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Trainers and Horses
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Richard Hames with Avenger (Bonus Team)

by T. Creamer
Posted on May 9, 2018July 26, 2018

Vote for this TEAM HERE to help them win FAN FAVORITE Richard Hames –…

Trainers and Horses
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Youth Trainer Caity Sammons with Domino

by T. Creamer
Posted on May 9, 2018July 18, 2018

Vote for this TEAM HERE to help them win FAN FAVORITE Caity – Kentucky…

Trainers and Horses
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Become a FACE OFF Trainer in 2020

by T. Creamer
Posted on May 8, 2018February 7, 2020

The FACE Off and Open Fun Show is in Winfield, WV on August 24 and 25th:
https://www.facebook.com/events/189865131753513/?event_time_id=189865151753511

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Winter drags on, and the need to step in for horses continues daily. During times like these, I always think of how much we need of monthly donors to depend on! You may notice HOP rarely posts emergency donation posts to be able to go in and save a horse. This is become we have a great sustaining donor base that gives each month from $5-$500 time and again through our automatic donation options. No matter how much you can give, the fact that you DO give is priceless and saves the lives of horses. When you read this, if you’re not giving monthly already, we want to help MORE horses this year than ever before. We cannot do it unless we grow our monthly supporter base. So please consider if that is something you can make part of your routine, and I promise you will never regret it! As a thank you to those already supporting and as an encouragement to those considering becoming donors. You can mail a monthly donation to Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue, INC PO box 81 Shoals, WV 25562 Or make is super easy by signing up directly through this link: https://www.wvhorserescue.org/donate/ and just click "Make this a monthly donation." Again, most donors give $5-$20 a month, so please never feel you can't give enough. That you give what you can is all that matters.

Meet Ashley He is not a HOP horse, but he was rescued by page followers, Marco and Carine in Belgium! They wanted to share his awesome transformation, and we did, too! Swipe over! #horses_of_instagram #belgium #transformation #beforeandafter #horses

From Forward Focus Driving Center "We congratulate Cheryl Bess for completing her first competition with her rescue horse Bugg! Yesterday Cheryl and Bugg did the training horse combined test at the Florida Spring Fling." Bugg was adopted from HOP about 3 years ago! #therighthorse #adopt

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.

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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equinerescue@live.com