Pint-Sized Powerhouse!

Hailstorm Volo, known in the barn as "Stormy," is a pony-sized trotter with a horse-sized personality and work ethic!  This little war horse raced 248 times and won the Harness Horse Association of New England's Iron Horse award in 2018 for his efforts!

Like most trotters, under saddle, Stormy is all business and ready to do whatever task is put in front of him.  He is riding nicely at the walk and the trot and has occasionally surprised us with some pacing as well! His forward, go-get-em attitude would make him a perfect partner for a petite adult or youth rider in trail riding, endurance or even some gaming events! 

Stormy has wonderful ground manners and is easy to work with on the ground. He stands for the farrier and in the crossties for grooming, which is a good thing considering he LOVES the mud and will find all the best spots to roll in when turned out.  He has been out with mares and geldings, and is generally the low man on the totem pole in the field.  While he enjoys all treats, his favorite are Twizzlers and iced oatmeal cookies.  

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.