Foster a Horse

The perfect program for horse lovers with additional time who can dedicate love and care to the recovery of individual at-risk horses.

Fostering a horse is an incredible opportunity to have a real impact on the life of horses who have faced neglect, abuse and exploitation.

By fostering, you assist in the direct care of your foster baby and assist with medical treatments, stable management, feeding and handling.

THESE BABIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FOSTERING

All these horses have suffered terrible abuse and need your help. They have been sponsored by people who do not have the time nor the expertise to assist in their care and recovery.

HOW FOSTERING WORKS

There’s nothing better than knowing you’re making a real difference to the life of an abused or neglected horse.

How do I foster a horse?

Here’s how it works:

Choose one of the horses from those displayed above in the “THESE BABIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FOSTERING} section to the individual horse page.
Here you’ll find everything we have on the chosen horse – backstory, basic details (age, sex, colour, height), it’s traiged condition, full health assessment, treatment plan and any behavioural issues we’ve observed.
Once you’ve found the horse you’d like to foster click “Foster Here!” and go through to the fostering page.
Complete your details including information about your availability and we’ll contact you to discuss how you want to proceed.

How much does fostering cost?

Nothing. The treatment cost and upkeep of the horse is covered by the horse’s sponsor.
The Sanctuary provides all the equipment you’ll need to look after the horse. Your gift to the abused horse is time and love.
If you’d like to bring extra treats for your foster baby, then I’m sure they’d love them (we just check with the vet first to make sure they fit the nutrition plan).

What happens once I foster a horse?

We agree the care routine with you. You should be aware that most most care activities occur in the mornings. The routine usually runs to:

Preparing daily meals, snacks and hay nets,
Maintaining the horse’s stall and yard,
Assisting with first aid, farrier and veterinary procedures,
Grooming and horse care, and
Training if the horse’s condition allows.

You are provided with :

A complete background of the rescued horse,
an assessment of the horse’s health and welfare status,
the full treatment plan – once the medical team has agreed the assessment,
all the supporting documentation related to the background of the horse.

You’ll also receive:

a framed foster certificate (unless you just want the .pdf version which saves us a bit of money), and
weekly recovery emails, with photos, so you can keep track of the progress your horse is making.

Once a quarter, we hold a sponsor and foster-only debrief morning tea where we exchange treatment and management ideas and discuss treatment options with some of the best equine medical experts across the globe. If you can’t attend, happy for you to Teams in!

What if I’m not experienced with horses?

No problem at all. We provide full training to people with a love for horses, but not much experience.
We match you with a horse who suits your level of experience and the amount of time you can offer.
The most important elements of fostering a horse is love, time and consistency.

Why are evidence-based protocols important?

We use evidence-based protocols, manuals and checklists to help rescue practitioners to efficiently deliver triage, recovery, rehabilitation and re-herding therapies to at-risk horses.
This means when horses are rescued and brought to the Sanctuary, they are triaged by Sanctuary staff and the veterinary team to determine a treatment plan using standard diagnostic and triage procedures.
Trained volunteers follow the treatment plan and the evidence-based protocols which results in consistent and more precise care for the rescued horses and decreased treatment cost.
Our veterinary team signs off on on the assessments within the protocols to ensure horses are correctly diagnosed.

Are joint fosterships available?

Of course. We invite community, family, joint or corporate foster carers.
The most important consideration is consistency. Horses need constant attention, so once a commitment to the horse is accepted, it’s important the commitment is maintained.

SPONSOR WITH CONFIDENCE

Our Sponsor a Horse program works. We use world-class triage, recovery, rehabilitation and re-homing protocols to determine the exact cost of horse treatment and recovery.

100% transparent

100% of funds

100% better outcomes

100% accountable

FOSTER SUCCESS STORIES

Fostering a horse means building a relationship with an abused or exploited horse and helping it recover both physically and psychologically. Your close contact with the horse builds trust and confidence and is the most effective and rewarding way to help give an abused or injured horse a safe future.

Thanks to the gifts of time and love, these horses are now thriving in their new home:

NSS-016 Lisa

NSS-015 Neeve

NSS-014 Lily

NSS-013 Annie

NSS-012 DeeDee

NSS-011 FiFi

NSS-010 Clarabelle

NSS-009 Arabella

See all our success stories here!

LIKE TO GET INVOLVED AT THE SANCTUARY?

DONATE

Naturaliste Sanctuary relies on charitable donations to fund its work. All of your donations are applied directly and fully to rescue activities. More information is here!

FOSTER

Fostering a horse means becoming their family. You provide essential assistance with everyday tasks – medical procedures, feeding, grooming, stable care – while the horse is recuperating at the Sanctuary. More information is here!

SPONSOR

A gift that changes lives. By sponsoring a rescued horse you will be part of the rehabilitation journey, receiving regular updates about how your horse is recovering. More information is here!

VOLUNTEER

We have loads of fun, rewarding and interesting volunteer roles from horse rescue to working in the Naturaliste Garden to undertaking much needed projects in the Naturaliste Shed. We’d love you to join us. More information is here!

Foster a Horse

THESE BABIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FOSTERING

NSS-001 Template

NSS-002 Panders

NSS-003 Darryl

HOW FOSTERING WORKS

SPONSOR WITH CONFIDENCE

FOSTER SUCCESS STORIES

NSS-016 Lisa

NSS-015 Neeve

NSS-014 Lily

NSS-013 Annie

NSS-012 DeeDee

NSS-011 FiFi

NSS-010 Clarabelle

NSS-009 Arabella

LIKE TO GET INVOLVED AT THE SANCTUARY?

DONATE

FOSTER

SPONSOR

VOLUNTEER

PLEASE JOIN US!

SUPPORT US!

Join us at Harvest Day

Sunday, January 4, 2026

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