“Dora” is the best kind of filly!  The epitome of class and clearly well-handled and trained at the track, she is incredibly easy to handle and ride. 

Dora would be an excellent partner for an Advanced Beginner. She is kind and loving and bonds very quickly with her handler. She takes to new situations calmly and quietly and shows lots of trust in her handlers. 

She's easy to catch in her field with the other fillies and does well in the herd, though she tends to be at the lower end of the pecking order. She stands well in crossties and for the farrier and vet. She can be handled by non-horsey folk and is gentle and affectionate. 

Dora walks, trots and canters under saddle quietly and confidently and steers quite well. She is very easy to ride and is suitable for riders of all levels. Dora hacks out bravely and enjoys exploring the property. She rides well in a simple snaffle bit and could go either English or Western. 

We've been working closely with our farrier to help improve Dora's sore feet, which caused her retirement from racing. Our farrier has been slowly adjusting her to some more natural angles, which has helped her significantly. As always, we're happy to share all the veterinary and farriery information we have on her with interested, approved adopters.

Dora is best suited to any adopter who wants a kind, gentle and beautiful filly! She has been a dream to work with and we know she will continue to blossom! 

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 “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.