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

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Archer leads quietly in a plain halter and lead rope, even in a new environment. He is respectful of his handler.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Archer stands quietly in the crossties for grooming and tacking. He enjoys baths and getting his face sprayed during his post-ride cool-down.
• Horse Care - Level 1 - 2 - Archer mostly lives outside with a small group of geldings, but will require the option to have a stall if he stays in a southern state. Archer doesn't sweat as well as we would like. He wears shoes on his front hooves to protect some minor cracks while we work to rebalance his feet. They were quite long upon his arrival.
• Riding - Level 1 - We have been extremely impressed with Archer's professionalism under saddle. His video was his first ride in two years! He stood quietly at the mounting block and went right to work, walking and trotting nicely around the ring. He is an above-average mover and is very comfortable. We could see him excelling in dressage! Archer would be a good fit for a junior or amateur rider but will need some more time to get back into shape.
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - Archer stepped back into a program without missing a beat! He has been great to work with, is very well-behaved, and will make one of our adopters a wonderful partner.
• Physical Capability - Level 2 - Archer would be best suited for a moderate-impact second career. 

 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.