Help Bring Brandy and George to Main Stay

With your support, we can bring Brandy and George to the farm and continue providing meaningful, life-changing experiences for the individuals that we serve.

Main Stay has been privileged to partner with some truly remarkable horses over the years, each of whom has played a vital role in our mission. As many of our beloved equine team members reach retirement age, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. While we have been diligently seeking new herd members, the current landscape makes this a challenging endeavor.

Right now, we are facing an unprecedented shortage of quality, trained riding horses. The demand has skyrocketed, particularly during the COVID pandemic, and the unfortunate reality is that this demand has driven prices to staggering heights. Many factors contribute to this situation: the downturn in horse breeding during the 2008 recession has led to fewer horses available today, while the costs of horse ownership and maintenance have continued to climb.

Horses that once cost between $3,500 and $7,500 are now priced between $10,000 and $20,000—or even more—if you can find one that meets our program’s standards. It takes a very special horse to do this work and unfortunately, only 20% of the horses that come into our program are successful in this environment. We never force a horse to stay in our program if they don’t enjoy it.

We are thrilled to share that we have identified what we hope are two exceptional horses from the farm in Ohio where we found our wonderful horse, Harry. Brandy (who we think should be named Dottie!) is a 10-year-old Appaloosa mare with extensive training and riding experience and George, a 6 year old Gypsy Vanner/Quarter Horse cross has had a great start under saddle. We are excited about their potential! Brandy and George are both relatively young, and if they enjoy the work, could have long careers with Main Stay. We are also happy to share that we have a trial period with the option to return them if they don’t work out.

We are asking for your help to make these vital additions to our program a reality. Time is of the essence since horses of this caliber are highly sought after. We are reaching out to our dedicated supporters to raise funds to purchase Brandy and George. The magnitude of this expense was unexpected, but we believe that investing in quality horses is essential to continuing to provide the best service to our riders. We hope to raise $27,500 by May 1 so that we can bring Brandy and George to Main Stay.

Your support can help us turn this challenge into an opportunity, ensuring we continue providing exceptional services to our clients. Please know we are grateful for your ongoing support, whether or not you are able to make a donation today.

Donate Today to Help Bring George and Brandy to Main Stay

A generous donor has stepped forward to match all gifts up to $10,000, doubling your impact!