Why boarders?

MVHR gets that question often. Why do you board horses? You are a horse rescue, not a boarding stable? Doesn’t that take space away from horses that need to be rescued?

The short answer is no. Absolutely not. If that were the case, MVHR would not board horses (as much as we love our boarders and their horses, sorry guys!).

The long answer….

MVHR carefully evaluates its budget each and every year, reviewing the average cost of caring for rescued horses; including but not limited to their vet and farrier care, feed (hay, grain, and supplements), training, and even the more difficult-to-pin down costs of using the RTV to haul water and hay to them, trailering costs for acquiring, training or placing them in adoptive homes, etc. etc. It is MVHR’s goal to be able to fulfill all of the needs a rescue horse might have during its time with us. That often means extensive veterinary and rehabilitative/supportive care (i.e., refeeding, parasite control, acupuncture or chiropractic work for musculoskeletal issues, training for those unhandled, et al) in addition to the basic daily care that every horse requires. So MVHR builds a budget that allows us to provide for all of those seen and unforeseen expenses, allowing us to provide great care for the animals that we take into our care.

Relying on donations makes budgeting for the income to cover those expenses challenging. But based on what we have done each year, we create a budget for the next year, including how many horses that means we can care for in that upcoming year. Our current “capacity” based on all of those numbers is 25 horses at a time. Just a few years ago, it was just 7!

So when you visit the MVHR ranch, you will likely find that we have in our care right about 25 rescue horses. Sometimes they are adopted so quickly that our census will fall below that number briefly, until we can bring in the next few on the waiting list. And we often try to have just a few less than 25, so that if we get a call about a horse that will not have food to eat tomorrow, we can tuck them in at MVHR right away.

So boarders…..those horses are on site, in addition to the 25 or so MVHR capacity rescued horses. But why, and how?

Did you know that our boarders – each and every one of them – used to be rescue horses? How cool is that! They’re like the college alumni who stick around to let the freshman know how their lives could turn out. These wonderful horses have been adopted by local individuals who have elected, either short or long term, to board their horses at MVHR. Having these boarded horses on site at MVHR helps support the rescue horses in a number of ways.

First, it helps new adopters who elect to board at MVHR begin the journey with their new horse in a familiar setting, and with the support of MVHR staff and trainers who are familiar with the horse. This safety net has helped a number of adopters feel comfortable taking the big step into horse ownership, especially if it is their first horse. And their adoption has helped rescue horses find new homes!!

Also, MVHR keeps our boarding rates as affordable as possible, just covering the expenses of boarding a horse (currently $325/month). Offering these affordable boarding opportunities literally creates a few more potential adopters in our local community, where there are so few affordable places to board horses. Without the supportive and affordable boarding at MVHR, some of these families would not have been able to consider adoption.

For a few of our boarders, life has changed since they first adopted their horse….like it does for all of us over years and even decades. For those owners, boarding their horse at MVHR, even though they can not spend much time with it (due to life circumstances, or perhaps even a move), allows the horse that they love to still be theirs, and for it to be well cared for and handled lovingly when they cannot be out at the ranch. This has literally allowed a few horses to stay “with” their owners, versus needing to be returned as “rescue” horses needing to be rehomed. That allows MVHR to focus on helping other horses, all while our boarders enjoy their lives at the ranch, still owned by their current owners.

Furthermore, while MVHR boarding rates are affordable, and this income is a small part of our operating budget, it is a wonderful, regular monthly cash flow supplement to the donations that are the lifeblood of MVHR. Most donations to MVHR are made at certain times of the year, like around a fundraising event, or most at year end. As many of the MVHR rescue horse expenses are the same each month, no matter the number of donations that month, the boarder cash flow helps pay for items like hay and grain that the horses need everyday. This helps MVHR to run the operation smoothly day-to-day and care for the rescue horses even during months when donation income is lower.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly: Boarding horses at the ranch, and sharing this beautiful space and all of its resources, helps MVHR continue to grow its community, its family….of people who love and respect horses, and are willing to help care for those in the deepest of need. MVHR boarders are not just boarders, or cash flow, but volunteers, donors, ambassadors, and compassionate lovers of horses who spread the word about horses in need, and each, in their own way, help those horses they can.

Thank you Boarders!