On Friday, March 13, 2009, a collection of rare, original Currier & Ives lithographs will open at the National Sporting Library. The exhibition, entitled The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives, will be on display in the Forrest E. Mars, Sr., Exhibit Hall through Friday, July 3.

This exhibit is on loan from The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, located in Goshen, N.Y. Goshen, a colonial village known as "The Cradle of the Trotter," is the birthplace of trotting. Today, the sport is known as harness racing; its horses are Standardbreds. The museum's brilliant showcase celebrates harness racing's history and heroes. The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame is home to the world's largest collection of Currier & Ives trotting prints, and its educational and interactive exhibits are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of America's first pastime.

This show of more than 30 original lithographs features a selection from The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame's main collection. It is sponsored by grants from: the Patricia S. Winder Fund; the CTW Foundation, Inc.; the Thomas W. and Florence T. Murphy Fund of the New York Community Trust, the State of New York; and the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund.

The more than 30 lithographs illustrate, in an artful way, harness racing's important role in American culture and history. Prints depicting great trotting horses, bucolic mid-19th century scenes and comedic adventures convey a picturesque view of Americana prior to the advent and development of photography.

The National Sporting Library is located at 102 The Plains Rd. in Middleburg and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The Museum of Sporting Art at Vine Hill next door is open by appointment during the Library's normal hours of operation.