Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame facts for kids

Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame

Established	1951
Location	Goshen, New York

The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame is a special museum in Goshen, New York. It collects and saves the history of harness racing. This museum also acts as a hall of fame for the amazing American Standardbred horse.

The Home of Harness Racing History

Orange County, where Goshen is located, is super important to harness racing. It's the birthplace of Hambletonian 10. This famous horse is the ancestor of nearly all American Standardbred horses today! Many early Hambletonian races were held right in Goshen. They took place at the Good Time Park mile track.

The nearby Historic Track is even older, started in 1838. It's a National Historic Landmark and the oldest harness horse track still used in the United States. Horses still live and train there. Races are held every year, keeping the tradition alive. The museum itself opened in 1951. This was during the time when Goshen hosted the big Hambletonian Stake races.

Exploring the Museum's Treasures

The museum building looks really cool with its half-timber style. It was actually built as a stable way back in 1913. Inside, you'll find amazing art by famous horse artists. There are also lots of racing items that show how the sport has changed over time.

The exhibits include more than 1,700 paintings, drawings, and sculptures. You can also see 19,300 photographs! There are hundreds of drivers' uniforms and many sulkies. A sulky is the lightweight cart a driver sits in behind the horse during a race. There's even a preserved stable. It's like a walk-through display case for old racing gear. The museum also has a research library. It holds over 4,000 books and videos about harness racing.

The Hall of Fame: Honoring Champions

Inside the museum is the Hall of Fame. This is where the best of the best in harness racing are honored. People and horses are chosen for their amazing skills and contributions to the sport. New members are added on Hall of Fame Day, which is the first Sunday of every July.

Recognizing Living People

Each year, living people are nominated for the Hall of Fame. These are people like drivers, owners, and trainers. They are chosen based on their talent, honesty, good sportsmanship, and how much they've helped harness racing. If they get enough votes, they receive a special ring. A small statue of each new member is also added to the Hall of Fame.

Celebrating Living Horses

Horses are also inducted into the Hall of Fame! To be considered, horses must have been retired from racing for at least five years. There are different groups for horses: racehorses, stallions (male horses used for breeding), and broodmares (female horses used for breeding). Each horse gets a plaque in the Hall of Fame. A copy of the plaque is given to the horse's current owner.

Remembering Immortals

The "Immortals" category honors people and horses who have passed away. They are nominated by museum members. A special committee reviews the nominations. Then, the museum's board chooses the honorees. Famous horses like Greyhound and Victory Song are Immortals. So are legendary drivers, trainers, owners, and artists who shaped the sport.

See also

• Edward Geers