Eligible for Shipping Credit up to $500

Black Beauty fans, Rockinsomewhere may be your guy! This almost black gelding is as sweet as they come and has the looks to go with his charming personality. 

This smart young gelding has shown us that he loves having a job and doing new things.  One of his favorite things to do is trail obstacles. He is doing in-hand and under saddle trail and goes over poles, backs through them, over tarps and more. He is very willing and is learning to move off your leg.  As shown in his video, he has mastered doing the rope gate under saddle as well.

To ride, he continues to excel over all trail obstacles. Sonny had surgery on left front ankle in the fall of 2021, rehabbed and went back into training for over a year. He just did not get back to the racing speed he once had.  Sonny transitioned to riding with no problems. He does have screws in his left front ankle and has some boney changes in his right front ankle. For this reason we are adopting him out as a rehab horse. He is currently being promoted as a walk-only horse because of the right front ankle. X-rays are available to interested, qualified, approved adopters who would be a good match for him.

Sonny has been ridden outside and by himself and does wonderfully. He is going to need someone who is fine waiting on him to continue to rehab, but he can be ridden at a walk and do liberty/in-hand work right now. Sonny also has two front shoes which are recommended for his comfort.  Sonny gets turned out and loves being outside during the day.  He is good with other geldings. He comes in to eat AM & PM grain in his stall. 

• Leading and Ground Manners - Level 1 - Sonny is easy to handle on the ground.
• Grooming and Tacking - Level 1 - Sonny is easy to groom and tack. He could be accused of being a bit too enthusiastic about getting his bridle on! But he is a lover of playtime and attention.
• Horse Care - Level 2 - 3 - Sonny is on a regular maintenance grain and unlimited hay. He enjoys turnout with his two friends, and wears front shoes. 
• Riding - Level 2 - Sonny is young and green, but oh so curious! He is intrigued by new tasks, but still has those occasional “I like my idea better” moments when it takes some gentle but stern coaxing to show him the correct way to respond. He has been ridden in a loose ring French link very happily.
• General Demeanor - Level 2 - Sonny is a charmer who wants ALL the attention on him. He is playful and confident. Being so handsome and cute, he may try to get away with some silly behavior. His adopter should keep in mind that he is a young boy, still needing entertainment and development. 
• Physical Capability - Level 1 - Sonny is available as a rehab adoption. Interested and approved adopters may contact his trainer for more information.

 click for horse level information 

Shipping Credit Information

This horse is eligible for a shipping credit of up to $500! Here's what you need to know.

If you're using a commercial shipper*:

• Arrange shipping with the transporter of your choice and inform the New Vocations trainer you're working with of your shipping plans and the quote you've received. The New Vocations trainer must approve the shipping quote via text or e-mail before the horse ships to receive the shipping credit.
• Pay the shipping bill in full.
• E-mail a copy of the original transportation bill to accounting@horseadoption.com within 10 days of the horse arriving at your farm or boarding facility. Please include the address of the facility to which the horse was delivered along with your mailing address.
• New Vocations will then mail you a check for up to $500.

If you're picking up the horse yourself or otherwise not using a commercial shipper:

• Arrange a pick-up date and time with the trainer at the facility where the horse is located.
• E-mail accounting@horseadoption.com within 10 days of transporting the horse home. Please include the address of the facility to which the horse was delivered along with your mailing address.
• New Vocations will determine the mileage from the New Vocations facility at which the horse was located to the new farm or boarding barn, based on Google Maps.
• New Vocations will then mail you a check for $1.00/loaded mile (up to $500).

^{*A commercial transportation/shipping company by this definition is any equine transportation company that has a USDOT number.}

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 range around $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.
  
  
• $2,000 - $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 - $1,500: 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.