If you're looking for your unicorn, “Ollie” is your guy! He's the barn favorite at our Pennsylvania facility and we know you'll fall in love with him, too!

Sweet and affectionate, Ollie has the personality of a puppy dog who wants nothing more than to please and be showered in hugs, kisses and cuddles. He loves attention and enjoys being groomed, bathed and generally pampered. He nickers and comes to the gate when he sees you approach and, like all young lads, loves treats!

Ollie stands well for the farrier and in the crossties, and he's easy to lead and handle on the ground. He gets along well with other geldings in turnout and is a mid-pack kind of guy. He’s good with all types of farm animals: goats, pigs, chickens, cats and dogs!

Under saddle, he's a wonderful partner and always looks to please. He has three nice gaits and a naturally balanced way of going. He's working exceptionally well in the arena at the walk, trot and canter, and his trainer can't say enough about his rideability. He's best suited for an intermediate rider wants to enjoy the little things in life, not necessarily jump the biggest fences or gallop around the fastest. He'll thrive with a partner who will continue his current rehab program and who might eventually want to hit the hunter ring and win the flat classes, maybe even dabble over a small course now and then.

Ollie came in to our program originally with a right side laryngeal paralysis, which doesn’t affects his daily life. He was adopted and, during his time with his adopter, had surgery on his right hock for OCD and a meniscus tear. He came back to us in September through no fault of his own. As always, interested and approved adopters are welcome to any and all veterinary records we have on Ollie.

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.