Between their different locations they seem to have several nice horses. Has anyone ever adopted from them before and if so can you tell me about your experience? Their adoption agreement seems pretty cut and dry but it also seems like the buyer pays for the horse but doesn’t really own it until after a year or so. I’ve never adopted a horse from an organization
before so going this avenue is new to me.
I got my horse from the PA facility in 2013. They were A+ to work with. I recommend calling and not emailing because I had a hard time getting facilities (not just PA) to respond via email. The application process takes a time but is not difficult, just make sure you have all your information ready ahead of time (references, phone #s, etc.)
You have to provide updates for the first year (photos and a summary of how the horse is doing.) They do it for the protection of the horse because there are a lot of well meaning people out there who quickly become overwhelmed with medical/dietary/training needs of a fresh OTTB.
They are very honest and up front with information about the horses, their limitations, what type of rider they will need, etc. They also have a lot more horses than what is listed online (some are rehabbing, not ready to be sold, etc.) so going in person to see several horses is a good idea. That’s what I did, my horse wasn’t listed online because he was returned to the program by a previous adopter (well meaning person like I mentioned above.)
10/10 would recommend getting a horse from NV.
I agree with the post above, I adopted Jump Pony from them about 10 years ago.
i sent emails with pictures for the first year, they always responded and told me how good he looked.
After that year he was mine, they do that to try to protect the horses, make sure they are going to go to a good home.
It also works to your benefit, if down the road you can’t keep the horse you have the option of giving him back.
I live in NY but I got my horse from KY, I am short and so is he, took me awhile to find a little TB!
I also found them very good to deal with.
I only saw my horse online before I got him, and they were spot on with their assessment of him
They are great to work with and are really good at matching potential adopters with the RIGHT horse (which may not always be the first one that catches your eye on the website).
Like others said, they want updates every 3 months for the first year to know that things are going smoothly.
They have lots of horses on the website, but some never even make it that far (get matched with a potential adopter before they ever “advertise” them).
They have extensive histories on most of the horses and will share vet reports, trainer information, radiographs etc. on horses you are interested in so that you have ALL the information you need to find the right horse.
I can definitely enthusiastically recommend them…
Agree with the posters above.
I adopted from New Vocations 2 1/2 years ago. No regrets at all. I was approved for adopting about 10 days after submitting my application. A cute, just turned 4 yr old gelding caught my eye. The description that they provided, sounded ideal for what I was looking for. He was at the Kentucky facility so I called and spoke with the Adoption Coordinator there, She was honest and professional. After I showed his videos to my trainer and got the two thumbs up, I moved forward with the adoption.
Just keep in mind, once you do adopt, you need to transport them rather quickly. I think about a week, maybe less. That was a bit of a scramble for me since I was transporting him from Kentucky to Massachusetts. So, maybe start looking for transportation options before you commit.
The horse I adopted was exactly what they described. He is a gem and my trainer loves him! She is certain he going to be a star in the Hunter Ring.
1 Like
So nice to hear all of the great experiences. How about some pics?? 
Yes, have friends, including Pros, who have gotten several they moved up to rated show levels both for clients and as personal horses for eventual sale (NOT to flip). No issues.
I saw several I’d love to have in my barn and came close to inquiring further. When I’m in the market I will definitely give them a shout.
Skipollo, your horse is gorgeous and of course my favorite color combination - chestnut with a blaze or in this case stripe.
Good to hear the success stories. I went to spectate at the New Vocations show in September in KY, and there were quite a few that came through the program. When I was looking to adopt, I looked at them and MMSC. The thing that really made me choose the other program was that at new vocations your contract says that they can reclaim the horse at any time. Now, granted, they likely will never do this if you are taking care of your horse. I understand that they put this in there to ensure the well being of their horse. BUT, I just don’t like that in my contract. I ended up adopting from the other program, Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center. They, too, are great and have lovely horses. They are a bit more expensive, but they put a lot into them and they tend to get more longer-term training. Just to make myself clear, I don’t want to say anything bad about New Vocations, because they do have a great program. It just wasn’t right for me. (My DH is an attorney, and he’s picky about contracts!)
Me too. I have two from them.
Overall, a wonderful organization! I adopted my STB from them and it was awesome - great communication on what I wanted personality-wise.
There are old threads on some of the concerns people had in the past, including myself, but the trainers involved have changed. Each location has a head trainer, so the experiences can vary somewhat location-to-location.
I would ask the trainer specifically about the return policy. At one point, it was open-ended, and you got your money back. Then it changed to getting credit, so you could bring the horse back within “x” number days and apply the fee to a different horse that would hopefully work better.
There are other rescues in my general area - southwest Ohio - that allow you to ride the horse before adoption. Some even require it! NV doesn’t let you ride before you take the horse home. I personally want a good return policy from a rescue, especially if I can’t ride it beforehand.
There are other reasons the adoption might not work out, and you’d want to be able to take the horse back. I’m an experienced person with OTTBs, but I have my horses at home, so for example, if the horse didn’t integrate with my small, mixed herd, I want to be able to take it back.
I understand it’s not ideal to have a horse come/go. I even chatted with the NV STB trainer about this - she noted oftentimes the horses came back with some bad training she had to undo. Ideal is to get it right the first time, but I do like the “safety net” of a return policy on a green horse that needs retraining. I’d just be clear on that before adopting.
You may also find other reputable rescues and more horses to potentially adopt by checking out the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance - NV is included, but there are more that have met the standards of TAA for inclusion.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Good luck - LOVE the OTT horses!!!
