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Appalachian Trainer Face Off

Trainers Changing the Lives of Adoptable Horses from Appalachia in a National Competition

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“Well most people don’t know because I literally haven’t told anyone but I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago so I haven’t been able to ride at all and doing any groundwork is a struggle.

Ferrari with his little girl 💕

Ask any trainer, they would rather train a blank slate than a horse with a "bag" of issues.

Incredible, Living Saving Innovation

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.

The ATFO currently is the largest equine event in West Virginia, hosting over 1,000 people in attendance over the course of the 3 day August event each year.

This event has helped make a rescue organization an equine leader in our state.

The ATFO horses previously without much hope of adoption for 100 days with trainers from May through August.

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 3 days in August to showcase all they have accomplished with their horses. In the end, the trainers showcase their skills, horses gain training, and most go into approved adoptive homes in an auction format event the end where fees went as high as $13,000, as of 2020.

Adopters are pre-approved and adopted through adoption agreements.

There are prize packages made possible by the ASPCA and other sponsors. Nationally known clinicians, such a Josh Lyons, Michael Lyons and Patrick King have stepped up as judges. We also have a nice array of vendors.

The Appalachian Trainer Face Off has seen remarkable numbers of equines into homes with solid foundations under them, proven the value of the adoptable horses and highlighted 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.

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 dozens and dozens of trainers across this country 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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equinerescue@live.com

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