FRYEBURG, Maine — Standardbred horses—the primary breed used in harness racing—are known for their versatility, and that versatility came in handy for one woman who feared she’d miss her race at the Fryeburg Fair on Tuesday.
Charlene Cushing said she and her husband gave an extra hour to get to Fryeburg from Farmington, but it wasn’t enough due to a major traffic backup. Worried she’d miss her 1:30 post time, Charlene took matters into her own hands and saddled up her horse Lucky Michael.
"I ride for a profession anyway, and I told my husband, 'Well, I have my saddle in the back, I have Lucky Michael that’s in the sixth race; I’ll just jump on him. I know he rides and he’s safe. That way I’ll know we make the races,'" Cushing explained. "It’s the only horse we had racing that day."
She ended up riding the remaining three-and-a-half miles to the fairgrounds.
"Everybody loved it. Everybody was taking pictures, videos. Some people rolled down their windows so the kids could see, and they were smiling and waving," Cushing said. "Some people would move out of the way thinking it was going to bother the horse, which, he was fine. There was enough room on the side of the road to make it with no problems or hesitations."
Kirsi Bertolini had two horses running in that same race, and she was stuck in the same traffic. Seeing Cushing ride by on Lucky Michael made the stress of potentially missing post time melt away.
"I see Charlene go past with the horse I knew was in the same race as our horse, and it just made me smile," Bertolini recalled. "The horse was just walking on the side of the trucks and cars. Very calm. And Charlene was waving and talking to people, and it went very well. The horse had been ridden before and everyone was just taking pictures of them and smiling."
Fortunately, many others in that race were also stuck in the traffic, so the fair ended up delaying the start so teams could make it.
"We’re all a big family in harness racing," Bertolini explained. "We race together and we always cheer up each other. It’s a lot of fun. A lot of work, but a lot of fun."
Cushing grew up riding horses in New York City, so she’s used to dealing with horses in high-stress environments, like going through traffic and over bridges. She now trains and races horses out of Cushing Stable in Farmington, in addition to working as a registered nurse.
Cushing and Bertolini agree that the Fryeburg Fair is unlike any other.
"Fryeburg is top-notch. The amount of people that love this fair—they come in from every state; I know a lot of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York. They come from everywhere," Cushing said. "The place is packed. It has so much entertainment. We had Josh Turner on Tuesday night; we’ve had Clint Black; we’ve had Diamond Rio. They bring in many different bands to come and play."
"Fryeburg is the grand finale. There’s always a huge crowd, which is awesome. There’s so many people cheering in the grandstands, always. It doesn’t matter what the weather is," Bertolini added. "It’s awesome to be there because, if you’re on the track with the horse, everybody’s waving at you and laughing. It’s a great atmosphere."
There's still two days of harness racing left, too. Races start at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, and noon on Sunday, Oct. 6. Click here for a full fair schedule.