You know just what you’re getting with this girl: a lovely horse, who is also often soft, unless she’s just enjoyed a nice mud bath in turnout!

At 16.3h as a 4-year-old, this big girl already has quite the presence! If you’re looking for a sport horse with big bones, a nice open shoulder angle, powerful haunches, and pretty “correct” conformation, Soft N Lovely might be the girl for you! She goes out with a group of other mares overnight and tends to be mid-ranked in the herd. She is generally more “tomboy-ish” and has a go-with-the-flow attitude!

Overall, Soft N Lovely is an easy keeper. She wears basic front shoes, eats our “default” diet regimen, and keeps weight very well. She has no stall vices and is a pretty quiet citizen in the barn. She stands very well in crossties and for the farrier.

Soft N Lovely got some time to just be a horse when she first came into our program. She had some tension in her body and asymmetry in her gait, and our veterinarian believed she'd benefit from a short vacation period (wouldn’t we all?!?). She flourished during her break and, when our vet rechecked her this fall, she looked great and was cleared to start training! Since then, she’s been getting back into shape slowly but surely.

Under saddle, Soft N Lovely shows a good deal of potential! Thus far we've mostly focused on getting her back into a riding routine (just walk and trot so far). As such, she's still working on learning to engage her hind end and topline to achieve more collection and feel on the bit, but she is happy to bop around on a loose rein, poking her nose out, and is quite naturally rhythmic.

Soft N Lovely would do best with an advanced rider to help bring her along, but she has no known limitations moving forward and we could see her excelling in any number of disciplines!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - While she has generally great ground manners, she can try to rush through the gate when being turned out.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1
• Horse Care - Level 2 - She wears simple front shoes.
• Riding - Level 2 - 3 
• General Demeanor - Level 2 
• Horse Physical Capability - Level 5 

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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.