70 SIDELINES MARCH 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
she rode the Thoroughbreds for me. She went
to Ohio State University, traveled overseas and
spent six months in South Africa. When she came
back in 2001, she told me, “this isn’t my mission,
this is your mission; but I’ll help you for a year.”
It wasn’t long before it became Anna’s vision,
too, and hers was far bigger than mine. Anna
really is the heart and soul of New Vocations –
her passion, her youth, her inspiration – and it is
Anna who said, “we’ll open more locations and
help more horses.”
In typical mother-daughter dynamics, they
have differing versions of how Anna became
involved full-time. Anna got married and the
couple lived on the family farm for a few months.
She couldn’t miss seeing how much the New
Vocations program had grown.
“It was growing into something much greater
than my mom could handle on her own and
initially I just wanted to help lighten the load
in some way,” recalls Anna. “But it just sort of
all fell together. I really enjoyed it, especially
working with the Thoroughbreds. I had grown
up with horses on a breeding and training farm. I
took a break from it during college – we took only
one vacation because of the horses – and when
I got back into it, I never turned away again.
I’ve always enjoyed the Thoroughbreds. Their
appearance and their athleticism especially
appeal to me.”
Anna is now based in Columbus and works out
Call Me Gold (Thoroughbred) ran 37 times and upon retirement
came to New Vocations. Anna Harbaugh adopted Gold several
years ago and the duo compete successfully in hunters. Shown
here on course at the New Vocations Charity Show during the
Thoroughbred Hunter Classic
of the Marysville offce. When she started out, they took in about
10 horses at a time; but the program has grown considerably
from one location to six. On any given day, the New Vocations
program will show 60-65 horses on their books. Because of
the staff’s expertise with ex-racers, horses are usually adopted
before two months pass and many “disappear” off the website
within a few days of being posted. Adoptions are helped by the
reliable reputation associated with New Vocations.
“The need is so great,” emphasizes Anna. “There are so
many horses out there on the track. I have done everything
from schooling horses to promoting New Vocations. My focus
now involves development and fundraising.” Money – that’s
the bottom line. Horses eat, well, like horses. Realistically,
from training to adoption takes about two months. Meeting
NV’s qualifcations to adopt goes beyond money to support the
horse: you need experience and expertise.
Standardbreds are typically more tolerant. Bred to race in
harness as trotters and pacers, most can be easily gaited and
offer a smooth ride. However, they usually require a skilled
rider with strong aids to train them to canter. Standardbreds
excel as trail horses. They also make good foxhunters and
reenactment mounts. With the right rider, they can do well
in dressage and eventing. Thoroughbreds arrive at New
Vocations a bit more sensitive, sometimes very reactive; but
they’ve been pampered like exotic fowers. They are extremely
athletic, tend to be very smart and learn quickly with an
experienced and tactful rider. On the hunt for a new Dobbin?
Check out New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program: www.
horseadoption.com
Frazee’s Folly raced an amazing 90 times winning over 1/2
million dollars. Folly retired sound and was adopted through
New Vocations by Megan Roland who shows him successfully in
dressage