Take 50% off adoption fees with our Home for the Holidays Adoption Special when you bring a horse home by Dec. 31!

2024 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover Eligible

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - Colette is a very friendly girl and can usually be led with a regular lead rope and halter. 
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 2 - Colette is generally well-behaved to be doted on, but appreciates a little extra care when it comes to brushing her flank and hind legs. This is a sensitive area for all horses, but a soft brush and gentle movements are especially helpful to keep her comfortable.
• Horse Care - Level 1  - Colette is a low-maintenance girl; barefoot, able to live outside 24/7, and easy to keep on a basic feeding ration. 
• Riding - Level 2 - 3 - Colette is just getting started in rehab rides, and does best with an advanced or confident advanced intermediate rider who can reassure her and keep her intelligent mind busy while going through the necessary, and at times monotonous, rehab rides. She would love to have a home where training could be versatile-- some hacking around, some ring work. She is just walking under saddle at this phase, but she is on schedule to be introduced to some canter work by January.
• General Demeanor - Level 2  - This sweet girl is easy to get along with on the ground and has done well with many combinations of turnout buddies and setups (overnight, 24/7, and day turnout)!
• Physical Capability* - Level 3  - Attention 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover hopefuls! This mare is the type of personality that would be an AWESOME prospect for the Makeover competition, and her rehab schedule would be perfectly appropriate for that timeframe. With time and reconditioning from a left front tendon injury, Colette could be a wonderful prospect in many different disciplines! We can definitely see her being a hit in the hunt-seat or dressage rings!

 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.

*Assessments are based on information provided by the donors, physical/ mental assessments done by our professional team, as well as any veterinary examinations done at the farm (as needed). Approved, prospective adopters are welcome to arrange and coordinate a PPE if they choose, after speaking with the trainer at the respective facility of the horse. Adopters may also elect to use the 60-day trial period to thoroughly vet and assess the fit of the horse at their barn to ensure a great match!

 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.