Wow!  That's everybody's first reaction when they see “JJ,” a gorgeous young son of World Champion Trotter Chapter Seven. With only two starts under his belt, JJ is a clean slate ready to enter your training program. He has lovely movement and, while we can see him being a star in the dressage or hunter rings, he's athletic enough for any endeavor! 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - JJ is generally well behaved in hand, but he is a baby and can get distracted easily. His handler might need to keep him focused on the tasks at hand rather than other horses or things happening around him.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 2 - Similarly, JJ is generally quiet in the crossties but can get bored and fidgety if left unattended.  
• Horse Care - Level 1 - JJ retired sound after his two races and has no special needs. He is currently barefoot and not on any supplements.
• Riding - Level 3 - JJ is a freshly gelded 3-year-old and displays a lot of baby-like behavior. He easily gets distracted by things happening outside of the arena, will take a big “look” at scary objects and can protest by throwing in a hop here and there when he thinks he should be done. (This is all shown in his video!) That said, he is intelligent and learns quickly. He will need a confident rider who is experienced with babies to keep him on track.
• General Demeanor - Level 3-4 - JJ is very recently gelded and will still exhibit stallion-like behaviors, especially in turnout.  You may find he is mouthy when you first go to halter him, as well. Most of this will lessen as he spends more time as a gelding, but currently he absolutely cannot be turned out with mares, and ideally he should not share a fence line with mares either. He is currently turned out with another young, freshly gelded horse and the two of them rough-house and play like you would expect from colts. He will do best with a horse or horses that enjoy playing along.
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 5 - The sky is the limit for JJ!  He's that special combination of sound, young and well-bred that everyone hopes to find. With the right training he will surely shine!

While JJ didn't become a World Champion on the track like his sire, his quality is evident in his looks and movement and will certainly make himself a champion for his adopter!

 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.