Second Chances through Equine Adoption with Yavapai Humane Society
It’s been a little over one year since we opened our Equine Center for the rehabilitation and adoption of horses that are at risk of being homeless. We have become friends with many horse lovers in the community, been impressed and grateful with the outpouring of volunteer support, and even adopted out 10 horses since we opened in June 2016. There is a growing interest in adoption and the Yavapai Humane Society Equine Center is honored to be a resource for this community need. We receive some commonly asked questions and are grateful for the opportunity to share this sought-after information on Jody’s blog.
FAQ: How do you get the horses for your program?
Most of our horses have been surrendered to us by their owners. A surrendered horse is one whose owner has freely transferred ownership to us. Owners make this decision based on many things in their life, usually a change in living situation or a realization that they may not be the best person for their horse. The surrender of a horse or other equine to the Yavapai Humane Society Equine Center does entail surrender fees.
FAQ: What kind of horses do you take in?
Loading to trailer
The horses in our program at Yavapai Humane Society Equine Center are horses that make great partners. When we take a horse into the program, it is 20 years of age or younger and has no chronic lameness or illness. Before we take a horse into the program it is assessed twice to make sure our program is the right fit for the horse. Our horses most often need behavioral rehabilitation before being adopted. Some of our horses just need a little bit of a tune up, while others need a “reset” in training. Each horse is different and it is a great benefit that we can assess each horse to develop a training and rehabilitation program specific to that their needs. Once the horse gets to our Equine Center, it receives all its vaccinations, a dental, and a hoof trim. When this is done, we explore the horse’s behaviors and abilities to begin the process of rehabilitation. We use techniques that allow the horse to be calm so learning can occur. The behaviors we are striving for are:
- Stands tied
- Calm when common body areas are handled and touched
- Picks up all feet
- Stands calmly for farrier work
- Stands calmly for basic health checks
- Stands calmly for tack
- Stands for grooming
- Loads calmly into a horse trailer
- Habituated to common equipment
Horse Standing tied
FAQ: How do I adopt a horse from Yavapai Humane Society?
Our adoption process is designed to assure a lasting connection between the horse and their new owner, and to ease the transition for the horse into their new, forever home. We have an application (available online at yavapaihumane.org) that you fill out which gives us basic information about you and the type of horse you would like to adopt. As part of our process, a brief site visit will be conducted, paperwork and payment (which varies by horse depending upon the services they received, but starting at $500) will be completed, and post-adoption support is provided with the resource of our Equine Center Director’s advice and training.
Herd Management Yavapai Humane Society
FAQ: How can I see all this for myself?
You can see the facility and the horses during a tour, available every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., during the Center’s public hours. To schedule a tour, contact YHS Equine Center Director Lucy Berg at lberg@yavapaihumane.org, call 928-350-8688, or visit www.yavapaihumane.org/equines.
Interior Barn
Jody Miller is a professional photographer specializing in Horse Photography, Equine Photography, and Equestrian photography. Her work can be viewed online here in her gallery section, and she is also featured at these Arizona Galleries: Arts Prescott Gallery CO-OWNER, Dragonfly Arts in Cottonwood and Coops Coffee House at Talking Rock Ranch, Prescott Family Diner. Jody is also participating in the Prescott Area Artists’ Studio Tour Oct.6, 7 and 8, 2017