“Hula” is a proven, solid and safe trail horse with plenty of miles on the trails. She’s looking for her next partner with whom to explore! 

From Hula’s owner:

“I think the best thing I can say about Hula—and in many ways the only thing that needs to be said about her—is that I am 71 years old and feel totally comfortable trail riding her all by myself, way out in the middle of nowhere. In the 2 1/2 years (minus a few months when she was with someone else) I've had her, I've never had an issue with her when trail riding away from home. She goes right in the trailer, goes anywhere I ask her on the trails, loads right up to come back and has only shied once in all the times I've ridden her (and that may have been because there was a bear in the woods since we were in bear territory!).

"My trail rides are usually 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, and the first year I had her I did many rides that were 3 to 4 hours. The terrain is mostly gravel and logging roads, up and down gently sloping hills in a state conservation area. I mostly ride at a walk but sometimes pace (and her pace is very very comfortable!); I have always tried to keep her in a pace and not let her trot or canter, but as her pictures show, she can perform both gaits.

"She is pretty much the same horse if I ride her every day or don't ride her for several weeks. When I haven't ridden for a while she can be very excited to get going and fidgety for mounting, but I think many riders would be able to hop right on with no problem. When I need to get off during a trail ride I need to put her in a ditch or staddle a downed tree to get back on, and I've never had a problem with her for that. 

“She has a big, fast walk, perfect for racking up miles. Unfortunately (and the only 'issue' I have that's not really an issue), is that she walks so much faster than my other horses and they fuss (crow hop, rear, prance, etc.) when they feel they are being left behind. The folks I want to ride with me are too nervous to deal with that I do think Hula can/will walk a bit slower than she does when I'm riding her if she were with other horses, but my other horses happen to be exceedingly slow!

"I did not adopt Hula to be anything except a trail horse, so the other 'issues' have never been important to me, but are very important for anyone considering adopting her. It has been my experience that she hates riding in an arena or other confined places where she cannot walk at the speed she prefers. She is all about business and her business is to go down the trail! I ride her around my house usually a few days a week when I'm not trailering somewhere and she is obviously not having fun; she can get fussy, stop, refuse to go forward, etc. She doesn't crow-hop or rear or anything like that, but it is pretty obvious to me she is not enjoying what she is doing, which is totally different than when we trail ride. 

"Based on my experience with her, I would recommend that she only be used for trail riding in areas where she can walk at a nice pace (she seems to prefer around 3.8 mph). There is one trail I ride on and when we get to the place I usually turn around she does not want to turn around and prefers to keep going on the trail so she seems to really enjoy it! She would not be suitable for competitive trail riding or short endurance rides. She is built a little odd and I had to get a different saddle to fit her. I use an inexpensive dressage saddle and she seems to do fine with it (my other four saddles did not fit her, and I never tried my Western saddle). If someone wanted to ride her wester I think they would need a saddle that has a short skirt as she has a short back. A saddle for a gaited horse might work well.

"One more thing that has been very important for me: When I got Hula I'd been riding a large chunky Quarter Horse and a large chunky Standardbred and I was having hip and knee pain. One reason I got Hula is because her owner had mentioned that she was a bit narrow through her withers and that was just what I was looking for. Since I got her and stopped riding the other horses, I've had no hip or knee problems. 

Note: Winter photos are from when Hula was first in our program in 2017. The riding and summer photos are the most recent images!

Contact: Pat
E-mail: msdfarms@yahoo.com
Location: Elk Creek, MO

You must be an approved adopter to bring home a NV Grad. Be sure you're approved at newvocations.org/adopt.

ABOUT OUR ADOPTION FEES

New Vocations intentionally sets our horses’ 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 $5,000 to $10,000!).

Our facilities are nearly always at max capacity, which means we can’t take in a new horse until one is adopted. Keeping our adoption fees low helps us find appropriate homes for horses quickly, thereby enabling us to assist even more horses transition off the track as stalls open up in our barns! In that way, when you adopt a horse through New Vocations, you’re actually helping two horses: your new family member and the one who takes his place in our program!

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

In general, our fees are set at $3,500, $2,500, $1,000, and Under $1,000:

• $3,500: This range is for horses considered unlimited in their physical ability or those with exceptional qualities that would make them an upper- or high-level equine athlete.
  
  
• $2,500: This range is for horses we consider physically capable of a mid- to high-level second career. They have few or relatively minor limitations.
  
  
• $1,000: This range is for horses best-suited for a low- to mid-level career. They may have sustained an injury but have been fully treated and rehabbed. These horses have been examined by and cleared by our veterinarians for most disciplines, possibly up to a certain level (for example, suitable for a career jumping 2’0” but not suitable for a 3’6” career).
  
  
• Under $1,000: This range is for horses that could be harder to place in a perfect situation or those with more limited athletic potential (for example, possibly suitable for flat-work only) but are still capable of a successful second career. They have been evaluated by our veterinarians and are otherwise healthy.

Another perk of adopting from us? We do all we can to give you the most value for your adoption fee. 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, evaluated by trainers and veterinarians, and in regular training with a professional; on average, the monetary value of these services exceeds $5,000. Any medical records (often including X-ray and ultrasounds) and pertinent history we have on each horse is also available to interested and approved adopters.