FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Right Horse Initiative recently granted $508,000 to the Colorado State University (CSU) Temple Grandin Equine Center to fund its first Regional Training Center for at-risk horses. The grant is funded by the WaterShed Animal Fund, a division of the Arnall Family Foundation.
As a Regional Training Center for The Right Horse Initiative, CSU will provide practical hands-on horse evaluating, handling, care and training opportunities for CSU students while concurrently working with horses in transition and preparing them for adoption into the Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) industry, into Certified Horsemanship Association programs and other appropriate adoptive homes.
“There currently is no dedicated network for finding horses appropriate to participate in EAAT programming. Many EAAT centers rely on “cold-calls” and luck to find horses for their programs. Through the partnership with The Right Horse Initiative, Harmony Equine Center, and Certified Horsemanship Association, we hope that CSU can help fill this void and create an appropriate network of horses ready to be implemented into EAAT programs, or other appropriate adoptive homes. Funding from the WaterShed Animal Fund has made this innovative project possible,” stated Adam Daurio, Director of the Temple Grandin Equine Center.
Prior to entering the CSU Equine Sciences training program, the Harmony Equine Center in Franktown, Colo. will perform the a basic behavior assessment on each horse. Horses identified to have “good behaviors” and suitable for additional care and training will be transferred to the Temple Grandin Equine Center at CSU.
At CSU, horses will be assigned to Equine Sciences students for a minimum of one semester.
Each horse will receive care and training from the CSU students with the goal of preparing the horse to be appropriate for adoption into an EAAT (Equine Assistance and Activities Therapies) program, a beginner horsemanship program associated with Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), or another appropriate adoption opportunity.
Once the horse is considered appropriate for adoption into EAAT programming or a CHA beginner horsemanship program, the horse will return to Harmony Equine Center where it would be promoted as a “Right Horse” for the applicable opportunity.
“This program is really a win/win for all the participants. Not only do these horses in transition get a chance at a new career; but they also provide the CSU equine science students valuable hands on training experience.” said Christy Counts, president of The Right Horse Initiative.
Once fully operational, the CSU Regional Training Center will serve approximately 20 horses per semester.
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About The Right Horse Initiative
The Right Horse Initiative is a collective of industry professionals and equine welfare advocates working together to improve the lives of horses in transition through a dialogue of kindness and respect.
About Colorado State University Equine Sciences
Colorado State University was the first land-grant university to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Equine Sciences and is the largest undergraduate equine program in the nation; boasting more than 500 undergraduate students seeking a degree in Equine Sciences.