An adoption horse does not equal = Cheap Horse
Those of you who follow our Facebook page know how much effort, time and ultimately lots and lots of money we plow into each and every horse we rescue. We feel it is important to ask for an adoption fee that is at a fair market value. If we did not recoup some of our expenses we would not be able to do what do.
Our expenses far exceed our donations and volunteers are chipping in out of their own pockets and savings accounts to keep us going. The adoption fees are used to lessen that financial burden.
Why do we ask for a Fair Market Value adoption fee? Many reasons and we will try to explain it here as best as we can.
It protects our animals from horse traders and "flippers". Horses with a low or free adoption fee have been known to have been "adopted" by people that are dishonest on their adoption application. These people see a horse that is an easy "flip" and will turn around right away and sell the animal for three times the adoption fee they paid. We must avoid this at all costs. By setting our adoption fees close to, or slightly under the open market value of a particular animal we discourage traders and flippers.
Aside from the purchase cost at auction we incur the following basic costs immediately after rescue.
Hauling cost
Teeth Float
Farrier Visit
Vaccinations
Basic Vet Check
So you see in the first week we have already incurred an average of at least $800 for each horse we rescue.
Lets call this the Basic 1st week expense
Every horse we rescue is needs at the very least 1 month to eat and rest and most horses require a much longer time than one month. Since we do not own our own facility we pay for board. So count at least $500 a month for each horse.
That puts us at the Basic 1st Week Expense of $800 and 1st month boarding $500
So in the first 30 days of rescuing a horse we have already spent $1,300 ( if we rescued a stallion you have to add the cost of gelding him – not included in this calculation)
Now this would be it if we rescued a horse that just needed 1 month rest and feed, that has already been fully trained, a horse that is good to go as is, and has no health issues.
But WAIT – We rarely rescue a horse like that. Most horses need the following in the first 2 months.
1) An extra 2 months of rest and feed before we even think about doing some light training. So that right there is an extra $1,000 in board
2) A visit to the hospital. 50% of horses we rescue have to go West Coast Equine Hospital for one issue or another. If we average our bills we are looking at $1000 per horse including the haul there, on the low end.
3) Training. We usually will spend at least $600 on training so we can get a horse to the point where it is adoptable.
So let’s ad this up
$800 Basic 1st week expense
$500 1st month boarding
$1,000 2nd and 3rd month boarding
$1,000 vet bills
$600 training
………………
$3,900 minimum average cost to rescue 1 horse
Yup, that is a lot of green! (but does not mean your horse will be that much though!!)
Now also keep in mind that you would have been out of pocket the same amount if you rescued that exact same horse yourself.
Yes you would if you would do it right!
And then consider this.
Rescued horses have been neglected. Most horses need a lot more vet care than the basic stuff outlined above, including extended hospital stays to get them back to health and on the way to a new life in a forever home.
We have faced bills that exceeded $5,000. We drive around all day every day, week in and week out, to far out places to find these horses and save them. Gas is expensive. Phone bills are expensive.
If you want to rescue a horse from us then please appreciate that you will adopt a horse that is good to go, meaning - vet reports available upon request, full disclosure as to what our knowledge is on the horses health, ability, temperament, character and age.
Teeth will have been floated, feet trimmed or shod, vaccinations current, horse groomed and at a good body weight.
We are not in the business of subsidizing people's horse ownership by thousands of dollars.
In order to continue our work we feel it is justified to ask an adoption fee that is equal to or slightly lower than the fair market value of the horse.
Also please consider this - the horse you are looking to possibly adopt may have cost us far more to get to where it is now and ready for adoption than the fee we are asking.
So bottom line – Even at Fair Market Value - that horse you are adopting may have cost us a LOT more.
We may spend $3000 on a horse that will only be a companion horse with an adoption fee of $500
We have spoken to some people that want to adopt and expect an adoption fee of no more than $500 - $800 for a horse that we have spent months training and rehabilitating at considerable cost.
If this is what you feel a rescued horse should cost then please do what we do and go to the auctions yourself and buy a cheap horse there that is in need of rescue.
Thank you for reading !!!
Those of you who follow our Facebook page know how much effort, time and ultimately lots and lots of money we plow into each and every horse we rescue. We feel it is important to ask for an adoption fee that is at a fair market value. If we did not recoup some of our expenses we would not be able to do what do.
Our expenses far exceed our donations and volunteers are chipping in out of their own pockets and savings accounts to keep us going. The adoption fees are used to lessen that financial burden.
Why do we ask for a Fair Market Value adoption fee? Many reasons and we will try to explain it here as best as we can.
It protects our animals from horse traders and "flippers". Horses with a low or free adoption fee have been known to have been "adopted" by people that are dishonest on their adoption application. These people see a horse that is an easy "flip" and will turn around right away and sell the animal for three times the adoption fee they paid. We must avoid this at all costs. By setting our adoption fees close to, or slightly under the open market value of a particular animal we discourage traders and flippers.
Aside from the purchase cost at auction we incur the following basic costs immediately after rescue.
Hauling cost
Teeth Float
Farrier Visit
Vaccinations
Basic Vet Check
So you see in the first week we have already incurred an average of at least $800 for each horse we rescue.
Lets call this the Basic 1st week expense
Every horse we rescue is needs at the very least 1 month to eat and rest and most horses require a much longer time than one month. Since we do not own our own facility we pay for board. So count at least $500 a month for each horse.
That puts us at the Basic 1st Week Expense of $800 and 1st month boarding $500
So in the first 30 days of rescuing a horse we have already spent $1,300 ( if we rescued a stallion you have to add the cost of gelding him – not included in this calculation)
Now this would be it if we rescued a horse that just needed 1 month rest and feed, that has already been fully trained, a horse that is good to go as is, and has no health issues.
But WAIT – We rarely rescue a horse like that. Most horses need the following in the first 2 months.
1) An extra 2 months of rest and feed before we even think about doing some light training. So that right there is an extra $1,000 in board
2) A visit to the hospital. 50% of horses we rescue have to go West Coast Equine Hospital for one issue or another. If we average our bills we are looking at $1000 per horse including the haul there, on the low end.
3) Training. We usually will spend at least $600 on training so we can get a horse to the point where it is adoptable.
So let’s ad this up
$800 Basic 1st week expense
$500 1st month boarding
$1,000 2nd and 3rd month boarding
$1,000 vet bills
$600 training
………………
$3,900 minimum average cost to rescue 1 horse
Yup, that is a lot of green! (but does not mean your horse will be that much though!!)
Now also keep in mind that you would have been out of pocket the same amount if you rescued that exact same horse yourself.
Yes you would if you would do it right!
And then consider this.
Rescued horses have been neglected. Most horses need a lot more vet care than the basic stuff outlined above, including extended hospital stays to get them back to health and on the way to a new life in a forever home.
We have faced bills that exceeded $5,000. We drive around all day every day, week in and week out, to far out places to find these horses and save them. Gas is expensive. Phone bills are expensive.
If you want to rescue a horse from us then please appreciate that you will adopt a horse that is good to go, meaning - vet reports available upon request, full disclosure as to what our knowledge is on the horses health, ability, temperament, character and age.
Teeth will have been floated, feet trimmed or shod, vaccinations current, horse groomed and at a good body weight.
We are not in the business of subsidizing people's horse ownership by thousands of dollars.
In order to continue our work we feel it is justified to ask an adoption fee that is equal to or slightly lower than the fair market value of the horse.
Also please consider this - the horse you are looking to possibly adopt may have cost us far more to get to where it is now and ready for adoption than the fee we are asking.
So bottom line – Even at Fair Market Value - that horse you are adopting may have cost us a LOT more.
We may spend $3000 on a horse that will only be a companion horse with an adoption fee of $500
We have spoken to some people that want to adopt and expect an adoption fee of no more than $500 - $800 for a horse that we have spent months training and rehabilitating at considerable cost.
If this is what you feel a rescued horse should cost then please do what we do and go to the auctions yourself and buy a cheap horse there that is in need of rescue.
Thank you for reading !!!
