• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Sweater is one of the easiest, kindest residents at our facility. He never gives us any trouble with leading or handling. We regularly lead him with a plain cotton lead rope and halter.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Absolutely no complaints from us in this department! Sweater stands like a sweet angel to be groomed, loved on, and tacked.
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Sweater is barefoot and lives outdoors.
• Riding - Level 1 - We were blown away by Sweater’s happy-go-lucky attitude and quiet way of going for his first ride! He is a no-nonsense, eager-to-please type who would make a wonderful partner for anyone in the market for a sweet, willing mount.
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - Sweater is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy and adapts to any herd or living situation. We currently have him with two playful geldings with whom he gets along very well!
• Physical Capability - Level 1 - Sweater is an “ammy-friendly” mount and has lots of love to give in his next chapter. He had surgery to stabilize some vertebrae in his neck, and while he navigates his surroundings very well, he does have some weakness in his proprioceptive ability. Sweater would do best in a low-impact pleasure career.

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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.