Olivia M. Saylor internship to be announced

Past Saylor Intern, Morgan Whitney. Photo by Audrey C. Crosby

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption expects to announce this year’s recipients of the coveted Olivia M. Saylor Internship next week, offering two lucky people a paid position working with ex-racehorse Thoroughbreds.

Named for a young lady who loved her father’s racehorses, the Saylor internship is funded by prominent racehorse owner Paul Saylor in tribute to his daughter, who died in a fire in 2011.

“His daughter really shared a love of racing with him,” says New Vocations Program Director Anna Ford. “It was around the time that she passed away that we were working on financing our internship program” when Saylor stepped up the plate.

Having donated horses to the re-homing facility for years, Saylor was already a strong supporter and advocate of the work at New Vocations when he decided to fund the program, Ford adds.

“He’s one of those racehorse owners who really gets what we do, and appreciates it,” she says, adding, “and he does right by his horses, even when it costs money to do it.”

The five-month positions will be offered to two college students, says Ford, noting that this is the third year the positions have been made available through the Olivia M. Saylor Internship.

Past Saylor intern Lindsey Freeman hacks a New Vocations OTTB

Interns are asked to fulfill a variety of duties, ranging from “hands-on” everyday care of ex-racehorses to a “marketing” track, which allows them to manage the website, Facebook, and other marketing tools, and work directly with prospective adopters. Both internship tracks offer an enriching experience with ex-racehorses, Ford says.

“The internship provides a wonderful learning experience for the students as they work directly with our program to rehabilitate, retrain, and re-home retired racehorses,” she says. “It is also a huge help to New Vocations by allowing us to add an additional skilled individual to our hardworking team.”

At the same time, the ongoing program pays tribute to a dear daughter who cared deeply about horse welfare.

“Olivia was very concerned about the quality of life of horses after their racing careers” Saylor stated in a press release. “She would really be pleased with the success of New Vocations’ adoption program and the follow up information provided to those who contribute horses and financial support to New Vocations.”