Horses - Saddle Up!

Our Horses

Freedom has four legs.

Our horses are vital partners in making a difference in the lives of our participating children. Saddle Up! horses are “a breed apart” – very special animals carefully selected for their talents and temperament and trained for their roles. Meet our therapeutic horses below – a variety of breeds and sizes – all qualified to be partners and special friends for our children. We have several more horses and ponies in training, looking for their opportunity to join these special mounts.

Do you have a horse that will benefit our participants?

Saddle Up! relies heavily on equine donations and free leases to provide safe and effective services. Due to the population we serve, we are looking for equines who will be able to happily and safely serve our participants for many years. Saddle Up! is dedicated to providing quality care to their equines through nutrition, training, conditioning, veterinarian and farrier care, as well as individualized retirement plans.

In order for Saddle Up! to consider your equine for donation/free lease, please CLICK HERE to review the donation/free lease information and complete the application form. We ask that you complete the information to the best of your ability. If any information is unknown, please be sure to let us know on the appropriate section of the application. Once you have completed the application, please email it to lwood@saddleupnashville.org or fax it to (615) 794-7973. Please allow 7-10 business days for staff to receive and review the application. If you haven’t been contacted by a staff person after 7-10 business days, please feel free to contact the main office at (615) 794-1150 and ask to speak with Lindsey Wood.

Horse Donation/Free Lease Criteria

To be considered for our program equines must be…

Between the ages of five and nineteen.
No less than 11 hands tall (44 inches) and no more than 17 hands high (68 inches).
Sound with no physical limitations.
Able to walk, trot, and canter with smooth transitions between each, if above thirteen hands.
Forgiving of inexperienced and/or unbalanced riders.
Obedient to both voice and leg signals.
Quiet and well-mannered on the ground.
Accepting of assistive devices and equipment.
Comfortable with a variety of handlers and experiences.
Experienced with mounted riders for a minimum of 2 years.
Saddle Up! can NOT consider or accept stallions or pregnant mares.

To be considered for our program equine owners must…

Give Saddle Up! access to a complete medical record history and permission to consult with current veterinarian.
Be able to take the equine back during the 90-day trial in the event that it does not meet program standards.

Are you interested in adopting a Saddle Up! horse when they retire?

Thank you so much for showing interest in adopting a Saddle Up! horse. Saddle Up! horses are very special. They have worked this special job as a therapy horse for part of their life, and in most cases have had a job before! Retired Saddle Up! horses are looking for a loving, forever home with great care. Horses retire from Saddle Up! with different needs and different levels of use.

Please review our Adoption and Retirement Process for more information and then you can CLICK HERE to express interest in adopting a Saddle Up! horse. If you don’t have a specific horse in mind, that is okay, you can leave that question blank.