Take $500 off adoption fees with our Spring Fling adoption special when you bring a horse home by March 31!

Tall, dark, and handsome gelding searching to be someone's sweetheart!

We've updated our Horse Level system! Review our handy chart at the button below.

An Aquarius born on Valentine's Day, Shesterkin is looking to celebrate his birthday and holiday of love with one lucky adopter!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - Igor leads easily with a halter and cotton lead rope. Sudden movements or loud noises can be startling for this big boy, so he likes to have a confident handler by his side to "protect" him from such things. Overall, he has good ground manners.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Igor enjoys a good grooming session, especially if it involves neck scratches and treats! He is tacked up in his stall, either loose or tied! Igor has a ticklish elbow, so we keep his girth loose until mounting.
• Horse Care - Level 2 - Igor wears steel front shoes. The farrier gives him an A+ for his great behavior! He could benefit from a routine joint supplement to keep him comfortable for years (just like us!).
• Riding - Level 2 - 3 - Igor is generally straightforward, ridden in a smooth snaffle. He will need a well-balanced rider to help him gain confidence in his new career. In the arena, he doesn't like having horses behind him.
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - 2 - Igor is sweet and agreeable. He currently lacks confidence and is sensitive to changes in his surroundings, so he's looking for an adopter to help him shine. Igor is low-to-mid-dominance in turnout amongst other geldings. He is a mild cribber but is not currently wearing a collar.
• Physical Capability - Level 1 - Pleasure riding, Liberty work, or Natural Horsemanship would be great ways to transition this sweetheart into his second career! As always, veterinary records are available to interested and approved adopters.

 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 Thoroughbred or Standardbred from a private seller (in today’s market, horses coming right off the track are often listed at $5,000 to $10,000!).

Our fees range from $0 (waived) to $3,500.

• Fees typically correspond with a horse’s Anticipated Physical Capability. So, horses that are found to be best suited for non-riding careers (our Pasture Potatoes) have waived fees, while the fees for horses assessed to be suitable for high-impact careers will be up to $3,500.

While our adoption fees are low, it’s important to remember that costs associated with ongoing care and additional training for a horse 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.

When you adopt a horse through New Vocations, you’re helping two horses; your new family member and the one who takes their place in our program. 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, enabling us to help even more horses transition off the track as stalls open up in our barns!

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've rehabilitated (if needed), socialized with other horses, been evaluated by trainers and veterinarians, and have been in regular training with a professional. On average, the monetary value of these services exceeds $5,000. Any medical records (often including X-rays and ultrasounds) and pertinent history we have on each horse are also available to interested and approved adopters.