Boulder County nonprofit Colorado Horse Rescue is committed to helping horses live safe lives. However, like other animal rescue organizations, there’s only so much room the nonprofit has to accomplish this mission.

Colorado Horse Rescue is currently at capacity with 60 horses on its 50-acre property west of Longmont. The nonprofit provides adoptions as well as rehabilitation and training to the horses in its care.

This year, Colorado Horse Rescue has more horse owners on its waitlist than usual. The owners on the waitlist might have one or multiple horses seeking a new home at the rescue. The nonprofit can usually accept up to four horses at once, but bigger groups are often split up with staggered arrival times.

Last year, on average, there were typically about 25 people on the waitlist. As of Tuesday, though, there were 40 horse owners waiting to surrender their horses to Colorado Horse Rescue.

“For this calendar year, certainly, that’s kind of been our running average,” said Rachel Corbman, equine services director at the rescue.

Corbman said Colorado Horse Rescue is the “biggest and most obvious” choice for surrendering horses in northern Colorado.

She said she’s not sure if the waitlist is longer because there are more horses in need of rehoming, or because the rescue has become more visible over the years.

“I think it’s a combination,” she said.

Colorado Horse Rescue staff have also seen more horses come into their care via the Annie Project, a program that safely retires dude and guest ranch horses. Out of the 110 horses that Colorado Horse Rescue took in during 2024, 34 were from Annie Project partner ranches.

“That is also dramatically affecting this waitlist,” Corbman explained. “It’s a great program, and that’s one of our current challenges — figuring out how to balance that with all of these private owner requests.”

Horses come to Colorado Horse Rescue through various channels. Many come from private owners, while others are brought to the rescue after animal control seizures. Occasionally, Colorado Horse Rescue staff will travel to public livestock auctions and bid against kill buyers.

Private owners might hand over their horses because they are moving or dealing with a medical emergency. Sometimes, the horse is the one dealing with an illness or injury that its owner can’t manage. Older horses also come to the rescue to retire from their riding careers.

Most of the time, financial issues determine an owner’s decision to part with their horse, Corbman said. It costs Colorado Horse Rescue an average of $500 per month to care for one horse on its property, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“We really try to look at people’s situations,” Corbman said. “The people that are out there, for the most part, really do want to take good care of their animals. We want to work with good people and make sure their horses stay safe.”

Corbman chooses which horses to move up on the waitlist based on the owner’s needs. Owners who need to rehome their horses immediately often take priority, which places other owners below them on the list.

“We just need to make sure they don’t end up waiting indefinitely,” Corbman said.

Colorado Horse Rescue accepts donations, and people may volunteer their time to help with ranch work. The nonprofit had over 220 volunteers in 2024. Available horses are also listed online at chr.org/adoption">chr.org/adoption. Colorado Horse Rescue charges adoption fees for its horses.

“With the help of our community, we forge ahead to meet the record-level demand for our services and ensure that every horse in need receives the care and second chance they deserve,” Katherine Gregory, CEO of Colorado Horse Rescue, wrote in an email to the Times-Call.

Colorado Horse Rescue is at 10386 N. 65th St. To learn more, visit chr.org.