Queen Wood, or “Woody” around the barn, whose sire is Animal Kingdom (2011 Kentucky Derby and the 2013 Dubai World Cup winner), has the regal attitude that you would expect coming from winning bloodlines. From the moment he stepped hoof in the barn, it was clear that he knew he was a #boss.

Even in the stall, Woody knows that he can catch your eye with his good looks, as he will often hang his head outside of his stall looking for attention, but he is also a gentleman, and enjoys being pet/ loved on. He is not very mouthy, he’s actually quite gentle to people and has decent ground manners, though he can forget to mind his body space at times.

Woody gets turned out during the day with one of our tougher, more experienced turnout groups. He benefited greatly from having a set hierarchy in which he had no chance of becoming the ‘alpha.’ As such, he has learned to have better manners when in turnout and he will also wander off and do things on his own-- he does not mind being away from the group at all. He did pick on other “wimpier” horses when he was turned out with them, so we do not recommend having him in a herd with submissive-type horses.

While most of the male horses in our program come already gelded (many just recently gelded before coming), Woody was one of the select few who come still intact, and have to be gelded with us. He was ridden prior to his procedure and throughout his recovery, and his personality has stayed the same on both ends of it! Woody has a big, round barrel that he’s still filling out and even so, he takes up a lot of leg now. He does need to be reminded often to stay focused in work, but he doesn’t do anything ‘bad.’ He has shown a great deal of courage, walking over poles, being ridden with other horses (including mares) and the ‘worst’ thing he’s done has been to toss his head in when a buddy (a gelding nonetheless) was leaving the ring, and that was just on a more energetic day-- most days he probably wouldn’t have batted an eye!

Woody has very smooth gaits at the walk and trot, and while we’ve just been doing light work under saddle, he is a sight to see when he ‘strides out’ in turnout! He definitely has some potential as a flashy sport horse prospect. Woody did fracture a left front sesamoid while in training in late October 2019, but recent x-rays showed a great deal of healing (our vet, a Board-certified surgeon, went on to say that the amount of healing was “miraculous” considering the original injury and the relatively short amount of time that had passed). Our vet cleared him for light riding, and he has been doing work both inside our outdoor ring and hacking around the farm. Woody seems to genuinely enjoy being ridden, but he doesn’t have the strongest work ethic yet-- he likes to get out but also likes to be done after a short ride. So, his mentality is actually pretty perfect considering that he’s still doing rehabilitation type rides-- he’s not the type that requires consistent, heavy work for his mental health! Interested approved adopters will have access to Queen Wood's medical records.

Woody would do best with an advanced rider or a confident, advanced intermediate rider. Once his sesamoid is healed more, he will be able to work up to heavier workloads, but he will require a patient adopter who won’t rush his agenda, as that would set him back if his sesamoids don’t create a strong union. With the proper amount of time and fitness, we could certainly see Woody excelling in show hunters, fox hunting, trail riding, western pleasure, etc.

COVID-19 Adoption Fee Update

You might notice some of our horses' adoption fees have been reduced in recent days.  This is solely due to the current COVID-19 situation and not because we've discovered new physical issues or behavioral issues.  We always aim to keep our adoption fees low so adopters can invest more in the future training and care for each horse. The adoption option is truly the most economical option!

In addition, please keep in mind the more horses we rehome, the more retiring racehorses we can welcome to our program. And, with the current uncertainty at many racetracks and training centers, we're hoping to eliminate barriers to help find perfect homes for our current residents so we can continue serving those in need of transitional training. Adopters must still be approved to bring a horse home.

Please feel free to contact any horse's trainer for additional information on his or her adoption fee.

ADOPTION FEE POLICY

New Vocations’ adoption fees are intentionally set lower than the cost of buying most Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds through a private seller. In today’s market, it’s not unusual for horses coming right off the track to be listed for sale at a price between $2,000 and $5,000. At New Vocations, we set a fee that will ultimately help each horse find a home quickly. The program’s facilities are always at full capacity, which means we cannot take in an additional horse until one is adopted. Adopters should be encouraged to know that by adopting a horse through New Vocations, they are actually helping two horses transition to careers outside of racing.

In general, our fees are set at $500, $1,000 or $1,000 with a $1,500 donation.

• $1,000 with a $1,500 donation: This range is for horses that we consider to be the cream of the crop or the unicorn horses. They are horses that have few or no limitations, have great conformation, movement and size.
• $1,000: This range is for horses that are suitable for a competitive career up to a certain level (for example cleared for 2’6” but not 3’). They may have been fully rehabbed from a race injury but have been cleared for most disciplines.
• $500: This range is for horses that are limited to a flat, trail or companion type home. These horses are healthy and have been fully rehabbed and evaluated by a vet.

Additionally, adopters get great value for their money: The majority of the horses have been in the program for a minimum of 60 days. During that time, horses are rehabilitated (if needed), socialized with other horses, fully evaluated, and in work with a professional trainer. New Vocations fully discloses each horse’s history and provides all available medical records, many of which include X-ray and ultrasounds.

While adoption fees are low, it should be noted that costs associated with ongoing care and additional training for each horse after adoption can be high. New Vocations hopes that by helping an adopter save money upfront, he or she will have more funds available to cover the continuing costs of properly caring for a horse.