OUR ADOPTION PROCESS
**PLEASE NOTE** - We can not schedule a meeting until we receive your completed adoption application!
Absolutely NO EXCEPTIONS!
In order to adopt a Celtic Rein horse, you must first fill out our ADOPTION APPLICATION fully and return it either by email to CelticReinRescue@aol.com , snail mail or fax to:
Snail Mail Address:
Celtic Rein Equine Rescue & Sanctuary
105 S. Reed Street
Bel Air, MD 21014
Fax: 410-838-4705
Once your adoption application is received, we will begin the process of checking your references immediately. Applications are processed on a first come, first serve basis, however, we reserve the right to pick the home we feel is the most appropriate for that particular horse. Applications must be filled out fully - please be sure not to leave anything blank and please make sure that your contact and reference phone numbers are correct. WE DO CHECK ALL REFERENCES!!
Please fill out the application form completely, we cannot process incomplete applications and it will delay the process. A veterinarian reference, farrier reference, two (2) personal references are required. If you are in the process of changing veterinarians, we will still require your former veterinarians name and number along with the new one you have decided to use, this allows us to verify a history and habit of proper veterinary care.
Upon receipt, we will review your application, if it appears to be a good match for the horse you're interested in, then we will contact you via e-mail or telephone. Once you have submitted your application, please allow us time to process it. We are an all volunteer organization and we do have families and commitments, so your patience is greatly appreciated.
If your application is favorable, we will contact you to schedule a time to come to meet your horse of interest .
We do require a site check before you may take your adopted horse home.We are not looking for a show barn, but mainly that the adopted horse will have a safe environment with a family who will provide love and companionship. We do ask that all family members or anyone living in the household be present at that time so we may meet with them and answer any questions.
Once the site check is completed, the adoption approved and all parties are in agreement, we will contact you to schedule a time in which to finalize the adoption, sign the adoption contract and bring your adopted horse to his or her new home!
Thank you for your interest in adopting a needy equine from Celtic Rein Rescue.
SOME FACTS ABOUT OUR DETERMINATION ON ADOPTION
At this time, we do not adopt to first time or inexperienced horse owners. We advise that you first either lease a horse or volunteer at a stable to gain the knowledge that you'll need to properly care for and work with your adopted horse. At Celtic Rein, we rarely have horses available that are suitable for first time owners and feel that it is in the best interest of our horses to put them into experienced homes. There are many situations that can present themselves in horse ownership, to include illness, lameness and behavior issues that could prove too hard for a first time owner to understand or properly deal with.
We will adopt out of state to NJ, NY, VA, DE, & Southern PA - we will consider adopting a horse out further on a case by case basis. Please understand that if you adopt a horse and must return it for any reason, YOU are FULLY responsible for transport costs back to Celtic Rein.
OUR ADOPTION FEES
Our adoption fees help offset the many expenses that we incur for the horses brought into the rescue including, but not nearly limited to, veterinary care, medication, farrier work, worming, etc…
We receive no funding from the government or county. We depend on ourselves and the kind donations from the public. Our directors, board members and volunteers do not receive a salary or compensation of any kind. Celtic Rein Equine Rescue & Sanctuary is an all volunteer organization.
IF I AM INTERESTED IN A CRERS HORSE, HOW DO I SECURE THE ADOPTION?
If you are interested in adopting a CRERS horse, you must first fill out our adoption application.
CRERS can not hold a horse for you without a completed and approved adoption application and a non-refundable deposit.
We have had instances of taking a horse off of our "adoptable horses" page for potential adopters who did not complete the process, and in turn could have cost one of our horses a good home. Therefore, this deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE should you change your mind about adopting. Once the adoption application is completed and approved and your non-refundable deposit of $150 or adoption fee in full has been made, we will then take your horse off of our adoptable horse’s page and he/she will then be considered adopted or adoption pending and begins the process of getting ready for his or her new home.
WHAT IF I WANT TO ADOPT A CRERS HORSE BUT CAN NOT BRING HIM/HER HOME RIGHT AWAY?
In the event that a horse is adopted from CRERS, but cannot move to its new home immediately, it may stay at CRERS for a reasonable period of time. We are not a boarding facility, but we will make arrangements to care for your new horse if you need time to secure arrangements.
Our required donation fee for boarding is $200 per month or $10.00 per day, which includes feed & worming.
Veterinary & farrier care will be billed to the adopter separately.
HOW DO I GET MY NEWLY ADOPTED CRERS HORSE HOME?
Please Note: CRERS WILL NOT release an equine if we deem the transportation method is not safe for any reason. This could be due to an unsafe trailer or ill suited conditions where we feel the horse may be injured due to impromper restraint methods or unsafe conditions. This also holds true for professional or private shippers hired by the adopter - if the trailer/driver/situation is not a safe one, we will refuse to load and release the horse from our care.
Depending on our schedule and the distance, CRERS may be able to transport your newly adopted horse:
Our standard transportation fee is $3.00 per loaded mile. Once you are approved to adopt, you may either pick your horse up personally, have transporter pick up your horse for you or have us trailer if discussed prior. CRERS will be happy to give you a recommendation and assist you in arranging professional transport if needed.
DO YOU ADOPT OUT OF STATE?
Yes, we do adopt out of state to NY, NJ, VA, DE & Southern PA with an approved adoption application. We will consider adopting further on a case by case basis, however, please be aware that if your adopted horse has to be returned for any reason, you are fully responsible for all transportation costs associated with returning the horse to Celtic Rein's facility.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT MY ADOPTED HORSE MAY BE SICK?
Slim to None......all of our rescue horses are quarantined for a minimum of 31 days before being considered for adoption. During this time, our veterinarian does a thorough wellness exam, vaccinations are given, de-worming begins (we use paste & daily wormer), and any illness/injury is dealt with immediately.
A farrier and dental exam are also given at this time and any needed procedures are carried out immediately. Our horses are as healthy as they can possibly be at adoption time and vaccines, coggins, farrier and dental needs have been attended to PRIOR to adoption.
CAN FIRST TIME HORSE OWNERS ADOPT FROM CRERS?
Not at this time - we advise you first work with a trainer, volunteer at a stable or lease a horse under an experienced helper to see if horse ownership is for you and so that you can gain the knowledge needed for equine ownership. We can adopt a perfectly beginner safe horse to an inexperienced owner, but without the proper knowledge and ability, the horse can develop bad manners in a short amount of time. We also worry about a first time owner being able to recognize potential health issues such as founder or colic, etc.... This is not to discourage anyone, but to insure our horse's future safety and well being.
DOES CRERS ACCEPT OWNER SURRENDERED HORSES?
CRERS accepts owner surrendered horses as space & finances permit. If we do not have the space available to take in a surrender, we will place you on our waiting list and as horses are adopted and space opens up, we will contact you to make arrangements. CRERS requires a donation of $200 when taking in an owner surrendered horse to help offset the costs associated with caring for this horse until the time that it can be successfully adopted. I
f the surrendered horse is to come into our sanctuary program because it is unable to be rehomed due to serious lameness, illness or any other reason, CRERS requires a donation fee of $1000 to help offset the expenses of caring for the horse indefinitely. Please note that our sanctuary spots are extremely limited and there is a long waiting list currently.
ALL owner surrendered horses are required to have current proof of negative Coggins (pulled within 6 months of entry into CRERS) and all required vaccinations prior to arrival.
Celtic Rein will also help you place your horse by listing him or her on our website with your contact information. PLEASE understand that we may not know the people contacting you directly and to insure your horse's future safety, it is extremely important to speak with those interested and request references. We also highly adivse that you send your horse to his or her new home with a legal contract that gives you the right to step in incase the horse runs into trouble.
DOES CRERS RETAIN OWNERSHIP OF THE HORSE ONCE ADOPTED?
Yes, CRERS does retain ownership for a 1-2 year minimum. At your one or two year mark, you may apply to obtain full ownership of your adopted horse, but it is not guaranteed or promised. We take this very seriously and it is determined through very careful consideration of all board members. Our requirements will not be posted - it is on a case by case basis and a very serious decision for us to make. IF ownership is granted, you will still be required to sign a first right of refusal clause, which we hope we'll never have to use since we strive for permanent homes for our horses. Your new contract will also state that we retain the right to have an equine veterinarian of our choice examine the adopted horse at any time if we feel there is an issue at hand.
Please read our contract in its entirety - although we do retain ownership, we can not remove your horse from you without having a non-biased 3rd party equine professional (veterinarian, animal control officer, or other professional) determine that the horse is being neglected, abused or mistreated in some way. We do this to insure the adopter that we can not just enter the property for any given reason and take your horse back without justification.
Please understand that all of these rules and requirements are not implemented to make it hard for you to adopt a horse from our organization, they are in place after many years of working within the rescue community and seeing the issues and potential problems that adopted animals can face down the line after adoption. A lot of work, time, finances and most importanly, love, is put into each and every horse that lives at Celtic Rein and it is our responsibility to take every precaution to insure them the safest and happiest future possible once they leave our care. There is absolutely nothing we want more than to see one of our rescued horses go on to a loving, responsible and happy home!