Derby Day Jewel is a true gem indeed! It didn’t take long for “Derby” to come out of her shell and become the biggest love bug. One of her favorite things is to have her ears scratched while standing quietly in the crossties!

Derby is a gentle mare who takes to any new environment with ease. She currently goes out with one other mare during the day and is happy to eat grass and soak up the sun. She can get a little excited when meeting a new friend, but the pecking order is established with minimal drama and then she minds her business. Derby stands well for the vet and farrier and we were blown away with her patience in the crossties! She loves a good spa day and can’t get enough of the scratches! 

Under saddle, Derby has shown tremendous potential. She can show a little excitement and with a less experienced rider may test her limits, so she will need a confident, advanced rider who can establish a line of respect and keep her focused. As soon as we saw her under saddle, we knew she would light up the hunter/jumper or dressage ring! 

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 $2,500, $1,000, $500 or waived:

• $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.
• Waived: This is for horses that have significant limitations for a riding career or are otherwise difficult to place. These horses are otherwise healthy and have been evaluated by a veterinarian.

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.