Youth Foundation assistant Ryan Avenetti holds Sweet Karen while Ellen Taylor demonstrates how to apply a standing wrap properly while participants watch

The event was a cooperative effort between the Harness Horse Youth Foundation and the U.S. Trotting Association. Level Two was for those youth, ages 14 to 16, who had completed Level One, or who are current Youth members of the U.S. Trotting Association. Youngsters from Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ontario attended the event.

The 14 youth and 14 parents or guardians began the weekend by learning aspects of horse ownership by playing a game to simulate owning a racehorse. They bought a yearling, decided whether to stake the horse, and chose a trainer. Following the first part of the game the participants learned about judging conformation, the basics of reading a pedigree, and claiming races. At the end of the event, each family got to see how well their horse had raced or trained.

Thanks to the assistance of Jo Pollock, the director of the equine program at the Delaware (Ohio) Area Career Center, Randy Lane, and their Standardbreds, each youth jogged one and one-half miles on the famous oval. Meanwhile, the parents and guardians got a chance to jog the Youth Foundation’s stable of Trottingbred horses, a breed of ponies with seven-eighths Standardbred blood, which are bred to race one-half mile on the trot or pace. The youngsters and adults took turns doing barn chores, which gave some of the adults a better appreciation of what goes on in a barn.

USTA photos by Mark Hall

Following Taylor’s demonstration, adults wrap horse legs and the youth judged how well they did

On Saturday afternoon, the group visited Success Acres, a breeding farm in Sunbury, Ohio. Farm manager Matt Murphy talked about broodmare and foal care, managing stallions, yearling preparation and sales, and answered many questions.

The sessions included topics such as “Horses and Higher Education,” about secondary education and careers in the industry; “Equine Nutrition”; “Harness Racing and the Internet,” on how to stay connected to your favorite sport through the information superhighway; and “Standardbreds as Athletes,” about conditioning and caring for a racehorse.

Teams of youth tested their knowledge through a series of skill stations on various topics, including stations based on the sessions, and on equipment safety, stable management, shoeing, and safety in the barn. Following their skill stations, the teams each had the opportunity to teach their parents and guardians.

“The Level Two event was a great idea and a joint effort of the two organizations,” U.S. Trotting Association executive vice president and CEO Eric Sharbaugh said. “It is a great initiative to keep younger people involved in our industry.”

The U.S Trotting Association and Harness Horse Youth Foundation thank all those who sponsored the event, and the many volunteers who helped make the event go smoothly.

For more information about the Harness Racing Youth League series, or to receive information on a Level One camps at racetracks, visit the Harness Horse Youth Foundation’s Web site, at www.hhyf.org, or call (317) 867-5877.