1. Horses should have seen the farrier and have had thier feet trimmed (or shoed) recently.
2. A current negative coggins test is required on all horses within 9 months of arrival. There is no exception to this!
3. A halter and lead line MUST accompany each horse
4. A bucket MUST accompany each horse
5. 1 week worth of hay and feed MUST accompany each horse, so we can switch them to our feed gradually and not cause stomach disturbances. ( A minimum of 2 bails of hay must accompany each horse).
6. Written doccumentation of any current veterinary services, if there have been any,  must accompany the horse if he has had any treatment, as well as current medications the horse is on.
7. Horses should be vaccinated and wormed within one month of arrival (if possible, please provide proof by reciept, container, or vet certificate). See Below, if your horse is not current.
8. We realize many people cannot afford to care for thier horses and many horses are turned in to us underweight. If you can afford to donate, we would appreciate a $50 surrender fee- this is to help with our expenses caring for your horse and others who may need immediate veterinary attention. The rescue is entirely dependant on donations for to care for the animals. Any donation is very much appreciated!
9. We do not pick up horses unless they are in the Hill Country area, and prior arrangments would have to be made. We suggest you try: Equine Express 1-800-545-9098. 

For the saftey of your horse we ask that all horses have vaccinations, worming and negative coggins tests (no exceptions to the coggins test- this is state law). If this is financially impossible for you, please contact us so we can help you make other arrangements prior to pick up.  (YOUR HORSE WILL THEN HAVE TO BE QUARENTINED, AND WE ONLY HAVE ONE QUARENTINE PEN WHICH IS OFTEN IN USE).

FAQ:

Can you visit your horse after adoption? While it is at Meadow Haven, yes. But think of the adoption just as you would of a child. The people are screened, homestudy, match is made, adoption takes place, follow up at 3 then 6 months, then finalization occurs. Most "new parents" want a closed adoption and do not want the old owner's involved with thier new horse.

What if we request an Open Adoption? You probably need to seek services elsewhere. We have tried several open adoptions and the new owner's complained saying they feel like they were being stalked- one old owner even called the adopter at midnight during a lightening storm to check on her horse! We cannot give you the names of the adopter's, but we do screen them thoroughly and follow up on the placement to be sure everything is well. If you wish for your name to be given to them, we will be happy to forward your name and number so the new adopter can call you if they choose (some do like to call and find out more about the horse's history). Or you may wish to remain annonomus, which is how we usually handle surrenders/seizures.

What if you can't find a home for our horse? We will! If may take several months to find the perfect one, but we will, or the horse will remain at MH permanently if he is too ill or old to be placed (we have several permanent residents). THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO DONATE YOUR SURRENDER FEE, SO WE CAN TAKE OUR TIME FINDING THE PERFECT HOME. Some horses have taken over 2 years to place.

Can You take my horse for a year until I get my finances in order? NO. If we take your horse, you sign him over to us, and you are no longer the owner. We are not here to give charity to people, only to help the horses.

What if I change my mind after signing him over? If you change your mind within 24 hours, you may come back and get the horse, providing we have not already placed him (yes, some have been placed in less than a day- we have a waiting list for some types of horses!). You will have to pick him up within 24 hours and an additional $50 fee will be charged to cover our time and paper work and long distance charges. This must be paid in cash.

Can you pick up my horse? Yes - Depending on how far away you are, and if the horse has previously been loaded on a trailer. If you are within the surrounding counties we can possibly pick him up. If you live far away and you need assistance in trailering your horse, you can contact Equine Express 1-800-545-9098.  Or you can also contact John Rice at South Texas Transport 210-865-5972. These companies move horses full time. You will be responsibe for getting your horse here and the charges these haulers may request. We are very busy running the sanctuary and we have to pay for gas and labor to pick up horses, like anyone else, but Local (Bandera and Kerrville, ) pickups may be arranged for $50 (depending on our schedule and availabliity of our trailer- it could be in use for emergency vet or seizure etc.) Outlying areas will be an additional .75 cents per mile (round trip) if we can arrange it. It would be best to make your only delivery plans, as we cannot guarentee pick up with the rescue trailer, if its called away.

Why do you charge fees? We are a non profit organization and receive very few donations and no grants or government funding. Some horses are permanent resident's here and require expensive medication. We have to charge a fee to help defray these costs. We do not receive free feed, vet services or shoeing- We pay like everyone else (to many people's surprise!). We also have monthly advertising expenses, pasture rental, as well as fence and stall repairs. The $50 we charge does not even scratch the surface for these items. As well, there is regular maintanence on the trailer, and LOTS of long distance phone calls to return. We cannot cover these things without charging someone...so we have a surrender fee and an adoption fee. Many times we spend over $1000 on a horse to get him adoptable and he will adopt out for $100. We are always needing funds to help pay our bills!

Can horses be resold? Yes and no- it depends on the horse. Some contracts stipulate the horse has to be returned, while others (usually for colts and unbroke horses who a trainer may want to invest in) are allowed to be sold at a price higher than slaughter, to an approved home (one we approve). We feel that if the adopter has spent the money to care for them correctly, retrain them and invest in them to make them a better horse, they should be alowed to own them as any one else would own a horse. We try to find permanent loving homes for our horses, but people move, divorce, and die and we cannot track them the remainder of their natural lives, nor can any other sanctuary or adoption center (don't let them fool you! Even the Government releases the wild horses and the Humane Society of the US and American Society for the Protection of Animals does not track the animal but for a few months).  Horses are never allowed to be sold at auction and this is strictly inforced. Our contract is a legal document and several pages long.  

Thank you for considering Meadow Haven to help you find the perfect home for your horse.

Still interested in donating your horse? The next step is to contact us to see if we have an opening, by phone or email. If you have pictures you can send that would be helpful. We will begin looking for a new home only after he has arrived and been assessed. No horse leaves the property unless thoroughly screened- healthwise and training wise. We want to be sure we make a good match with our adopters. IF WE DO NOT HAVE AN OPENING we can still help by sending out emails and screening people. We have over 400 people on our email list, and can often help you place your horse directly to a new adopter. This is time consuming and we ask you supply us complete info on the horse so we can make the best match we can for you. We do request a $50 donation for this IF WE HELP YOU PLACE HIM, as we get several people a day asking for this service. Many are not serious and we spend a great deal of energy helping them and they back out when we locate a home.It is time consuming and difficult for us to make a good match to a horse we have not seen. We are about 100% successful in doing this so farthough- but it requires lots of calls, emails, and correspondance, and may take a week or so to find someone. 

We get many, many calls, so please be patient if we do not get back to you immediately. We usually call back the same day, but sometimes we are very busy so please allow 3 business days. If you do not hear from us please call back. Sometimes we cannot understand return phone numbers, especially if your calling from a cell phone- these calls WILL NOT come through on our answering machine.