Keeping Horses Safe

Oftentimes, keeping horses in their current home is a great way for a horse to avoid falling into an at-risk situation, which is why the ASPCA supports innovative programs aiding horse owners who are temporarily unable to care for their horses.

Of course, there are times when it’s not in the best interest of a horse to remain in their home—or times when a horse owner can no longer care for their horse. When dog or cat owners are unable to keep their pet, they can relinquish them to a shelter, where they’ll receive humane care. There are currently few equivalent safe, humane, open-admission options available for horses. And it is part of our mission to change that.

Centers & Programs to Support Keeping Horses Safe

The ASPCA, started two Regional Support Center pilot programs for horse owners in both Texas and Oklahoma, providing an open door, no-cost assistance to horse owners in select counties. Together, these two pilot programs have helped nearly 250 horses since the program’s inception and taught us some very valuable lessons that are helping to focus on future programs and grantmaking.

The ASPCA also supports the Vet Direct Safety Net Program, which empowers equine veterinarians to locate and provide care to at-risk equines in their communities and ultimately increases retention of owned horses.

What You Can Do

In this section’s related content, learn ways to support keeping horses in their current home, safety tips and prevention methods for keeping them safe, and more about our own safety-net programs and those that we support, to improve the lives of at-risk horses.