From Doctor Victor's Adopter: Doctor Victor, who we call "Seamus", is a 15.1-15.2 hand 2016 brown gelding. Doctor Victor has spent the summer relaxing with his adopted buddy Kole Man Can in turnout. I would love to see these two stay together as they are quite bonded. Last summer I spent time with Seamus on ground work and rode him lightly. This year, life happened, and I have not worked with him. He has just spent time in turnout, gaining weight and improving his gut health.

He is currently barefoot and was also barefoot when I was riding him last summer. He is a fun and quirky character who is always at the gate and happy to see us (and beg for horse treats). He is reserved and thoughtful while still being inquisitive and interested in what we are doing around the barn. Seamus has good ground manners, stands tied nicely, and likes being brushed and fussed over. He is easy to saddle and seems to prefer the western saddle and bosal for riding. He would make a great lower-level trail riding horse, lower-level western show horse, or fantastic in-hand prospect. I think he would make a wonderful project for an intermediate rider with a trainer's help.

I would rate Seamus as the following based on New Vocations' leveling system: He is 1-2 for ground manners, 1 for grooming and tacking, 1 for horse care, 2 for riding, and 1-2 for general demeanor. He is best suited to a low-level career. He is a mild to rare cribber, and I attribute it to being bored. He spends most of his time eating or sleeping. Doctor Victor and Kole Man Can live in a large turnout area together and get along very well. Seamus is the boss, but not bossy. Kole is lower in the pecking order. They both love playing with a big ball and have daily tug-of-war contests with the Jolly Ball.

Contact: Amy Smith
Email: amys02837@gmail.com
Call/Text: 541-589-4851
Location: Burns, OR

*Special consideration and arrangements can be made for approved adopters who wish to adopt Kole Man Can and Doctor Victor together!*

You must be an approved adopter with New Vocations to bring home a New Vocations Graduate. Get started HERE.

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.