Meet Bilingual, a super cute and personable two-year-old who is talented in many ways! Aside from being fluent in two languages (snacks and cuddles), “Linguine” is also our resident hairstylist! You might recognize this goofy guy from Leandra’s day at his hair salon (a Facebook Live video!). 

The first thing we noticed about Linguine was his adorable personality. He is such a love bug and will never turn down any scratches or attention! Because he is only two, he’s still working on just growing and learning how to be a polite, brave young horse. He is still figuring out how to crosstie as well as getting used to general ground manners. However, he is great to lead in and out of the barn and really enjoys his time in turnout with buddies. 

Bilingual would do best in a home where he can spend some time just being a baby horse, and continuing to work on the ground as he continues to mature physically and mentally. We have yet to start him under saddle, but from his free lunge video we instantly noticed his big floaty gaits that will only grow and develop as his mind does too!

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 $2,500.

• $2,500: 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.