by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Barbara Arnstine celebrated her 82nd birthday by going for a drive. It wasn’t a leisurely trip along the Pacific Coast Highway or any other scenic journey through northern California.

It was far more breathtaking and exhilarating.

Arnstine jogged a trotter last Saturday morning (Dec. 17) at Cal Expo.

A resident of Sacramento, Arnstine and her husband Don have owned racehorses since the early 1970s. The two retired university professors enjoy their time around the stable, and Barbara enjoys getting on the track whenever possible. And she knows how to play her hand to get her family to agree to it.

Barbara Arnstine celebrated her 82nd birthday by jogging trotting mare Cantoria at Cal Expo.

“I got to jog on my 80th birthday and I thought that was pretty good, so I’ve kind of been insisting since then,” said Arnstine, who drove a horse for the first time in 1974. “I’ve got four children and when you’re in your 80s you can always pull a guilt trip on your children because they’re never sure how long you’re going to last. You can look wistful and say this might be my last jog.”

Arnstine laughed at her approach, but it worked. She drove 4-year-old mare Cantoria “a couple miles” and enjoyed every moment. Her only regret was the trip wasn’t longer.

“They didn’t tell me how long I could go,” Arnstine said. “I only did a couple of miles, but I could have done a couple more. The horse was glad; I was disappointed. She thought it was great: ‘Oh, we’re done early.’ But she was very sweet.

“I was out on the track and Chip Lackey was driving by and he looked at me and said, ‘That really is a well-mannered horse.’ We weren’t pretending I was skillful. Everyone lines up on the fence because they don’t know what’s going to happen. But I’m not that incompetent.”

Although experienced with horses, Arnstine never took her passion for sitting behind a racehorse to the next level, not even as an amateur (such as her son, Stephen Chambers). But she did think about it.

“Of course I did,” she said, adding with a laugh, “And when I was 13 I considered being a ballerina, too, but that didn’t work out with me. I’m much better with words. I love horses and I rode all the time. I do go to the barn and visit a great deal, but I know my limitations. But it sure is great fun.”

Arnstine and her husband claimed their first horse, Big Time, at Hollywood Park in 1973. The couple has 11 horses at the moment, racing in both California and on the East Coast.

“We’d been going to the races for years and we felt it was finally time to become owners,” Arnstine said. “We’ve been in and out ever since then.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Arnstine

Barbara Arstine spends a moment with trotting mare Cantoria.

“They’re all my favorites, but my favorite horse of all time was Big Time. He was the most winning horse at Hollywood Park, ever. He loved that track. And he didn’t like to be beaten, at all. (Female trotter) Fortunista was our biggest success. She made a half-million dollars and was a finalist in the (2012) New York Sire Stakes.”

Now that Arnstine has gotten her birthday wish to jog a horse again, is she satisfied with returning to the sidelines?

“I’ll be back in the barn whining again next week and trying to think of some reason to bother everybody into letting me go out there,” Arnstine said. “My generation, we figured when you retired you’d have a couple of years if you were lucky and then you’d die. Here I am in my 20th year of retirement and thinking this is very cool. If I’d only known I’d have anticipated it more.

“The horses are a great way to go. I heartily recommend it. And they’re not that expensive if you own with other people. A lot of people could manage it, but they don’t realize they could manage it. I think if people knew they could manage it with a couple of partners they’d find it a great thing to do. And I think it’s great for the elderly. You always have something to get up for in the morning.”

Like a drive.