Owning a horse seems like a romantic notion, but many first-time horse owners quickly realize they’ve gotten more than they bargained for. At that point, they need to find the horse a new home which is why we have a list of the best horse rescues in Oklahoma for you.
Horse rescue operations offer hope for the desperate horse owner and safety for the unwanted horse. There are several reputable horse rescues in Oklahoma, each offering a haven for our equine friends.
Other articles you would like: Best Horse Rescues In Pennsylvania and Best Horse Rescues In Georgia.
1. Swingin’ D Horse Rescue
A horse rescue like Swingin’ D offers alternatives to euthanization. More than one horse owner has opted to put the animal down rather than continue spending time and money on it or finding it a new home.
This operation, based in Coweta, OK, a small town outside Tulsa, offers several services to horses and those interested in horse adoption.
Rescue horses, once the workers at Swingin’ D have cared for them and tended to any medical needs they might have brought with them, are available for adoption or fostering.
The adoption process takes some time and will cost money. This is because Swingin’ D makes a point of charging adoption fees in amounts higher than the market price for a slaughter horse.
The idea is to dissuade kill buyers from adopting a rescue horse and then selling it for a profit, ensuring the animal’s death.
The company lists adoptable horses on its website, as well as those available for people to foster. Swingin’ D also offers boarding services, so some horses there have been adopted but still enjoy the loving care the ranch strives to provide all its horses.
Operating on a private ranch, the Swingin’ D Horse Rescue relies on donations and volunteers.
Swingin’ D Horse Rescue Details:
- Location: Coweta, OK
- Phone Number: 918-887-1024
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Swingin’ D Horse Rescue
2. Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue
Blaze’s Tribute boards rescued horses in Harrah, a few miles east of Oklahoma City. A number of their adoptable horses came from animal cruelty situations, but they also have horses that have been retired from law enforcement agencies.
This means there are adoptable horses with the potential to be good riding horses and some that will need training or may not be able to be ridden safely.
One reason this rescue operation has a high rate of success may have to do with the adoption contract.
Before adopting a rescue horse, potential new owners must contractually agree to provide adequate grazing and living space, medical care, and shelter. They must also agree to bring a farrier out to tend to the horse’s hooves at least bi-monthly.
The rescue operation began in 2001 after the Cross family, living in Guthrie, were evacuating their horses ahead of a wildfire. One of their horses, Blaze, was badly injured in the process, and most veterinarians they consulted recommended putting Blaze down.
Since Blaze was a family horse, the Cross brood refused to give up on the animal, pursued medical care for it, and the animal recovered.
After almost a quarter of a century, Blaze’s Tribute continues to offer rescue and adoption services in central Oklahoma.
Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue Details:
- Location: Harrah, OK
- Phone Number: 405-399-3084
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue
3. Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation
Working on the premise that both dogs and horses love unconditionally, the Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation provides shelter, care, and adoption for dogs and horses.
A visit to the 50-acre ranch in Guthrie, just north of Oklahoma City, reveals dogs freely roaming in packs and horses being cared for and enjoying their lives.
The owners work to keep the animals in good health, many of whom come to them from abusive or neglectful situations.
While 50 acres isn’t a small spread by any means, there are enough horses in need of rescue that the Horse and Hound also offer fostering opportunities.
These temporary homes allow the rescued animals to be safely kept and cared for even when the Horse and Hound stalls are all full.
Before adopting horses or dogs, a potential new owner must apply and be approved. This is another effort to ensure that the animals go to loving homes and not slaughterhouses.
Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation Details:
- Location: Guthrie, OK
- Phone Number: 405-206-4689
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation
4. Nexus Equine
As a smaller horse rescue in Oklahoma, Nexus Equine doesn’t have the dozens and dozens of adoptable horses on hand as some others. Still, they care for the animals and seek to ensure the safety and security of every horse in the state.
That said, Nexus Equine makes a point of informing those thinking of surrendering their horses that the operation isn’t a sanctuary.
In light of that, those wanting to surrender a horse must apply to be able to do so. An online form for this is available on the group’s website.
Also available there is the adoption interest survey and a list of adoptable horses.
To ensure that adopted horses go to homes where they will enjoy good lives, Nexus Equine requires those wanting to adopt to apply— not to adopt a horse but to be considered viable adopting candidates.
The survey asks for references, where the horse would be kept, and many other questions that your average kill buyer wouldn’t be able to answer satisfactorily.
Nexus Equine, one of the smaller horse rescues in Oklahoma, is located in El Reno, which is something of a suburb of Oklahoma City.
Nexus Equine Details:
- Location: El Reno, OK
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Nexus Equine
5. Grey Oaks Equine Sanctuary
Grey Oaks offers sanctuary for one and all, as long as they are horses. Located in the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma, the sanctuary started in 1988 with one Appaloosa that needed a new home.
More than 30 years later, the place offers a home for abandoned horses or those needing a place to live. Since it’s a sanctuary, the goal is to provide a good and safe life for the horses living there— for as long as they live. This is not an adoption service.
While Grey Oaks welcomes volunteers and those who wish to learn about horses and their care, the sanctuary does not allow people to adopt horses.
Grey Oaks’ point of pride for Grey Oaks is the natural habitat the animals have. They roam free and spend little time in stalls since that’s not really what a horse was designed to do in the first place.
While Grey Oaks specializes in Mustangs— specifically older ones and those at-risk— they don’t discriminate and will offer a home to any horse in need.
Grey Oaks Equine Sanctuary Details:
- Location: Wilson, OK
- Phone Number: 580-220-9399
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Grey Oaks Equine Sanctuary
6. Horse Feathers Equine Center
What once was a thriving horse rescue has morphed into an equine care center focusing on horses with little chance of being adopted. These are animals suffering long-term injury or illness from abuse or neglect.
The horses the center works with can become therapy animals or participate in programs aimed to educate people on how to interact with and care for horses.
They also provide horses for veterinary schools and students. Working with large animals is a veterinary specialty, and getting hands-on experience during vet school is invaluable.
This course of action from Horse Feathers Equine Center allows the organization to care for horses and provide education for vets that will provide future care to other horses, essentially paying it forward for equine friends that aren’t yet in need but may be in the future.
In addition to rescuing horses, Horse Feathers also adopts horses. The website lists adoptable animals, their ages, known information, and adoption fees for each.
The organization also evaluates adoptable horses, classifying them by a stop-light system:
- Greenlight horses are usually older, experienced animals that anyone can handle and ride safely.
- Yellow light horses are a little more skittish and better for a more experienced rider. They may be classified this way because they haven’t been fully evaluated by the Horse Feathers staff yet.
- Red light horses may be untrained or more prone to getting spooked. These are animals that require experienced handlers and would be inappropriate for new riders or first-time horse owners.
Horse Feathers Equine Rescue Details:
- Location: Guthrie, OK
- Phone Number: 405-260-7281
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Horse Feathers Equine Center
Conclusion For “Best Horse Rescues in Oklahoma”
Horse rescues in Oklahoma seek to provide safety and security for horses whose owners have abandoned, abused, or neglected them.
They also take horses from horse owners who have become overwhelmed by the reality of caring for a horse or whose circumstances have changed to the degree that they can no longer care for their equine companions.
Horse owners can help these rescues by fostering horses for them, and prospective horse owners can adopt horses from these organizations. They will get a horse that has been cared for and nursed back to health if necessary.
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