A lot of the arguments against horse racing stem from a common place of misunderstanding. People choose not to like the sport or rally against it because they do not understand how it works, what happens behind the scenes, and why. Everything has a purpose – every piece of equipment, the way a horse is trained, and more. Most importantly, there is a misunderstanding of the horse itself. A racehorse, harness or otherwise, is not a machine, it’s not just an animal, and it’s not just a horse. Their careers consist of a series of two minute intervals on the track in a race, but their stats rarely define them to their true caretakers and trainers. Growing up in harness racing, my parents, John and Michelle, have always had between eight and 12 horses in the barn at any given time. Horses rotated, they were sold or claimed, or they stayed in the barn for extended periods of time. Regardless of how long their stay was, they became a part of the family. At Pompano Park, the barns were long, about 30 or so stalls long. They held 60 stalls total with openings to the outside on both sides, so the stalls each shared the same backwall. After one of the big hurricanes, we moved barns for the second and final time in my life at Pompano. Barn F was our barn for the remainder of the track’s history. We had 12 stalls that stretched from the right side and sunny side of the barn, plus a tack room at the end. Stalls don’t seem like much, but for us they were always a strategic placement, especially at Pompano. Stall one was always reserved for the top dog in the barn at the time, generally the barn favorite. Source Of Luck, Lucky, had that stall for the longest time. He was the barn favorite and pet. A massive horse with an aggressive attitude, but a beast on the racetrack. He held his place in our barn for 13 years. Typical New Yorker, Newyorker, fell in line with Lucky. He was a yearling purchase for my parents and they named him. He was born in New York and had that personality that he was better than everyone (no offense, of course, to the New York reader). Newyorker was very short, had a dark black coat, and an attitude like no other. He had a massive following in his Sire Stake years with many features on the Tioga Downs-based show, Inside Harness Racing. Newyorker was in our barn for almost 10 years up until he was retired to become a riding horse at a local farm. His namesake carried for many years through the New York Sires Stakes with my parents – New York Attitude, New York Jewel, Another New Yorker, and so on. Stall two was usually my horses – Current Image, Redemption Blue Chip, Joey Pro. Joey has had the stall for the longest time. We have had him since he was 2 and he is 10 now. He is still racing, an old battle horse, but with the personality of a yearling. He loves to play and especially loves to see what trouble he can cause without getting into trouble, like pulling off his bandages and soaking them in the water bucket so they cannot be put back on. Now, at Saratoga, the stall arrangement system varies a bit as the barn is split in two parts. Esa holds the front stall. The stud is similar to his stall inhibitors prior to him – aggressive, loud, arrogant, and a beast on the track. Joey in stall two as usual. And across the way, in stall one on the opposite side, Jimble Kimble, also known as Jimby. Now 4 years old, Jimby is a giant. A gentle giant, but a giant, nonetheless. He’s playful and does not have a mean bone in his body. He’s also sluggish and lazy. Everyone jokes that the drivers do more work on the track than he does. And he wouldn’t care to be described as such. As long as he has a bale of hay and a gallon of food and treats, he is happy. It’s just who he is. I could continue on. In 24 years, I have met hundreds of horses in our barn. I could show you photos, tell you about their personalities, and tell you their names and nicknames. Nicknames and personalities, getting attached, and falling in love are not unique traits to my own stable. Ask any trainer, owner, or caretaker and they can tell you about each horse in their barn and they will most definitely tell you about that one horse that really made the difference in their lives. For Maria Rice, that horse was China Dream, a horse she has had for almost nine years. “Toughest little horse on the track in his prime. He wouldn’t let any horse go by him or he’d grind them down. The sweetest boy ever,” Rice said. “When I first got him, he didn’t know what a treat was. Now he eats cookies, carrots, and bananas. I broke him to ride a few years ago and would literally put a child on him and send them on their way. “He’s one of the kindest and most professional horses to ever be around. He’s my best friend and would do anything for me – trail rides from woods to beaches and horse shows. He never hesitates. He trusts me as much as I trust him. He’s really my best friend.” Rocknroll Runa A has been a dominant force in the MGM Borgata Series at Yonkers Raceway this year for trainer Larry Stalbaum. Caretaker Brittany Clark likens the 7-year-old gelding to that of how Secretariat was described by trainer Lucien Laurin: “I think he’s 1,100 pounds of baby fat. He eats too much, and too often, they only reason he doesn’t eat more is ‘cause he’s too busy sleeping.” “My opinion of him is he is a standardbred like Secretariat,” Clark said. “He is completely a class act; however, there are times that he is really full of himself. When he wins, he knows what he has accomplished. He is very kind and very sweet; however, he can be high strung. He is absolutely spoiled with treats. On the racetrack, he’s completely professional. He moves like a tremendous machine. He has a heart of gold and loves his caretakers. “Size-wise, he is not a big horse, but the size of his heart for racing is indescribable. He completely loves his job.” Jessica Otten, the daughter of trainer Peter Otten, has two pets come to mind when she thinks of her dad’s stable, a pair of homebred brothers by Mach Three out of Navy Blue Raider. Her family bred, raised, broke, trained down, raced, and owned them both – 13-year-old Navy Lieutenant (Studly) and 9-year-old Gitterdonefortyone (Glenny). “They are the complete opposite,” Otten said. “Studly has always been a very chill and laid-back horse, whereas Glenny has been a spitfire since the minute he was born. Studly is built like a draft horse, whereas Glenny is built like a thoroughbred. Each one of them has touched my life in different ways. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter “In 2021, my dad and I decided to retire Studly and give him to a family with a little girl who wanted a riding horse. Long story short, he ended up in a kill pen in July of 2023. Thanks to Full Circle at the USTA and many friends on Facebook, I was notified and was able to pay his bail and get him out. I drove to PA to the kill auction and got him. He was a horse that taught me so much about being a groom, about horsemanship and patience with the horses. Over the years we developed such a bond. I was heartbroken but wanted to give him a fun life as a riding horse. Clearly that didn’t work out. When I went to get him, I said his name and he perked up and whinnied at me, like he remembered who I was. I have spent the last eight months getting him back to health and sound, and now he is completely loving life, fat and happy and it makes my heart so happy. He knows exactly who I am when I go see him. “I also own his brother Glenny,” Otten continued. “He is currently a racehorse and he is special to me in many ways. Thank God Studly taught me patience because I sure have needed it with this horse. He has overcome so many obstacles and continued to love his job as a racehorse – two broken coffin bones and a broken sesamoid delayed the start of his career a bit and then put it on hold. One thing he has had throughout it all is such a great attitude. He is the most feel-good horse I have ever been around. He is always happy to do his work, constantly puts forth a good effort on the track, and always has a good attitude. Sometimes he acts like a 2-year-old stud, not a 9-year-old gelding, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I call him the baby of the family because he is the last homebred out of one of my favorite mares we had growing up. I have been with him since day one. “I broke him with my dad, we trained him down and I named him after one of my favorite hockey players who at the time was 41 for the Red Wings, Luke Glendening, who shares his birthday. The horses will forever be my favorite part of my job and those two hold special places in my heart and are special to me in different ways. Once Glenny is done racing, he will live out his life with his brother and those two have a home forever with me,” Otten concluded. Saratoga owner Skylar Plemenik describes Team Best as her favorite horse and the barn pet. “He has an unparalleled personality and is widely loved by many on the track, especially when everyone stops by to give “Beef” some love. He’s the friendliest, most loveable giant horse,” Plemenik said. “He whinnies and nickers when you walk in the barn every day. He has an obsession with treats, maybe too much if you’ve seen the size of him. His favorite are mint muffins. He loves attention and cuddles and is a curious type always seeing if you have something for him your pockets. “He is a big fan of his afternoon naps,” Plemenik continued. “He is a distinguished gentleman in every way, unless he sees a blacksmith coming or you’re on his way back from Lasix!” For caretaker Mikayla Gray, Lucky Sport is one of many horses that she has encountered throughout her own and her family’s involvement in the industry. “Lucky is not the fastest horse but he’s our family pet,” Gray said. “You don’t find many horses like him. He’s a very quiet horse. He is our easiest horse to take care of, though. He is one in a million in a sense that if someone walked into our barn and knew nothing about harness racing but wants to learn, I would use Lucky. I’ve been teaching my 13-year-old how to get a horse ready to race and undressed and bathed after racing. He’s the perfect gentleman to learn on, even to jog. Lucky also is very goofy. He loves to play with his tongue and always has it hanging to the side of his mouth, especially when he hears the cookie bag.” Caretaker and breeder Allie Skowyra has had McKenzie’s Star (Kenz) since she was 4 and the mare is now 14 years old. “Kenz was one of the toughest mares I ever had the privilege of racing. I watched her week after week square up against the boys and beat them. Rarely would they ever have Filly and Mare higher trot condition so she had to go against the boys almost always,” Skowyra said. “She is such a big personality. Lovable, but so sassy. She was so tough and even nutty from time to time. We joked she always saw demons walking. She’s what made me love a mare. Before her, I was always a gelding person. I decided that no matter what she would retire with me someday and be a broodmare. At 9, I made the hard decision to retire her since conditions were getting harder and she had lost a step with age. We struggled with fertility issues at first and even lost a pregnancy. “We were finally able to get her pregnant, but during her pregnancy she lost her sight in her left eye,” Skowrya continued. “She ended up having a beautiful Father Patrick baby, who is now 2. When the baby was about a month old, she ended up losing her sight in her right eye and we made the decision at that point to not breed her again. The baby ended up being her eyes for the remaining portion until he was weaned. She overcame her blindness like I’ve never seen before. She took everything in stride and allowed me to become her eyes. When I can’t be there, she has a miniature pony who guides her. “After seeing how well she adjusted into the blindness, I made the decision with my vet to breed her again and allow her to be an embryo transfer mare. We bred her and we got her in foal to Crazy Wow. She adjusted so well to the pregnancy that my vet said, ‘let her try to carry it’. Again, I took his advice and this January, she had a beautiful filly. Even as a broodmare she continues to show her grit. She had several complications during and after foaling which has ultimately created her retirement from breeding this year. “We have built Kenzie her own field and her own stall that’s been a huge key to her adjustment into her blindness. She’s now been with me for a decade of my life and although I spend hours catering to her, I can’t imagine not having her on my farm. She and I have seen so many miles on the road and spent so many years of tears and love watching her overcome so many obstacles that she will forever be part of our family.” Glory Ghost, also known as Ghost, was a 3-year-old purchase out of the Ohio Sale when trainer Hope Miller bought her. “She was black as night but considered a ‘grey’. Every winter she sheds out greyer with the most beautiful dapples and her face gets whiter and whiter,” Miller said. “She isn’t a world-class pacer, but she’s such a sweet little mare, she’ll let you do anything to her. She’ll try and do anything you ask her to do; but she is one of the laziest horses I’ve ever had. Leading her, you’ll be five feet in front of her because she is too busy gawking and likes to take her time. I’m always on ‘her time.’ “She’s always the underdog on the track and she pulls miles out of her that surprise me week after week. I get so many compliments on how beautiful she is. She is one of my favorite horses and she will never leave the farm. She has done way more for me than I could ever repay her for, on and off the track. She doesn’t have a great lifetime mark, but anytime my little mare digs in, she digs. When it’s time for her to be done racing, with no showing of stopping yet, she will hopefully become a broodmare and live out her life here with me for the rest of her life.” Maritime caretaker and owner Jodilyn Matheson, daughter of Ron Matheson, lives for her horses and has found a new love for mares through the first one she has owned for herself, Topville Angelina. “What my horse means to me should be a simple question but it’s certainly not. She means everything to me,” Matheson said. “I own Topville Angelina, who just recently came back to start training for her third year with me. Having only mostly owned geldings before, I was hesitant as we know that mares aren’t always as easy going as geldings and I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with the attitude…well boy, oh boy was I wrong. “Angelina arrived quietly and very much only wanted to be to herself. Getting to her know and breaking her out of her shell has been the best. She has one of the most loving personalities, she does nothing wrong except of course when she gets on the track; this is the only place she shows her wild side. Ask her to go and have no fear; just hold on! She can pull! There is nothing better than seeing a horse transform that you can truly see they are happy in their home even if it’s means being stabled at the track and Ange has done just so. “Having a horse to me is more about being in my dad’s stable with him and having equine therapy. It’s not about winning or losing on the track. So, to me, Angelina may not be an Open mare or the best, but she tries her heart out, provides unconditional love and acceptance to everyone in the barn. Her calm demeanor and exceptional manners make every day and race night easy and enjoyable. She is my therapist and my best friend, and I am her biggest fan! Her plan after racing is to become a broodmare and I can only hope to have her offspring and start all over again someday,” Matheson concluded. These stories do not even begin to scratch the surface, but they give an idea of what to expect when you enter the world of harness racing, specifically into the stable. From yearlings to aged horses, racehorses to retirees, geldings and broodmares and everything in between, every horse has a personality and every horse has a powerful meaning to the caretakers, owners, breeders, trainers, and other humans that work with them. These horses are more than their stats on the track, more than the two minutes. They are more than a racehorse.