From Kole Man Can's Adopter: Kole Man Can is a 2016, 16.1-16.2 hand bay Thoroughbred gelding. "Kole" has an absolutely fantastic personality. He loves attention, treats, is interested in anything you are doing around the barn, and is a joy to be around. He has spent the past summer in turnout with his adopted buddy Doctor Victor (Seamus) due to my situation, and if possible, I would like to see these two stay together.

Kole is easy to catch and halter, and so nice to work with on the ground. He is great for the farrier, easy to shoe, but is currently barefoot due to being in turnout. He is also great for the vet and is up to date on vaccinations. When we got Kole, our main focus was on gaining weight, getting his body and gut healthy, and helping his mind relax. I do believe we have achieved that goal! But then life happened for me and his progress stopped with groundwork. He has not been under saddle while we have owned him, but I believe he could go many directions.

He is big, fancy, and has "main character energy" now that he is healthy. I could see him doing dressage, western dressage, trail riding, roping, or other western disciplines. I think he would be a wonderful project for an experienced rider or an intermediate rider with a trainer.

Using the New Vocations scale, I would rate Kole as the following: He is 1-2 for ground manners, 2 for grooming/tying, 1 for horse care, 1-2 for general demeanor, and is best suited to a low-level career. As for Kole's cribbing, I would say mild to none. He spends most of his time eating or sleeping. He is pretty chill in his pen. Honestly, Doctor Victor is probably the one who cribs more, but still mildly, and I attribute it to being bored. I believe if he got more regular work, he wouldn't crib. They live in a large turnout area together and get along very well. Kole is lower in the pecking order. They both love playing with a big ball and have a daily tug-of-war 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.