Fostering a Rescue Horse

It’s funny, we had all of these great plans for Munchkin when we arrived here, but it turns out that the Lord had even better plans for her. You see, we had planned on paying for her to take riding lessons, and I was in the process of getting more information when I found a local horse rescue. I called the owner up to talk to her about volunteer opportunities and ended up walking away from the call super excited as this place was just what Munchkin needed.

Later that day, Daddy, Munchkin, and I headed over to the rescue to talk more with the owner and see the place. Next thing we knew, she had Munchkin up on a horse riding bareback. lol! Things were pretty chaotic, yet I still knew this place would be good for Munchkin. Little did I know how good it would be for me as well.

On Tuesday afternoon, Munchkin and I headed over again to look at the horses and the possibility of sponsoring/fostering a horse. This rescue has a lot of horses, so to allow people to understand what it’s like to own a horse while helping out the rescue, they have the opportunity for individuals to foster a horse. The horse stays at the rescue where it’s fed and has it’s medical needs taken care of, but the sponsor (foster owner) is responsible for grooming, emotional welfare, and exercising the horse. No one else will be taking care of that horse (minus feeding/watering/vet care) unless prior arrangements are made. It’s a win-win situation for all who are involved. Sometimes, after the person has sponsored the horse for some time, they will go on to adopt the horse. Other times, they will move on to fostering a more challenging horse.

Some people want a horse that they can immediately ride. Munchkin wanted a horse that she could train and grow with. The owner was thrilled that she wanted to do this as most people – especially kids – just want to ride. Munchkin wants to learn as much as possible about horses, training, riding…. The owner will be teaching her not only how to train this horse, but also how to ride different styles on other horses. I admit that I plan on learning right along with her.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m thrilled that Munchkin will have this opportunity now. I’m also happy to be working with animals as it’s something that I’ve always loved doing, and now I’ll be able to share that with my precious girl.