Kim and adopted friend Diesel
Listed here are some of the most commonly asked questions of SFHR:
What exactly is a “horse rescue” and how does it work?
SFHR works much like a humane society for equines. Animals are donated or have been confiscated and brought to us and if we decide they are adoptable, we place them up for adoption on Petfinder. If they are very old, have extreme medical problems or behavioral problems they are usually kept with us as retirees or recovering horses. Perhaps a better name than “rescue” would be “shelter” as first and foremost we give them the shelter (and care) that they need.
How do you decide which horses are ridable or need work?
Since 2005, we have had several volunteer trainers evaluate every horse in our program before that animal is placed in any adoptive home.
Why are some horses adopted and then they show up under “adoptables” again?
We try our best to match horses with adopters. Sometimes this is not as easy as it sounds and what seems like a good match turns out not to be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the adopter has personal circumstances and must return the animal. There are also times when SFHR will “take back” an animal in accordance with our placement agreement. That’s the beauty of horse adoption vs. the “sale” of a horse. No matter what happens in life, the animal’s best interests are taken into consideration and SFHR acts accordingly to protect the animal.
Do you only adopt within the State of Wisconsin?
No - we do adopt out to surrounding states at this time as well as Wisconsin.
How do you screen your volunteers?
We have an application process and we work with any new volunteers until we are sure they are comfortable with the duties assigned to them.
How do you set the adoption fee?
We base the adoption fee on several factors. The horse’s age, physical condition and level of training are taken into consideration.
Don’t all “rescue” horses come with lots of physical or mental problems?
No. This is a common misconception in the horse rescue world. Many of our animals do come with problems but just as many come to us healthy and ready for a new home.
What do you do when the retired or disabled horse just can’t keep living and suffering?
We do not allow horses to suffer needlessly at SFHR. If the medications the vet prescribes are not helping and the animal’s quality of life starts to decline, we have one of our vets come out and humanely euthanize the animal.
All creatures are created from the same paternal heartbeat of God. Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission -to be of service to them wherever they require it. If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men
-St. Francis of
