If you're looking for a confident and trusty partner, “Spender” is your guy! This big-bodied and sturdy stunner raced an impressive 264 times and won $384,000. A popular guy on the track, his connections retired him when he became less competitive and he still has quite a fan club!

Spender stands quietly to be brushed and fussed over and he's quiet to tack. He can be a bit mouthy, but he is quiet to tack and for mounting. He turns out well with several other geldings. He's playful but respectful and falls somewhere in the middle of the herd order. 

This expressive stunner has been an easy restart. He is confident, took to being ridden quickly and has shown us it doesn’t matter where we ride him ... he’s a willing partner no matter what! Under saddle, we've ridden him in both English and Western tack, and he's up for pretty much anything!  Spender paces and trots. We haven’t tried cantering yet, but we've observed him cantering in the paddock with his friends. Under tack, he's still learning to carry himself with a rider on his back, but he is eager to please and seems to like adventures. We rode him right out of the indoor and all around the barn by himself. He wasn’t the least fazed and took it all in stride! 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Spender is easy to work with and around. He leads well with another horse during turnout.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - He can be a bit mouthy, but is otherwise a Level 1.
• Horse Care - Level 1 - This easy guy does not require any special care!
• Riding - Level 1 - Spender has been an easy horse to transition to riding.
• General Demeanor - Level 2 - He can be a bit mouthy, but is otherwise a Level 1!
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 3 - Although we aren't aware of any reasons why Spender couldn't do more, we believe he'd be happiest with a low-key job.

 click for horse level information 

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.