EQUUS Foundation

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Mission:
To rescue, rehabilitate, and provide a forever home for equines who, no longer considered "useful", are destined for kill pens. Bluemont is truly a family labor of love. As a result the animals we save come directly to our sanctuary to live out their lives. We are now home to 29 Permanent residents that live their entire life out at Bluemont Sanctuary

Our organization provides programs involved with equine rescue & retirement
Our organization provides community outreach and/or public education programs involving horses.
Our organization is directly responsible for the care and shelter of equines involved in our programs.
100% of our total programs and services are horse-related.
Our organization does not use satellite, overflow, foster, and/or outreach facilities

Horse Rescue, Rehabilitation, Retraining & Re-homing:
Overview of our programs involved with rescue, rehabilitation, retraining, re-homing and/or retirement:
We rescue from kill pens but also at risk horses before they enter the system. We then bring them to our sanctuary. We address health issues (EPM Treatment - Medical Issues - Rehabilitation not for riding but for their overall health and comfort). We then give them lush pastures or dry lots depending on needs and metabolic issues and allow them to enjoy their lives work free in herds. We do not rehome our sanctuary residents and they are never put into work. This is safe retirement. We acquire about 70% of our Residents from kill pens and 30% we intervein before a horse ends up there.

Community Outreach and/or Public Education:

Overview of our programs involved with providing community outreach and/or public education programs involving horses:
     Our primary focus is the animals, however do we do work with the community as well.

     Interviews to educate

     School sessions

     Volunteers from local national honor societies

     Partnership with Operation Hope that does equine assisted therapy (unmounted) with veterans / children and first responders

Research/Medical Use of Equines:
Our organization has never made, and would not ever consider making, equines available for research studies or medical training that involves invasive procedures and/or that which may cause pain or suffering to the equine.

Religious Affiliation:
Our organization does not promote religious education, religious purposes, or a specific religious faith or use donations for religious education or religious purposes; require participants to be of a certain faith; require participation in religious, instruction, activities or services; or require participation in prayer, worship, religious instruction or other religious activities as a condition of receiving social or secular services offered.

Auction Donation:
Our organization has never allowed, or would not consider allowing, an equine to be sold, transferred, released, or otherwise placed into possession of any person or organization that would cause or allow the equine to be sold at auction for slaughter.

POLICIES: ACQUISITION

Our organization acquires horses/equines from the following source(s):
    Purchase/Adoption from Owner
    Kill pen/Feedlot
    Surrender
    Seizure

Our organization does not acquire horses/equines from the following source(s):
    Donation
    Lease
    Auction
    Return
    Abandonment

Our organization will accept the following:
    Geldings
    Mares
    Pregnant Mares
    Foals
    Only Stallions to be castrated

Not Checked:
    Stallions

Additional information about our acquisition policies and practices:
We focus on equines we feel are most at risk - kill pen and surrender. We try to take on harder cases when we feel retirement and sanctuary is the only option for the equine.

POLICIES: INTAKE, ASSESSMENT & TRAININING

Prior to a horse being accepted and/or arriving at the facility, the organization requires the following with respect to the health status of the horse:
    A current Coggins
    Vaccination records that have been administered within the last 12 months
    If health records are not available or are out-of-date, our veterinarian will administer appropriate vaccinations

Not Checked:
If health records are not available or are out-of-date, the owner is responsible for having vaccinations administered.
A health certificate signed by a veterinarian and dated no more than seven days prior to arrival attesting to the health status of the equine is provided to our organization either prior to or upon arrival of the equine

Prior to a horse being accepted and/or arriving at the facility, the organization has the following policies in place:
    The owner of a potential equine is interviewed over the phone or in person prior to seeing the equine
    The equine is evaluated at its place of residence
    The owner completes an application/contract which constitutes the agreement between the owner and our organization
    Equines are not taken on trial

Not Checked:
The owner is financially responsible for the shipping of the equine to and from the organization

Following arrival of the equine at the facility, the following is performed:
    Physical examination by a veterinarian upon arrival and/or prior to quarantine departure
    Physical examination by trained barn staff
    A Henneke Body Conditioning Score or other body conditioning score is assigned
    Physical examination by a farrier
    Physical examination by a dentist
    Coggins test
    Blood work other than Coggins
    Vaccinations
    De-worming

Not Checked:
    Photographs are taken of each equine upon arrival at the facility and kept with the equine's health records
    Fecal test
    The equine is scanned to check for a microchip
    The equine is microchipped if the scan indicates that there is no microchip

Upon intake, the organization has the following quarantine policy in place:
The equine is confined to a designated and separate area for isolation and quarantine at the facility for a prescribed period of time
The equine is confined to a designated and separate area for isolation and quarantine off-site for a prescribed period of time

Not Checked:
The equine is not quarantined

The typical length of quarantine is:   More than 30 days

Horses are assessed for following skills and behaviors:
    Retrieval from a pasture/paddock
    Leading with a halter and lead rope
    Temperament, disposition and attitude, such as rated from very calm to very high spirited
    Loading onto and unloading off a trailer
    Tolerance to unusual objects and loud noises
    Known vices, i.e., cribbing, biting, kicking, weaving, stall walking, etc
    Grooming
    Bathing
    Tolerance to multiple handlers at the same time

Not Checked:
    Saddling
    Bridling
    Lunging
    Mounting and dismounting
    Riding at the walk
    Riding at the trot
    Riding at the canter
    Riding by a beginner and/or unbalanced rider
    Jumping
    Driving (Pulling a carriage)
    Clipping

Our organization has the following policies and procedures in place pertaining to the ongoing assessment of horses in its care:
    The Henneke Body Condition score or other body conditioning score is updated at least annually
    Photographs are taken of each equine annually and kept with the equine's health records
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine chiropractor
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine acupuncturist
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine massage therapist
    Physical examination by a veterinarian at least annually

Not Checked:
    Photographs are taken of each equine monthly and kept with the equine's health records
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine nutritionist

Our organization has the following policies and procedures in place pertaining to the weight-carrying or workload capabilities of horses/equines that are ridden in our care:
No equines are ridden; not applicable

Not Checked:
Our organization evaluates at least annually and maintains a written record of the weight-carrying and workload limitations for each equine that is ridden
Our organization does not evaluate the weight-carrying and workload limitations for each equine that is ridden

The following variables are considered in determining the weight-carrying and workload limitations for each equine that is ridden:
No equines are ridden; not applicable

Not Checked:
    Equine age, weight, breed, body condition, fitness, balance, health and soundness
    Equine conformation to include the top line, length of back, strength and width of loin, bone density (measured by the circumference of the cannon bone just below the knee)
    Size, shape, condition and angle of the hooves
    Participant weight, height, body proportions, balance, fitness and riding skills as well as behavioral issues and safety concerns
    Weight and proper fit of the saddle and other equipment
    Terrain and footing in the working environment
    Duration and frequency of working sessions, as the frequency with which an equine is subjected to maximum weight carrying and/or workload
    Nature and pace of work, repetitive or varied, radius of turns, degree of incline and regularity of footing when equine is subject to maximum weight-carrying capacity
    Temperature and/or weather conditions
    Seasonal impact on the equines' workload and weight-carrying capabilities and limitations
    Our organization does not evaluate the weight-carrying and workload limitations for each equine that is ridden

Horses provided formal training (groundwork or riding): Not applicable; our horses are all retired

Additional information about our intake, assessment & training policies and practices:
Many of these do not apply because we rescue and retire. We always quarantine - Also because they are in retirement we handle and test them heavily for safety and how to interact but don't saddle or lunge.

POLICIES: BREEDING

The organization has the following policies related to breeding and stallions:
The facility or facilities where our organization conducts its programs, including foster facilities, does NOT breed equines.

Not Checked:
The facility or facilities where our organization conducts its programs, including foster facilities, breeds equines
The facility or facilities where our organization conducts its programs, including foster facilities, are permitted to house stallions

Additional information about our breeding policies and practices:
We Rescue - We do not breed and will never

POLICIES: EUTHANASIA

The organization has the following policies related to euthanasia:
    Our organization will never have an equine euthanized for space
    Our organization may have a healthy equine euthanized if it is a threat to itself, other equines, or people and euthanasia is recommended by a veterinarian
    Our organization may have an equine euthanized upon the recommendation of the veterinarian after all reasonable treatment options have been explored
    Euthanasia is done on site when possible to decrease trauma from transport
    Disposal of the carcass is handled within 24 hours

Not Checked:
Our organization will never have a healthy equine euthanized under any circumstances
Euthanasia is done at the veterinarian's facility

The following are authorized to administer the procedure for your organization in accordance with state laws:
Veterinarian

Not Checked:
    A certified euthanasia technician
    Senior staff with appropriate training
    Employee of animal control shelter or humane society with appropriate training
    Veterinary student under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian
    Not applicable. Our organization prohibits euthanasia under any circumstances

Additional information about our euthanasia policies and practices:
We will only euthanize if it is a last resort for the comfort and quality of life of the animal. Everything we have done is always done on site with a veterinarian in a solitary peaceful paddock with a loving passing ceremony performed

POLICIES: RE-HOMING

Re-homing Agreement not applicable.
Our organization has the following re-homing (adoption/purchase) policies and procedures in place:
The organization does not re-home equines under any circumstances; our organization retains custody of our equines and ensures care of the equines for their lifetimes.

Our organization has the following policies and procedures related to horses that need to be retired, are no longer useful, or are no longer manageable:
The organization does not re-home equines under any circumstances; our organization retains custody of our equines and ensures care of the equines for their lifetimes.

Additional information about our rehoming policies and practices:
We do not rehome horses. We will provide guidance and advice to people locally to make sure a person selling or retiring their horse finds the best home; however all of our residents are sanctuary residents for life. We have also partnered with out rescues to fund raise for bail of horses or to interview people they may plan to adopt to as a second set of eyes. However when a resident comes to Bluemont they stay at Bleumont