Joan D’Arc is so young to already be off to her third career!  After a short stint in racing, Joan became a mother of 2 foals before arriving at New Vocations to find her new calling.  Joan is adored throughout the barn! She loves to hang her head out of her stall window to gently ask each passerby to stroke and adore her- to the point of resting her chin on their shoulder and closing her eyes in such obvious happiness! 

Joan is looking for a partner who would like to play with her on the trails with a buddy or enjoy some ring work over poles. She adores kids and would make a great companion for a young rider who wants to dote on her, navigate some trail patterns, or follow Mom or Dad on trails. She doesn’t have a need for speed and is willing to learn new activities to please her rider at a careful, safe, and slower speed. 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Joan is very easy to handle and enjoys a quiet, reassuring hand.  She never wants to be caught not pleasing her handler!
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Joan is a gem in the crossties, especially with a less experienced young handler! She enjoys garnering attention and is very simple to work around.  Beware - if you groom her face too long she might fall asleep on your shoulder! 
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Joan is on regular maintenance grain and is barefoot.
• Riding - Level 1 - Joan loves to walk, which is the best thing for her as she continues to grow her topline to support her riding partner. While she still has green moments, she is easily calmed through them.  Her adult trainer has been successful in getting her to show off her big trot, but she definitely has shown a preference for kids. They ask, and she mothers them. On trails, Joan prefers to follow and walk at a leisurely pace behind. 
• General Demeanor - Level 1+ - Joan is generally a calm and sweet soul.  She loves attention and partnership with a human. In the field, she is a "Boss Mare" personality. Once the halter is on, however, she aims to please and tries her hardest to put her best hoof forward in any situation. Joan is a social creature and is happiest having other gal-pals to hang out with in her pasture.
• Physical Capability - Level 2 - Joan is happiest to walk but is building confidence and topline to support her rider at a trot in time.  She would love a life of easy trail riding with a friend, and simple, slow flat work to help build her strength.  She seems to also enjoy the ground poles, picking her way over them so very carefully.  

 click for horse level information 

Interested in this horse? Already approved adopters may reach out to this horse's trainer at the "Email About This Horse" button above for further information. Still need to become approved? Learn about the process and start your questionnaire at newvocations.org/adopt. Approved applications are valid for 2 years.

ABOUT OUR ADOPTION FEES

New Vocations intentionally sets our horses’ adoption fees lower than the average cost of buying a Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds from a private seller (in today’s market, horses coming right off the track are often listed at $5,000 to $10,000!).

Our facilities are nearly always at max capacity, which means we can’t take in a new horse until one is adopted. Keeping our adoption fees low helps us find appropriate homes for horses quickly, thereby enabling us to assist even more horses transition off the track as stalls open up in our barns! In that way, when you adopt a horse through New Vocations, you’re actually helping two horses: your new family member and the one who takes his place in our program!

While our adoption fees are low, it’s important to remember that costs associated with the ongoing care and additional training for a horse (adopted or otherwise!) can be high. We hope that by helping adopters save money upfront, you’ll have more funds available to cover the costs of properly caring for and training a retired racehorse.

In general, our fees range around $3,500, $2,500, $1,000, and Under $1,000:

• $3,500: This range is for horses considered unlimited in their physical ability or those with exceptional qualities that would make them an upper- or high-level equine athlete.
  
  
• $2,000 - $2,500: This range is for horses we consider physically capable of a mid- to high-level second career. They have few or relatively minor limitations.
  
  
• $1,000 - $1,500: This range is for horses best-suited for a low- to mid-level career. They may have sustained an injury but have been fully treated and rehabbed. These horses have been examined by and cleared by our veterinarians for most disciplines, possibly up to a certain level (for example, suitable for a career jumping 2’0” but not suitable for a 3’6” career).
  
  
• Under $1,000: This range is for horses that could be harder to place in a perfect situation or those with more limited athletic potential (for example, possibly suitable for flat-work only) but are still capable of a successful second career. They have been evaluated by our veterinarians and are otherwise healthy.

Another perk of adopting from us? We do all we can to give you the most value for your adoption fee. Most adoptable horses have been in the program for a minimum of 60 days, during which they're rehabilitated (if needed), socialized with other horses, evaluated by trainers and veterinarians, and in regular training with a professional; on average, the monetary value of these services exceeds $5,000. Any medical records (often including X-ray and ultrasounds) and pertinent history we have on each horse is also available to interested and approved adopters.