Bet on this elegant and charismatic war horse! “Better” was a favorite of his trainer and its easy to see why. He is sweet and curious, always the first at the gate to check you out and always willing to try any task asked of him. He transitioned easily from track life to a riding job and has the potential to become a lovely show horse or trail companion.  At 15.2, he might not be the tallest horse in the barn, but he has enough heart for the entire herd! 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Better is an angel to handle. He often comes in from turnout at the same time as his stablemate, leading quietly from the off-side.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Better stands quietly while crosstied or straight tied, enjoys a good curry and is easy to saddle and bridle without fuss.
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Better is currently barefoot and has no special needs.
• Riding - Level 2 - Better adapted easily to riding and stands quietly at the mounting block. He is a forward mover and could be slightly intimidating to a very nervous or green rider. Although he raced as a pacer, under saddle he prefers to trot and it is a big showy trot! He has offered to canter for us as well.  He might benefit from a dependable lead on the trails a time or two as he was slightly nervous about narrow spaces, though he happlily followed a familiar person through once he saw them go. 
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - Better has seen a thing or two in his years at the track and is just as even-keeled as you would expect. He gets along well with his gelding herd in turnout and often acts as the babysitter to his younger pasturemates. 
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 4 - Better retired sound and even won his last start!  We don't see anything that would hinder his ability to compete, jump, or otherwise perform.

 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.