Take the Plunge

You’ve decided to take the plunge. Here are a few easy steps towards getting started:
  1. Visit our list of additional owner's resources to find the telephone number for a track or horsemen’s organization located near you.
  2. Call and ask to have a trainer recommended.
  3. Talk to that trainer and ask about how to find a horse, and how much it will cost to get started.
It’s really that easy to become a Standardbred owner!

Remember that trainers, fellow owners, breeders, the USTA, and all the others you’ll meet along the way are on your side. Their expertise and love of the industry—and of the horses themselves—is something you’ll quickly come to understand and share.

Prospective owners are welcomed into the sport, and you’ll make plenty of friends. You’ll meet owners who love the excitement of the sport, who own horses strictly as an investment, and men and women from all walks of life and economic strata. At some point, they were first-time owners, too. They took the plunge, and now enjoy themselves as Standardbred owners. They will be a source of information you’ll need and want to know about racing and breeding.

The Fun of Ownership

And at the heart of it all is winning. Whether it’s collecting the winner’s share of a $1 million race or winning a county fair stakes, there are few things to match the thrill of standing in the winner’s circle with family and friends to have your picture taken alongside the horse you purchased and helped develop.

Maybe you’ll become directly involved by lending a hand in your horse’s training and care, or actually driving him in a race for amateur drivers. Amateur driving is, after all, a great part of harness racing history that lives on today in several amateur series and championships.

Maybe you’ll just want to put aside the pressure of the office or the noise of the assembly line to be with your family at the farm or racetrack.

We can’t promise your first horse will be a champion, or that your money will be returned many times over, but we can promise that a wellplanned entrance into the business will return joy and satisfaction in abundance.

There’s an old adage that says, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” Perhaps that sums up why owning a harness horse is such a rewarding experience.

We’ll see you in the winner’s circle.