Rehoming Your Horse – Safely
You’ve decided to rehome your horse. Your first instinct is to call a rescue – because they will make sure your horse gets a good home. And they’ll come get him right away, right? You won’t have to advertise, talk to anyone, take up your time with trying to sell him. However, most reputable rescues are full, most of the time. Financial and space constraints mean hard choices on which horses can be helped – and a horse that is otherwise safe is not at the top of the priority list.* As the owner, it is incumbent upon you to ensure your horse a safe new home. So, what can you do?
First, let’s look at the horse market. Prices are up overall, and demand is there for a well-trained, finished, safe, rideable animal. If your horse is all of these, he’s likely to sell for a good price to a good home. If he checks most of these boxes, there’s a good home out there, but it might take a little longer. If he’s not any of these, there are still things you can do.
Train or refresh training as is age appropriate.
A weanling or yearling should lead, load, tie, pick up all 4 feet, maybe even bathe and fly spray.
A 2–3-year-old should know what tack is, perhaps be riding around at a walk and trot, bonus if he’s been hauled out to see different sights and introduced to different situations.
At 3+, he should have a concept of the 3 gaits, leg cues, and be started or finished in a discipline. The older he is, the more polished and world-wise he should be.
If your horse was trained at some point but hasn’t been ridden in a year or 2 or 5, either tack him up and refresh him, or find a competent professional who will put a 2 week tune up on him. Often the same professional can help you sell him for a small commission, taking the burden of advertising and showing him to prospective homes off your shoulders in the process.
Update vetting and farrier care. It is illegal to haul a horse without a current Coggins, so spend that $30 and get it done. If your horse is still a stallion, castrate him. Apply for a Charlie’s Fund grant if you don’t have the $220 to spend on that procedure. Hooves that haven’t been trimmed in a year paint an overall questionable image, so get a farrier out for a trim if you can.
If your horse is registered, papers go with the horse. It’s about the crappiest thing you can do to keep a horse’s papers or charge more to make papers “optional” with a sale. Think of it like your Social Security number. It’s your horse’s identity. It allows tracking of ownership throughout the rest of his life. It tells the next person in line who he is. Many registries also have a “full circle” program that you can enroll to be contacted if your horse is ever in need of a home. Furthermore, if you bred it, you are responsible for registering it. If you’re breeding and not registering because you don’t want to spend the $25 when they are babies, you’re feeding the auction cycle when they grow up.
Vet your prospective buyers. Look at their Facebook profile and see if they are constantly buying and selling horses. Do they have a job to pay for horse care? Do they seem like they are being honest with you? You can also drop names and phone numbers into Google.
If you want to give your horse a ‘safety net’, ask for a first right of refusal contract. These rely very much on both parties being honest, but it’s a good way to add an extra layer of security to the sale.
Expect that interested parties will want to come visit and ride your horse – possibly more than once to ensure it’s the right fit. Consider offering a short trial period at the buyer’s home. The terms of this should be outlined in your bill of sale.
Branding and microchipping are permanent forms of ID that will make your horse more easily identifiable if he turns up in a bad situation.
Consider a long-term off-site care lease instead of a sale. There is certainly a demand for schoolmaster types, horses with show experience, and horses capable of being used in lesson or therapy programs. A care lease removes the financial burden from you but maintains your ownership. Do your due diligence and follow up on an agreed-upon timeline to ensure your horse is being cared for in the manner you expect.
Now, on to the sales ad itself.
Give a good summary of your horse. How old, how tall, what breed, what are his skills and his weaknesses? What kind of rider does he need? You don’t need to share every detail, but you need to disclose enough to encourage interested parties to contact you.
Take good photos. One side photo showing his conformation. A clear photo of his head. A few photos of him demonstrating the skills you’ve talked about.
Post a photo of his papers or a link to his pedigree, if available.
Provide your general location and contact information for prospective buyers to reach out to you.
But, what if your horse is really not marketable and you can’t change that fact?
Because, let’s face it…the reality is that there is not a market for a 24-year-old, untrained broodmare or overworked, arthritic gelding that’s barely pasture sound. We’ve talked about this before. In reality, the only people who are going to buy a horse like this are the traders who are going to turn around and run them through the next auction, possibly drugged to appear more sound or more trained than they actually are. No one who loves their horse wants that outcome. And, also in reality, no rescue in the world can care for that overworked, arthritic gelding and provide him the level of care he requires like you can. So, if you truly cannot continue ownership, the best answer for that particular horse is a peaceful passage at home, with you. (And when you ask a rescue to take your horse and they vet him only to find out his ‘lameness’ is a degenerative condition that will cost thousands of dollars to keep him semi-comfortable, you’ve just passed along more of a burden than the euthanasia. The rescue now has transportation costs, feed costs. veterinary costs, and emotional costs in addition to the necessary euthanasia and disposal — when the horse should have been given the peace and dignity to pass with his own people in his own place.) Again, it makes more sense for the horse (and humans) for us to provide that peace for owners.
Remember: Horses live in the moment. They don’t care about ribbons and showing and status; they care about full bellies and warm naps in the sunshine with friends. If they are comfortable living that way and you can provide that once your horse is no longer rideable or competitive, you are an amazing owner and your horse could not ask for more.
More information on first right of refusal
Bill of Sale Examples:
*Do your research on any organization you reach out to regarding surrendering your animals. So-called “open door shelters” accept animals without question, but many of those animals are euthanized rather than adopted to new homes, at any time, for any reason.
Therapy programs and university equestrian programs have very specific requirements for their clients’ safety, and donated animals may be sold or euthanized at the end of their ‘usefulness’ to the program. The majority of therapy/university programs are wonderful – but there are horror stories out there, too. So do a little homework, get your agreement in writing, or consider a long-term lease rather than a donation.
