New Vocations

The New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, Presented by Iris Smith Stables, LLC, raised a record-breaking $150,000 in sponsorships. All proceeds from the event will go directly to support New Vocations' efforts to rehab, retrain and rehome retiring racehorses. The 18th annual show--held for the first time at Highfields Event Center, in Aiken, SC, Sept. 3-5--marked a return to live events for New Vocations after a quiet past 18 months due to COVID-19. The competition brought together nearly 100 Thoroughbreds from 10 different states to compete in a variety of...

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 estate of Joyce and Paul Robsham donated $500,000 to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program's endowment fund. The Robshams, as two of the founding supporters of New Vocations, were instrumental in creating the endowment fund. New Vocations was founded in 1992 and has rehomed over 7,500 horses to date. Paul Robsham passed away in 2004, while Joyce Robsham died in 2018. "Paul was a visionary," said Dot Morgan, executive director of New Vocations. "He saw the need for racehorse aftercare options long before it was recognized by the industry....

The early estimate of funds raised during the Breeders' Cup Pledge for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program is over $140,000. A total of 50 Breeders' Cup contenders pledged a percentage of their World Championships earnings, led by Authentic (Into Mischief)'s win in the GI Longines Classic with the whole partnership group participating, including Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing, Madaket, and MyRacehorse, as well as trainer Bob Baffert. Authentic's Classic-winning pledge was one of seven winning pledges during the Breeders' Cup with additional pledges and final donations still being received. The Breeders'...

Over 50 connections of horses running in Friday and Saturday's Breeders' Cup races have pledged a portion of their runners' earnings to New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption program in the country. Now in its 11th year, the annual pledge has raised over $650,000, with 100 percent of funds raised supporting the program's rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming efforts. "We pledged for two reasons: We love the New Vocations model of repurposing these magnificent Thoroughbreds for a new life, and it's the right thing to do," said owner B. Wayne Hughes...

The bar is set high for the 11th annual New Vocations Breeders' Cup pledge drive. Last year's fundraiser for the nation's largest retired racehorse rehabilitation and placement program netted $130,000 from owners and trainers of Breeders' Cup entrants. The exclamation point on that record amount was provided by Vino Rosso (Curlin) winning the GI Classic, because the colt's two ownership partners--St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable--plus trainer Todd Pletcher, all pledged their support. Over the last decade New Vocations has raised $650,000 with its annual Breeders' Cup funding drive, which...

With its annual in-person charity horse show cancelled due to COVID-19, New Vocations opened entries for its first All-Thoroughbred Virtual Horse Show Tuesday. Exhibitors from all over the country can compete by filming their rides at any location and uploading the videos for judging in the virtual show. "This has definitely been a challenging year with all of our live events being cancelled, so we are excited to be able to launch the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Virtual Horse Show," said New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director Anna Ford. "We were very...

New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption charity in the country, has kicked off its 11th annual Breeders' Cup Pledge in support of Thoroughbred aftercare. The program, which has raised over $650,000 for aftercare, is seeking owners and trainers of Breeders' Cup contenders to pledge a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings to New Vocations for the rehabilitating, retraining, and rehoming of retired racehorses. "The need for our services continues to grow each year," said Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director. "This year, in particular, has been very challenging due...

New Vocations Racehorse has canceled its 2020 All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show, a dressage and combined test event, slated to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. Oct. 3. The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) followed suit and canceled its dressage and combined test championships, originally slated for Oct. 4. "It was a difficult decision to cancel the October show, but we feel that the safety of our show team and exhibitors is the most important," says Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program director. "It has been...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) have jointly agreed to cancel their 2020 hunter/jumper/pleasure horse show that was slated for Sept. 3-6 at the Kentucky Horse Park. "We are deeply disappointed to cancel the 2020 horse show, but after ongoing discussions with show management, Kentucky Horse Park event staff and horse show managers of other events held at the park, the decision to cancel the event was made," says Sarah Coleman, director of community and public relations for New Vocations. "Multiple factors contributed...

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...

With the help of fifth-generation Hagyard Equine Medical Institute veterinarian Dr. Luke Fallon, Hagyard Pharmacy donated 13 half-gallons of Reflex HA to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program's Kentucky facility. This is enough product to keep 13 retired Thoroughbred racehorses comfortable for 60 days. In an effort to assist even more horses, Hagyard Pharmacy has launched the Buy-1, Donate-1 program, which allows anyone who purchases a bottle of Reflex HA to contribute to the health of retired racehorses. For every bottle of Reflex HA sold from now through May 31, Hagyard...