Swingin’ D Horse Rescue offers many opportunities for people to help support our mission. Our Foster a Horse program offers a few options for those who want a horse, but don’t know if they’re ready for the responsibility and expense. Before reading on, please take a look at our Foster Agreement to determine whether you qualify and are still interested.

Foster a Horse

If you have property with pasture and a minimum three-sided shelter and you wish to help, apply to be a foster adopter. While we work to match the horse with its Soul Human, you allow our horse to stay on your property where you will provide its basic care – including grooming, exercising, grain and hay, as well as basic veterinary and farrier care. You’ll get a feel for what it’s like to own a horse, without the commitment of keeping it forever if it doesn’t work out. While the horse is in your care, you’ll agree to allow adopters to come visit; and our trainers to work with it in preparation for adoption. The tough part about fostering a horse is saying goodbye once we find an adopter. If you fall in love with the horse and decide you don’t want other adopters to have him, you’ll enter into a foster trial contract (see below).

Foster on a Trial Basis*

If you fall in love with a specific horse think you might want to adopt, take it home on a 90-day foster trial basis. While you’re trying out the horse, we’ll put a hold on efforts to adopt it in exchange for an up-front payment of half the horse’s adoption fee. If you return the horse within the first 30 days, we’ll refund half of your down payment. The foster fee is non refundable after 90 days – whether or not you adopt the horse. If you decide you’re ready to adopt at any time within the 90-day period, all you have to do is pay the rest of the adoption fee. If you like the idea of a “trial” concept but you don’t think 90 days is long enough to decide, check out our lease program.

Foster a Special Needs Horse Pending Adoption

Sometimes a horse just needs the right human to restore its trust and confidence. That’s what our special needs foster program is all about. While the vast majority of horses get over their trauma with time, some take longer. We’ve seen some pretty hopeless cases, but we’ve never failed at socializing a doomed horse. If you think you connect with one of our special needs horses, pay $300 and take the horse home for 30 days. The first hurdle is the first seven days. If you and the horse don’t connect in the first week, bring it back and we’ll refund your $300. Once you make it past that first hurdle, you improve your chance of going the distance. If, at any time in that 30 days, something just clicks and you know you’ve found your soul horse, let us know and we’ll complete the adoption. The $300 foster fee applies toward your discounted adoption fee.

Foster/Sponsor a Horse in Our Care

You can also foster a horse in the care of Swingin’ D by donating funds toward its monthly expenses. *Not all horses are available for the foster trial. Interested in fostering? Let’s get the application process started!