Standardbreds & Thoroughbreds at Horse World Expo

The Horse World Expo brought four days of education and entertainment to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg in late February. The event presented multi-breed and multi-discipline demonstrations and competitions, seminars, hundreds of vendors with a variety of horse products, Stallion Avenue to meet the horses, and countless hours of fun for all ages.

Turning For Home, the Racehorse Retirement Program established by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (PTHA) based at Parx Racing, was well represented at the Expo. “This was our 7th year that we’ve been going,” said Danielle Montgomery, Program Administrator (TFH), who was on hand along with her Program Coordinator, Samantha Potts, six horses, four teen riders, and two older riders. “We first went and did the stalls at Stallion Avenue so we could have a horse there. Over the years we’ve brought stallions like Partner’s Hero there with one of his sons. We tried to do different things over the years.”

“The last few years we’ve been helping to organize the thoroughbred portion of the Parade of Breeds, and for that, we’ve been trying to just show the versatility of the thoroughbred,” Danielle described. “I’ve had Eventers and Hunters and Western riders and trail riders and Dressage riders. All different types of horses that have been off the track for a while, and we always showcase the horses that have recently retired. We just try to show people how good their brains are and what they can do.”

Danielle pointed out that most of the people in attendance are involved with horses in some way, and are familiar with the breeds and the care of horses. They were not always, however, knowledgeable aboutTurning For Home. “When we first started going, nobody knew what we were. Now when we go, I have people come up to me saying ‘I have one of your horses’ or ‘We have farms that have several of your horses’, or ‘I follow you on your social media’, and I get to meet our adopters. It’s been crazy how many I’ve met over the years, and this year, there has been a flood of them!”

The last three years, Danielle and her team featured an hour-long presentation on ‘Re-starting the Thoroughbred’, and especially for Western Discipline. “Over the past decade, we’ve seen a huge rise in the thoroughbreds being used for ranch riding and trail and rodeo events. This year, we partnered with Kelsey Parisi of ReeLee Restarting, a partner farm of ours. We brought out a more recently retired horse and put him in racehorse tack, what they would exercise with. We showed their form and what they know. Then we put Western tack on, and people see that transition, and we answer questions, like how we teach them. Every year it’s grown, and more and more people actually look for that class, and meet us afterward at the booth.”

Already looking for future Horse World Expos, Danielle and the Turning For Home board are excited to continue the education and demonstrations. “We’ve done a really good job of raising awareness, and it’s always pro-racing. We really represent Parx Racing very well. We show that these horses have a safety net with Turning For Home, and that no horse is left behind.”

Superior Standardbreds represented the standardbred breed at this year’s event, which marked their fifth year with Sabine Spring and her team demonstrating the versatility of the horse. “We do different things with them,” she explained. “Jumping, Western Dressage, Dressage, barrels. All the different disciplines that you need a special horse for, for each one of them, standardbreds can do them all!”

“The standardbred is a wonderful breed. The versatility and the willingness and the level-headedness, it’s amazing.”

Superior Standardbred’s booth was busy with people stopping to ask questions and to meet the special guests. “There is the Stallion Avenue and a petting stall, so we brought all the horses that we had with us for the demos in the petting stall. They do two hours, and then we switched. We had a banner for each one, with what they did racing, and what they’re doing now. At first the horses are all excited, and then after two hours, they’re exhausted,” she laughed.

“At our booth, we had information about harness racing, videos playing, like the difference between trotter and pacer, and what they do after. We had a lot of people stopping by.”

Champion Trotters Sevruga and Landonfitz accompanied Sabine and her team of twelve people. “Mackenzie ((Peuterbaugh) did a sidesaddle demonstration with Sevruga. We practiced with him, because it’s weird for a horse to have all the weight on one side. He did fabulous! Landonfitz had a young girl riding, and I rode one of Ashley Parsell’s named Big Al.” Big Al was rescued from the kill pen and retrained for Dressage and Leadline Dressage.

“We want to introduce harness racing and the breed to people who don’t know anything about either one,” Sabine said about their appearance at the Expo. “It’s a beautiful sport, when people take care of their horses and race sound and healthy horses. I always explain to people that horses actually like doing their job. They know when they want to race, and they’re proud of themselves.”

Danielle and Sabine had the opportunity to meet for the first time at the Expo, and enjoyed sharing success stories of their beloved horses, with both planning ahead to the 2025 Horse World Expo.

Superior Standardbreds – Facebook – Sabine Spring

Cover Photo Credit  to Danielle Montgomery and Jill Tate