HORSE DONATION INFORMATION

The South Carolina Equestrian team is always looking for quality donations for our program. We have a 26-stall facility located approximately 25 minutes from campus. All of our horses receive daily turnout and have 12 x 12 stalls. We have a barn manager and assistant that lives on site. Horses are fed the highest quality hay and grain, and are given supplements and joint injections as needed.

Our horses must be serviceably sound, mentally and physically capable of being ridden five to six days a week by different riders, one time per day. Hunt Seat horses generally jump 2-3 days a week. Our horses generally do not travel to outside horse shows. We can only accept horses under the age of 17.

We are looking for western horses that have training and showing experience in horsemanship or reining. Horsemanship horses must be able to negotiate complicated patterns that follow AQHA guidelines. Good gaits, transitions, flying changes and ability to pivot are most desired. Reining horses must be capable of performing NRHA patterns. Horses that are able to slide, spin, transition and keep a cool head when ridden through a pattern are preferred.

We are looking for jumping seat horses that have been shown successfully at 3’3″ to 3’6″ in hunter, equitation, and/or jumper divisions. They must be capable of negotiating equitation type courses. It is an added bonus if they have the ability to flat. Horses that jump and are capable of upper-level flat work (including maneuvers such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, counter canter, collections and lengthening) in a small lettered arena are most desirable.

Donating a horse to the University of South Carolina is a great option for owners that could use a tax deduction. The paperwork will go through the University system and donors will receive confirmation from South Carolina (as a State Agency) that a donation has been made. The value of the donation is determined by you and/or your appraiser.

If you are interested in donating your show horse to our program: We will need the following during the process:

1. A brief letter of intent to the South Carolina Equestrian Team (mainly stating that you wish to donate your horse – include registered name and number and the horse’s competition history)
2. A copy of an appraisal you acquire for your horse. (an appraisal must be done by an equine professional, which does include horse trainers)
3. The IRS 8283 form signed by the donor AND the appraiser. Click Here to download the IRS 8283 form.
4. A signed document of a gift and receipt of gift from the University (provided by us)
5. A copy of all recent vaccinations
6. A copy of current horse’s coggins
7. Past vet records and X-rays (if available)

We currently require a minimum of a 30-day trial for all possible donations. This is to make sure that your horse will work for our program and that your horse will be comfortable and happy being ridden by multiple riders with varied riding styles (all are very advanced and talented). During this time, we will keep your horse on individual turnout and update you on his/her status. We require owners to pay all shipping cost to transport the horse to our facility and home (if needed). We also want to make sure that your horse will work for our program so that we can help to secure your donation for the IRS required 3-year period.

We also take horses on loan if there is a reason you do not want to donate and they are suitable for our program. This option works well with green horses that may need more training time, or if you would like to have a break from paying board.

If you feel that your horse would be a great asset for our team and are interested in speaking with someone for further information, please contact us at any time. A YouTube link is always helpful for us to review.

For Jumping Seat horses, email Head Coach Boo Major at fsmajor@sc.edu or Associate Head Coach Kristen Terebesi at (610)-331-6767, terebesi@mailbox.sc.edu .

For Western horses, email Assistant Coach Bobbie Piddock at (510)-432-1372 bpiddock@mailbox.sc.edu .