A queen indeed, “Elsa” or Frosted Mistress has taken reign over all of New Vocations! You may recognize this Ice Princess from her picture with her friend, Olaf, which seemed to break the internet with their adorable friendship. Elsa is a three-year-old mare with only three starts on the track so she is pretty much a blank slate! 

Much like a queen, Elsa holds herself with confidence while being led to and from the barn and took quickly to making friends in turnout. She does like to keep an eye on new situations, but shows no naughty behavior. Elsa stands patiently in the cross ties and has no stall vices! 

Under saddle, Frosted Mistress has taken to her new career like a pro. A vet exam revealed some sesamoiditis and mild suspensory branch desmitis in her right front, however she has been started in a rehab ride schedule and has been doing great! Her curious mentality on the ground carries over to her mindset under saddle, where she likes to investigate new objects, but she doesn’t show any naughty behavior. We see Elsa lighting up any ring she is in and know she will always be the Queen she has proven to be while here with us.

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 2
• Horse Care - Level 2
• Riding - Level 2
• General Demeanor - Level  1-2
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 3 - 4 (with time and proper rehab)

 CLICK FOR HORSE LEVEL INFORMATION 

PLEASE NOTE: As a special opportunity to qualified, approved adopters, Frosted Mistress is available for adoption ahead of schedule, for a discounted adoption fee. Ideal qualified homes would give her more time to rest/ grow/ start work back under saddle slowly, would be comfortable doing the reconditioning on the ground and under saddle, and have a good working relationship with their vet for rechecks/ understanding of the injury. 

Eligibility for rehab adoptions depends on proven experience with rehabilitation and riding. Adopters must be able to prove past experience with a letter from their vet, or professional riders may have the option to certify their experience and knowledge of the implicit risks** of taking on a rehab themselves, at the trainer’s discretion.

**This includes, but is not limited to:

* being able to handle behaviors that can go hand-in-hand with rehab (e.g. flightiness/ excitability, depression, stall vices, aggression)

* demonstrating a solid knowledge base about common injuries

* the ability to perform tasks like administration of medicine as needed

* to do/ provide rehab rides

As with all our adoptions, we try our best to match horses for success based on many different criteria, not just looks (although he is very good-looking!)! Please be patient as we try to work with approved adopters to assess suitability! 

ABOUT OUR ADOPTION FEES

We intentionally set New Vocations’ adoption fees lower than the average cost of buying a Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds from a private seller (in today's market, horses coming right off the track are often listed at a price between $2,000 and $5,000!). Our facilities are always at full capacity, which means we can't take in an additional horse until one is adopted; a lower adoption fee means horses are more likely to find appropriate homes quickly and we can welcome more horses into our barns. And just think: By adopting one horse through New Vocations, you're actually helping two horses (you new family member and the one who takes his place in our program) 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.

Another perk of adopting from us? We do our best to give you the best bang for your buck. Most adoptable horses have been in the program for a minimum of 60 days,  during which they're rehabilitated (if needed), socialized with other horses, fully evaluated, and in work with a professional trainer. We're also happy to share the history and any medical records (often including X-ray and ultrasounds) we have on each horse with interested and approved adopters.

While our adoption fees are low, please remember that costs associated with ongoing care and additional training for a horse (adopted or otherwise!) can be high. We hope that by helping an adopter save money upfront, you'll have more funds available to cover the continuing costs of properly caring for and training a horse.