Hope4Horses’ Equine Rescue Network (ERN) is an electronic network of equine advocates working together to help slaughter-bound, neglected, abandoned, lost/stolen/missing horses in the USA.
>> There are over 160,000 unwanted horses in the United states
>> Each year over 100,000 horses ship to Canada and Mexico for slaughter
>> Rescue facilities in the USA have the capacity to care for roughly 33,000 horses
>> It costs $2,485 per year (average) to care for a horse
What ERN Does: ERN posts high risk horses (slaughter-bound, abandoned, neglected, missing/lost/stolen) on social media platforms to gain exposure and viral visibility to help horses. ERN provides funds to help horses that are “at-risk” (slaughter-bound, abandoned, neglected). ERN Encourages EVERY Equine Advocate to help combat the systemic problem of unwanted horses!
What ERN Does NOT do: We do not post horses to our site/pages that are not AT RISK. We do not sell horses.
A microchip is the size of a grain of rice. They are easily implanted into a horse using a simple syringe. The microchip is implanted in the nuchal ligament on the left side of the neck. They are so small; the only way to detect if a horse has a microchip is to use a scanner. A microchip implanted in a horse is of little value unless it used as the lifetime identifying number to connect with a registry or database that contains information on the horse.
There are over 160,000 horses this year that are at risk of slaughter. Reports have shown that over 92% of these horses are serviceably sound for continued use. Given the glut of unwanted horses, it still is hard to find the right horse for each owner. The best advice is to rescue a horse because you want to save a life, not because you are looking for your next grande prix jumper. The horse you rescue may arrive unhealthy, unsound or in need of training.
All proceeds go to help horses. All donation funds go toward helping slaughter-bound, neglected, abondoned or at risk horses. ERN purchases horses from killbuyers and rehomes them with other 501c3 rescue organizations or approved Micro Rescuers. We have “ground troops” (volunteers) at auctions to outbid killbuyers. ERN helps other 501c3 rescue organizations and at risk horses found neglected or in need of our support.
Learn more by watching: “The Business of Unwanted Horses“
What you can do to help? If you are a horse owner, you can begin with you. Rehome responsibly: Check References and do a barn visit before you place your horse in the hands of a new owner. Ask to be notified when the new owner rehomes your horse (“First Right of Refusal).
Protect your horse by downloading a Transfer of Ownership template which includes a No Slaughter/No Auction clause.
Never post a Free Horse on Craigslist . It can be an invitation to a killbuyer. Don’t be mistaken, the killbuyers are stealthy – they will promise a good home, where your horse will be forever out to pasture on green grass, but the reality is your free horse will be loaded on a truck to auction or slaughter.
Educate yourself and others on the unwanted horses population. Read “Lost Horses” and learn how to rescue horses from killpens and auctions.
Sign petitions, fight legislation and be active in your community. If you don’t know where your local equine rescue network is check out this Equine Rescue Search Tool.
