Kind and Elegant Pacer!

Rocksapatriot is a sweet, mellow gelding who has relaxed nicely into riding life. He is ready to take on the trails with his new person! 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Rocky is well mannered and easy to handle on the ground.  He is led in a regular halter and cotton lead rope.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Rocky stands quietly in the crossties for grooming and is a gentleman to saddle and bridle. 
• Horse Care - Level 2 - Rocky is currently barefoot, but may need shoes if he is riding regularly on hard or rocky ground.  Rocky is hanging onto his racehorse metabolism at the moment and does best on a higher fat grain. 
• Riding - Level 1 - Rocky has taken nicely to life under saddle. He will walk, trot, pace and amble under saddle, and any of his gaits could be developed further depending on what his new rider prefers! He has been happy to ride out around the farm and down the road and is a willing partner. 
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - Rocky is an easygoing guy who is happy turned out in his group of geldings. He tends to be at the bottom of the pecking order.  He has no stall vices, but loves to entertain people by playing with his tongue!
• Physical Capability - Level 2 - Rocky has no serious injuries or limitations, but we think he will prefer a more laid-back 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.