Adoption guidelines
Interested in Adopting a Horse through CANTER NE?
You MUST fill out an approval form. You must be formally
approved before making an appointment to
see any CANTER-owned horse at his or her foster home. We will only place
adoptive horses with approved adopters who have completed all steps in
the adoption process. Due to the sheer number of horses needing our help at any given time,
we cannot "hold" adoptive horses for prospective adopters. This
means that, assuming there are no real distinctions between the suitability
of available adoptive homes, the first adopter who is approved through
CANTER NE's process, visits the horse and is deemed a good fit for him/her,
and completes the adoption agreement and fee requirements will be able
to adopt that horse.We encourage adopters to stay in contact with their veterinarians after filling out the approval form, to ensure that the reference check form is completed by the vet and returned to CANTER in a timely fashion, and to send us the photos we request as soon as possible.
As noted on the
CANTER listings page, due to our desire to monitor horses in their adoptive
homes, we do not place horses outside of the New England/NY area except
under special circumstances. Placement under special circumstances is
the EXCEPTION, not the norm! If you do not live in the Northeast, we urge
you to consider adopting from another CANTER
affiliate that is closer to you, or to consider other
rescues with available horses.Remember: Adoption terms DO NOT APPLY to trainer-owned horses! So, if you intend to purchase a horse directly from a trainer at the track, you need not complete an application, nor are you under the restrictions of CANTER's Lifetime Bill of Sale Adoption Agreement.
Terms and Conditions Will Apply to Horses Adopted Through CANTER NE (these are not applicable to trainer-owned horses):
1. Many (but not all) of the horses offered by CANTER for adoption have some limitations. We will do our best to disclose all information on adoptive horses, but cannot guarantee that we are aware of all past injuries and/or behavioral issues associated with any given animal.
This is why we strongly urge you to have a pre-purchase vet exam performed (at your expense - please see #3 below), and why we have a 30-day "right of return" clause in our adoption contract. (Please be advised that there is a $100 non-refundable processing fee that will be assessed if you return an adoptive horse within the 30-day period. In addition, you will be responsible for all transport arrangements involved in returning the horse to a CANTER foster home.) After the 30-day period, horses may still be returned at any time, but the adoption fee will not be refunded.
2. All adopters must, as part of the Lifetime Bill of Sale Adoption Agreement, provide CANTER NE with current photos and updates on their adopted horses twice a year. Adopters must also agree to allow CANTER NE to contact their veterinarians directly once a year for completion of a basic health status form. Adopters are required to keep their contact information, and the stabling address of the horse, current with us at all times.
[Failure to adhere to these conditions may be considered grounds for voiding the Lifetime Bill of Sale Adoption Agreement; CANTER may then, at its option, take steps to recover the animal without prior warrant.]
3. If you are seeking to adopt a horse with the intention of jumping the animal (or using the horse for more strenuous work, like eventing), you are required to have a veterinary pre-purchase exam done at your expense to ensure that the horse is going to be suitable for your needs, and is physically capable of the demands of your sport.
4. All CANTER-owned horses are placed in homes where they will have at least one other equine companion; they are herd animals and need to be able to socialize.
5. Adoptive horses cannot be sold, given away, or otherwise transferred to a third party unless the prospective new owner fills out our adoption application and becomes an approved adopter through our standard approval process.
No CANTER-owned horse may be resold, given away, or otherwise transferred to a new owner within 12 months of adoption under any circumstances, except with prior approval, in writing, from CANTER.
6. Please consider your circumstances and your level of commitment before applying to adopt a horse through CANTER. The upkeep of a horse is a major expense and requires dedication of time. If you are unsure about your desire to have a horse for the long-term, adoption of a CANTER-owned horse may not be a suitable option.
7. As relates to breeding: CANTER adoptive horses may be bred for sporthorse purposes (see note below)--but NEVER for racing! All offspring of adoptively placed CANTER horses (this rule does not apply to horses purchased directly from racing trainers) are ineligible for racing competition. While CANTER is certainly not an anti-racing organization, our non-profit charter restricts us from transitioning a horse--often one coming into our program in urgent need because of lack of competitiveness--off the racetrack, and then using that horse to produce additional racehorses that may also one day be in need.
NOTE: We are painfully aware of the problem of overbreeding, and do NOT believe in breeding a mare or stallion simply because they're capable of being bred, or because they are unrideable and "it's all they can do!" However, our adoptive horses placed as stallions/broodmares have gone on to be approved by such elite entities as the Oldenburg Main Mare Book, and several other Warmblood registries. We will only recommend an adoptive horse as a sporthorse breeding candidate if he or she has the requisite conformation, athleticism, and temperament. We believe in selective breeding by carefully screened adoptive owners, and feel that carefully chosen stallion and broodmare prospects can be wonderful ambassadors that demonstrate the versatility and potential of all OTTBs.
CANTER will require a signed statement from every adopter stating that he or she:
Will
not resell/give away the adopted horse within a 12-month period (unless special permission is obtained, in writing, from CANTER), and will never transfer ownership of the animal
without obtaining CANTER's prior consent and approval of the prospective
new owner;
Will
provide current photos and status reports on the adopted horse semi-annually, in addition to the annual veterinary
update (which we will obtain directly from the adopter's attending veterinarian) noting
that the horse has received proper care and nutrition. Failure to provide these updates will constitute
breach of sale terms and CANTER may void the Lifetime Bill of Sale Adoption Agreement if it deems the horse to be
at-risk;
Will maintain the adopted horse at a body condition score of 5-7 on the
Henneke
Body Condition Scale; provide the horse with regular trims and (if the horse is shod) shoeing by a farrier every 6-8 weeks; provide for twice-annual vaccinations of the adopted
horse (except in cases where vaccination is medically contraindicated); maintain the horse on a regular deworming schedule; and
ensure that the horse's teeth are floated at least once per year.Potential adopters who are found to have made willful misstatements on their adoption applications will have the adoption terminated immediately, and the horse will be repossessed by CANTER without prior warrant. Such misstatements may include, but are not limited to:
Falsification
of the adopter's intent to resell/give away an adoptive horse
Misrepresentations
of the adopter's prior history of selling horses to dealers/auction and/or their prior record of horse
ownership
Misrepresentation
with respect to the intended use of the horse (where an adopter tries, for example,
to race the adopted horse, or to breed for racing) will be considered fraud, and will
automatically place the adopter in material violation of the adoption contract.
CANTER reserves the right to
take action to recover the subject animal without prior warrant and may seek legal
remedy against the applicant, at its sole discretion. Henneke Body Condition Score Descriptions:
1 - Poor: Emaciated. Prominent spinous processes, ribs, tailhead and hooks and pins. Noticeable bone structure on withers, shoulders and neck. No fatty tissues can be palpated.
2 - Very Thin: Emaciated. Slight fat covering over base of spinous processes. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Prominent spinous processes, ribs, tailhead and hooks and pins. Withers, shoulders and neck structures faintly discernible.
3 - Thin: Fat built up about halfway on spinous processes, transverse processes cannot be felt. Slight fat cover over ribs. Spinous processes and ribs easily discernible. Tailhead prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but easily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable. Withers, shoulders and neck accentuated.
4 -Moderately Thin: Negative crease along back. Faint outline of ribs discernible. Tailhead prominence depends on conformation, fat can be felt around it. Hook bones not discernible. Withers, shoulders and neck not obviously thin.
5 - Moderate: Back is level. Ribs cannot be visually distinguished, but can be easily felt. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes. Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.
6 - Moderate to Fleshy: May have slight crease down back. Fat over ribs feels spongy. Fat around tailhead feels soft. Fat beginning to be deposited along the sides of the withers, behind the shoulders and along the sides of the neck.
7 - Fleshy: May have crease down back. Individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat. Fat around tailhead is soft. Fat deposits along withers, behind shoulders and along the neck.
8 - Fat: Crease down back. Difficult to palpate ribs. Fat around tailhead very soft. Area along withers filled with fat. Area behind shoulder filled in flush. Noticeable thickening of neck. Fat deposited along inner buttocks.
9- Extremely Fat: Obvious crease down back. Patchy fat appearing over ribs. Bulging fat around tailhead, along withers, behind shoulders and along neck. Fat along inner buttocks may rub together. Flank filled in flush.