News & Events

Q. Does your rescue sell its rescue horses?
A. WHINNY does not sell any of its rescue horses.

Q. Do you allow your adopted horses to be bred?
A. It is WHINNY'S policy not to allow its adopted horses to be used for breeding.

Q.Does WHINNY allow adoption outside the State of Ohio?
A. No

Q.Do you adopt out to first time horse owners?
A. First time horse owners are not given preference, but we will consider the possiblity if you can prove that you have the knowledge and ability to properly care for a rescued horse.

Q.I would like to adopt an untrained rescue horse so that I can train and sell it for a 4-H project.
A. No WHINNY horse can be sold , transferred, given away,and/or used for breeding.

Q. I bought a rescue horse from another rescue place near me, but it's not working out, can I trade it for one of yours?
A. No. WHINNY is not in the business to buy, sell and /or trade horses.

Q. Why do some rescues sell their horses?
A. That's a question you should be asking those rescues.

Q. If I adopt a rescue horse from you , can I give it to my son for a graduation present?
A. No WHINNY horse can be sold, transferred, given away , used for breeding or given as a gift.

Q.My horse went blind, can I donate it to your rescue for one of your sighted ones?
A. No. Whinny is not in the business to buy, sell and/or trade horses, however, we will be happy to help you fiind a good home for your blind horse.

Q. I know of a rescue that breeds their mares and then sells the foals to make money for their rescue.
A. WHINNY can not comment on the policy of that "rescue". However, WHINNY believes that there are too many unwanted horses in the world. Creating another life as a means to make money for our rescue is not an acceptable practice for WHINNY.

Q. Does WHINNY trade its rescue horses to other rescues?
A. No



It is the goal of W.H.I.N.N.Y. Horse Rescue to attempt to place each horse in the home best suited to the needs of the individual horse. For travel reasons, W.H.I.N.N.Y does not adopt its horses outside the State of Ohio. W.H.I.N.N.Y. retains ownership for the first three years of its adoption. Horses adopted from W.H.I.N.N.Y. can never be used for breeding, resold, traded, tranferred or given away. For the first three years of the adoption, the horse can never be relocated from the original approved facility without the permission of W.H.I.N.N.Y. In the event the placement does not work out, for any reason, W.H.I.N.N.Y. requires that the horse be returned to W.H.I.N.N.Y. Before any horse can be adopted from W.H.I.N.N.Y., the following procedures must be followed:

1. The adoption questionnaire (printable .pdf format) must be completed, signed and initialed, along with this cover letter (printable .pdf format) and returned to W.H.I.N.N.Y.

2. Upon review and approval of the adoption questionnaire by an official of W.H.I.N.N.Y. the prospective adopter will be contacted by W.H.I.N.N.Y. to schedule an appointment for a formal interview and a tour of W.H.I.N.N.Y. facilities.

3. If the personal interview is satisfactory and if W.H.I.N.N.Y. has a potential horse at that time W.H.I.N.N.Y. will schedule an appointment to check out the adopter's facility. In addition, W.H.I.N.N.Y. will also conduct interviews of the references provided by the potential adopter on the adoption questionnaire.

4. Upon completion of the above, W.H.I.N.N.Y. will schedule working sessions with the potential horse and the adopters to determine if it is a suitable match.

5. Upon completion of the sessions it will be determined whether or not the potential horse and adopter are compatible. W.H.I.N.N.Y. may require at any time additional sessions, that may prove adoption and/or deny adoption.

In its sole discretion, W.H.I.N.N.Y. reserves the right to deny adoption, for any reason and is not obligated to state any reason.

When all requirements are met and preliminary adoption procedures have been satisfied, then W.H.I.N.N.Y. will require the following:

1. Each adopter will be required to attend and complete a Horse Management Class scheduled for them at the W.H.I.N.N.Y. facility. This class will be provided free of charge to the adopter(s) only.

2. Upon satisfactory completion of the above, a permanent adoption contract must be signed and initialed.

3. At the completions of the above, the adopter will be required to pay in full a non-refundable adoption fee set by W.H.I.N.N.Y. in its sole discretion.

Young Horses/Yearlings	$250-$350
Companion Horses/Non-Ridable	$550-$650
Riding Horses	$750

Below are some important facts anyone who is considering an adoption or otherwise purchasing a horse should think about:

1. The costs of properly caring for a horse has been estimated at $1000 to $4,500 per year. However, because of the skyrocketing cost of fuel today, that cost will certainly be on the increase. Many factors affect just how much one actually spends to properly care for a horse. For instance,under complete confinement conditions, where pasture is unavailable, much more feed, bedding and labor are required.

2. It is recommended that each horse have at least 1-1/2 to 2 acres of open grazing land. However, horses can not survive solely on pasture. For proper digestive tract function, horses should be fed a minimum of 1% of their bodyweight in good quality hay per day.They require hay for fiber and bulk, as well as good feed for a balance of minerals and vitamins that most pastures do not supply.

3. An ample supply of fresh clean drinking water is important also. Studies show that an idle horse requires a minimum of 10 to 12 gallons of water a day. But each horse is an individual - some horses might need more, others, less.

4. Adequate clean shelter is a must. Horses need protection from wind, rain and cold in the winter, and heat & biting flies in the summer. Box stalls should be large enough to permit the horse to get up, turn around, and not lie in, stand on or eat from areas contaminated with its own feces or urine. Run-in sheds should be large enough to allow the horse protection from the elements, and be free of obstacles that could be a safety hazard to your horse.

5. A mature 1000 to 1200 pound horse will produce 40 to 45 pounds of manure per day, plus spilled water and urine. Good, clean, safe bedding is a must if your horse is to be bedded in a stall. Acceptable bedding include straw, wood products, paper & pine needles. Bedding should be free of toxic chemicals or other substances that could injure horses or people. Black walnut and cherry wood shavings/sawdust are toxic to horses. Never use these as bedding. Sand should never be used as bedding for horses. Feed and hay eaten off the floor may contain enough sand to cause sand colic .

6. Horse manure should be properly composted for a period of 30 days before being spread on pastures. The heat generated during composting kills internal parasite eggs and larvae. It is important to compost properly. Infective larvae of strongyles (blood-worms) have been known to survive up to eight months in hay harvested from pastures fertilized with infected horse manure.

7.The ideal body condition of a horse should score at a 5 to 7 on a scale from 1 through 9. One being poor, extremely emaciated. Nine is extremely fat, obese. Five is a moderate body condition with a level back, ribs that cannot be seen but can be easily felt . The withers appear rounded, and the shoulders and neck blend smoothly into the body. Seven is a fleshy body condition, in which the horse has a crease down the back, individual ribs can be felt but there is noticeable filling between the ribs with fat.

8. Horses can not be safely ridden until the age of two, but three is the preferred age. The young horse's back is not fully developed until the age of two & growth plates in their legs are not fully developed until the age of three. Always consider the weight of a rider to its horse. Are they compatible? To determine this - take the weight of the rider, multiply it by six. For instance, a 125 lb. rider should ride a horse that weighs 750 lbs or more. Any less and you interfere with the quality of the ride and the comfort of the horse.

Is adoption for you?

There is no greater gift we can give to our W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses than to have them adopted by individuals and/or families that will love and care for them their lifetime here on earth. The adoption of a rescued equine can be a very rewarding experience, but it is not for everyone. Adopting a horse is very much like adopting a child. Please note : On July 7th, 2009 WHINNY's Board of Directors voted to amend our adoption contract. It has been our policy since WHINNY began to retain full ownership of its adoptive horses. Because the happiness and security of our horses are important to us, we feel this change in our adoption policy would increase their chances of finding forever homes. In the future our adoption contracts will include this amendment: WHINNY Horse Rescue retains ownership of the adopted horse for the first three years of the adoption; whereas WHINNY Horse Rescue and adopters abide by the original adoption contract. After three years, WHINNY Horse Rescue will sign over ownership of the horse to the adopter.

Adoption Cover Letter
Adoption Questionaire

Adoption Guidelines

Because we here at W.H.I.N.N.Y. have been entrusted with the job of finding our adoptive horses the perfect forever home, we don't take this job lightly. It is our responsibility to ensure that they live out the rest of their natural lives in peace and contentment with individuals and/or families that love them. We set strict guidelines that must be followed by the adopter(s). The majority of these guidelines are based on common sense care. But since the lack of common sense is one of the reasons there is a need for rescues , guidelines have to be adapted and strictly adhered to in order for an adoption to be a happy and successful one. If you are seriously considering adoption, please read the following guidelines:

No W.H.I.N.N.Y. horse can be used for breeding
No W.H.I.N.N.Y. horse can be relocated to another care facility without prior permission from W.H.I.N.N.Y.
No W.H.I.N.N.Y. horse can be sold, transferred, given away adopted and/or transported out of the State of Ohio.
No W.H.I.N.N.Y. horse will be adopted out as either a Christmas or Birthday gift.
No W.H.I.N.N.Y. horse will be adopted out to first time horse owners to be housed on their property until they can and do prove to W.H.I.N.N.Y. that they have the knowledge to care for the adoptive horse properly.
All horses adopted from W.H.I.N.N.Y. will be required to have another horse, goat or pony as a companion. Horses are herd animals and they are happier with a buddy.

Shelter
W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses must be provided with adequate shelter* to protect them from the elements and biting insects.


Three sided shelters are adequate if:
(a) they are structurally sound with three solid walls and a roof
(b) they are maintained in good repair and free from sharp edges and obstacles
(c) they must be free from accumulated waste and debris and have no standing water in them
(d) they must be of adequate size to accommodate all breeds
(e) Equines must be able to go in and out of the shelter with ease and without fear of horses higher in the pecking order

* Trees and tarp covered wooden frames are NOT considered adequate shelters.
Barns must be structurally sound, maintained in good repair, well ventilated and draft free and free of sharp edges and foreign objects.

W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses must have access to a stall:
(a) Stalls must be constructed of material of sufficient thickness to properly contain a horse of any breed and size
(b) Stalls should be large enough to permit the horse to get up, turn around, and not lie in, stand on or eat from areas contaminated with its own feces or urine
(c) Stall ceilings shall be of sufficient size to prevent injury to the horse
(d) Bedding must be suitable and as free from excessive dust and mold as humanly possible
(e) Stalls must be kept clean , dry and free from excessive manure and urine accumulation.

Feeding

Grain and Hay :
(a) shall be kept in a clean dry environment secured from the horses
b) shall be free from contaminants and stored in such a way as to prevent rodents
(c) shall be of good nutritive quality
(d) shall be fed in sufficient quantity and have appropriate nutritive value to allow the equine to maintain adequate weight and body condition at a Henneke score of "5", unless under a veterinarians supervision

W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses must:
(a) be fed separately to ensure the horse receives nutrition in sufficient amounts
(b) have access to natural forage or hay on a daily basis

W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses on a special feed and feeding schedule must be:
(a) maintained as instructed unless changes are recommended by a qualified veterinarian
(b) Complete record of change must be made available to W.H.I.N.N.Y.

Salt blocks or bricks and mineral supplements must be available at all times.

Pastures and Paddocks

W.H.I.N.N.Y. requires no less than one and a half acres per horse for proper exercise and grazing, and pasture should be the kind recommended for horses.

Pastures, paddocks and/or other outside areas of turn-out must be:
(a) free of objects and have adequate shade from the hot sun
(b) free of poisonous plants, trees and shrubs.

Fences* must be sturdy and in good repair and of the kind recommended safe for horses
Gates must be sturdy and in good repair and free of sharp edges, and have secure latches that can not be opened by horses.

* Barb wire fencing is not an acceptable choice for W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses. Severe injury and death can and does occur if the horse is run through the fence.

Water

Water must be available at all times and water receptacles must be kept clean and free from contaminates.

Farm ponds and/or streams are acceptable water sources if:
(a) they are continuously running , free of ice in the winter, and not contaminated with feces and urine.
(b) An alternate source of clean fresh drinking water is supplied when the other acceptable water source is unavailable.
(c) The quality and quantity of water available from the acceptable water source must be sufficient for the amount of horses it supplies.

Hoof Care

Hoof care maintenance and trimming must be:
(a) Done every six to eight weeks or as recommended by your qualified farrier.
(b) Verification of such must be made available to W.H.I.N.N.Y. upon request.

De-Worming

W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses must be:
(a) de- wormed every three months or as recommended by your qualified veterinarian.
(b) Verification of such must be made available to W.H.I.N.N.Y. upon request.

Vaccinations

W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses must be:
(a) Vaccinated by a veterinarian with the recommended vaccine for your specific locale and area.
(b) Verification of such must be made available to W.H.I.N.N.Y. upon request.

Additionally

W.H.I.N.N.Y. horses remain the sole property of W.H.I.N.N.Y. for the first three years of the adoption process. No transfer of ownership or registration papers will be supplied to the adopter(s) until this time has passed..

A representative of W.H.I.N.N.Y. reserves the right to unannounced and/or announced visits at any reasonable times, to the facility where the adopted horse is kept to confirm that the adopter is providing the care and maintenance in accordance with the terms set forth.