2022 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover Eligible

His namesake is already a star, and “Wally” is a star in the making! He's a stunning, "cool-as-a-cucumber" guy with potential to shine in any arena!

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 2 - A true cool cucumber, Wally is never in a hurry and always trailing behind! At times, he might forget his manners and step into his handler's personal space, but he never means anything malicious.
  
  
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - 2 - Wally is happy just to have a human to hang with! He stands quietly to be brushed and tacked.
  
  
• Horse Care - Level 2 - 3 - Standard front and hind shoes and a fat supplement (to accommodate this growing boy's caloric needs!) are all the "extras" Wally needs in his basic care! You might notice that Wally has some unique white markings on him; while we don't know the background on them, our veterinarian has examined him thoroughly and confirmed they're just cosmetic.
  
  
• Riding - Level 2 - 3 - Wally enjoyed a few months of "horse time" before recently starting his transitional training. He's done nothing but impress since heading back to work! His current program begins with a series of walk-halt transitions, in which he is invited to stretch into the bridle. After a few moments, we carry those transitions and softness into the trot, and he is good as gold! He is exceptionally agreeable and comfortable to ride! He takes up a good amount of leg and shows good balance. Wally has shown some excitability while lungeing and some heaviness in the rider’s hand under saddle, but he's generally he’s as relaxed as can be. In order to accommodate his continued transition in training, he’ll do best with professional supervision; we’d recommend an advanced-intermediate rider working with a trainer to help Wally reach his full potential. We believe he has more than enough talent to achieve great things!
  
  
• General Demeanor - Level 2 - Aside from the occasional baby moment, Wally doesn’t give us much to complain about! He is happy to cuddle in his stall, run around with a friend in the pasture or just enjoy your company.
  
  
• Physical Capability - Level 4+ - While Wally wasn’t geared towards racehorse life because of a front tendon injury that came up in his training, his time off has served him well. After a recent examination, our vet said his prognosis for an athletic career was very good and he’s unlikely to have limitations. We can see him being an amazing hunter prospect or pleasure mount!

 click for horse level information 

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.