“You are my Sunshine” is the pleasant and easy-going sing-song motto for this veteran momma! After a successful racing career and raising 13 foals (who've earned more than $2.2 million on the track!), “Sunshine” is eager to continue in her third career!

Always a happy girl, Sunshine adores all the attention, grooming and treats she can garner. She has an obviously caring personality and soft, loving eyes that can lift up anyone's spirits! She has taken to riding and caring for a person aboard with ease and grace, and she's been the same horse for everyone who's ridden her in our program: her trainer, a beginner adult ... even the first arena solo ride for a 6-year-old! Out on the trail, Sunshine is curious and loves to bask in her namesake at a steady and even walk. She can get nervous in totally new situations (such as first ground pole) but after the first exposure and gentle reassurances, she has taken every one afterward with confidence and poise. 

Sunshine has so much to offer with her kind personality and desire to please. Her ideal lifestyle would be living the pampered life with ample turnout and a friend, lots of grooming, and long walking trail rides with her equine and human friends through the rest of her years!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Sunshine is the sweetest horse in the barn to handle in any and all circumstances!
  
  
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - She soaks up attention and can't get enough of it. The more pampering, doting and cuddling she gets, the happier she is!
  
  
• Horse Care - Level 1 - An all-around easy girl, Sunshine is barefoot and holds her weight well with unlimited forage and a maintenance serving of grain.
  
  
• Riding - Level 1 - Sunshine lit up when she started her light job! A 10-year-old has groomed and tacked, mounted, ridden and provided post-ride care for Sunshine and she didn't put a foot wrong (he only got help putting the saddle and girth on because he couldn't reach!). She eagerly takes a bit, stands well at the mounting block and happily walks, halts, turns and works in the ring or on the trails. She’s the same dependable girl who just keeps getting better with each experience!
  
  
• General Demeanor - Level 1 - The most thoughtful mare who's always aware of her surroundings, Sunshine takes everything in perfect and calm stride! She loads and unloads on a step-up or ramp trailer with the ease of a veteran.
  
  
• Physical Capability - Level 1 - Between age and her slightly-dropped hind fetlocks, our veterinarians recommend Sunshine for a light riding career: mostly walking under saddle with a little trotting/pacing on soft ground. She loves to explore on the ground, too! This amazing, caring momma is perfect for a laid-back, low-key and fun lifestyle!

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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.