Interested in Adoption?Please read these Adoption Guidelines
Become an Approved Adopter
To Be Approved You MUST Read These Guidelines and Fill Out an Approval Form.
You must be formally
approved before making an appointment to
see any CANTER-owned horse.
CANTER does "hold" adoptive horses for prospective adopters.
Please advise your veterinarian that they will be asked to complete a reference check form which should be returned to CANTER in a timely fashion.
Due to our desire to monitor horses in their adoptive
homes, we do not place horses outside of the New England/NY area except
under special circumstances.
If you live outside the Northeast, consider adopting from another CANTER
affiliate, or other
rescues with available horses.
Terms and Conditions Will Apply to Horses Adopted Through CANTER NE (these are not applicable to trainer-owned horses):
1. Many (but not all) of the horses offered by CANTER for adoption have some limitations. We will do our best to disclose all information on adoptive horses, but cannot guarantee that we are aware of all past injuries and/or behavioral issues associated with any given animal.
This is why we strongly urge you to have a pre-purchase vet exam performed (at your expense - please see #3 below), and why we have a 30-day "right of return" clause in our adoption contract. (Please be advised that there is a $100 non-refundable processing fee that will be assessed if you return an adoptive horse within the 30-day period. In addition, you will be responsible for all transport arrangements involved in returning the horse to a CANTER foster home.) After the 30-day period, horses may still be returned at any time, but the adoption fee will not be refunded.
2. All adopters must, as part of the Lifetime Bill of Sale Adoption Agreement:
- Provide CANTER NE with current photos and updates on their adopted horses twice a year.
- Adopters must allow CANTER NE to contact their veterinarians directly for completion of annual health status forms.
- Adopters are required to keep their contact information, and the stabling address of the horse, current with us at all times.
Failure to adhere to these conditions may be considered grounds for voiding the Lifetime Bill of Sale Adoption Agreement. In the case that an adoption is voided due to breach of contract CANTER may, at its option, recover the animal without prior warrant.
3. If you are seeking to adopt a horse with the intention of jumping the animal (or using the horse for more strenuous work, like eventing), you are required to have a veterinary pre-purchase exam done at your expense to ensure that the horse is going to be suitable for your needs, and is physically capable of the demands of your sport.
4. All CANTER-owned horses are placed in homes where they will have at least one other equine companion; they are herd animals and need to be able to socialize.
5. Adoptive horses cannot be sold, given away, or otherwise transferred to a third party unless the prospective new owner fills out our adoption application and becomes an approved adopter through our standard approval process.
No CANTER-owned horse may be resold, given away, or otherwise transferred to a new owner within 12 months of adoption under any circumstances, except with prior approval, in writing, from CANTER.
6. Please consider your circumstances and your level of commitment before applying to adopt a horse through CANTER. The upkeep of a horse is a major expense and requires dedication of time. If you are unsure about your desire to have a horse for the long-term, adoption of a CANTER-owned horse may not be a suitable option.
7.CANTER adoptive horses may be bred for sporthorse purposes but NEVER for racing! All offspring of adoptively placed CANTER horses (this rule does not apply to horses purchased directly from racing trainers) are ineligible for racing competition. Adopters are required to maintain the adopted horse at a body condition score of 5-7 on the Henneke Body Condition Scale; provide the horse with regular trims and (if the horse is shod) shoeing by a farrier every 6-8 weeks; provide for twice-annual vaccinations of the adopted horse (except in cases where vaccination is medically contraindicated); maintain the horse on a regular deworming schedule; and ensure that the horse's teeth are floated at least once per year.
Potential adopters who are found to have made willful misstatements on their adoption applications will have the adoption terminated immediately, and the horse will be repossessed by CANTER without prior warrant. Such misstatements may include, but are not limited to:
Henneke Body Condition Score Descriptions:
1 - Poor: Emaciated. Prominent spinous processes, ribs, tailhead and hooks and pins. Noticeable bone structure on withers, shoulders and neck. No fatty tissues can be palpated.
2 - Very Thin: Emaciated. Slight fat covering over base of spinous processes. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Prominent spinous processes, ribs, tailhead and hooks and pins. Withers, shoulders and neck structures faintly discernible.
3 - Thin: Fat built up about halfway on spinous processes, transverse processes cannot be felt. Slight fat cover over ribs. Spinous processes and ribs easily discernible. Tailhead prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but easily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable. Withers, shoulders and neck accentuated.
4 - Moderately Thin: Negative crease along back. Faint outline of ribs discernible. Tailhead prominence depends on conformation, fat can be felt around it. Hook bones not discernible. Withers, shoulders and neck not obviously thin.
5 - Moderate: Back is level. Ribs cannot be visually distinguished, but can be easily felt. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes. Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.
6 - Moderate to Fleshy: May have slight crease down back. Fat over ribs feels spongy. Fat around tailhead feels soft. Fat beginning to be deposited along the sides of the withers, behind the shoulders and along the sides of the neck.
7 - Fleshy: May have crease down back. Individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat. Fat around tailhead is soft. Fat deposits along withers, behind shoulders and along the neck.
8 - Fat: Crease down back. Difficult to palpate ribs. Fat around tailhead very soft. Area along withers filled with fat. Area behind shoulder filled in flush. Noticeable thickening of neck. Fat deposited along inner buttocks.
9- Extremely Fat: Obvious crease down back. Patchy fat appearing over ribs. Bulging fat around tailhead, along withers, behind shoulders and along neck. Fat along inner buttocks may rub together. Flank filled in flush.
