Second Hope Ranch, Inc. has an aggressive adoption policy for placing horses in qualified homes. All applications will be considered based on your ability to provide the best home for the horse. The adoption fee helps us recover some of the cost of caring for the horse while in our care and allows us to continue our operation to rescue, bringing back health and finding homes for other horses.

How we set Adoption Fees

The financial realities of rehabilitating a horse are far greater than most people realize. Most of the horses we bring in are skinny beyond belief or have a very serious injury or illness. Our first priority is to have the veterinarian take a close look at their medical condition and tell us exactly what treatment is best. Usually that involves deworming to get rid of the parasites in their intestines, bringing in an equine dentist to float their teeth if needed, and a visit from a farrier to attempt to restore hooves that probably haven’t been trimmed in years.

Then come the months and months of rebuilding their weight. A normal size horse of 1,000 pounds will burn 16,000 calories a day! So a lot of hay and feed has to get into the system to build up the lost weight. Typically, a horse that comes to us is around 300-500 pounds underweight. The weight gain must be slow and regulated to make certain the digestive system is not overloaded. If not done correctly, the horse can start having a lot of other problems, so we plan on at least 6 months of doing nothing more than feeding, grooming and loving.

How much are we spending so far? We’ve had the vet visit, with the associated blood work and fecal exam, which cost around $100. We had him tested for EIA, which is a Coggins and gave him shots for three different kinds of viruses, inserted a microchip and a rabies vaccination - $120. The visit from the equine dentist cost $125 and, during the six months, the farrier has been out four times (once every six weeks) at $30 a visit.

In additon to all the vet fees, , we need to add in the feed and hay…which the cost is rising, weekly. Through years of experience, we know it can be around $200-$250 a month. These costs dont' even include any supplements or special requirements for health during this time. That alone can run from $50-$100 per month depending on the supplement.

So six months after a very skinny horse steps through our gates, if all has gone well and praying that there are no major medical issues, we’ve spent well over $1,080 and we have a healthy horse ready for adoption – except for another small problem. 

We often have no clue as to the training or capabilities of our horses. Other than hands on caring and loving, a horse in rehab is not healthy enough to undergo any type of training or evaluation. When we are finally able to do an evaluation, we’ll find that the horse either has experience and is ready to ride, needs a refresher course, has never been ridden or can only be a pasture buddy for the rest of its life. If it needs a refresher course, or it needs to be completely trained, we’re looking at one to two months at a professional trainer, at a cost of between $1000 to $1500. That level of training, plus the age and experience of the horse, is what determines our adoption fee.

At the very least, we’ve spent between $1,500 and $2,500 on each of these horse. Some of them stay in foster care or at the ranch far longer than six months, and the additional cost continues every month.

So when you see a horse with an adoption fee of $250, or maybe a fee of $900, understand what you are paying for. We’re a non-profit, but we must make a little bit in return because that, and the financial contributions of our members, saved this horse from certain death, brought it back to health and made it ready for your barn, plus, there are more horses standing at the gate, waiting to get in, and the adoption fees are what enable us to do it all over again.

Adoption Application

We strongly suggest that you read ALL the terms of the adoption contract and application to avoid any "Oops! I didn't know that!" problems. To request an adoption application please contact us at  adopt@secondhoperanch.org or call 1.321-902-1993.

Financial Responsibility

We do not have FREE horses. The average adoption fee is $500, more for a well-trained horse, less for disabled horses. We do not rent horses, provide horses for rodeos, sell horses, offer horse rides or have mares for breeding. Horses can be very expensive. Other than the initial cost of stalls and fencing, there is the ongoing cost of worming, shots, farrier bills, hay, feed, medications, supplements and hundreds of items that you will eventually need to purchase. At some point you will probably be faced with a large vet bill. Like people, horses can seriously injure themselves or get very sick. One case of colic can cost you from the $100's to $1,000's, with no guarantee that he will live through it. We expect you to have the financial ability to handle these costs.

The Details

You must become a member of Second Hope Ranch, Inc. to be able to adopt a horse. Applications will only be considered after the payment of a $25 non-refundable membership fee, when all the required information is complete and all letters of reference are received. At that time we will start the investigation and evaluation process. The final determination on your application should occur within two weeks.

If, during the inspections, we find areas that are in violation of our regulations we will advise you on how to bring them up to our minimum standards. Failure to meet the minimum standards will result in the rejection of your application.

It is extremely important to note that the horse belongs to Second Hope Ranch, Inc. forever, if there is a failure to abide by the regulations or if we feel that the horse is in an unsafe environment, we will remove the horse without recourse. We keep continuous contact with the new home and the owners assuring that the rules are being abided by.

Horses adopted from us cannot be transferred, moved without notifying us, bred, or leased at any time. They cannot be sold. If you decided that you no longer want the horse for any reason, it must come back to us. Contact us for our full Placement form.

FOSTER:

Would you like to help an equine in need by providing a place in your pasture and in your heart? Join us in helping equines throughout Florida, with many horses coming in from the South East United States for care and rehabilitation!

We always have a waiting list of horses needing placement into foster care. Each horse is unique, and, depending on the horse's recent neglect, requires special training in specific areas. Some just need love and companionship.

A man on a horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot.  ~John Steinbeck