29 Awesome Horse Rescue Name Ideas

Anyone who has the pleasure of riding or training a horse knows how truly special they are.

Horses have an impact on all those whose lives they touch. But what about the horses who are abused, abandoned or neglected? How can we help them find permanent, stable, loving homes?

Horse rescues are a truly noble cause in that sense. They provide either sanctuary or training and adoption, sometimes both. For those of you with the time and resources to start a horse rescue, I’ve come up with these 29 horse rescue name ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.

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Horse Rescue Name Ideas Based on Breed

If your rescue is going to be breed specific, that’s great. Defining the type of horse you rescue may help you earn the support of breed organizations and individuals who are partial to a certain type of horse.

Your horse rescue might specialize in draft horses, thoroughbreds, Arabians or mustangs. Whatever the case may be, it’s OK to have a specialty.

Here are some horse rescue name ideas based on breed:

Thoroughbred Transformations
A La Carte Arabians
Hope for Hanoverians
Drafty Dream Boats
Quarter To Won
Mustangs R Us
Manely Mustangs
Ready Steady Standardbreds
Trot Into Place
Bonny Lane Belgian Horse Rescue

Horse Rescue Name Ideas Based on Location

The city, state, country and county are all good things to incorporate into your rescue name. You can try something like a play on words, or maybe just something simple and to the point. Let’s explore some possibilities:

Laguna Nigel Horse Rescue – Laguna Nigel, CA
Los Angeles Horse Accord – Los Angeles, CA
Hooves and Horses of Orlando – Orlando, FL
Texas Trotter Sanctuary – Dallas, TX
Iron County Equine Rescue – Iron, UT
Fremont Horse Haven – Fremont, WY
Sweetwater Arabian Rescue – Sweetwater, Wy

Words Common In Horse Rescue Names

When you start your own horse rescue, you should take much care in making sure you choose a unique name. Something that won’t be confused with the thousands of existing horse rescues.

At the same time, you want to make it clear that you rescue horses. Having a clear purpose and mission becomes very important when you are ready to solicit donors.

Here are some words I have found commonly used in horse rescue names:

Charity
Cloudy
Desert
Dreams
Dreamcatcher
Endure
Equine
Friends
Haven
Hoof
Homes
Horse
Lilly
Mountain
Network
Range
River
Rose
Sage
Sanctuary
Shelter
Spring
Valley

With some of these starter words above, think about ways you could combine them to form unique horse rescue names like:

Cloudy Dreams Equine Rescue
Cloudy Mountain Horse Rescue Network
Desert Dreams Equine Sanctuary
Desert Range Thoroughbred Sanctuary
Desert Rose Horse Rescue
Desert Spring Equine Rescue
Friends of Equine Valley
Hoof Springs Horse Rescue
Horse Haven Sanctuary
Lilly Mountain Homes for Horses
Mountain River Pony Sanctuary
Spring Valley Horse Shelter

Things To Consider When Naming A Horse Rescue

When you think of your name, consult with your board of directors. Limiting the scope of your rescue to a certain breed or type certainly has its advantages.

As we mentioned, some donors are drawn to a particular breed (like Thoroughbreds or Arabians) or a particular cause (like Auction Horses or Orphan Foals). Choosing to narrow your scope allows you to focus both on those horses for rescue and those donors for support.

Casting a wider net can be harder. Some rescues and sanctuaries take all breeds and ages. This can lead to a wider pool for donors, to be sure, but it also leads to a huge pool of horses. It becomes very hard to choose who to save and who to let go when funding isn’t there to save them all.

Finalizing A Name for Your Horse Rescue

Once you have narrowed down your list of names to your top 3 or maybe even 5, there are a few things you are going to want to check before finalizing a decision to one name.

Are There Any Other Rescues With That Name?

You’ll want to run a Google search for the names on your short list. You’re looking for any type of rescue OR ranch with a similar name. It doesn’t even have to be exact.

What you don’t want is to give your donors confusion as to which business to give their support. You want to be unique in the field for what you do and how you do it.

If your Thoroughbred rescue’s name is easily confused with a thoroughbred breeding farm, for example, that raises a slurry of issues that aren’t worth it.

What if that farm does something unethical, will people confuse your rescue with that farm?

What if you make the 5 o’clock news? When people Google you, will they think you are the farm instead?

Maybe people will think your rescue is an offshoot of the breeding farm.

In any case, you can see why it pays to be unique.

It’s not just horse rescues you want to separate yourself from. If there is a Desert Rose Equine Rescue and a Desert Rose Greyhound Rescue (for dogs), how will you make yourself stand out when someone googles “desert rose rescue”?

It’s OK for rescue names to be similar across species, but you want to make it clear who you are and what you do. Desert Rose Equine Rescue of Colorado, for example, would go a long way to differentiate you from Desert Rose Greyhound Rescue of Idaho.

Is Your Horse Rescue Name Brandable?

The goal of rescuing horses is a noble one. Choosing a name for your horse rescue is hard! It is such a big decision, one you are going to have to live with for years.

One thing you want to consider is whether or not your name is brandable. When choosing a name for your horse rescue, consider how you will market your rescue to the public.

You want to be sure the name, logo, colors and “image” of the rescue are recognizable.

Once you have narrowed down your list of names, sketch out some logos for each. Consider how that logo might look on brochures, flyers, saddle pads, banners, etc. How easy will it be for the public to recognize your rescues “brand” as they scroll quickly through social media?

Marketing may be the last thing you care about, I know your goal is to help the horses, but it is important and something that deserves a look.

Registering Your Horse Rescue

Once you have finalized your horse rescue name choice, you are ready to register your entity with your state and start the process to become a bonified business.

In most states, you’ll need to incorporate and file for non-profit status. I’ve done it twice in California myself with no issue but, a lawyer or accountant can help you with the paperwork.

It is very important when starting a horse rescue that you and your board of directors fully understand how business should operate in your state.

A rescue is a business and you must follow the laws and guidelines for both your state and the federal government. It can seem overwhelming at first but it is easy to get the hang of once you get started.

Having a professional to guide you along the way really will help!