Horse Illustrated Magazine

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recently announced the winners of its annual Help a Horse Home: ASPCA Equine Adoption Challenge, which is designed to increase adoptions of equines around the country.

More than 170 equine rescues, shelters and sanctuaries representing 41 states competed in this year’s challenge to win grant funding totaling $150,000 along with other prizes. As a result of the two-month challenge, the participating groups collectively found homes for more than 1,500 equines. While that number alone is inspiring, on average, groups increased their adoptions by 56 percent compared with the same time period last year.

The 12 winning Help a Horse Home groups include:

Grand Prize ($35,000)

• Yavapai Humane Society (Chino Valley, Arizona)

Division D

• 1st Prize ($25,000): New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program (Lexington, Kentucky)
• 2nd Prize ($15,000): Dumb Friends League (Denver, Colorado)

Division C

• 1st Prize ($20,000): This Old Horse (Hastings, Minnesota)
• 2nd Prize ($10,000): Hope’s Legacy Equine Rescue (Afton, Virginia)

Division B

• 1st Prize ($15,000): Morgan Safenet Foundation (Midlothian, Texas)
• 2nd Prize ($5,000): M&M Acres NFP (Lockport, Illinois)

Division A

• 1st Prize ($7,500): Carolina Equine Rescue & Assistance (Wingate, North Carolina)
• 2nd Prize TIE ($1,250): Asheville Humane Society (Asheville, North Carolina))
• 2nd Prize TIE ($1,250): Owl Hollow Farm (Lone Jack, Missouri)

Hoofy Awards: Best Use of Social Media ($5,000)

• Humane Society of North Texas (Forth Worth, Texas)
• The Foxie G Foundation (Union Bridge, Maryland)
• New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program (Lexington, Kentucky)

“The ASPCA is committed to supporting the many groups around the country working tirelessly to help more horses find loving homes, and the ASPCA Help a Horse Home Challenge provides an effective way for these dedicated groups to reach more potential equine adopters,” said Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of ASPCA Equine Welfare. “We are in awe of the innovative and thoughtful ways this year’s contestants found more homes for horses, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to save more lives.”

The success of Help a Horse Home was bolstered by strong industry collaboration. This year, Zoetis US LLC generously donated its new vaccine, CORE EQ Innovator, for every equine adopted during the two-month challenge period, Conair® provided more than $300,000 in grooming supplies to be included in prize packages, and the American Horse Council’s United Horse Coalition provided microchips for all contestants. Additionally, participants were invited to promote their equines on My Right Horse, a public listing site created by The Right Horse Initiative for equines in transition.

Annually, the contest kicks off on Help a Horse Day, April 26—a date chosen for its significance in the ASPCA’s long history of horse protection. In 1866, ASPCA founder Henry Bergh stopped a cart driver from beating his horse, resulting in the first successful arrest for horse mistreatment on April 26 of that year. Since 2014, the ASPCA has awarded equine groups more than $550,000 in grant funding through its annual Help a Horse initiative.

For more information about Help a Horse Home: The ASPCA Equine Adoption Challenge, please visit this website.