by Keith Gisser, for the Harness Horse Youth Foundation

Westfield, IN — Applications are now available for young people ages 12 to 14 who wish to participate in the Harness Horse Youth Foundation’s midwest summer programs, a series of one- and two-day events designed to give youth hands-on experience working with the HHYF’s stable of Trottingbred horses.

Each event will allow participants the chance to explore many aspects of harness horse preparation, from stall cleaning, grooming and harnessing to actually jogging the horses.

The programs scheduled are:

Date(s)-location-age of participants-special information
June 13-Maywood Park, Maywood, Ill.-12-14 with mentor-Big Brothers/Big Sisters program
June 15-Elkhorn, Wis.-12-14
June 19-20-Running Aces, Columbus, Minn.-12-14
June 22-Cannon Falls, Minn.-12-14
June 24-Grinnell, Iowa-12-16

Applications and additional information are available at this link. The deadline for applications to be received by HHYF is June 1.

“HHYF is looking forward to our midwest adventure and sharing HHYF excitement. This year we wanted to a better job of visiting new venues so we adjusted the usual five-day event format. This helps us reach more young fans due to the ever-shortened summer vacation,” said Executive Director Ellen Taylor.

The Harness Horse Youth Foundation is a charitable 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing young people and their families educational opportunities with harness horses, in order to foster the next generation of participants and fans. The Foundation has been making a difference in young people’s lives since 1976, and its programs include interactive learning experiences with these versatile animals, scholarship programs, and creation and distribution of educational materials. For more information on opportunities through HHYF, or to support its mission, go to www.hhyf.org.