A warrior in many ways, “Buckeye” is ready to find his forever home and work his way into your heart! This handsome gelding will immediately catch your eye with his kind eye and big build. With 18 starts under his belt, he is ready to take on a new career post racing. 

Buckeye is one of our sweetest residents who's only continued to come out of his shell as he settles into his new lifestyle. He's come to love his turnout time; he goes out at night with three other geldings and fits right into the middle of the pecking order. He is easily led in and out of turnout. You can typically find Buckeye quietly eating his hay or dozing off for a mid morning nap while he is in his stall. He has no stall vices and stands well in the crossties and for the vet and farrier. 

Buckeye came to us with no known history of soundness issues, but we noticed a slight left-hind lameness when he entered light work. A subsequent vet exam revealed a stress fracture in his left hind tibia. While this might sound severe, it is not uncommon in OTTBs and most recover very well! Our veterinarian recommended 90 days off of work with turnout before he's brought back into work slowly once he gets the green light.  

Prior to the diagnosis and aside from the slight unsoundness, Buckeye showed a great deal of potential and was a promising student with a great mind to please! We see him lighting up any right with his presence and are excited to see what his future holds once he is fully healed. He will do best in a home where he can have a true rehab period to recover, then have an experienced handler/rider to can slowly reintroduce proper training and reconditioning to help him reach his full potential once his stress fracture has healed!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - 3 - Buckeye can be excitable if he's had limited turnout.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 2 - 3
• Horse Care - Level 2  - He wears simple front shoes.
• Riding - Level 3
• General Demeanor - Level 2
• Horse Physical Capability - Level TBD (likely 3+ once rehabbed appropriately)

 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.