New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program

The 2024 dates for two competition legs of the Real Rider Cup, a charity show jumping event featuring members of the racing industry competing on off-track Thoroughbreds, were announced Tuesday. The Kentucky leg will take place July 13 at New Vocations at Mereworth Farm in Lexington, and the Maryland leg will once again kick off the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show in Elkton Sept. 13. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, and the Retired Racehorse Project. Riders will compete both individually...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program celebrated a successful Giving Tuesday, raising over $40,000 for their mission to rehab, retrain, and rehome retired racehorses. Churchill Downs Incorporated, alongside their nine racetrack properties, pledged to match the first $20,000 raised by New Vocations in support of both Thoroughbred and Standardbred aftercare. Over 100 supporters in the equestrian and racing communities rallied together in support of New Vocations' aftercare program. "It was really great to see support come in from so many of our adopters and supporters along with many new contributors via...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program will host an Open Barn and BBQ Apr. 28 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at its Lexington facility at Mereworth Farm. This year's event--held concurrently with the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, taking place at the nearby Kentucky Horse Park--will feature educational seminars, a MasterClass presented by the Retired Racehorse Project, "Introductory Jumping Exercises for OTTBs," and a chance to meet adoptable horses while touring the facility. "We look forward to welcoming guests to New Vocations at Mereworth Farm," said Anna Ford, New Vocations'...

D. J. Stable, LLC will match 'Giving Tuesday' donations to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in celebration of the organization's 30th anniversary. D. J. Stable, whose Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 4, will match up to $30,000 in support of racehorse aftercare. Giving Tuesday takes place Nov. 29 this year. "We are so pleased to have the opportunity to partner with this wonderful organization," said D. J. Stable's general manager Jonathan Green. "Our horses have benefited from being placed in New Vocations' aftercare...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has opened a satellite facility at Trillium Sport Horses near Ocala, Florida. Erin MacDonald, an international three-day eventing rider, will oversee the facility's focus on rehabbing, retraining, and rehoming retiring Thoroughbred racehorses. "On average, 60 horses each year are shipped more than 700 miles from Florida to our Lexington facility," said Anna Ford, the program director for New Vocations. "Horses coming from Florida racetracks and training centers will now have a much shorter travel distance and duration as they start their next chapters." New Vocations,...

New Vocations, the country's oldest and largest racehorse adoption program, will host the 18th Annual All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show Sept. 3-5. The event will be held at Highfields Event Center in Aiken, S.C. Iris Smith Stable, LLC will be the title sponsor. One of the largest fundraisers for New Vocations, the annual show was held virtually last year due to COVID-19. As a way of showcasing the versatility of Thoroughbred athletes, classes will include hunter, jumper, combined test, pleasure, in-hand, dressage, and western. An exhibitor's party will take place on...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners has presented Scott Palmer, VMD, its 2020 Sage Kester "Beyond the Call" Award. The award is named in honor of its first recipient, the late Wayne O. "Sage" Kester, DVM, and recognizes a current or former AAEP member who has made significant and long-lasting contributions to equine veterinary medicine and the community. A past president of the AAEP, Palmer worked in clinical practice as a staff surgeon and hospital director of the New Jersey Equine Clinic for 38 years. He was appointed equine medical...

The Kentucky Horse Council has appointed Sarah Coleman as its new Executive Director; Coleman will begin her role Sept. 29. An avid equestrian, Coleman grew up in northeastern Ohio and graduated from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Coleman moved to the Bluegrass in 2004 to work with multiple equine and agriculture-related publications based in the area. She shifted to equine-oriented roles at Lexington Catholic High School and Georgetown College before transitioning to her most recent role as Community and Public Relations Director for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption...

While most organizations, racing or otherwise, experienced a stagnation in business during the midst of the Coronavirus shut-down, Thoroughbred aftercare programs confronted quite the opposite. When racing in most states was a giant question mark for months on end, for many horses that would have otherwise stayed in training throughout the spring season, the decision was made to enter them into retirement. Since the first of the year, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has brought in 240 horses to their rehabilitation and rehoming program, a 23% increase from last year's...

Though April 2020 was a month of social distancing and working from home, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program withstood the trend of solitude and sent 60 retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses into new and loving homes. This is the largest number of April adoptions the program has ever accomplished since its inception in 1992. The program also received 225 applications from potential adopters, which is a 100% increase from months prior. "I'm very proud of our entire team for pulling together to ensure our mission is moving forward during the...