Take 50% off adoption fees when you bring a horse home by July 15 with our Saddle Up for Summer Adoption Special!

New Vocations Matrons of Honor Program

Eligible for Shipping Credit up to $500!

Sheshell Cruise is known as "Shelly" around our barn. She is a sweet mare who thrives on consistency and attention. A mother to 5 foals after her 100-start racing career, Shelly adores developing relationships with those willing to listen to her and teach her with a gentle hand. She is still rebuilding her body after 5 babies, so we are being patient with her as she adjusts to her riding career. 

Sheshell Cruise had the opportunity to spend four days at Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH in April. She was wonderful for the hundreds of people coming through and loved the attention. She stuck her head out of her stall to anyone who would love on her.  Shelly was also a rockstar walking through the crowds of people and performing in-hand demonstrations.

Shelly has been on trail rides with other horses and seems to enjoy them. She also has a lovely, floaty trot. This mare has now had a lot of training and experienced a major event like Equine Affaire. She has shown she is fun to work with and handle. We see her being a wonderful family horse receiving lots of attention and being a fun and steady trail mount for kids to ride or be led around on. She is also a great companion horse. 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Shelly leads easily with a plain halter and lead rope.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Shelly enjoys her grooming time with a gentle approach. She can get a little wiggly and make faces with girthing.
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Shelly is barefoot and requires no special supplementation or medications.
• Riding - Level 2 - 3 - Shelly is not completely convinced that riding is more fun than retirement. She can have wonderful, willing days, and other days where she would much rather relax.
• General Demeanor - Level 2 - Shelly was a mother to 5 foals, and has a "Mother knows best" attitude. She loves turnout but appreciates having her own space for eating.
• Physical Capability - Level 1 - Shelly is best suited to a walk/trot under saddle life with low-level expectations. She would love an adopter who takes the time to listen to her wants and needs.

 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 SHIPPING CREDIT 

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.