On Friday (March 16), Courtney Blodgett 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.
Blodgett currently trains Edit, who is owned by Ingrid Gresek.
The students in the 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.”
Blodgett made a presentation for the students that showed information about the Standardbred and basic facts about harness racing. She 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. Blodgett is 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. Blodgett had a lot of fun planning the event, and she found it was really rewarding to see all of her hard work prove a positive result.
Most of the students didn't really know what a Standardbred was. Blodgett graduated from the program in 2014 and loved being able to give back to the program and promote something that she absolutely loves, 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.
(With files from Courtney Blodgett)