Talk about a bomb-proof horse opportunity!! If I lived there, I’d seriously consider giving a home to these very parade-exposed and desensitized horses!
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NEW ORLEANS — Horses and riders are staple of any Mardi Gras parade, but sometimes those horses do not have homes after the parades are over. Three organizations are hoping to change that.
The Humane Society of Louisiana, Cascade Stables and Barney’s Farm Sanctuary is teaming up to find new owners for 16 parade horses after Mardi Gras.
For many years, Cascade Stables rented out their horses to Mardi Gras krewes for walking and float-filled parades. But as demand grew, the stables had to start buying more than a dozen horses from brokers to fulfill the demand.
After Mardi Gras was over, the stables would have more horses than it could care for and those unadopted horses would be sold back to brokers. Those brokers- whose job is to buy and sell horses – would sometimes resell those horses at auction and some would end up being sold for slaughter.
The 2019 carnival season will be the third year that the organizations have teamed up for a formal adoption program. Since the program began, 32 parade horses have been adopted and saved from an uncertain future and not a single horse has been resold to a broker for slaughter.
“This program is truly a life-saver for these wonderful creatures, some of whom have faced uncertain futures in past years,” HSL director Jeff Dorson said.
The humane society forms a volunteer group which is responsible for photographing each horse and creating a profile for each animal online. Those volunteers then manage a Facebook page which showcases the horses.
Volunteer counselors than review adoption applications and meet with prospective families to find out if they are a good fit. Adoption fees are collected and turned over to Cascade Stables to help them care and house all of their horses.
This year, the humane society is partnering with Barney’s Farm in Washington Parish to provide additional support for this year’s horses.
For more information, click here to visit the Humane Society of Louisiana’s website.
LOOK at THEIR FB PAGE!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
HOW DO I APPLY TO ADOPT A HORSE?
Fill out an application that you can find here: https://drive.google.com/…/1hi0Qs-BsHMSivmrx47AYvfjXY…/view…. Email your application to mardigrashorses2017@gmail.com. You must have at least 3 references for us to process your application. If you don’t own horses, please include any other animals you own and the vet reference for those animals. If you don’t have references with phone numbers, we will not process your application.
HOW CAN I SEE THE HORSES BEFORE I DECIDE?
We only allow approved applications to go to the stable to meet the horses.
ARE THE HORSES SOUND?
Yes. The students at the stable ride the horses throughout the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras Parades.
I SEE HORSES ARE BEING MARKED ADOPTED AND IT’S NOT EVEN MARDI GRAS.
The horses are pre-adopted before Mardi Gras to make it easier for them to leave as soon as the parades are over. It takes us a few days to process the applications and approve them. So it’s necessary to do the adoption process now so adopters can arrange transport the following days after Mardi Gras. A deposit must be put down via Venmo once your application is approved to hold the horse and mark him/her adopted. It is first come first served.
WHAT ARE THE ADOPTION FEES?
The adoption fee is listed on each horse’s post.
WHERE ARE THE HORSES LOCATED?
New Orleans, Louisiana.
WHO ARRANGES TRANSPORT?
The adopter is responsible for arranging transport. Locally and close to the New Orleans area, we can probably help find someone local at a cheaper price. Once the deposit is put down, the remaining adoption fee is paid upon pickup. The horses are able to be picked up on Wednesday, March 6th the day after Mardi Gras and must be picked up by Sunday, March 10th.
WHICH HORSES ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION?
The horses for the 2019 Parade Season are tags MG36-MG51. Once the horse is adopted, we will mark it ***ADOPTED*** on their main post on the page.
IF YOU ADOPT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! These horses look like very good citizens.
