Maine was best known for its horse breeding industry back in the mid 1800s to 1893. Maine was known as the State with the best breeders of carriage and harness racing horses. This industry still exists today. It is an economically fragile industry and is economically tied to harness racing. The harness racing industry is also facing its difficulties. The harness racing industry is tied to the revenues created by the Bangor based racino. The harness racing industry, the Maine agricultural fairs, Maine Horsemen, and the breeders of standardbred horses are supported by a portion of this revenue. It is critical that the industry keeps its portion of this revenue. If the economic resources that currently help support this industry are taken away, the Maine harness horseman, the standardbred horse breeders, and the active harness racing tracks may just become another piece of Maine's lost heritage. The following storyboards present data from a 2007 report on the equine industry and harness racing in the State of Maine.
Within the past two years I have learned a great deal about the history about the age of "When the Horse was King," horse breeding, lost trotting parks, and harness racing in the State of Maine. From these two years I have gained an overwhelming appreciation for and understanding of a way of life and a slice of Maine history and the Maine experience that is quickly being forgotten. Maine harness racing is tied to Maine's early agricultural societies and farmers who built fairgrounds and within those fairground they built trotting parks. Today Maine's trotting parks associated with agricultural fairs are endangered. Agricultural fairs may also be endangered.
Sadly, it is about the money. One key resource for Maine standardbred horse breeders, Maine harness horsemen, Maine agricultural fairs, and harness racing is the money allotted these organizations from the Hollywood Slots. Mainers just voted in a casino in Oxford. There are no funds from the Oxford casino that will be directed towards supporting Maine's harness racing industry. Therefore it is essential that Maine legislators change the laws that will bring Biddeford Downs to reality. Biddeford Downs will be provide additional funding that will support harness racing throughout Maine. If you wish to support a Maine tradition, contact your legislators and ask them to do what they can to support building Biddeford Downs, Maine harness racing, Maine standardbred horse breeders, Maine horsemen, and Maine's agricultural fairs.
This helps solve some of the financial issues. In addition to funding, we also need to find new ways to bring more people, young and old alike, to the harness racing tracks. We need new people coming into the harness racing business.
Public school students should learn more about the history of Maine in the age of "When the Horse was King."
New and bold strategies need to be proposed and acted upon that will educate Mainers about the standardbred horse, harness racing, and the key role that the horse played in Maine's economy and the culture of Maine people. Without a process of re-introductions Mainers will not come back to the harness racing tracks and new people will not become harness horsemen or horse breeders.
If we were ever to lose Bangor Raceway and Scarborough Downs (Biddeford Downs) harness racing would probably still exist in some form at our agricultural fairs. However, we need to take action to ensure that we can maintain quality in what is offered at harness racing events across the State of Maine.
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