Become a Foster Farm
As an all-volunteer organization, we are made up of unique personalities with unique talents. Some of us work full time; some have our own businesses; some are students and some are retired. Our fosters are located in an area that includes the Franklin/Scottsville area of Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, west to Adams and Ashland City, east to Lebanon, and south to Shelbyville and Pulaski, with primary operations in the White House/Cottontown area. If you are located outside this area, we are open to discussing options, but please understand that due to logistics we simply may refer you to other organizations!
“All volunteer” means just that: from our foster farms, to our board members and those working behind the scenes, to those who assist farms with daily chores, everyone gives of their skills and time toward the common goal of helping horses and people in our communities. We do cover basic expenses for our horses, but our fosters are not compensated and we do not pay “board” on our horses. If you are a professional equine facility wishing to foster a horse, please contact your tax professional to inquire what expenses may be tax-deductible.
We require our fosters to attend a brief (1-2 hour) volunteer orientation session as an introduction. Fosters receive a handbook they are expected to read, as we do have certain policies and procedures for safety’s sake, out of respect for everyone’s time, and based on 10 years of learning the best practices to operating.
Please fill out the application below so that our team can learn a bit more about you.
Once your application is received and initial reference checks are completed, we will be in touch for a face-to-face meeting and site visit. We strive to match our fosters’ skills and facilities with the animals that best fit. We do not intake animals on a specific schedule, so when applying, please understand that we may have a horse in immediate need, or we may not place a horse in your care for some time. Once approved, you will be placed on our call-down list and our monthly update list.
Please Note: Safe Harbor fosters are not expected to ride their foster horses. Fosters who have the appropriate experience and skill set to do so will be cleared to do so, if they desire. We have a core group of riders to do initial evaluations and we utilize professional trainers when the horse requires more training than our volunteers can provide ourselves. We try to never place fosters in a situation where they feel out of their depth or unsafe within our expectations of care. If you have horse experience but are no longer able to ride, you can still foster!