“Louie” is a love! Big, bay and a total babyface, he's as kissable as they come! Plus, he's stunning—he's a tall, lanky boy who is still growing. 

Laid-back, loving, kind and gentle, Louie bonds with his handlers quickly and enjoys time with people. Given his relaxed nature, it is no surprise that he only raced a handful of times and was a groom favorite. He retired with no limitations.

Louie has been restarted with groundwork and has been fabulous on all the different questions. Clever, willing and curious, Louie really enjoys a task at hand and settles into the work. He'll start under saddle soon and begin hacking out to explore the property. Given his age, everything done with Louie is kept fun and light. He'll will need a partner who has experience bringing along young, green, and athletic horses, in a soft and unhurried manner. Louie’s perfect partner is an experienced and talented rider with a soft hand and an independent seat, one who is looking for a young talented sporthorse prospect to bring along. Louie has all the potential to be a fun and competitive horse.

Louie is wonderful in the barn; he stands in cross-ties like a champ and enjoys being groomed. He is good for the farrier and vet. Basically, outside of doing silly boy things sometimes, he is a total puppy dog.

He can be a bit of an over-friendly toddler in the field and will annoy older geldings and ponies, who quickly remind him who's boss! He tends to be mid-pack in the hierarchy of his current group of geldings.

Alas, Louie's most notable fault is that he's a beaver. He does not crib, but enjoys tearing through boards like he is trying to build a dam. As such, we'd recommend he go to a home that has wood alternative fencing. 

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.