Rescue,
Rehabilitation and Re-Homing
Spring Hill rescues horses from urgent
situations including animal cruelty seizures. Sometimes other farm animals
are in need, and we don't hesitate to take them in, rehabilitate and re-home
as well. Many of the horses that come into our facility are either severely
neglected or have been poorly handled or trained. However, we do get nice
well-behaved riding horses as well. Spring Hill has the facility, resources
and expertise to handle an immediate influx of needy and often traumatized
horses. Rehabilitation includes veterinary treatment, proper dietary
support, parasite control and hoof care. All rescued horses get an immediate
assessment of both their physical and emotional conditions. Eventually they
are evaluated for their riding suitability, dispositions and monitored for
vices. Matching adopter and horse is often challenging, but we work hard to
make the best matches possible and expect them to last the lifetime of the
horse. The procedure for adoption is filling out an application which can be
found on our website, a phone interview and then a scheduled visit. Spring
Hill places horses into adoptive homes throughout Vermont and is open to
adopting out of state. We are always looking for safe and loving foster
homes for not only horses that come to our facility but also for owners who
need to rehome. Please contact us for more information and a foster
application.
.
Owner
Relinquishment / Rehoming
Spring Hill advocates responsible ownership. If an owner
can no longer keep the animal, he or she should make every effort to rehome
it. Due to space and resource constraints, Spring Hill can only accept
horses from urgent situations, which includes cruelty case seizures. We may
take in a horse that can no longer be cared for properly by its owner or the
owner’s family if the owner has died. This is determined on a case by case
basis. However, Spring Hill can list horse(s) on our website and Facebook
page as a courtesy to help owners re-home their horse(s). If you would like
us to help you re-home your horse(s), please send photos along with detailed
information about the horse(s), the horse’s location and your contact
information as potential new owners will be contacting you directly. We
strongly suggest that anyone looking to re-home their horse(s) require vet
and personal references as well as photos of where the horse will be going.
An actual site-check of the new home would be ideal. Remember, many ‘free’
horses end up going to slaughter when owners don’t take the proper
precautions. We do not post horses for sale but we would appreciate a small
donation (could be asked of from the new owners) towards our administration
fees. Please be sure to contact us first before resorting to Craigslist.
Please e-mail the information to
springhillrescue@aol.com
or
brenshhr@gmail.com.
Cruelty Response Team
Spring Hill’s
Cruelty Response Team (CRT) is routinely called on to investigate cases of
suspected abuse and neglect of horses and other livestock.
Our approach
to humane enforcement begins with educating the owners to teach them about
proper equine nutrition, the importance of shelter, dental care, hoof
maintenance and parasite control. Sometimes responsible horse owners fall on
hard times and are forced to cut corners with their horse care. In that
case, Spring Hill helps owners figure out a way to care for their horses or
helps them re-home them.
Spring Hill
has zero tolerance for animal abuse and if, in any instance, the owners
refuse to comply with animal-cruelty laws, we will advocate for animal
seizure and criminal prosecution through law enforcement.
Prevention and Education
Recognized as
a resource by law enforcement agencies and humane societies all over
Vermont, Spring Hill has provided human-enforcement training and equine-care
programs to hundreds of law enforcement officers, animal-control officers,
Humane Agents, Humane Society staff and individuals.
Spring Hill
hosts a variety of horse care and training clinics through various
professionals. Our goal is to prevent dangerous situations by teaching safe,
humane handling and training and proper horse care.
Visitation and Farm Tours
All visitors
(including potential adopters, volunteer applicants and large groups) must
contact Spring Hill to request an appointment to visit the farm or look at a
specific animal. Due to the unpredictable nature of cruelty investigation
work, we do not have set hours of operation. All visitors MUST have an
appointment and must check in with a Spring Hill representative upon
arrival. Visitors cannot go into paddocks or pastures area’s without the
assistance of a qualified Spring Hill representative.
Volunteer Program
Spring Hill
aims to fulfill its mission by providing an inclusive volunteer environment.
Our organization is stronger for embracing those who share its commitment to
helping not only horses but other animals in need as well. We also
understand the importance of reaching out to all of Vermont’s communities
that are not aware of Spring Hill and its mission.
We consider
volunteers a valued resource. Our volunteers are given meaningful duties,
treated fairly, supervised effectively and recognized for the important
services they provide. In return, we expect them to perform their duties to
the best of their abilities and to remain loyal to the mission of Spring
Hill.
Volunteers
play many essential roles in the mission of the rescue program. Not only can
they work with the animals but they also contribute to the education and
outreach programs that enable Spring Hill to expand its reach.
Many
benefits of volunteering here are intangible: gaining knowledge about the
care and handling of horses, learning new skills, meeting people with
similar interests and contributing to an important cause.
Volunteer Application
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SHHR_Volunteer_Application.pdf Volunteer Handbook
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Volunteer_Handbook_Final.pdf
Programs & Services