• In order to help you and your new horse, we offer a support system for adoptees and are available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  
  
• Everyone has to start somehwere; and what better place for a first-time horse owner to start, than at H.O.P.E. We take horse owners under our wing and give them the opportunity to learn a great deal about proper horse care management and the committment it requires while working with experienced and caring individuals.
  
  
• Adopted horses cannot be used for breeding. We feel that responsible horse ownership includes unnecessary breeding. If you are looking for a brood mare, please find a reputable breeder to purchase your horse from.
  
  
• Adopted horses cannot be sold. However, we do allow third party adoptions. If a third-party adoption is not an option and the adopter can no longer care for the horse, the horse is required to return to H.O.P.E. for placement into a new home. This is for the protection of the horse, to do our best ensure the horse does not end up at a slaughterhouse or left starving somewhere.
  
  
• Facilities are inspected where the adopted horse is moved to. We do this for the adopters protection and for the protection of the horse; the facility benefits as well since they will become an already approved facility and will have the potential of having more boarders from H.O.P.E. adoptions.
  
  
• Adopted horses are periodically checked on, most frequently the first two years. This is to make sure the horse and adopter are doing well together and that the horse is being cared for (hasn't been abandoned, neglected, etc) and it gives the adopter an opporunity to ask any questions they may have.
  
  
• Adopted horses must go to a home that has at least one other companion animal, whether it be another horse, pony, goat, sheep, etc. We require this because horses are herd animals and they need that connection with another animal. A human is not considered a "companion" for the horse as they are not with the horse 24x7.
  
  
• Currently adopters can be no more than a 4 hour drive, due to periodic check-in's. However, we are looking to implement a program that will allow us to adopt out nationwide. This new program will not be available until sometime in 2008.
  
  
• Adoption fees will be charged to help defer the costs of rehabilitating the horse. Adoption fees will range from $100 to $2500 and will be based on the horses capabilities, health and the economy.
  
  
• An Application fee is required with the application. This process helps us weed out those who are not serious about adopting and just want to browse or are not in the position to adopt (as with young children).
  

Adoption Process