Four in-class programs are presented by museum educators in addition to visits to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Saratoga Race Course, Oklahoma Training Track, and the Saratoga Springs Historical Society. Students handle real horse bones and learn how race horses are designed for running. They also learn about care for horses and compare it to their own daily routines. Finally, they explore shapes and colors represented in racing silks and other everyday racing items. This hands-on program focuses on the Thoroughbred as an animal.
Students begin with a quick background on the development of the horse as a species.
Handling horse bones and comparing them to those of other species, they see how nature has adapted horses to run. Students then compare vital horse statistics, from heart rate to weight, to their own measurable statistics, both at rest and play. Explore the history of art using equine images by artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci, Degas, and Manet. Using the museum's paintings, sculptures, and artifacts, students discover cross-cultural perspectives through the lives of the artists and the subjects they represent.