Norwegian Group Visits Parx Again
A group of students, led by teacher Marianne Kaarevik, from Aasane Folkehoes-Skole in Norway visited Parx Racetrack in April as part of the school’s equestrian program. 2014 marks the fifth year of the program, where the girls travel to the United States for a two-week-long trip that has a focus on horses. Aasane Folkehoes is a residential school that offers a choice of year-long programs including art, theater, music, writing, Chinese culture and equine studies.
This was the third year that the group visited Parx Racing, which began after pony rider Brandy Steenson met the group during an earlier trip, and immediately reached out through her connections at the track in order to get the group set up for a visit the following year.
This year’s visit to Parx began with a trip to the starting gate, where the girls were able to watch young horses learn to break from the gate. After a quick breakfast in the track kitchen, the group was able visit trainer Butch Reid’s barn, thanks to assistant Kelsey Parisi, who spent time introducing each horse and letting the girls give cookies to the horses.
In the afternoon, the group headed to the grandstand, where they were honored with a race in their name. Other than their visit to Parx, the group will also visit the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey, a Standardbred breeding farm, take multiple riding lessons, and even watch a show on Broadway in New York City.
no images were found