While Unnamed Hoosier Girl '18 wasn't cut out to be a racehorse (he was curtailed from his prospective racing career because he was too big to be an ideal racehorse prospect), "Moose" has certainly shown right mindset to be a sweet, teddy bear of an addition to a new family!

Moose can be a little bit of a cowardly lion and needs his Dorothy (and friends!) to help him find his courage. When he first came to our farm, he would act like even stepping on the grass made him nervous! He trusts people innately but quiet kindness is the way to really win him over. He will muster up the courage to tackle new situations, but he looks to his handler to steer the way, so it is important that prospective adopters be advanced, confident individuals with young, green horse experience. 

Moose goes out during the day time with one other gelding and the two of them are pretty responsible young men! They like to play a little but then they mostly graze quietly. Moose handles well on the ground in general—he is a gentleman for the farrier and is pretty quiet on crossties. He loves to be loved on and enjoys being groomed.

We have done groundwork with Moose on the lunge line and ridden him under saddle. He is lovely to lunge and has growing potential under saddle, though he's still quite green! He can be a slow-poke, but he is also still growing, so his priority right now is just growing (he LOVES to take naps when he's in his stall)! 

Moose has a cataract in his right eye, which causes some vision loss, but he doesn't let that slow him down! He is well-adjusted to his vision impairment. Some say that love is blind—while Moose is only partially blind, he has a giant heart full of love to give!!

An ideal home for Moose would be one where he can just have time to finish growing (physically) and be exposed to new things in a safe environment by experienced handlers so he can mature mentally! We could see him excelling in any discipline and we are excited to see him continuing to mature and grow!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - 2
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 2 - Moose paws occasionally.
• Horse Care - Level 3 - He could require daily eye medication, so potential adopters should be prepared to administer them regularly.
• Riding - Level 2 - 3 - Moose is a good boy under saddle! He's still young, big and very green, so he'll benefit from an adopter comfortable with handling such horses.
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - This sweet boy absolutely loves to nap!
• Physical Capability - Level 4 - 5

 click for horse level information 

ABOUT OUR ADOPTION FEES

New Vocations intentionally sets our horses’ adoption fees lower than the average cost of buying a Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds from a private seller (in today’s market, horses coming right off the track are often listed at $5,000 to $10,000!).

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, thereby enabling us to assist even more horses transition off the track as stalls open up in our barns! In that way, when you adopt a horse through New Vocations, you’re actually helping two horses: your new family member and the one who takes his place in our program!

While our adoption fees are low, it’s important to remember that costs associated with the ongoing care and additional training for a horse (adopted or otherwise!) 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.

In general, our fees are set at $3,500, $2,500, $1,000, and Under $1,000:

• $3,500: This range is for horses considered unlimited in their physical ability or those with exceptional qualities that would make them an upper- or high-level equine athlete.
  
  
• $2,500: This range is for horses we consider physically capable of a mid- to high-level second career. They have few or relatively minor limitations.
  
  
• $1,000: This range is for horses best-suited for a low- to mid-level career. They may have sustained an injury but have been fully treated and rehabbed. These horses have been examined by and cleared by our veterinarians for most disciplines, possibly up to a certain level (for example, suitable for a career jumping 2’0” but not suitable for a 3’6” career).
  
  
• Under $1,000: This range is for horses that could be harder to place in a perfect situation or those with more limited athletic potential (for example, possibly suitable for flat-work only) but are still capable of a successful second career. They have been evaluated by our veterinarians and are otherwise healthy.

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're rehabilitated (if needed), socialized with other horses, evaluated by trainers and veterinarians, and in regular training with a professional; on average, the monetary value of these services exceeds $5,000. Any medical records (often including X-ray and ultrasounds) and pertinent history we have on each horse is also available to interested and approved adopters.