The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame is a museum in Goshen,

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. The museum collects and preserves the history of

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

and serves as a

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

for the American

Standardbred horse The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

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is the birthplace of

Hambletonian 10 Hambletonian 10, or Rysdyk's Hambletonian, (May 5, 1849 – March 27, 1876) was an American trotter and a founding sire of the Standardbred horse breed. The stallion was born in Sugar Loaf, New York, on 5 May 1849. Hambletonian has been induc ...

, the ancestor of all American Standardbred horses, and many of the early Hambletonian races were held in Goshen at the Good Time Park mile track. Established in 1838, the neighboring half-mile

Historic Track The Historic Track is a half-mile (900 m) harness racing track in Goshen, New York. It was opened in 1838 and has been in operation ever since, the oldest continuously operated horse racing track in North America. , retrieved from ustrott ...

is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, the oldest harness horse track still in use in the United States. Stables still operate on the grounds, and races are held annually. The museum opened in 1951, during Goshen's Hambletonian Stake era.

Hall of Fame

The

half-timber Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

building that houses the museum was built as a stable in 1913. It houses artwork by famous equine artists and racing memorabilia dating back to the start of trotting. Exhibits include more than 1,700 paintings, lithographs and sculptures, 19,300 photographs, hundreds of drivers' uniforms, 75 sulkies, 59 sulkies, and seven carts, and a preserved stable, which serves as a walk-through display case for racing equipment. The museum also maintains a research library with more than 4,000 books and videos on the sport of harness racing. The Hall of Fame is contained within the museum. The Hall of Fame inducts nominees under several categories, divided between those for horses and those for humans, including drivers, owners, and trainers. The three main categories are Living Persons, Living Horses, and Immortals. Winners from each category are inducted on Hall of Fame Day, the first Sunday of each July.

Living persons

Living people are nominated for the Hall of Fame annually by the United States Harness Writers Association, based upon their "ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contribution to harness racing." All members with more than 10 years of membership are eligible to vote, and 75% support is needed for a nomination to pass. Winners receive a ring, and a statuette of each inductee is added to the Hall of Fame.

Living horses

The museum maintains a nomination committee which compiles a list of five nominees per year to be voted on by all museum members. All horses are required to have been drug-free during their careers and to have been retired from the sport for at least five years. A category for race horses, another for

stallions A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck ...

, and another for

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

s have been established, each with its own criteria. Winners receive a plaque in the Hall of Fame, and a replica is presented to the current owner of each horse.

Immortals

Museum members in good standing nominate people and horses who are deceased more than 3 years. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, recommendations are made to the board of trustees, and the board elects the honorees. Inductees include horses such as

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

and Victory Song and drivers such as Thomas S. Berry

Del Cameron Adelbert "Del" Cameron (1920-1979) was an American harness racing driver. Cameron was voted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1974. Cameron was born in Harvard, Massachusetts. Cameron along with his wife and two sons moved to Pinehurst, N ...

Jim Dennis Jim Dennis (May 9, 1923 – February 22, 2004) was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2002. Dennis was born in Rexburg, Idaho. His father and five Uncles drove Standardbreds. D ...

, Gladys F. Harriman, and

Gene Riegle Grant E. "Gene" Riegle (June 3, 1928 – October 17, 2011) was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1992. Riegle started his harness racing career in 1950. His father, Roy Riegle, ...

. Inductees are trainers, owners, breeders, industry executives, artists, writers, and horses.

References

External links