Letter from the Director:
Misconceptions of the horse adoption business.
 In working within a program like ours, many things come to mind on a
daily basis and this is a great way to share those thoughts with other
people like ourselves who care for the horses and feel a need for more
places where horses can get a second chance.

In doing this kind of work many people give their suggestions on how
to improve the program and it is suggestions like those that help make
it all work. Sometimes, however, we open ourselves up for criticism
that at times can take the wind out of our sails. I would like to
address a few of the criticisms that come up from time to time. Not
that our program is the only program that hears these types of things,
we have worked with and for other programs and most programs hear
similar types of arguments against adoption of horses.

Why adoption over purchasing a horse?
While many people prefer to outright buy their horses, we feel that
adoption has many advantages over outright buying. The main reason of
course is that horses up for adoption need homes. The people who
donate their horses are rarely interested in tax write-offs. What they
want to know is how can they find a new home for their horse without
sending it off to auction or who knows where. That's the main
advantage to horse adoption programs and the only reason we retain
ownership of the horses for a period after that horse is adopted. We
are accountable to the people who trusted us enough to donate their
horse and keep it from harm.

Another misconception of horse adoption is that the horses are all
rejects from someone else's farm. This is simply not true. The horses
that come to us come for many reasons. Some from divorce, others
simply got caught in the middle of someone's life changing enough that
horses are no longer a part of it. Yes, some of the horses we do get
come because they have a history of problems for whatever reason. The
vast majority of them simply need someone with the time and patience
to get through whatever problems that horse is dealing with. This
subject brings me to one of the most important advantages of adopting
over buying a horse. As many of you know, when buying a horse....not
all people selling are being exactly honest. Not to say that most
people aren't honest about the horses they sell, but we all have
probably known someone who got taken in a bad deal on a horse. The
beauty of adoption is that lying about the horses for adoption helps
nobody. It eliminates any incentive to misrepresent a horse. If a
horse gets adopted and doesn't work out for whatever reason. the
adopter can simply bring the horse back and exchange it for another
that hopefully will work out better. Occasionally someone will email
us and ask "why did this horse come back already". We have no problem
explaining why they came back, but people should understand that not
every horse is a good match for every adopter. It is our job to do our
best to make as many adoptions work as possible, but it would be
unrealistic to beleive they will all work. The beauty of adoption is
in the fact that adopted horses can and should be brought back if they
aren't a good match....then we can work to find the horse that does
fit in well with what you want to use it for. So far we are very
pleased with the adopters that have adopted from us and we hope we
only get better and better at finding a good fit.

Horses are a way to make money:
Many people often accuse horse programs like ours of being nothing
more than a money making idea. Nothing could be farther from the
truth. Most legitimate programs have non-profit status and are
accountable to the IRS as well as the Humane Society and the Dept. of
Agriculture. This fact alone makes it hard to show a profit and still
be a non-profit organization. In any case...making money doing this
kind of work is something that most horse owners already know is an
impossibility. Our program and many other programs like ours rely on
the adoption fees and donations from private citizens to maintain
their programs. There is no major outside funding, nobody in our
program gets paid for their work, and more often than not, people who
work for any animal retirement or humane society contribute not only
their time, but much of their personal money as well. It is very few
people who think that programs like this could make money, but those
who do probably haven't thought of the expenses in running an adoption
program. Vet and farrier bills easily reach the thousands on a regular
basis, worming and vacinations must be done regularly, all horses must
have a current coggins before they come into our program and must
still have a current one when they leave, not to mention food,
medicines, typical horse tack and supplies, as well as an endless
amount of office supplies, phone bills, and postage. If there was a
way to make good money in helping any kind of animal, more people
would be doing it. It simply isn't possible while still keeping within
the laws and regulations.

What to expect when visiting a horse rescue or adoption program:
Many people come to our farm every weekend and have fun visiting the
horses. That's our favorite part too. It's good to meet the people and
share horse stories and experiences with them. Some folks however,
come to places like ours and find an animal that shocks them. The
horses that come to us come from all over and for many reasons. While
most horses are healthy and happy we always have a few horses here
that haven't had the best lives. At any given time we will have
several horses that are deathly skinny, a few blind horses, horses
with permanent injuries, and others that just aren't feeling too well.
This is to be expected. The horses that come to us in this condition
are here because nobody else would help them. Many come from slaughter
auctions and this is their last chance at a good loving home. These
horses are here to get healthy and nobody should be shocked by the
sight of a skinny horse who is now gaining weight or by a sick horse
that was rescued from slaughter. This is why we are here and it is
programs like ours that give them a second chance. I have heard
comments on occasion from people criticizing how a horse looks. Please
keep in mind that these horses have to start somewhere and aren't
always the prettiest or the fattest healthiest horses in the world
when they first get here. They are in recovery and we will continue to
help horses like these. So please keep in mind that when you visit you
may see a horse or two that doesn't always look so great and that it
is here to get better.

Thank you for taking the time to hear the other side of the horse
adoption business.

Happy riding!!!
Thank you,

Scott Bayerl-MHWF Inc.