Recent article in Capital Press

Debbie is interviewed on donated horses

Posted 3908-08-31

Donating horses might be the answer for some owners

As the cost of keeping horses soars and sales drop many horses owners are looking for options

By LYNDA LAYNE
For the Capital Press

For many, it’s not easy affording horse expenses these days. And oftentimes, selling horses isn’t easy, either. So what’s an owner to do? Many people aren’t aware of the number of options for donating horses to good causes. In some cases, it can result in a tax write off. There are organizations out there that will take horses ranging from unstarted 2 and 3-year-olds to performance and trail veterans. Broodmares can also find a place. There is even a program for problem horses that need to be retrained in order to become useful and go on to bright careers. Also, horses that just need advanced training can benefit. In addition to helping a worthy cause, the donated horse gets a new chance at a useful, successful life.
Such an opportunity is offered through New Hope Ministries, a nonprofit counseling ministry that offers tax donation receipts for horses given to the program. Debbie Davis, head trainer of Sport Equine Center in Clovis, Calif. works the horse donation end of the ministry. As a trainer, she specializes in combined training events, but knows how to get a horse ready for a number of careers. Over the years, she said, she has “developed a reputation for fixing horses up and getting them going – for salvaging them and finding their niche, that which they’re good at, as far as heading them into some sort of career, whether it’s just pleasure riding with some hacking and hunter paces, or perhaps dressage or even some upper level tasks.”
Some horses she’s worked with in the past came to her with a variety of problems which they’d developed for, she said, “A myriad of reasons – like (being ridden by) trainers that wouldn’t keep them mentally fresh and interested in their work. Or dressage trainers that never got them out of the arena.”
Some of these horses are rejected by other trainers, but Davis doesn’t hesitate to give these animals another chance at life.
A 7-year-old Thoroughbred gelding she is working with now didn’t have a lot of problems, but just needed more schooling. He had been confined to a small pen, Davis said, and didn’t have the advantage of the training he needed. He was on the market for two years and didn’t sell, so his owner donated him to New Hope and he immediately went into training with Davis. “This is the kind of horse that thrives in my program and will go on to an illustrious sporthorse career,” Davis said.
Her program, she explained, “prepares horses for a better life and for me, it’s such a huge reward to find unhappy, unused horses that have a bad background, bad or inadequate riding and training. I thrive on my big project horses that were problematic and given up on. I can really turn their lives around and make stars out of them. When I do turn their lives around, it is one of my biggest rewards. I love the horses, love helping them and when I can put it all together and help people too, it is the greatest experience.”
When the horses are ready for their new careers, they are sold to well qualified people who can treat them well and see them reach their full potential. After deductions of costs such as shoeing and veterinary fees, the remaining funds go to New Hope Ministries, Davis said, “to provide therapy services for people who can’t afford it. Mostly, these are counseling patients who are in crisis and dealing with tragedy and different types of hardships.” Some come to Davis’ facilities and stay for one to three days. These she explained, “Are people who need a getaway, a recluse. Most of the patients live in the (San Francisco) Bay Area, so this is a wonderful, serene retreat for them.”
While they’re at the ranch, they can come through the barn and interact with the horses, some of which have also experienced past hardships.
Debbie Davis can be reached by e-mail at horsesrus@comcast.net or through her website www.sportequine.net
Also, she has a listing – number 1268512 – on www.dreamhorse.com
If for some reason she can’t take a particular horse into her program, she is building a network where she can refer owners to other donation avenues. Some types of options are listed below.