Cash Commander went to his first show after only 1 month in the program and won his class.  He is seen here with rider Sherry George. Cash was adopted last week and is enjoying his new life as a pleasure horse.

The partnership between the Pennsylvania HBPA and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program is fully up and running. The program started taking horses in November and to date has taken in 24 horses. 10 of the 24 have successfully been adopted into new homes. The program established by the Pennsylvania HBPA offers a good option for racehorses at the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in need of retirement and placement into new careers.

“We were in need of a program for our retired racehorses. We chose to partner with New Vocations due to their many years of experience in running a racehorse adoption program. One of the keys to a financially viable racehorse retirement program is to get the horses adopted into new homes. New Vocations have become the experts and we appreciate their willingness to share their expertise and manage our program.” Explains the Executive Director of the PA HBPA, Todd Mostoller.

The Pennsylvania HBPA, Penn National Gaming and the Pennsylvania Owners and Breeders Association have all made donations to support the program. Ongoing funding will come from a $10 dues assessment for each starter at HCPNRC. The program is housed at Foxfield Farm,
which has locations in both Oxford and Reinholds PA. “New Vocations mission is to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome the retired racehorses. Foxfield Farm greatly compliments our efforts. They have both a reputable layup and equestrian facility, which are crucial to helping the retired racehorses transition properly into new homes and careers,” explains New Vocations program director, Anna Ford.

“The support for the program has been amazing. I think the Pennsylvania HBPA, Penn National Gaming and the PA Owners and Breeders Association should all be applauded for their support,” shares Ford. “This type of program is greatly needed. There is an overwhelming amount of horses in need of a place to go once retired. Although we are still in our infancy stage we have made good progress in a rather short period of time. "

If you are looking for a sweet horse with an adorable personality, look no further. Hombre, like so many of our horses, is very inquisitive about everyone that walks by his stall and will beg for attention. He loves to be groomed and fussed over and has great ground manners and no vices. Those good manners continue under saddle as well. Hombre is light in the bridle, moves off leg without a fuss, and has a fabulous rhythm of his own, especially at the canter. He would make a wonderful dressage prospect with his uphill, balanced carriage.

Hombre had 20 starts, earning almost $97,000 at the upper level tracks. He is by Top Account and Morning Galaxy by Morning Bob. Hombre has no vices.

To view the full profile of Dos Hombres, please click HERE!

Inspector Hall and Far Out Hall

I am very blessed to live near the Laura headquarters for New Vocations, and to be able to volunteer around the farm however I can. When I first found New Vocations, I thought every horse that came through the program was going to be “the one!” Dot told me that I would know when the right one came through, and to be patient. It took a few months, and I saw lots of great horses come through, and one afternoon, Dot emailed me about Ace, and said “I think this is your horse!” It has been about a year and a half since I adopted Inspector Hall, known to me as Ace, and I couldn’t have asked for a better horse! In the past year, we have participated in parades, hunter paces, horse shows, breed demonstrations at the Kentucky Horse Park, learned to ride saddleseat, and been on lots of weekend trail rides! We logged over 140 hours in the saddle from May to November! My 8-year old son Austin will ride him by himself, and Ace takes wonderful care of him. He has become my “old reliable” at the young age of 4, and takes care of anyone that is on him without ever spooking or protesting! This fall, while on a trail ride at a local state park, I received a wonderful compliment from a complete stranger as I dismounted Ace on the trail and tied him to a tree so I could help another rider cross the water. She inquired about his age and his breed, and told me she “had never seen a horse show so much respect to his rider.” What a wonderful compliment! …To which I was happy to share about my wonderful Standardbred and New Vocations!

About a year later, Dot told me that Ace’s half brother was going to be returned, and that he was the same age as Ace from the same farm. When he finally arrived, I admired him and immediately started thinking of how I could keep him, considering I don’t have my own farm yet!  I offered to ride him on the trails and get some video footage for his adoption video… and after I rode him, I just knew I had to have him!  Far Away Hall, now called Falco, is wonderful and challenging and fun! He is quite different from Ace but that is the fun part! He has a wonderful single-foot gait, tons of energy, and a huge personality! He just has to see what is going on all of the time and is a blast on the trails. We rode saddleseat in a local parade only a month after I adopted him and he looked spectacular! We are working on lots of new stuff this winter to get ready for the upcoming show season and breed demonstrations, and might even have a couple tricks up our sleeve!

I can’t imagine not having these wonderful horses in my life! The temperament and athleticism of a Standardbred is truly unmatched, and I look forward of lots more adventures with both of them!

New Vocations deals with the socialization of new arrivals on a daily basis. Horses that are accustomed to living in a stall and having no physical contact with another horse are suddenly touching each other between the bars and eventually turned out together. This socialization must be handled with care in order to avoid injuries and stress related complications.

A new horse entering a resident herd will be chased and bullied by even the meekest of the group. If the newcomer lacks confidence, is very young, or geriatric it is at grave risk of injury, malnutrition, or dehydration due to the competition from the herd.

The first step to minimize conflict and facilitate acceptance is to turn the new horse out with an individual pulled from the group. Let these two bond for a few days before introducing them into the herd as a pair. When just a few horses are involved, it’s even better if the new horse and its buddy bond in the main field while the other horses are moved to a different paddock. When the final merger takes place the residence horses are moving into the new arrival’s turf. This gives the new comer added confidence and bolster’s his image in the group.

Segregating mares and geldings eliminates much emotional turmoil and lessens separation anxiety. With one to three horses this may not be preferable, but in larger groups its best.

Geldings that have been on anabolic steroids often exhibit stallion like behavior for several months following the end of medication. These can be self-destructive if not carefully monitored when turned out. They will often walk the fence incessantly, frantically calling to other horses. This results in weight loss and aggravates injuries.

As the hormones wear off, the horse may be turned out with geldings, but contact with mares should be avoided for at least three months.