Humane Horse Handling

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
822436801
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Blacksburg, VA, USA
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Reported finances

Revenue
$125,780
Expenses
$73,296
Assets
$81,105

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Sue McDonnell (Director President)
  • Sarah W Low (Director Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Sue McDonnell (Director President)
  • Sarah W Low (Director Vice President)
  • Jaime Miller (Director Secretary Co Vice Pres)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The overall purpose of the organization is research and education of the public veterinary and animal science community on handling and management of wild and feral equids. The primary activity of the organization in 2024 was relocation and management of a semi-feral herd of Shetland ponies from their 30-year home at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine to a pasture sanctuary in northeastern Pennsylvania. Educational activities included educational tours and educational open house even for equine educators and the local agricultural community.

What it reported doing in 2025

Maintained a herd of 75-90 Shetland ponies for equine research and education concerning natual behavior and health of horses. Including published research on-site tours for the public educational courses.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filed totals do not add up and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 68
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.6%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 41.7%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.11; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -10% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 95.7% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.6% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $85K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 7 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part III program expenses within total did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.