by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications

Columbus, OH — The 4-year-old trotting gelding Dnieper (Kadabra-Phoenix Hornline) has not yet hit it big on the track, but yesterday he reached a major milestone as the 5,000th horse enrolled in the U.S. Trotting Association’s Full Circle program.

Dnieper, named for a river in Russia, was enrolled by his former owner, Riina Rekila of Campbellville, Ontario, prior to a recent sale to Tim and Patti Crissman of Delaware.

Michael Burns photo

Riina Rekila enrolled Dnieper in Full Circle.

“I raced his dam, Phoenix Hornline, and I drove her,” said Rekila. “She was the fastest mare in Finland. I saw a card about Full Circle and I want to know if he ever needs help, so I enrolled him. I just sold him to race down there and he was second the other night at Dover, so he is doing good so far. I have a farm here, so I could help him if he needed it.”

The Full Circle program allows anyone, member of the USTA or not, with or without a direct connection to a particular horse, to enroll that horse. Their name and contact information is recorded in the horse’s Pathway database. If that horse should lose traditional commercial value in the future and need assistance, the person with custody can contact the person who enrolled the horse to see if they can provide assistance.

There is no cost to enroll any number of horses, no obligation of future action on the part of the enroller and enrollment can be revoked. The USTA has no stake or involvement in the outcome of the interaction between enroller and custodian of the horse.

The USTA joins the American Quarter Horse Association, The Jockey Club and the American Morgan Horse Association in offering Full Circle enrollment.

For more information on how Full Circle works and how to enroll a horse, click here or e-mail fullcircle@ustrotting.com.