With many nicknames around the barn, Urban Light has caught our attention since the second he stepped off the trailer! “Urban” is a four year old seasoned gelding with 15 starts under his belt. 

Urban is a very playful guy who makes the most of his turnout time during the day with his buddies. He is still learning how to stand quietly and patiently in the crossties, but has never shown any naughter behavior. He likes to show his excitement by pawing or being a wiggle worm in the cross ties so we are working on channeling his energy into focus! We have found that Urban is most comfortable with having shoes on all four and he stands nicely for the vet and farrier. Urban does not have any stall vices, our main focus is helping him continue to gain healthy weight.

Under saddle, Urban is quite the sporty ride! Any anxious behavior that he displays on the ground disappears when he steps into the ring and he loves learning his new job. He has three large, floaty gaits that show tremendous amounts of potential to light up the show ring! He’s even popped over a few small fences! Because of his energy and low mileage in his new career, he would need an advanced rider who is experienced in bringing along green horses. 

We would also love to see Urban go to a rider who would be willing to bring him along slowly, or just plain give him time off to relax considering how recently he last raced!

He is eligible for the RRP’s 2021 TB Makeover, and will be eligible for the 2022 TB Makeover (pending any rule changes for eligibility) as well, so if he was given time off in compliance with the Makeover guidelines, we suspect he would be an AMAZING entry come competition time!

ADOPTION FEE POLICY

New Vocations’ adoption fees are intentionally set lower than the cost of buying most Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds through a private seller. In today’s market, it’s not unusual for horses coming right off the track to be listed for sale at a price between $2,000 and $5,000. At New Vocations, we set a fee that will ultimately help each horse find a home quickly. The program’s facilities are always at full capacity, which means we cannot take in an additional horse until one is adopted. Adopters should be encouraged to know that by adopting a horse through New Vocations, they are actually helping two horses transition to careers outside of racing.

In general, our fees are set at $500, $1,000 or $2,500.

• $2,500: This range is for horses that we consider to be the cream of the crop or the unicorn horses. They are horses that have few or no limitations, have great conformation, movement and size.
• $1,000: This range is for horses that are suitable for a competitive career up to a certain level (for example cleared for 2’6” but not 3’). They may have been fully rehabbed from a race injury but have been cleared for most disciplines.
• $500: This range is for horses that are limited to a flat, trail or companion type home. These horses are healthy and have been fully rehabbed and evaluated by a vet.

Additionally, adopters get great value for their money: The majority of the horses have been in the program for a minimum of 60 days. During that time, horses are rehabilitated (if needed), socialized with other horses, fully evaluated, and in work with a professional trainer. New Vocations fully discloses each horse’s history and provides all available medical records, many of which include X-ray and ultrasounds.

While adoption fees are low, it should be noted that costs associated with ongoing care and additional training for each horse after adoption can be high. New Vocations hopes that by helping an adopter save money upfront, he or she will have more funds available to cover the continuing costs of properly caring for a horse.