CANTER foster home faqs

What is a Foster Home?
What is required of a Foster Home?
What kind of facility do I need?
Do you have a geographical limitation for Foster facilities?
What costs will I incur when fostering a CANTER horse?
Can I have a tax write-off for fostering a CANTER horse?
How do I get reimbursed for costs associated with fostering a CANTER horse?
Who handles shipping a CANTER horse?
Can I ride my CANTER foster horse?
Can I pick the specific horse I’d like to foster?
What are the benefits of fostering a horse?
Can I refuse a certain horse?
What if the foster horse does not work out at my farm?
Will I need to show the horse to interested adopters?
What If I’d like to keep my foster horse?

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What is a Foster Home?
A Foster home is one that takes a CANTER horse in and absorbs the cost of caring for that horse while it heals and convalesces from track injuries until it can be adopted by a new home. 

What is required of a Foster Home?
We ask that Foster facilities cover the cost of daily care of a horse that would typically be covered in a standard board agreement.  This includes hay, grain, shavings and upkeep of suitable shelter.  Additionally we ask that Foster facilities groom and care for daily needs of a horse (medicine/flyspray application, scheduling farrier/vet/dentist appointments etc…).

What kind of facility do I need?
Foster facilities should have adequate turnout and shelter with safe fencing and at least one other horse for company.  Most horses in Foster care have already been transitioned to living outdoors, and are fine living that way. Special needs horses will be placed in facilities that have stalls.

Do you have a geographical limitation for Foster facilities?
CANTER prefers that Foster facilities remain within 2 hours of our Maryland Location (Gaithersburg, Maryland), however under certain circumstances we do allow them to go further.  Horses living further away require the assistance of the foster facility to find permanent homes (this requires speaking with pre-approved CANTER applicants and introducing them to the horse)

What costs will I incur when fostering a CANTER horse?
The costs associated with caring for the horse day to day will be incurred by the Foster facility (typical board associated costs).  CANTER typically covers all farrier/vet/dental expenses, however if the foster facility volunteers to pay for those expenses they will be tax deductible.

Can I have a tax write-off for fostering a CANTER horse?
Donation receipts are given for anybody who fosters a CANTER horse.  Any tangible expense related to the care of said horse is typically tax deductible, however we encourage you to speak with a CPA regarding this manner.

How do I get reimbursed for costs associated with fostering a CANTER horse?
Any and all predictable bills should be discussed with the Foster Coordinator prior to scheduling and where possible an account will be set up to directly pay the provider.  When an account provider is unable to set up an account with CANTER, we typically reimburse the foster facility with a check upon receipt of a bill.

Who handles shipping a CANTER horse?
CANTER appreciates any and all shipping efforts of foster facilities, however if the facility is unable to transport a horse arrangements can be made to have a CANTER volunteer provide shipping.

Can I ride my CANTER foster horse?
Riding priviledges are made on a horse-by-horse as well as facility basis.  In appropriate situations CANTER foster homes are given permission to ride and work on retraining the horse.

Can I pick the specific horse I’d like to foster?
CANTER makes the best effort to match up appropriate horses with the appropriate homes, depending on the preferences of the foster facility.  We ask that foster homes specify if they can take a mare or gelding, and whether they can take a cribber or other vices.  We can always discuss specific horses and whether or not they are available for fostering.

What are the benefits of fostering a horse?
Fostering a horse directly benefits a horse in danger, by freeing up another spot in the CANTER barns.  Many people enjoy offering an opportunity to a deserving horse so that they do not end up in less than ideal conditions.
Others foster horses in order to get tax write offs, or to qualify for Agricultural-use on their property.  Fostering a horse is also a good way to see if you would enjoy that particular horse to be a permanent part of your life.

Can I refuse a certain horse?
If a foster facility is not comfortable with a certain horse for any reason, they may reserve the right to request a different horse.

What if the foster horse does not work out at my farm?
CANTER strives to match each horse with the best facility the can, however we realize that sometimes it just doesn’t work.  We are always happy to change horses out, or take a horse back however we ask for as much notice as possible so we may line up shipping.

Will I need to show the horse to interested adopters?
CANTER is always appreciative of any time and energy spent by Foster facilities toward finding horses new, permanent homes.  However if you are unable or are uncomfortable showing horses to prospective adopters, please let the Foster Coordinator know.  We do not ask that Foster facilities allow potential adopters to ride horses on their property.

What If I’d like to keep my foster horse?
This is a common “problem” among Foster facilities.  If you decide that you would like to keep the horse you are fostering, please let the Foster Coordinator know as soon as possible.

Additional Questions? 
Please email allie at Allie@canterusa.org
Thank you!

CANTER owned horse faqs

Where do your CANTER horses come from?
Why are these horses in your program?
Is there something wrong with the CANTER horses?
Where are the CANTER owned horses located?
Have the CANTER horses been ridden?
Do you vet the CANTER horses?
Can buyers vet CANTER horses?
Can I ride a horse before purchasing?
Can I breed a CANTER horse?
Do I get the papers for a CANTER horse I’ve purchased?
Can I sell a CANTER horse?
Who pays to ship a CANTER horse?
What if I am out of the purchase area for CANTER Mid Atlantic?
How can I set up an appointment to see a CANTER horse?
How much time off do you give to CANTER horses?
How do you select horses to go for retraining?
How do you determine price on CANTER horses?

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Where do your CANTER horses come from?
CANTER horses are typically donated to the program as space and funding allows by their owners.  In special circumstances we will take horses from other groups that have been purchased from auctions.

Why are these horses in your program?
All of our horses are in our program because they can no longer race.  Many times these horses are sound but require some time off, other times they have career-ending injuries or issues that preclude them from racing any longer.

Is there something wrong with the CANTER horses?
Many of the horses in the CANTER program are sound upon their arrival, however track soreness is a very common problem.  For that reason we insist on at least 6 weeks off before they begin work. Some of our horses have healed injuries or arthritic changes that prevent them from harder work.  CANTER makes every effort to analyze a horses soundness level and determine what the appropriate level of work will fit with the individual horse.  We can however not make any guarantees as to the long-term soundness of CANTER horses and encourage pre-purchase examinations to determine suitability for your needs.

Where are the CANTER owned horses located?
CANTER horses are located in the Mid-Atlantic area, at farms located in Frederick, MD; Poolesville, MD and Marydel Delaware.  We will try to indicate location in horse listings.

Have the CANTER horses been ridden?
This depends on the horse.  Many times we have had someone sit on them at least once to make sure they are ok with tacking up and general walking around, however our resources for regularly riding horses is limited.  Horses that have not gone for retraining have not started with regular riding.  We rely on the previous trainers for information regarding riding and operate under the assumption that racehorses are used to being ridden daily.

Do you vet the CANTER horses?
CANTER horses are not vetted upon arrival as this would be cost-prohibitive.  If we see problems with a horse a vet is called to assess that particular issue.  We rely on our experienced eye to tell us about any problems and relay any issue we may find on to potential purchasers.  Because of this we encourage potential buyers to have a Pre-Purchase Examination done.

Can buyers vet CANTER horses?
Absolutely.  For any horse that will be used for extensive riding, we ask that they have a pre-purchase exam completed.  Buyers are welcome to refuse this request, however we ask for an acknowledgement in the Bill of Sale.

Can I ride a horse before purchasing?
Riding a CANTER horse before taking it home depends on the farm they are living on.  Due to liability reasons, many of our farms only allow CANTER members to ride the horses.  We make our best effort to show the horse to its fullest abilities.  For concerns about this policy please email CANTER and we will work with you as best as we can.

Can I breed a CANTER horse?
While every effort is made to find homes that offer a career to our horses, we do allow mares to be bred for sport horse foals.  We do not allow mares to be bred to produce racehorses however.  For more explanation on this policy please email CANTER.

Do I get the papers for a CANTER horse I’ve purchased?
When papers are given to CANTER, we will send them with the purchased horse.  If you must have the papers for a horse, please ensure that you inquire as to whether the papers are available or not.

Can I sell a CANTER horse?
Our preference is that horses go to long-term to permanent homes, however we realize that lives and needs change, and horses may need to go to different homes.  Additionally we appreciate the efforts of people who retrain horses in order to give them a better education, then sell them on to loving homes.  For more information on our resell policy, please email CANTER.

Who pays to ship a CANTER horse?
CANTER does not cover the cost of shipping horses to a new home.  We can provide a list of local shippers who are happy to do so however.

What if I am out of the purchase area for CANTER Mid Atlantic?
Please email CANTER if you are outside of our 5 hour purchase radius.

How can I set up an appointment to see a CANTER horse?
Please fill out an approval questionnaire, and email CANTER to set up an appointment.  Weekend appointments or weekday evenings are the typical times available for volunteers to meet you.

How much time off do you give to CANTER horses?
All of our horses are given time off to recuperate from the stresses of racing.  For some horses this can be as little as 6 weeks, for others it can be upwards of 1 year.  In nearly all cases we are confident that horses can begin light work when they are purchased.

How do you select horses to go for retraining?
Horses selected to go to retraining farms have had sufficient time off and are sound and ready for work.  We do not discriminate which horses get retrained and which do not, quite often we simply show up at the farm and pick out the horse who seems like they are ready for a job at that moment.

How do you determine price on CANTER horses?
CANTER Mid Atlantic began a different pricing structure last year to compete with the tough horse market in the Mid Atlantic area.  We found that with the glut of horses in this market, many people wanted horses that were going well under saddle before purchasing.  Because of this, we have our horses fresh off the track priced under $1000 and horses in retraining priced above that, typically in the 3-5K range.

Our retrained horses have had at least one month of professional training, are proven safe and sound for their discipline, and are trail riding and taking off the farm trips to increase their education.  Unfortunately the retrained horses do not contribute any more money to the organization than the untrained horses due to increased monthly bills, however we feel that getting a horse educated and homed is the best chance for a good life we can give them.
Our method has proven highly successful and we have many happy customers buying horses who are all but ready to walk onto the show grounds.

Additional Questions? 
Please email allie at Allie@canterusa.org
Thank you!