The Right Horse Initiative has awarded the SPCA of Texas with a $1.5 million, three-year grant to create a managed admission shelter program which will accept owner-surrendered horses in transition on a large scale. The program will expand SPCA of Texas’s equine transition services and more than quadruple the number of horses they serve annually.
Getting acquainted with rescued horse
The equine program will allow the SPCA of Texas to begin accepting owner surrenders, proactively preventing neglectful cruelty and other adverse outcomes.
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The SPCA of Texas, located in McKinney, serves the Dallas/Fort Worth and greater North Texas area as an intake and holding facility for horses seized from neglect and abuse investigations. Managed or open admission programs, which are widely available in the animal welfare community for dogs and cats, do not currently exist on a large scale for horses, leaving owners with few options when they can no longer care for their horse(s). With a lack of options, horses often end up at-risk.
Expanding the equine program will allow the SPCA of Texas to begin accepting owner surrenders in significant numbers, proactively preventing neglectful cruelty and other adverse outcomes. Expanding facilities, adding dedicated equine staff, and investing in training will increase adoptions and transfers by a projected 340% over three years while providing the horse community access to humane transition options. A key piece will be rehabilitating, retraining and matching adoptable horses with new owners.
“We have high hopes for this program to make a big impact in the region. It’s an important step towards building the infrastructure to ensure owners will always have a humane option when they can no longer care for their horses and need help transitioning them safely,” stated Christy Counts, President of The Right Horse Initiative.
"This grant will allow us to say ‘yes’ to equine owners in need of support,” said James Bias, President and C.E.O. for the SPCA of Texas. “There aren’t many resources for equine owners, so this program will provide a much-needed service to our community and beyond to improve the lives of horses.”
Working in partnership with The Right Horse Initiative, the SPCA of Texas anticipates an increase in adoptions and transfers from 75 to 330 horses annually at the end of the three-year project. The pilot will also serve as a model for potential similar programs in other areas of the United States. For more information, please visit www.therighthorse.org.
About The Right Horse Initiative
The Right Horse Initiative is a collective of industry professionals and equine welfare advocates working together to improve the lives of horses in transition through a dialogue of kindness and respect. The Right Horse is an initiative funded by the WaterShed Animal Fund, a division of the Arnall Family Foundation dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals. Our goal is to massively increase the number of successful horse adoptions in the United States by working together to reframe the adoption conversation and shatter the stigma surrounding horses in transition.
About the SPCA of Texas
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare organization in North Texas. Founded in 1938, the non-profit operates two shelters, three spay/neuter clinics, two mobile spay/neuter vehicles, one mobile adoptions vehicle and an animal rescue center, all located in Dallas and Collin Counties, and maintains a team of animal cruelty investigators who respond to thousands of calls in seven North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each other’s lives. The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other national humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, visit www.spca.org.