Stars Wilburn is known around the barn as “Scuba,” a name that fits her perfectly because of her love of diving into and playing in her water buckets while she was on stall rest! Now that she's recovered from surgery to repair a left front sesamoid injury, she's graduated to full turnout and is ready for her next career.

At this time she is looking for a broodmare or companion home. In March we also discovered a fractured C4 vertebrae in her neck and, while she's healing well, we cannot recommend her for a riding career. As always, Scuba's vet files are available to interested, approved adopters. 

Scuba is a classy gal with a litter ginger sass. She loves a warm bubble bath and soft towel rather than a stiff hard brush. She is easy to work with in the stall and currently goes out with a group of mares. She is currently barefoot and stands well for the farrier. She is up to date on her vaccines. 

Stars Wilburn came to New Vocations via the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Take the Lead program. We're so grateful for their continued support!

Shipping Credit Information

If the adopter will be shipping the adopted horse via a commercial transportation company, the following steps should be taken:

1. The adopter sets up transportation with a commercial shipper for their newly adopted horse and pays the shipping bill in full. Adopter will contact the trainer at the facility where the horse is located and provide the pickup date and time, as well as the name of the transportation company.
2. Once the horse has been delivered to the adopter, the adopter needs to submit a copy of the original transportation bill within 10 days of receiving the adopted horse.
3. New Vocations will determine the mileage from the New Vocations facility where the horse was located to the horse’s new home based on Google Maps. New Vocations will mail a check to the adopter for $1.00/loaded mile (up to $500) or the cost of the commercial transportation bill, whichever is less.*

A commercial transportation/shipping company by this definition is any equine transportation company that has a USDOT number.

If the adopter will be picking up the adopted horse up themselves or will not be using a commercial transportation service, the following steps should be taken:

1. Arrange a pick-up date and time with the trainer at the facility where the horse is located.
2. New Vocations will determine the mileage from the New Vocations facility where the horse was located to the horse’s new home based on Google Maps. New Vocations will mail a check to the adopter for $0.75/loaded mile within 10 days of the adopter picking up their adopted horse.*

*New Vocations will provide a shipping credit of up to $500.

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 “unicorn” horses. They are horses that have few or no limitations and 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 necessarily 3’). They may have been fully rehabbed from an injury but have been cleared by our veterinarians 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.