What a Beefcake!

Ideal Feeling is a big, thick, and so very handsome gelding!  He charmed our entire Richwood staff on arrival, and we can see why he was such a special horse to his donors!  This classy racehorse has transitioned well to a riding horse and we could see him shining again in the show ring!  We know whatever his adopter chooses to do, he will turn heads and win hearts!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1  -Ideal is a gentleman in hand and is easily led in a regular halter and cotton lead rope. 
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Ideal stands quietly in the crossties for grooming and tacking. He loves all the attention he can get!
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Ideal keeps his sturdy figure on our regular rations and has been happy barefoot. 
• Riding - Level 1 -From the very first ride, Ideal has been professional and well mannered.  He stands quietly at the mounting block, moves off willingly and is responsive to aids. Though he raced on the pace, he prefers to trot under saddle, and what a lovely trot it is!! We think he would make a spectacular hunter or dressage horse!  Ideal will occassionally slip into a pace around corners as he continues to build balance and strength.  He has also been very willing to canter on the lunge line. 
• General Demeanor - Level 2 - Ideal was just gelded this spring.  He is learning how to interact properly with geldings in turnout and not concern himself with the mares across the fenceline.  He is not suitable for turnout in mixed herds, and does best with other geldings who will keep his ego from getting too inflated!
• Physical Capability - Level 2+ - Ideal retired from racing after a poor performance revealed a minor, transient issue that prevents him from maintaining that level of workload. As a riding horse, he should have no issues or limitations outside of the most upper levels of eventing or speed work.  As always vet records are available to approved adopters. 

 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.