A true rescue would be an emaciated horse, abandoned horse, injured horse going without medical help or being starved.  That said, we can consider each horse on a case by case basis because so many times there are situations that really need 911 assistance and do not necessarily fall into any of the above categories verbatim. We have to be flexible, but not allow ourselves to be a dumping ground.

People who are down on their luck, loosing homes, getting divorced, losing their jobs would be considered a “re-homing” situation and we are here to help by providing those people with information and avenues on how to re-home their pets.

No, we do not get horses out of kill pens or buy horses.  Occasionally, a caring soul would purchase a horse on their own and then surrender the horse to CMHR if the situation was critical.  

A foster home is a temporary home for any rescued horse prior to being adopted by a new owner.  Foster homes are the backbone and the most important part of our rescue program.  Having an adequate number of foster homes is vital in order to save as many horses as we possibly can.

CMHR Foster Homes are expected to pay for the “normal” care of the foster horse.  This includes routine health care (vaccinations and check-up), routine farrier care and feed.  If your foster needs to be gelded, have teeth floated or any other non-routine medical procedure done, CMHR will pay for that.   If a foster home is able to cover part of that cost, it’s enormously appreciated, but we understand not everyone can afford to do that. We ask all our fosters to please provide plenty of love, care, a warm shelter, feed, treats and training to help socialize the horse and make him more adoptable.

The length of time that a horse is in any foster home depends upon the condition of the horse and the circumstances that brought the horse into rescue in the first place.  Younger healthy horses tend to get adopted faster than one with special needs.

Foster home care can be as short as a month up to many months or even a year in the case of a rescue horse that needs medical care or social rehabilitation.  As a foster home applicant, you have the opportunity to tell us the type of foster horse you are equipped to handle and would prefer to foster.  

Foster home caregivers can help shorten the length of time a foster is with them by helping spread the word at local feed stores and other events. 

No, CMHR has foster caregivers as well as Board Members all over the United States, therefore we are able to get help to horses who need it in a timely manner.  

All of the horses in our foster program belong to Chances Mini Horse Rescue. Our foster homes have the unique advantage of getting to know their foster horse and of course have precedence over other interested families but if the foster home would like to adopt their foster horse, an application and contract are required just as they are for everyone else.  It is possible that the adoption fee for the foster caregiver will be adjusted or waived entirely depending on the circumstances. 

Our sponsorship program is a really neat way to help one of our foster babies without fostering.  It allows you to actually help a specific foster horse of your choice by making a small monthly donation that will go directly to that horse's foster home.   You can read more about it at the bottom of our home page.