by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Delaware, OH — When Karen Poly decided to give pleasure driving a try five years ago, she had no idea it would lead her from California to the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio.

But that’s where Poly — and 41 other students from 16 different states — arrived Thursday for the 12th annual U.S. Trotting Association Driving School.

Karen Poly has taken time off from her job at the Los Angeles Zoo to attend the USTA Driving School.

A zookeeper at the Los Angeles Zoo, Poly decided to attend the school to learn more about harness racing, with an eye toward the possibility of an amateur driving career.

“This is such a new world for me; it depends on where it goes,” Poly said. “If I have a skill for it and I enjoy it as much as I think I’m going to, that certainly would be something I’d like to go for.”

Poly started riding horses at the age of 10. When she was 14, she began volunteering at the Los Angeles Zoo and three years later landed her first job there. Among her responsibilities is taking care of a variety of hoofed mammals including the Nubian ibex, southern pudu, red-flanked duikers, lowland anoa and zebra.

“I really enjoy it,” Poly said. “It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun at the same time.”

Last year, she began keeping her pleasure driving horse at a facility that breeds and trains Standardbreds. Once she saw a few pacers in action, she wanted to learn more.

“I watched that, and I thought it was the greatest thing,” Poly said. “I started jogging them and I got hooked immediately. I love the speed and the athleticism. With the carriage driving, your pinkies are always extended and your nose is up in the air while this is just kind of down and dirty and a lot of fun.”

The USTA Driving School is open to anyone 16 years or older. Each participant gets the chance to jog a horse on the famed half-mile oval at the fairgrounds, which is home to the Little Brown Jug, one of harness racing’s Pacing Triple Crown events.

Topics covered in the general sessions include care and conditioning, stable management, driving and racing strategy, amateur driving, veterinary care, and shoeing. Instructors include Virgil Morgan Jr., Jim Arledge Jr., Dan Ater, Aaron Merriman, Ryan Stahl, Joe Faraldo, Dr. Barry Carter, Kenny Edwards and Jerry Knappenberger.

Mike Tanner, the USTA’s executive vice president/CEO, was the keynote speaker Thursday night.

Although Poly came from California, she was not the student who traveled the most distance to reach Delaware. That honor went to another Californian — Owen Perron, from Half Moon Bay.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photos

Owen Perron (left) and the USTA’s Chip Hastings at the opening session of the Driving School.

A retired municipal bond trader, Perron became interested in harness racing two years ago when he helped a friend trailer horses from California to Harrisburg, Pa., for the Standardbred Horse Sale.

“This keeps me out of trouble,” Perron said, smiling. “Now I’m a fan. I go with my friend to Sacramento (Cal-Expo) to the races. Right now, I paddock horses for him. I’m a groom, basically.”

Perron, who read about the school in Hoof Beats magazine, was uncertain what his future might hold.

“We’ll see what happens. I just want to learn more,” he said. “It’s a very challenging sport, especially for trainers and drivers. It takes a lot of fortitude to train horses. I watch these guys do it day in and day out and there are a lot of little problems that have to be solved. It’s like a big puzzle. There are so many things that go wrong or go right. It’s kind of fascinating.

“I don’t have that much experience with horses,” he added, “but they’re fun to work with.”