Columbus, OH — Over 71,000 people were in attendance at the 97th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis the week of Oct. 22. Harness racing was well represented with a 10×30 booth at the Indiana Convention Center, complete with a race bike and 360 video experience, bandaging station, harness racing plinko/trivia game, literature and giveaways for both advisors and students.
“It’s important for us to share harness racing with the next generation and there’s no better place than the FFA Convention,” said Emily Dever, a booth volunteer and Indiana Standardbred Association Director. “Even if we only reach 10% of those (in attendance), that’s 7,000 people within three days that didn’t know about harness racing that do now.”
Students from 47 of the 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, visited the booth and pinned the “which track is closest to you” map. Trivia questions tested student knowledge of not only harness racing, but general equine health and wellness; demonstrations were made to show the difference between trotters and pacers; and many conversations were had about harness racing careers, off-track opportunities for ex-racehorses and where they can find harness racing, either at their local pari-mutuel track or at a county fair.
The industry rallied together for this event, both working at the booth and through sponsorships. Special thanks to booth workers from the Indiana Standardbred Association and local horsemen: Tony Renz, Emily and Sonora Dever, Julie and Doug Rideout, Kyle Wilfong, Donna Loney and Carrie Hollman; the Indiana Standardbred Breed Development Fund: Joyse Banister and Jen Tuttle; the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association: Ashley Dailey and Susan Schroeder; the Harness Horse Youth Foundation: Vicky Rouch; and the USTA: Jourdan Miller.
The booth would not be possible without the sponsorship from the USTA, Harness Horse Youth Foundation (HHYF), Indiana Standardbred Association (ISA), Indiana Standardbred Breed Development Fund, Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association (OHHA), Caesars Entertainment (Harrah’s Hoosier Park and Horseshoe Indianapolis), Delaware Standardbred Owners Association (DSOA), Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association (IHHA), Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA), Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association (PHHA), Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey (SBOANJ) and Eldorado Scioto Downs.
Planning is already underway for next year’s FFA Convention and Expo, which will be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2025. Those interested in learning more about the FFA convention and the harness racing presence can contact Jessica Schroeder at 614.224.2291 or jessica.schroeder@ustrotting.com.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization whose membership surpassed 1 million students in 2024. There are 9,235 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Utah, Florida and Alaska saw the highest growth rates in membership compared to last year; the top five states for membership are Texas, California, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. The convention was first held in 1928 in Kansas City, Mo., and was in that city for 70 years; it has also been held in Louisville and will be in Indianapolis through 2033.