New Vocations Joins Visit Horse Country, Combo Tours Launch for Spring 2020

Lexington, KY – The Visit Horse Country Board of Directors is proud to announce the addition of New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program to its membership roster. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited (TAA) program is the 40th organization to join Visit Horse Country. New Vocations will begin offering tours of its Mereworth Farm facility location in April. Tour dates and times can be found at visithorsecountry.com/new-vocations.

“We love getting to share the athleticism, willingness and spirit of the horse on experiences–the horse is what makes people fall in love,” said Anne Sabatino Hardy, executive director of Visit Horse Country. “The program at New Vocations has long done great work with retraining and adoption; we’re excited to partner with them in sharing that work with guests–seeing an off-track Thoroughbred being trained for a second career is inspiring.”

“New Vocations is proud to share our work with the public; we’re grateful to get the chance to tell the whole story about retired racehorses,” said Anna Ford, Thoroughbred Program Director of New Vocations. “We celebrate each success as these former racehorses go on to new careers in loving homes. For them, the finish line is just the beginning.”

New Vocations will be participating in an exciting new product offering from the members of Visit Horse Country this spring: “combo tours” that pair two member experiences in one ticket. These experiences highlight local attractions and restaurants close in proximity to the two members, providing an all-in-one guide for a great day in Horse Country. Currently available combo tours include New Vocations & Stonestreet, Claiborne & Runnymede, Spendthrift & the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, Gainesway & Denali, Hallway Feeds & the Kentucky Equine Adoption Center and Coolmore & Blackwood Stables. Each of these two-for-one options can be booked at visithorsecountry.com/combo-tours beginning in March. Additional combo tours will launch throughout the year.

About Horse Country, Inc.: Inspired by such successful, experiential tourist models as Napa Valley, California and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and assisted by the story telling and customer experience principles offered by the Walt Disney Institute, Horse Country, Inc. was formed in 2014 to serve as a central booking outlet with the design to share the overarching story of Kentucky’s rich Horse Country heritage and the participating locations. Horse County connects visitors from around the world in memorable and authentic ways with the story of the horses, land and people, and develops fans of farms and clinics, as well as of equine sport.

About New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program: Founded in 1992, New Vocations has grown into the largest racehorse adoption charity in the country. Its mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired racehorses has led to the placement of over 7,000 individuals, with nearly 500 retirees served by the program each year. With seven facilities in Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks, working directly with owners and trainers in need of equine aftercare options. www.newvocations.org.