{"id":52595,"date":"2026-10-30T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=52595"},"modified":"2026-10-26T16:47:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:47:47","slug":"ohio-state-ati-connects-hands-on-equine-learning-with-racetrack-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/ohio-state-ati-connects-hands-on-equine-learning-with-racetrack-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio State ATI connects hands-on equine learning with racetrack success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WOOSTER, Ohio \u2014 Emma Petrus knew him as Jack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petrus, a second-year animal production and management – horse specialization student at Ohio State ATI, was nervous when she was assigned to prepare the standardbred yearling, named Booze Cruisin, for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t last long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was a very well-mannered colt who took to corrections well and learned quickly,\u201d Petrus said. \u201cWhat I remember most about preparing him for the sale was how far he came along in such a short time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, during the 2026 Ohio harness racing season, Petrus gets to watch the horse compete at fairs and racetracks across the state, where he has earned more than $31,000 and advanced to the Buckeye Stallion Series final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Booze Cruisin is among several horses bred and raised through the equine program at ATI. The horses provide students with hands-on learning from breeding and foaling through young-horse management and sale preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ATI, located on the Wooster campus of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), offers two-year associate degree programs with an emphasis on experiential learning. Its horse specialization in the animal production and management program is an associate of applied science degree that prepares students for careers in the equine industry through the study of horse nutrition, reproduction, health, training and management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just theoretical; students apply what they are learning in real-world situations and have real-world impact,\u201d said Sara Mastellar, ATI associate professor and equine programs coordinator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students help handle stallions, collect and ship semen, breed mares, foal out mares and work with young horses. Later, they might prepare yearlings for sale, developing marketing materials and interacting with prospective buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Petrus, preparing Booze Cruisin meant working with him nearly every day. Students groom and handle the yearlings and introduce them to situations they might encounter at a sale, including walking through obstacles in an indoor arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By sale day, Petrus saw a different horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was remarkably put together and controlled,\u201d she said. \u201cI recall being so proud of him and our partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sense of ownership is an important part of the experience, said Aspen Adams, horse herd manager at the ATI Equine Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By sale day, Adams said, students who have participated throughout the process are invested in the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey aren\u2019t just showing up to lab for a grade,\u201d Adams said. \u201cThey are invested and excited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ATI graduate Sam Liggett experienced that connection from the beginning. She was on foal watch the night Booze Cruisin was born and continued working with him as he grew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liggett entered ATI with limited horse experience, discovered an interest in equine reproduction and now works in the standardbred industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to work with horses of many different breeds and temperaments helped me gain the experience I needed to step into the standardbred industry with confidence,\u201d Liggett said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Booze Cruisin sold for $14,000 at the 2025 Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other recent ATI-bred standardbreds have also found success on the track. CPF Predi had six wins in 12 starts and $19,613 in earnings as of Sept. 9, while Kiss My Hocks had earned $41,579 over 21 starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The success of ATI-bred horses comes as Ohio prepares to host one of harness racing\u2019s premier events. The Breeders Crown championships will take place Oct. 23-24 at Eldorado Scioto Downs in Columbus, marking the first time the track has hosted the full championship event and bringing national attention to Ohio\u2019s Standardbred racing industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students, however, the payoff extends beyond a horse\u2019s racing record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petrus now cares for six standardbred yearlings and said she uses what she learned preparing Booze Cruisin in her work with young horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hands-on experience is truly unmatched in its ability to get a student to care about and be invested in what they are learning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liggett has followed Booze Cruisin throughout the 2026 racing season and has met him in the winner\u2019s circle several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWatching him race is so exciting, especially because you can see that this colt wants to win,\u201d Liggett said. \u201cI know he has a great team behind him, and I am excited to see what he does next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mastellar said seeing horses succeed after leaving ATI affirms the value of that real-world learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s validating to see our four-footed alumni go on to be successful in addition to our two-footed alumni,\u201d she said. \u201cThe success of the horses underscores the real-world environment that the students are learning in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WOOSTER, Ohio \u2014 Emma Petrus knew him as Jack. Petrus, a second-year animal production and management – horse specialization student<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":52596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,1304,7],"tags":[30404,30406,5767],"class_list":["post-52595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-farming","category-school","tag-emma-petrus","tag-ohio-harness-racing","tag-osu-extension"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t