ASPCA Announces Winners of the 2019 Help a Horse Home Challenge

NEW YORK—The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced the winners of its annual Help a Horse Home^SM: ASPCA Equine Adoption Challenge, which is designed to increase adoptions of equines around the country. More than 170 equine rescues, shelters, and sanctuaries representing 41 states competed in this year’s challenge to win grant funding totaling $150,000 along with other prizes. As a result of the two-month long challenge, the participating groups collectively found homes for over 1,500 equines. While that number alone is inspiring, on average, groups increased their adoptions by an astounding 56% compared to the same time period last year.

The 12 winning Help a Horse Home groups include:

Grand Prize ($35,000)

·         Yavapai Humane Society (Chino Valley, AZ)

Division D

• 1^st Prize ($25,000): New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program (Lexington, KY)
• 2^nd Prize ($15,000): Dumb Friends League (Denver, CO)

Division C

• 1^st Prize ($20,000): This Old Horse (Hastings, MN)
• 2^nd Prize ($10,000): Hope’s Legacy Equine Rescue (Afton, VA)

Division B

• 1^st Prize ($15,000): Morgan Safenet Foundation (Midlothian, TX)
• 2^nd Prize ($5,000):M&M Acres NFP (Lockport, IL)

Division A

• 1^st Prize ($7,500): Carolina Equine Rescue & Assistance (Wingate, NC)
• 2^nd Prize TIE ($1,250): Asheville Humane Society (Asheville, NC)
• 2^nd Prize TIE ($1,250): Owl Hollow Farm (Lone Jack, MO)

Hoofy Awards: Best Use of Social Media ($5,000)

• Humane Society of North Texas (Forth Worth, TX)
• The Foxie G Foundation (Union Bridge, MD)
• New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program (Lexington, KY)

“The ASPCA is committed to supporting the many groups around the country working tirelessly to help more horses find loving homes, and the ASPCA Help a Horse Home Challenge provides an effective way for these dedicated groups to reach more potential equine adopters,” said Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of ASPCA Equine Welfare. “We are in awe of the innovative and thoughtful ways this year’s contestants found more homes for horses, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to save more lives.”

The success of Help a Horse Home was bolstered by strong industry collaboration. This year, Zoetis US LLC generously donated its new vaccine, CORE EQ Innovator™, for every equine adopted during the two-month challenge period, Conair® provided more than $300,000 in grooming supplies to be included in prize packages, and the American Horse Council’s United Horse Coalition provided microchips for all contestants. Additionally, participants were invited to promote their equines on My Right Horse, a public listing site created by The Right Horse Initiative for equines in transition.

Annually, the contest kicks off on Help a Horse Day, April 26 —a date chosen for its significance in the ASPCA’s long history of horse protection. In 1866, ASPCA founder Henry Bergh stopped a cart driver from beating his horse, resulting in the first successful arrest for horse mistreatment on April 26 of that year. Since 2014, the ASPCA has awarded equine groups more than $550,000 in grant funding through its annual Help a Horse initiative.

For more information about Help a Horse Home^SM: The ASPCA Equine Adoption Challenge, please visit www.aspca.org/helpahorse.