“Will” is a pony-sized gelding with a huge personality! He definitely thinks it should all be about him! 

He first came through our program back in 2010 and has been a part of a military riding school program, a trail horse and part of a hunter/jumper schooling program. However, despite being a riding horse for the majority of his life, Will is not that laid-back, bombproof trail horse you can relax and not think on, nor is he the perfect first horse for a beginning 4-H rider just starting their riding career. Will's big personality comes with a lot of opinions and a little bit of a challenge. His ideal rider would be a gutsy teen who laughs at his quirks or a smaller adult with a good sense of humor.  

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - 99% of the time Will is easy to handle on the ground in a regular halter with no fuss.  He is easy to catch and halter and leads quietly beside of you.  On a day that he has decided that all his friends are gone or has otherwise been stressed out, he will drag you towards his friends and may require a chain as a reminder that he is to say with you and focused on you.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Will ties and crossties quietly, stands well for grooming, tacking, blanketing and clipping. The only issue that occasionaly arises is he may walk out of the crossties when bridling if you just drop the halter and leave him loose. 
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Will has no soundness issues and requires no maintenance. He is barefoot and a very easy keeper. 
• Riding - Mostly Level 3, Level 2 with supervision - As detailed below, most of the time Will is a willing partner, however he has some anxiety issues that can escalate in the wrong situation.  As such we recommend a strong intermediate or advanced rider, or someone in a training/boarding situation working with a professional
• General Demeanor - Level 3 - Will can be very anxious about being separated from other horses, and forms very quick attachments to his stablemates. His riders and handlers will need to keep him focused on them and the task at hand rather than let him become distracted or focused on others. 
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 4 - Will has no soundness issues, and has been jumped, trail ridden and been on hunter paces.

When Will is at his best, he is a pleasantly forward horse willing to tackle whatever work you present him with on a given day. At his worst, he has some serious separation axiety and will yell for his friends and try to drag his rider back to the barn. When corrected, he does get better, however, its easy for him to amp up the behavior if his rider/handler is intimidated. As such, he is not a suitable horse for beginning or timid riders. 

Personality-wise he can be a bit of a tough cookie. He will often stand with his ears back, but once he warms up to you he's quick to let you know that you forgot to stop by his stall to scratch his head or give him his favorite treat (Fruit Loops!). He can be a bit food aggressive and therefore needs to be fed in a stall, not in a group/pasture situation. Also, he fancies himself quite important when it comes to the ladies and cannot be turned out in a mixed herd. Gelding friends only for Will!

All that being said, Will does have a lot going for him! He's been on hunter paces and knows how to jump and canter. He is an easy keeper, has solid hooves and goes barefoot and stands quietly for the farrier. He loads and hauls well in both ramp and step-up trailers.

Will is a favorite of his New Vocations trainer, who is convinced that someone out there enjoys the quirky ones as much as she does!

 click for horse level information 

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.