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EQUUS Foundation Releases Annual Report Highlighting National Impact on Equine Welfare
More than two decades of advancing standards, strengthening organizations, and safeguarding horses at every stage of life
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The EQUUS Foundation has released its latest Annual Report, highlighting the organization's continued leadership in protecting America's horses and strengthening the charities dedicated to their lifelong care. Readers are invited to view the full report online at equusfoundation.org/annual-report.
Founded in 2002, the EQUUS Foundation was created to address a critical gap in equine welfare. Horses in transition were often vulnerable to neglect, abuse, or the slaughter pipeline, and their owners lacked reliable tools to identify responsible, high-quality organizations worthy of their support.
From its inception, the Foundation recognized that meaningful protection for horses required more than rescue alone - it required standards, transparency, education, and sustained investment in operational excellence.
Today, more than twenty years later, the EQUUS Foundation is a nationally recognized charity and accrediting body dedicated to ensuring that America's horses can continue to partner with people as companions, teachers, and healers long after their sport careers have ended. The organization empowers equine charities to operate with accountability and the highest standards of horse care, inspires horse lovers to become horse protectors through advocacy and volunteerism, and educates the public about our shared responsibility to the horses who enrich our lives.
In the past year alone, with the support of donors and partners, the EQUUS Foundation helped strengthen the care and futures of more than 4,200 horses, donkeys, and mules nationwide. These outcomes reflect a long-term commitment to quality, capacity-building, and innovative collaborations that connect horses and people through support of equine charities providing both Equine Transition Services and Equine Assisted Services. In 2025, the EQUUS Foundation provided support to 139 charities.
The Foundation is also committed to expanding access so more people can benefit from horses, while helping ensure a skilled workforce to care for them—both of which are essential to creating a humane and sustainable future for horses.
Through its Equine Studies Scholarship program, the EQUUS Foundation supports the next generation of equine professionals. In 2025, $40,000 in scholarships were awarded to 33 undergraduate- and graduate-level students enrolled in equine studies and veterinary programs at 22 public and private institutions listed on the EQUUS Foundation's Equine Education Network.
Through its Rider's Closet program, the EQUUS Foundation increases access to the equestrian sport. In 2025, the Foundation distributed more than 11,500 items of free riding apparel to over 1,000 recipients.
At its core, the Foundation's work is about how horses are treated. As more horses exit competitive careers and communities increasingly seek the healing power of horse–human connections, demand for safe, ethical, and financially sustainable equine organizations continues to grow. Meeting that demand - and protecting horses at every stage of life - requires engaged leadership and continued philanthropic support.
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ABOUT EQUUS FOUNDATION: The EQUUS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2002, is the only national animal welfare charity and accrediting body in the United States that is 100% dedicated to equine welfare with the dual mission to protect America's horses from peril and strengthen the bond between people and horses. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contact the EQUUS Foundation, Inc., at 168 Long Lots Road, Westport, CT 06880, Tele: (203) 259-1550, E-Mail: mail@equusfoundation.org. Visit: equusfoundation.org.
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