Does anyone know of horse rescues around Michigan?

A horse is like a child...there is no such thing as an affordable one...you will need to factor in the annual vet visits ( Coggins tests are required by law ) vaccinations, you will need to have it shod every 30-40 days ( it can and will lead to lameness if you don't ), a suitable shelter and feed will be neccessary, you will have to make arrangements for feeding at least twice a day...horses are gregarious animals..they like to be together...but they will establish a pecking order right away..could lead to injury if you do not know the disposition of the animals you are housing together...there are unexpected visits to the vet..or having the vet come to you...which they usually charge more to do..also you must worm your horse every 60 days....your horse will need proper exercise...you can't just leave them in a stall and get them out when you choose...you have to clean the stall at least once a day...I HIGHLY reccomend you speak to someone well versed iin the horse business...if you don't grow your own hay..you'll have to have it delivered or haul it yourself...you need to transport it...or make arrangements to have it hauled....if not already broken to ride..you'll need to hire a professional to do that also...they are NOT like dogs...they can pretty much not be 100% predictable around children and other animals...remember their instinct is flight then fight....they require a lot of maintance....you'll also need to be well versed in the signs of colic..this can kill a horse very easily and fast..it can be caused by stress..eating different foods..(i.e changing the % of protein in the diet in anythng less than a month..it has to be a gradual change ) horses eat a lot...foods can be pricey....this does not even begin to cover your supplies to groom, ride, or properly provide training in whatever dicipline you decide to ride in ( i.e. western pleasure, speed events such as barrel racing...trail riding...english, dressage...etc..) be preparred to spend at the bare minimum $5,000-8000 per year....it is very expensive to maintain a horse properly....no matter the breed..I don't mean to sound preachy here, but I would hate for your excitement to overshadow the facts of caring for a horse..is there a local place that you could spend time around different breeds, diciplines of horses??? somewhere that would be willing to let you see and practice the day to day care of a horse?? I would HIGHLY reccomend this..I have seen to many heartbroken people over the years ..would hate to see this happen to you...they do not come ready to ride..you really need to research the horse's history..( for example..we had a horse that was in a barn fire when it was merely a colt...it would freak out "spook" whenever it smelled smoke ..it did this for the rest of his life...he was fine in any othe situation....you reallly need to consider this before adopting a rescue...I do applaud your efforts to help a rescued horse and you may already know all of these facts..I hope you will take this into consideration...God Bless you!

Horses Haven is a wonderful rescue in central Michigan. It would be an excellant place to get some good experience, you could foster a horse before buying one and learn a lot that way too. They are completely nonprofit.

Horses' Haven - P.O. Box 166 - Howell, Michigan 48844 - Phone: (517) 548-4880

email-horseshaven@earthlink.net

To volunteer, please contact Lynn

LynxDonell@aol.com or call her at (734)425-2156

www.horseshaven.org

Try C.A.N.T.E.R. The website is www.cantermi.org. also try www. thoroughbredadoption.com. I know tha tyou say that yuou prefer a TW or QH but these horses dont usually cost more than $1500. And most are usually around $500-800. Also, you can try going to sales that are reputable for selling to killer buyers. You can save many horses from slaughter through either of these methods.

I STRONGLY agree with you Lissa! Even if you think you can squeeze buy with less care (i.e. not having the horse shod which for a decent farrier runs about $65.00, and this price is for just the basics shoes...you will still need to have the horses hooves trimmed about $30.00 for a decent farrier...if not a good farrier..you can get ready to spend much more on lameness) And also you mentioned a Tennesee walker...these can require more detailed farrier jobs...you said that you want a horse to fit your lifestyle...this like saying I want a baby that will only cry on my schedule....you will HAVE TO FIT your lifestyle into THE HORSES SCHEDULE..your horse can colic from a minor food change..you cannot let the horse lay down...I have had to walk a colicy horse through the night....and had friends take shifts until she was out of the woods...also different genders can have different dispositions..mare in heat usually have bad attitudes just like a woman will tend to get moody...it is just nature...a stud can paw you to death...a gelding is probably a better option for the green rider...but still each has its own disposition...you need to decide what disipline you want to ride, check out boarding facilities ( price, ( and for what? stall?, turn out time?,time on a hot walker?, who waters ? who worms? who provides the wormer? and as Lissa said you have to be careful here because you can't just throw a buch of horses that do not know each other out together without expecting to have some fights for dominance)...accomodations, like who feeds the horse who provides the feed, hay, who cleans the stall, if not the owners of the place how often does it have to be cleaned? do you have the time to commit to ride the horse at least 3 days a week?, you say to fit your family...if you have very young kids..PLEASE GET SOME HORSE EXPERIENCE FIRST!!!! I AM BEGGING!!! I know you want your kids to enjoy the horses, but they are smaller and can easily be mistaken for another animal and kicked by the horse....I have witnessed a girl ( 8 yrs old ) running up behind a horse that was BOMB PROOF ( I mean this horse was in parades, rodeos, horse shows had points in MANY events, been in english shows..he had basically been showing since his hooves hit the ground ) she was kicked in the abdimen b/c she spooked him, it ruptured her spleen and she had 3 cracked ribs...mind you she was not thinking she would spook him b/c she had been around him before,,she was excited to see him...like a girl would be excited to see her dog....If you are planning to keep the horse at your home Do you have adequate fencing? land( for every horse you need at least 3-5 acres of grazing land to avoid overgrazing the land = horse with no roughage)? adequate shelter? Adequate way to provide at least 10-20 galloons of water to the horse on a daily basis ( in Michigan, you will also have worry about breaking the ice and keeping it from freezing in the winters...and will need a horse winter blanket ( upwards of $400 for a medium quality one ) not to mention having its teeth floatedevery year by a vet ( this eans filing them down so that they don't damage the horses mouth..a horses's teet kep growing so they must have them floated...it can also cause you to have your horse not work properly in a bit that she was doing great in a month ago....fly spray is a must in the summer...and if you are planning to keep the horse at your home..you will need at the very least liability insurance..if the horse were to say get through the fence, which they can , and a car were to hit it and you would be held liable for the damages..or worse if someone was to die, you would be held reponsible....PLEASE< PLEASE PLEASE......PLEASE...and one last time PLEASE research more before you adopt or buy a horse...call your vet clinic and price the 6 month check ups, vaccinations, coggins tests, tube worming, teeth floating visit..and as Lissa mentioned the price to come to you if he needs to travel to you...prices of wormers which you wil need every 60 days...prices of farriers...prices of winter blankets and hoods...prices of training..prices of high quality hay....prices of and what type of grain you will be feeding...grooming supplies,brushes,combs,shampoo,flyspray, electrolytes,bedding for the stall,how much to plant and grow quality bermuda grass for hay..how much to have it harvested or devilivered and where to store it and for how much...prices of saddles,reins,headstalls,saddle blankets/pads...halters lead ropes..lunge lines...water troughs water buckets...the average price of an emergency vet visit when our horse is not feeling well or injuried...I have been in the horse business for many many years...I have seen a lot of horses suffer due to the lack of knowledge the owner has as to what it actually takes to take care of a horse..the person had really great intentions..however it becomes either too time consuming, not as much like a pet as they thought, or it is too financially straining they try to cut costs, but ultimately the horse is the one who suffers...I am assumming since you are wanting a rescue this is not your intention...so please research and as Lissa said get some hands on horse caring, riding experience.