Big, Bold Trotting Gelding!

Motor City Steel is a New Vocations horse through and through!  His mother was adopted through New Vocations and then bred through our stallion service auction.  After his 91 starts, naturally, his owner decided to send him back to the program to begin his second career. 

Steele is a friendly and engaging horse on the ground, and is very people oriented.  He's not always sure of new situations, but he relies heavily on his handler, and will be brave if they tell him its all ok.  Steele is the kind of horse who appreciates a routine, and it helps him build confidence.  Currently his riding sessions begin with 5-10 minues of lunging, where he will buck, bounce, rear, and carry on for a couple of minutes, and then go to work.  Under saddle, he has a big, lofty trot, and has started to gain good balance and rhythm. He has shown willingness to canter on the lunge line, and we think with steady work, he should learn to canter under saddle as well.  We recently introuduced him to the jumping chute, which he picked up quickly.  Having been off the track for almost a year now, he is acclimated to turnout and gets along well with others. He is currently barefoot and has no stable vices.  Steele has no known injuries, and should be sound and suitable for any career.  Because he is not the bravest soul on his own, we recommend an experienced rider or someone working consistently with a trainer to help him transition to his new life. 

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.