Helping the Horse

M.A.E.R.A’s horse program is dedicated to bringing in horses and integrating them into our other educational programs and then eventually finding them a new home that fits with both the horse and home so we can bring in new horses. Our program is designed in a more circular fashion.  Our horses come to us from a variety of different places such as families looking for a horse with different training, lack of owner care, inability to care for, going to slaughter unnecessarily and more.

We are always in need of support.

Support a horse, save a life!

Each horse that comes into our program is thoroughly evaluated for a minimum of 30 days.  Most horses go through our evaluations longer than 30 days, so that we have the best understand we can.  When the horse has gone through their initial testing and training they get integrated into our other programs, whether it be riding lessons, trail rides, ranch work, therapy groups or back-country wilderness trips.   Each horse during their time here is utilized in M.A.E.R.A’s other programming until they find a new home.  Unfortunately every horse goes up for sale, though M.A.E.R.A though our volunteers and our staff would love to keep them all.

The question has come up recently about our specific role when taking in horses and how it is the same or different than a“rescue”. The answer is we do have similarities to rescues with some of horses, as we are dedicated to helping horses in need, though have many differences as well. We do save horses. This is the baseline of M.A.E.R.A. though we are different because:

  1. We don’t hold ownership over any horse, when you get a horse from us, it is your horse and you can use it fully in any way you like from showing to traveling to more.
  2. We do not require you to return the horse if you cant keep it, though we welcome it, and offer returns, exchanges as an option for you if the horse doesn’t work out, or if in the future you are looking for a different horse example: your riding has improved, children don’t need a pony etc,
  3. We use all our horses for M.A.E.R.A’s other programming and then sell them to loving individuals so we can bring in more horses to go through the same program.
  4. We are not a retirement center,
  5. Due to the number of healthy young horses without homes, going to slaughter unnecessarily etc, we do not take chronic issues, lameness or issues that need additional support for constant medication use etc. Because of our policies and the people that know who we are, our success rate is higher than most rescues and we are able to help hundreds more horses.  Our horses are used all over the country and have done amazing things!!! From ranch horses working for a living, to show horses to more!!! We do specialize in finding these horses homes that fit the horses and new homes needs, strengths and personalities where the new owners and the horses fit well together. We not only work with these horses and get these horses to loving homes, we also provide educational classes and other services with the horses. M.A.E.R.A. has many different programs available and each and every program involves the horses in some fashion.

We currently have space for 25 horses in our program and are always looking for additional property to help these horses in need.