Looking for a seasoned gelding with plenty of miles under his belt? Java is your man! With quite the interesting background, Java is a 17-year-old gelding who retired from his pony career with Todd Pletcher on the track (the mount of “outriders”). While he may not have raced (he is NOT registered with The Jockey Club—he was bred privately [Argentine Thoroughbred mare and Thoroughbred stallion] and intended to be a polo pony, it was clear that that was not his calling!), he definitely earned his retirement after years of being a calm, trusted buddy to the racehorses on the track.

Since his time with us, Java has turned into a great pasture babysitter for some of the more spirited horses who have come into our program. He has gone out both during the day and at night without issues. He is always happy to be grazing and generally sticks to himself. He leads well and also stands on the crossties. He’s not especially cuddly—mostly keeping to himself, but he will nicker and come to greet you if he thinks treats might be involved!

If you’re familiar with our Trainer Tip Tuesday videos, you may recognize Java from his featured video! He’s very sensitive around his ears and head (which can make for a tricky time taking a halter or bridle on and off), but he is slowly making progress. Otherwise, Java has no stall vices and is an easy keeper.

Java retired from his pony career with a couple tendon injuries, one of which was still active upon his arrival into our program, however he has recuperated well, and has begun to get back into the swing of things under saddle! Java is not the type of horse that needs to be ridden all the time—he’s pretty even keeled no matter how often he’s ridden. He can be opinionated and strong though (he was used to keeping up with the racehorses), so may not be best suited as a novice mount. Due to his previous soft tissue injuries, he would be best suited for a low level/ pleasure career.

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - He can be very reactive when interaction with his ears/poll are involved, in which case we would classify him as a Level 4.

• Grooming and Tacking - Level 2 

• Horse Care - Level 2 - He wears front shoes.

• Riding - Level 2 - 3

• General Demeanor - Level 1

• Horse Physical Capability - Level 1 - 2

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.