As has been my practice I'll post articles on Horse Rescues. This one, Rough Start Horse Rescue, is located in Eastern Washington and serves Spokane, Lincoln, Stevens Counties, Northern Idaho and the surrounding areas.
From their Web Site:
Rough Start Horse Rescue, is a 501c3 non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of Neglected, Starved, and Abused horses. We accept owner surrender, abandoned, and police confiscated horses and other animals as the need arises. We provide Rehabilitation, Education, and Adoption Services, as well as Programs for Veterans and Special Needs Children. We promote and teach horse care and humane, natural methods of training for horses.
All adoption fees are put back into the rescue in order to support future horses that need assistance. We are a fully volunteer organization which means all donations go right to the horses no person gets paid for working at the rescue. Once an adoption fee has been set, we will not take less than the listed price. We typically invest far more than what we can adopt such horse/s for and do not have room to barter on adoption fee's.
Remember, you are helping rescued horses. Adoption fees are based upon the amount of treatment and care that went into each horse. Fee's are also based upon the horses age, temperament, registration and whether or not the horse is trained to ride. All adoption fees are due and must be paid, when adopter is approved and has agreed to adopt said horse(s).
Please keep in mind that when you are adopting a rescue horse that you should plan to make this a life long companion. Typically horses that are treated appropriately can live to be 35 years of age and older. We want to find each Rescued Horse a Loving, Forever Home.
Rough Start Horse Rescue is 100% volunteer based, we currently do not have any administrative cost, 100% of your donation will go directly to the horses care.
ROUGH START TO ......GREENER PASTURES
Rough Start Horse Rescue
Phone Number: 509-796-2660
Mailing Address..... P.O Box 141031, Spokane Valley, WA 99214
As we all know, caring for horses is expensive,....feed, vet and farrier care, etc. Rough Start accepts donations mailed to their address, via Pay Pal on their website, or directly to Ponti Vet Clinic, at (509)-922-7465, who provides the necessary vet care.
If most of us could donate $20 which would buy 50 lbs of feed or $30 which is the cost of a farrier's trim, the horses at Rough Start could be ensured some more quality care. I'll start this off and donate $30 per Pay Pal. Please visit the Rough Start site and consider consider donating. It's worth it to read their site and see how they got started in the Horse Rescue business.
Rough Start also has a fund raiser where they are selling t-shirts and sweat shirts with a humorous logo. Go here to see.
These guys typically take in more horses than they can feed or train and rely on begging from the community for help. The owner is known to be dishonest and "hires" dishonest people who should never be allowed around children or helpless animals. Not a safe bet for your money!!!
ReplyDeleteAs a volunteer, and parent of 2 youth program kids, it saddens me to see comments like these. I’m happy to give a firsthand report of just what we see when we’re out at the rescue.
DeleteThis year the staff at Rough Start opened their year-round youth program to over 20 children, countless more young adults, and many more parents who stand, full time at the sidelines each week for practice at the rescue itself. Many of us found them through public advertising and word of mouth. As parents, each of us are careful about who we let our children spend time with. We all feel the rescue is giving both our children and these horses an awesome gift.
I think 4 or 5 horses have been adopted to families in the youth program and some continue to trailer those particular horses out each week because they have loved the program so much. People who were once strangers coming back each week is a wonderful testament in itself of how valuable this program and rescue organization is.
Furthermore, staff at the rescue hauled somewhere close to 35 horses to the Spokane fair this year. This is just one of a handful of fairs they participated in with their youth program. All so the kids who otherwise would have no chance, are able to be a part of a horse’s life. The kids took home ribbons for showmanship, halter classes, and everyone even came together in the most fun way to decorate the horses for the costume contests. Some of the kids with appropriate skill level, were even able to ride in the advanced classes. In addition to benefiting these kids, this was also a huge benefit to the horses needing forever homes. You can see a running count of the horses they’ve found homes for on their website.
Many families participate in the youth program year around instead of putting the kids in school activities because the kids would much rather be involved with the horses.
Before painting this rescue with such a negative brush, please think about what it takes to run a youth program of that size - there are countless adults involved watching the rescue. 40+ adults don't just hand their kids over to people you make them out to be. Parents are there each week for practice out at the rescue, cheering their kids on. We as parents would be the first to confront anything dishonest or unethical happening.
I encourage anyone who is curious to go out and meet the folks running the rescue. Of course, you won’t see perfection. What you will see is a working rescue and rehabilitation operation working in many directions to keep this rescue going strong.
Some horses come in needing lots of food, some come in needing medical care, dental care, hoof care, some needing to be gelded, some come in pregnant, and some come in who have had little to no training. What we’ve loved to see is the horses that are spending their senior years patiently teaching kids like mine. Another amazing thing to see are horses who come in discarded and disconnected leave with bonds to the kids who’ve loved them in the program, and go on to families who will love them for a lifetime.
The rescue works to provide care for each of these animals. If the horses don’t find an adoptive home, Rough Start doesn’t just discard an animal who has given its life in service of humans, it stands by that animal and gives it the best they have to offer.
Please, go spend some time with them, give the horses some of your time, volunteer for a couple days before making judgement. Not only are they reasonable folks who want to succeed, but our community really needs the many services they work so hard to provide.
Rough start doesn't just discard an animal? What do you call shooting a horse because it doesn't want to be handled roughly? If they could put horses in kennels before subjecting them to a firing squad(as they do with the pigs) they certainly would. Anything to save a buck. Their supporters are all too scared or ignorant to defend them further. Or maybe they just wised up.
DeleteIt's nice to see others know the truth about Rough Start! They can fool quite a few people but they are two of the most self absorbed and insecure people you could ever have the displeasure of dealing with. They do what appears to be great things because that is the only way they can recieve validation that they are good people. Truthfully, they are unapologetic scum!
ReplyDeleteTrue. It takes balls and brains to run a rescue. The male owner is painfully lacking in both departments...the intelligence aspect is apparent to all but noone feels the need to greatly exaggerate the size of their brain, ladies!
ReplyDeleteAs a manager at the local country store, I can tell you that any account applications that Rough Start (or anyone directly associated with them) attempts to submit for either credit or donations, will go straight into the round bin! They solicited donations for fire victims long after their help was no longer needed and they have a reputation for not paying their bills. You cannot operate a rescue or any business on credit or fraudulent appeals..
ReplyDeleteThese guys may not be perfect (nobody is), but they work hard to make a difference in the lives of horses and families.
ReplyDeleteI challenge all of you to contact the rescue and put your heart into giving encouraging and positive feedback so they can grow to become even more amazing. Negative vile comments left on the internet do nothing to help.
They really give their best, if you have any doubts, show up for their youth program and see what they provide free of charge to our community. That's just one way they give back in an incredible way. Parents are involved, and have so much great feedback as well.
Some of the negative comments here are just ridiculous.
I suppose those parents don't know what mental illness looks like. The people who run this rescue are hopelessly sick. It is mind blowing how well they hide it.
DeleteI disagree with the above statement. Most people see soon enough that neither one of them is honest, kind, or selfless...unless it is witnessed, or put on the news or Facebook. Anyone who doesn't see through the act is living in denial. neither one of them is a decent human being and they never have been.
DeleteAs someone who has spent time at the rescue and with the owners I find the above slanderous comments ridiculous. I'm not sure what any of you were trying to get across. When did the country store start providing product on credit? As someone who has bought items from the country store and left it there for Rough Start is find that comment extremely concerning,and find that as a very dishonest practice. Rough Starts youth program is amazing and gives the children such an amazing opportunity. They help haul livestock out of the wildfires at no cost to the fire victims, they gather donations and take supplies to those who were affected by the fires. They are one of the only rescues in our area who dare against all odds to take in large numbers of horses when needed. I believe all who volunteer with Rough Start as well as their founders to be upstanding people. And since we are all commenting anonymous. My name is Anna.
ReplyDeleteIf all these parents have so much confidence in how upstanding they are...leave your little girl alone with him and see how fast she runs to his side- I dare you!
ReplyDeleteSeriously! What kind of man uses his own rescue to target vulnerable and underage girls? Only a real creep like Jay Freeman would take advantage and try to justify his actions by saying she came onto him. Then he lets his woman attack the girl. Only a pedophile does this sort of thing repeatedly without any guilt and then brags about getting away with it. It's criminal that he still walks free
DeleteP.s. "Anna", you might want to try spellcheck the next time you think using an alias lends credibility - your spelling and grammar gave you away. You (the owner of the rescue) can't play spin doctor for your own publicity. That's not how it works...
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ReplyDeleteAs a former volunteer I have to say it is only slander if it isn't true. Most parents don't stay to watch their children and if they were paying attention they would see how the owners don't even supervise their own kids. They won't be watching yours. Also, anyone try doing a background check? Look at how many and especially what kind of businesses she has run before the rescue. It will open your eyes. And if they were actively training horses, why did they have to go buy broke ones for the youth program when they had over 50 of their own. How many of their horses are slapped or shot for biting? Is that a training technique? If they are so great, why can't they keep the same volunteers year after year? She gets a cult like following and then she talks about everyone behind their back. And I do mean everyone. If she knew what she was doing why did all the comments get removed from krem 2 website after someone called her out on her claimed condition of the tum tum horses. The vet contradicted her and she denied saying it. Too bad it's on tape. Her commenting on this page as Anna is funny and really typical of her. For a rescue that touts transparency, they are hiding alot.
ReplyDeleteU guys should ignore that manager from the country store!!we love it when that gomer from the rescue comes in so we can fight over who has to deal with him. Havent got the short straw yet. When sweet SIdney from Rough start came to work for us we got to watch her tease gomer and how they hung all over each other when they didn't think anyone was looking. True priceless entertainment! Must be embarrassing for this guy's wife though and for Sidney having to hide it from her. Talk about a soap opera
ReplyDeleteThe number 1 way to know if you are dealing with a legitimate and honest rescue is to see how they respond to being questioned. If comments are deleted off their page for no apparent reason, and when all the comments are removed from a public news sight, if people who question the conditions animals are kept in are blocked from their social media page, then you should hold onto your money until you find a rescue that is transparent. There is a review of this rescue describing their cover up attempts with the Tum Tum horses so I know the information is out there. I think people are just plain tired of having the wool pulled over their eyes. Anyone reading this, please look at their responses in the media and on their website, or the lack thereof. The latter is even more telling!
ReplyDeleteThe number 1 way to know if you are dealing with a legitimate and honest rescue is to see how they respond to being questioned. If comments are deleted off their page for no apparent reason, and when all the comments are removed from a public news sight, if people who question the conditions animals are kept in are blocked from their social media page, then you should hold onto your money until you find a rescue that is transparent. There is a review of this rescue describing their cover up attempts with the Tum Tum horses so I know the information is out there. I think people are just plain tired of having the wool pulled over their eyes. It is an unfortunate world we live in when a former prostitute finds it more profitable to con people into donating so she can have NO taxable income. There isnt much horse rescuing, training, or rehoming being done! Anyone reading this, please look at their responses in the media and on their website, or the lack thereof. The latter is even more telling!
ReplyDeleteWhen one useless pile of human trash finds another and forms a rescue- now, isn't that special. Most people can't stand either one of them, did u think they could hold down real jobs???
ReplyDeleteAll these reviews just show that if you cannot run your own life well, you certainly should not be forcing animals to endure horrible circumstances because the donations they bring in are your only means if survival
DeleteKind of funny so many comments are made anonymously and so much slander going on, and no one will put their face out or talk to then directly...
ReplyDelete