The SAQ Horse Adoption Program is your answer, and we have vacancies.
The Standardbred Association of Queensland has been running its renown Horse Placement Program since its inception in 2002. During that time, we have re homed over 1,300 off the track Standardbreds, giving them a life after racing. The SAQ Adoption Program caters for Standardbreds at all stages of their life, however it is not surprising that younger, just off the track horses tend to place faster.
The Horse Placement Program has an excellent record of matching horses to their new adoptive owners, and we have many people ready and waiting for their new horse. We have rigorous criteria for adopters to undertake over a 12-month period to ensure your horse will be well looked after. And of course, they can always come back through the program should it not work out or they need to move on again for any other reason.
If you wish to donate a horse, it’s very simple. All you need to do is contact Melissa Bell on 0412 973 102 and she will take care of matching your horse to their new owner. If it is urgent that you need a horse removed quickly from your premises, under special circumstances we also have the ability to temporarily foster horses whilst they wait to be rehomed.
At the moment, demand for the Standardbred is such that many donated horses are not even making it to our website. We have people ready and waiting to receive them and they are generally re-homed very quickly. It does not matter whether your horse is unbroken to saddle, a ridden horse or has retired from racing with a career ending injury, we have people ready to take horses now.
Some of the adoption horses have gone on to incredibly successful careers after racing, others are happily spending the remainder of their lives as a companion animal to others. Of course there are many others in between too.
If you would like to find out more about the Standardbred Association of Queensland Horse Placement Program please visit our website at https://saq.com.au/donate-a-horse/ and you can find out all you need to know to donate a horse and also what new owners need to do to adopt.
All funds generated through this volunteer-run Horse Placement Program go back into the program.
Image caption: Clarkey NZ exhibited by Summer-Rose Smith at the 2024 State Hacking and Harness Championships.
IMAGE CREDIT: Teichmann Photography
