBs (isn't really a rescue per se) charges anywhere from $500 -$2500 for their horses. 

Now, you can go to the track the last day of a meet and get as many free TBs as your trailer can hold, and "back in the day" I would have never considered paying for an OTTB unless it was a really spectacular prospect. 

BUT the organization provides a complete history on the animal, has usually turned it out/let it down *and* started it in non racing work. So, is that worth $500 - $2500? Yeah, I think it probably is, and most people would be wise to get an OTTB through them rather than trying to pick one up at the track. 

The places to watch out for are the ones that call themselves "rescues"; play on people's sympathies with wild stories of (unsubstantiated) abuse, charge $$$ for the horses and have contracts that allow them to reclaim the horses.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

If you are talking about the rescue in Bernville, in PA, there has been a lot of discussion about them lately. 
fugly blog and AC4H - Chronicle Forums

I can understand some mark up in pricing of the adoptable horses as they do have to pay for the rehab and care of the horses, but you are right - the prices are crazy. And then you don't even own the horse and are unable to sell it.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

AC4H actually helps _sell_ brokered horses. They're not 'adopted', you own them outright.

I don't know much about the rescue end of AC4H, but why would anyone pay an exorbitant adoption fee when they could just buy one of the brokered ones?

I see no problem with rescues asking for an adoption fee. After all, they have to feed and maintain the animals they still have.

Whether or not someone wants to pay such an outrageous fee is up to the individual. 

I won't adopt from any rescue. If I'm paying someone money for it, I expect to own it free and clear.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> I won't adopt from any rescue. If I'm paying someone money for it, I expect to own it free and clear.


That's my feeling as well. I was meaning the none ownership of their rescued horses that are available for adoption. 

A year ago I went there to see a 3 yr old horse and I knew nothing of rescue policies and walked away when I realized that I would put all of the work and training into the horse and be unable to sell it if I needed or wanted to further down the line.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

AlexS said:


> A year ago I went there to see a 3 yr old horse and I knew nothing of rescue policies and walked away when I realized that I would put all of the work and training into the horse and be unable to sell it if I needed or wanted to further down the line.


Exactly.

I have been known to donate money to legitimate rescues that I've thoroughly researched, but I'm not adopting anything.


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

We actually were given a rescue horse (with no contract). Later the rescue wanted us to sign one (a story for a different day). Anyway, the contract was absolutely stupid, IMO. One of the things that really stood out (among many, but we can't go over the whole thing) is that any time, for practically any reason, they could come and take the horse from us. They also put in there that if we did not relinquish the horse willing, that we had to pay their lawyer fees to sue us for the horse :shock:.

Lesson learned! I would not touch a rescue horse with a ten-foot pole, so to speak. I will not give anybody the right to take away a horse I pay for every day.


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## kimber769 (Aug 11, 2010)

sandy2u1 said:


> We actually were given a rescue horse (with no contract). Later the rescue wanted us to sign one (a story for a different day). Anyway, the contract was absolutely stupid, IMO. One of the things that really stood out (among many, but we can't go over the whole thing) is that any time, for practically any reason, they could come and take the horse from us. They also put in there that if we did not relinquish the horse willing, that we had to pay their lawyer fees to sue us for the horse :shock:.
> 
> Lesson learned! I would not touch a rescue horse with a ten-foot pole, so to speak. I will not give anybody the right to take away a horse I pay for every day.


That's ridiculous!


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