by Courtney Blodgett

Warren, OH — On March 16, I took Edit, a 10-year-old trotting gelding, to the Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Warren, Ohio, to do a program on harness racing to teach the high school students about the sport and industry.

I currently train Edit, who is owned by Ingrid Gresek.

Courtney Blodgett photo

Students at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Warren, Ohio, took part in a program on harness racing.

The students in this program are juniors and seniors who come to the school from various high schools throughout Trumbull County. In the program the students are learning about different breeds, horse health, and basic horse knowledge.

The teacher of the program, Lisa Street, said, “It is very nice to have the ability to bring in a racehorse that allows the students to learn from.”

I made a presentation for the students that showed information about the Standardbred and basic facts about harness racing. I also used Edit to teach the students about harnessing a racehorse and what the different types of equipment are used by Standardbreds while racing.

The students also got to hear from different guest speakers as well, such as Amy Hollar, Wendy Ross and Michael Carter. I’m extremely thankful to them for talking to the students as well.

Street said “My goal when my students graduate from the program is that they are able to find a job within the equine industry. This presentation made my students realize how many jobs there are within the harness racing industry.”

The students really enjoyed the program and had fun while learning more about harness racing. I had a lot of fun planning this event, it was really rewarding seeing all of my hard work prove a positive result. Most of the students didn’t really know what a Standardbred was. I graduated from the program in 2014 and I loved being able to give back to the program and promoting something that I absolutely love which is harness racing. The students really enjoyed being able to be that up close to a racehorse. Many of them took selfies with Edit and he really enjoyed doing it.