Appalachian Trainer Face Off

Trainers Changing the Lives of Adoptable Horses in a Regional Competition

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2020 ATFO: Learn More
- The 2019 Appalachian Trainer Face Off was a smash success.
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About THE FACE OFF
- Heart of Phoenix
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Swipe over to see his after! "The main thing that has caught my attention (and I guess you could say that I have always believed this but HOP has driven it home) is the commitment to teaching people that rescue is a viable option for horses and people in need. Horses in particular seem to get labeled as "broken beyond repair" when the word "rescue" is spoken. I think it has to do with the mindset of those that still believe in the bombproof horse scenario...It is imperative that people understand how unfair that expectation is to the horse. " Melissa Jane Wiles It seems that our messages Are getting through and we are thrilled to get positive feedback from our followers! Together with the #righthorse we are working hard to change the stigma surrounding the horse in transition. A perfectly regular horse who once upon a time had people fail him and needed a rescue hero and now (once rehabbed) needs a loving forever home. #optoadopt #arescueismybestie

Because most draft horses have a much calmer nature and a slower metabolism than light horses they are apt to burn far less calories than their less bulky contemporaries. However, their large size tends to make people surmise that they must be fed more than say a typical quarter horse. This is not true in most cases. A high percentage of draft horses are actually what is known as "an easy keeper". Many draft horses can actually be maintained on pasture or good hay and free choice minerals alone or on the aforementioned with a bit of a ration balancer. I personally have a Friesian/Percheron cross and he eats the least out of all the horses on my farm. In warmer months he is well maintained in a 3.5 acre field with non manicured grass, a salt block and high quality, free choice loose minerals. In the winter months he gets flakes of hay added to his diet and even then he doesn't consume a great deal to maintain his weight. The exception being on very, very cold days or wet, windy cold days when I feed him quite a bit to keep him warm. Adult draft horses should be fed a total intake between 1.5% and 3% of their body weight daily with a minimum of 1.5% of their body weight in forage. Care must be taken not to tip the draft over into laminitis and the owner should always be watching for fat deposits, cresty necks, or a crease running along the top of the rump. For those who are often overweight or have had a laminitic attack in the past, a careful watch on sugar content should be employed. Some drafts are prone to polysaccharide storage myopathy or PSSM is a debilitating disease that drafts can be prone to. Drafts prone to PSSM will definitely need to avoid diets high in starch (though all horse breeds should stay away from starchy diets) as this will cause severe muscle pain in them, rendering them very reluctant to move. Obesity is often a problem in the draft and extra efforts may need to be made to keep them in the right weight. Some of these methods include the use of the grazing muzzle, dry lots, track paddock systems, slow feeder hay nets, and watching what time of day a draft is put to pasture. Exercise is always the draft horse's friend.

Heart of Phoenix is a little different from other rescues and the feedback from our followers shows the difference is appreciated! (These are the actual follower's shiny horses) Not only do we want to encourage adoption, but we also want to facilitate stellar horse care in a practical and economic way. Together with the #righthorse we are working to build a strong community of horse owners and adopters who will have many years of wonderful partnership with their heart horse! If you are looking for a new best friend adopt your #RIGHTHORSE from a reputable rescue and adventure forth!

The concept is simple:

Operating in one of the nation’s most economically challenged regions, Heart of Phoenix found through necessity there was a need to create innovative ways to get a large number of horses trained and adopted each year on a small budget. Our answer to this was the Appalachian Trainer Face Off, a training competition that began in 2017. It was inspired by watching the success of the Extreme Mustang Makeover events.

August 23^rd of this year wrapped up our 3^rd year of the “ATFO,” and it closed as the largest equine event in West Virginia, with over 1,000 people in attendance of the full two days of the competition. This event has helped make a rescue organization an equine leader in our state.

The event partners horses previously without much hope of adoption for 100 days with trainers from May through August yearly. Many of the horses are rounded up entirely unhandled. Trainers apply and go through a screening process, and horses are vetted and cleared beforehand. These horsemen and women work with their horses to offer accomplished, willing equine partners up for adoption and document their process strategically on social media. The photos, stories and videos required create a vested interest by the public in the success of each horse, trainer and the “ATFO.”

Trainers then compete for 2 days in August to showcase all they have accomplished with their horses. In the end, the trainers showcase their skills, horses gain training, most go into approved adoptive homes in an auction format event the end where fees range from $600 to $8,000. There are prize packages made possible by the ASPCA, Buckeye Nutrition, Excel Supplements and other equine sponsors. Vendors set up and nationally known clinicians, such a Josh Lyons, Michael Lyons and Patrick King have stepped up as judges.

We have watched the Appalachian Trainer Face Off get nearly 80 horses equines into homes with foundations under them, prove the value of the adoptable horses and highlight excellent trainers. The trainers leave the event with a new partnership with the us, as well, that continues to give back through the months and years after each event ends. They also happily market their adoption horses and the organization standing behind them, which helps further cement Heart of Phoenix as a worthwhile part of the horse industry in Appalachia. It helps the public realize considering adoption first makes a lot of sense.

Like many of the things we do here in Appalachia, we wanted to make sure this event offered a return in a multitude of ways, so while the primary goals are training and adoption of horses, additional benefits are increasing our name recognition across the area, gaining training partners that last once the event ends each year and making adoption extremely mainstream within the horse community.

Heart of Phoenix believes when faced with uncommon adversity, you should try to not only make sure all efforts create a great deal of impact, but that we also need to make certain we are tackling multiple issues at once. We have found the Appalachian Trainer Face Off has accomplished so many things that leads to better view of what horse rescue means, what adoption should look like and how the horse industry can help us help horses in a meaningful way.

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About Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue

Heart of Phoenix is a partner of the Right Horse Initiative. Starting in 2009 and founding formally in 2012, “HOP” was the only rescue in the state of West Virginia for many years and is now the leading equine organization of any kind there. They believe in “working together to improve the lives of horses in transition through a dialogue of kindness and respect.” They collaborate with over 40 trainers in Appalachian and beyond to make more horses adoptable. There efforts help shatter any stigma and reframe the conversation around equine adoption in order to massively increase horse adoption in the United States. To learn more, visit www.wvhorserescue.org.

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