[ridetolive]

You cant just magically start something like this. It takes months, even years of planning, saving, business and law consideration.. not to mention staff, facilities, and all the money its going to cost you.
Not that its not a good idea, but posting on a horse forum is really not going to make it happen.
*hides from people getting mad that im a dream crusher*

[Haas Horse Farm]

Bravo.... Someone else understands what I have been trying to communicate on several threads about this the OP has posted.

I am honestly not trying to be a dream crusher but I know what it takes to own and operate a business. You have to have a business plan. You have to have an LLC or something as the holding company for the business. You have to have the right people on the board to oversea something like this, especially if you become a 501 C 3. I forget the size requirements they have for their boards... and depending on the state... it is a long form that must be filled out with very special wording in several spots or it will not be approved.

Also the cost of the buildings, salaries for staffing, horse upkeep, utilites, etc. I am sure have not been researched by the OP. The overhead cost is going to be much much more than she thinks. I would guess a minimum of $10,000 per month if she has 50-80 horses.

To the OP have you any idea what the costs are where you are currently working? That will be a good place to start your research. Their costs will give you some idea... the fact that you want to ad rescue horses and inexperience unpaid help to your plan is just going to make it that much more expensive for you to operate as your margin of exposure for liability just went up at least 50% if not more.

Nice idea but I just do not think you have really sharpened your pencil and put it to paper. Also what does your state laws say about your responsibilities when dealing with those that are under the age of 18?

Any ideas as to what you are going to charge those who want to attend your camp?

[AcesWild]

using foster kids would also be good but you would probably need funding because they might not have the money to pay for camp

[denraydar]

Kids and horses are a good match if you have the right combination.
Kid safe horses + kids who know how to safely handle horses = ok
Rescue horses + foster kids with no horse handling experience = not ok

Risking the safety of both the kids and the horses and your own financial future, (can you see the lawsuits) is not ok.
You can do something for horses and kids by putting your energy and finances where it will maximize the benefits.
Donate to an existing rescue and/or try to work with them on integrating some of your ideas to bring foster kids together with rescue horses.

Best of Luck to you in all your endeavors.

[Haas Horse Farm]

Originally Posted by AcesWild

using foster kids would also be good but you would probably need funding because they might not have the money to pay for camp

Sorry not to be rude here but this is just not a good idea.... rescue horses and foster children is not a good combination. issues x issues = bad plan

[Berlunz]

I have to agree with HAAS. Once again not a dream crusher, but thats the first thing that came to mind. How are you going to take responsibility for all this? First off, a rescue does not want a horse going to a kid to train, show and then sell. Odds are any kids with horse experience already have a horse. This sounds like 4-h to me where they raise and train a pig then sell it for slaughter (except this isnt slaughter).

If it was kids who do know how to ride, already have horses, just finding something extra to do with their summer at a huge camp where they train thats fine. But you need to be the one responsible for these horses coming from the rescues. If I was a rescue I wouldnt let my horse go into this program.... just because if the kid gets to keep it, even though you adopted it, who knows whats going to happen to it. Also if you are the one who takes responsibility, the rescue wants those horses to stay with you, not go somewhere else. So yes these kids can train these horses but the rescue wont be happy with you selling them. SO what do you do with the horses now?

Second is the horses themselves... to me it sounds like you think horses going to slaughter/in rescues are just easy going horses with no issues who just need more training... I can only see disaster in this. Mostly because a horse going to slaughter, 80% of the time is there for a reason. I say 80% because of the flooded market, otherwise I would say 90. But usually they are lame, have very bad temperment issues etc or bad confirmation. So you get a teen who may know how to train a good, well behaved horse, put her on a horse who bucks like mad and tell her to train it for show... thats dangerous. Who is going to be evaluating these horses? What if one of the kids gets a lame horse? A horse they cant handle? What do you do with it then?

If these kids dont have a horse, and do get to keep it afterwards (as in you bought the horse at auction). What if they dont have a place for it? Is it fair to make them pay for caring for a horse now, when they planned to sell it but its not selling. If they dont have a horse, they arent going to have tack for these horses. Which brings up another thing.. anyone can bring in their own tack if they have a horse, but its not necessarily going to fit the horse they are training and may just cause training issues. You could buy tack but then it may not fit the horse or rider if you keep it for all the time.

Plus the most basic.. these are kids/teens not experienced trainers. They might be able to work with a horse a bit, but what happens when a horse gets worse because of them?

I commend you on your efforts to do something good. Its wonderful that you want to help horses/people, and I dont like being the bearer of bad news. But these are all things you will have to face, if you decide to do this. So its better to face up to them now and solve them before moving on and wasting time/money to have to stop later because of one of these things.

[shenanigans]

I have to agree with some of the posters here, though this appears to be a good idea the reality is much much different.
I worked on a large dude line and alot of our horses came from the auction or were bought for little money off track, privately etc.
At any given time the very best of the best horses would average 18 horses, those were horses that were worked with each & every day by experienced people.
Then you have to look at finding the experienced >read reliable & knowledgable< staff to over see all the activities & horses. Not to mention the people with little experience that are "at camp" because yes they will need alot of guidance.
Then you have to look at the maintanence of not only the care of all those horses but their living conditions, feed, vet & tack.
The costs are astronomical realistically speaking for every dollar that goes in, even with non profit status, litterally hundreds go out.
Thats not even covering insurance, legalities & licensing.
The overhead to buy/ship/train & rehab these horses is a never ending circle of money, major cash flow & investors is a must.

I know a large dude line isnt the same thing but ours was very successful, we offered camps, lessons, bar-b-ques the works & we struggled all the time just to ensure that our horses were well cared for & every activity one that came or worked there was a safe as could be.

After years in the business one of our major partners closed its doors & our main stable reduced its business by more then 50% due to rising costs of operating.

Anything that you wish to take on involving horses is a considerable undertaking & it absolutely cant be done alone, or on a wish & a prayer...I'm not trying to sound mean or make you feel bad, but at the end of the day the responsiblity for all those lives, horses & people is yours.

[HoofPrints11]

I love the idea. I would totally be a camper =D Just get it going in under five years =D

The only thing I would say is have an option for how long the campers can say, the whole summer just isn't realistic for most teens. I would say the minimum would be a month, the max all summer. And I would make the campers who cannot take the horse home responsible for finding the horse a new home so that you and your staff don't have to deal with it.

Also the requirement for campers would have to be high-ish. Experience with horses obviously, and I think it would be a good idea that they pass a test sometime before the registration is final.

Although it would be hard, I definatly think it's possible. =]

[SuperM]

I definitely agree with those that have cautioned you about doing all your research before thinking of starting something like this. I worked/volunteered at a camp for over 12 years and there are so many things that you have to know about before even thinking about starting something. Also, how would you know the teen's experience level? Would you have already trained, safe horses for these kids to ride before trying to have them work with something more difficult? A lot of times, teens think that they have more experience than they actually do with horses. They think that just because they rode a perfect, push-button horse for 5 years, that they can ride anything. That is so un-true. They may have had experience around horses for 5 years and have a decent seat, but when put them on a horse that misbehaves, they don't have a clue what to do. I see this at camp all the time. Kids will say "I know how to ride, I have my own horse." but when you see them ride, it is down-right scary. I hate to say it, but most "backyard horse" owners don't ride at levels that are good enough to be training a horse. You're just asking for an injury and lots of liability if you take on the possibility of un-trained horses with possibly un-trained riders. Not a good combination. Why not look into having trained horses that aren't rescues and trying to get funding for a camp where you can help kids? Or, look into a horse rescue and let the kids come out for the day and volunteer to groom, muck stalls, or just be in a safe environment around the horses. You could offer ground classes to teach kids about the health and well-being of the horses without ever having to have them ride. There are ways to make a different place out of your idea, but I think that the vision has to be one that is safe for both humans and animals.

[charliebear]

I love that idea!! Would be great for the children and horses.But I agree with what Berlunz has said. Just need to be careful.