"Real" Rescue versus "Fake" Rescue

Today's rescue drama on Nashville and area Craigslists. Text in case it gets erased:


We have accounted for a number of equines picked up and 'fostered' by what was known as the Orlinda Horse Rescue but we are still trying to locate and account for those remaining. If you have received an equine, and you are happy with them, we are NOT looking to take them away from you....we simply need to document the whens and wheres and basic info on each animal. This is EXTREMELY important! There have been some SERIOUS problems with this fraud 'rescue' operation.....some may notice the ads have largely disappeared and they have 'gone out of business' so to say....trust me when I say they have had a lot of pressure put on them by the public...specifically those who found they were doing wrong. If you currently have, have had, or gave to the Orlinda Horse Rescue any animals, donations, etc, PLEASE let us know as we are trying to make our files as complete as possible. Any and all help is greatly appreciated...thank you! 


Now, on the side of practicality, the inclusion of WHO YOU ARE before I give you my personal information and that of a horse I've rescued, would be courteous and appreciated.  If you are the sheriff's department, your name and rank should be noted.  If you are the area's organization that always seems to be involved in any horse neglect case, I think the general public deserves to know.  A phone number or email address outside of the anonymous Craigslist-land would also be a good thing...


But on the subject of "good rescues" and "bad rescues"...how do you know the difference?  In a previous post, I had identified "Orlinda Horse Rescue" as a badly-framed fraud, so I'm going to re-post the entry (sorry for those who have seen it before!)


Things to Look for in a Real Rescue
Today's "Inspired by Craigslist" post:  What should you look for in a horse rescue?  

We know people are not always honest.  There is at least one rescue in the Nashville area who "claims" to be a horse rescue, and if you read through all his posts, you get a pretty bleak picture of the underlying situation - "Orlinda Horse Rescue will take your unwanted horses" - next "Horse rescue seeking pasture" - next "horse rescue needs donations of hay, feed, and pasture."  Anyone see a problem here?  Then he brags that he's placed 20, 30, or 40 horses in a month.  My bet is, he's "placed" them on trailers headed toward Mexico.  If you talk to a REAL rescue (CANTER, ReRun, SRF), their numbers are no where near 40 horses a month in a specific location. 

So, rule number one:  If you are forced to surrender your beloved horse to a rescue, research said rescue first.  Know their property, their staff, their adoption policies, their funding, the whole nine yards inside and out.

If you're on the other side of the equation and want to donate time, money or supplies to a rescue, you likewise need to get to know the organization first.  Don't take someone's word for it that he or she is a nice person.  Many well-meaning folks cross the line from "rescue" to "hoarding", and then a larger organization ends up having to step in and rescue the rescuer -- several starving or dead horses later.  And, a few know they can take advantage of desperate people who don't want to sell their horses into danger, so they call themselves a "rescue" but run as many horses through the sale as someone who will tell you to your face that he's a horse trader.  

Rule #1:  Being a 501(c)3 only proves that organization is tax-exempt.  It does not mean they know the first thing about rescuing, rehabilitating, or retraining horses.  Dig deeper before writing a check.

Rule #2:  A real rescue has a plan.  They have a finite number of horses they can responsibly financially handle.  They won't overburden themselves and risk neglecting the horses already in their care by taking on every single sad case that's put before them.  They have a vet and farrier 'on call'.  They have a legal and binding adoption contract that includes provisions for shelter, care, non-breeding, no-resell, etc.  They have a facility that welcomes the public during certain hours or days, they welcome volunteer assistance, and they aren't afraid to share financial records with any interested donor.  

Rule #3:  A real rescue actively rehabilitates and adopts out its rescues.  Yes, any rescue will always have some number of "unadoptables".  But, they will also have young horses, thin and injured horses in intensive care, where the goal is to get them healthy, discover their training level, further it when possible, and find them good homes.  A real rescue puts a dollar value on each adoptable horse and actively seeks out compatible homes.  A real rescue finds volunteers to work with (read:  train and ride) those horses that are capable of leading lives as riding horses. 

Rule #4:  A real rescue does a site visit/home check and requires follow-up.  After the rescue puts time and money into ensuring its horses a future, they want to keep track of their horses to make sure they don't fall back through the cracks.  They want to know where the horse is going, who your vet is, and make sure you're not going to leave it in a junk-filled half-acre lot with a moldy roll of hay and call it "good care."

Rule #5:  A real rescue understands the overbreeding of crappy horses is a real problem.  If a mare comes through the door and she's breeding quality, papers in order, fine, don't put a restriction on what she can do.  But, 9 times out of 10, have a "no breeding" clause in the adoption contract of mares and geld the colts and stallions before they are adopted out - small animal shelters spay and neuter for this very reason; horses are no different.    

In the past, there has been very little oversight of horse rescue.  Recently, there is a new program for accreditation.  If you are a "real rescue", I encourage you to apply for GFAS certification and let the world know what a great rescuer you are!