“Missy” is a sweet and sturdy Standardbred who retired from racing in 2014, transitioned to life as a broodmare and produced one filly. Now, she's ready to begin her third career as a riding horse!

She’s steadfast on the ground, enjoys adventures in the ring and out in fields and on trails and is quiet for a youngster to lead, groom, and ride with supervision. She's a quick study and tries her hardest to make her handler happy! If she doesn't understand a question right away, she takes a moment to process before doing her best to answer it.

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Missy’s past owners instilled her excellent ground manners before she arrived at our facility. She can get excited for a moment in new surroundings, but she quickly settles and is careful around her handlers. Her New Vocations trainer has no qualms about letting her children lead and handle her; she says Missy watches them carefully with a momma’s eye! 
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - 2 - Like most girls, Missy appreciates being pampered! She enjoys mudbaths in her pasture, but she stands still and quiet for as long as it takes to get all the dirt and grime off. She’s very steady for the hose as she gets her feet and legs rinsed after playing in mud or water.  She can get momentarily grumpy when the girth first comes out (and who can blame a girl?), but once it's lightly tightened on both sides, she stands quietly as it's snugged up.
• Horse Care - Level 1 - Missy is barefoot and an easy keeper. She maintains her weight well on a ration balance (no extra supplements needed!) and grass hay.  
• Riding - Level 1 - 2 - Missy has yet to put a foot out of place while riding. She's still learning leg cues but is catching on quickly. She currently prefers to be out with only one or two other horses while riding on trails and open fields. She was bred and raced as a pacer; she's happy to offer a nice, slow pace, but she'll also offer a pleasant, forward trot under saddle. She is soft to the bit and has excellent brakes; just close your hand and say a quiet “woah” to make all four feet stop nearly instantly. She’ll stand quietly for a short time, but this girl is all about exploring when she's under tack. She's always up for an adventure and loves to keep moving! 
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - Overall, Missy has a quiet and thoughtful personality and enjoys one-on-one with her person. In turnout, she prefers to hang with one other mare or off on her grazing and watching the herd. She enjoys seeing the rest of the herd but is a bit less confident within larger groups than smaller ones. She does stand up for herself if she needs to, but she'd rather avoid conflict entirely than be among it! 
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 4 - Missy has no known injuries or physical limitations that would prevent her from doing anything she seems to enjoy! 

 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.