FEBRUARY 2021 THE RIDER /27 tario.


Eligibility Requirements: For horsepeople to be eligi-


Ontario Racing: Notice to Industry


January 29, 2021 – Ontario Rac- ing is pleased to announce that Standardbred horsepeople now have the opportunity to access certain purse funds that remain available under the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) as a result of the suspension of live racing in the province as a re- sult of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aforementioned funds


were already committed to the in- dustry through the Funding Agreement for Live Horse Rac- ing between Ontario Racing and OLG.


“We are pleased to provide


Standardbred horsepeople with this opportunity,” said John Hayes, Chair, Ontario Racing. “Horse racing, like many other industries in the province, has been severely impacted by the


pandemic. The Ontario Racing team, OLG and industry repre- sentatives worked diligently on behalf of the industry to see this come to fruition and are grateful for your continued support.” In response to the COVID-


19 pandemic, Ontario Racing created a task force, as it did dur- ing the spring lockdown, to ad- dress the financial impacts to Standardbred horse racing in On-


ble for financial payments pur- suant to this program, the Standardbred COVID-19 Task Force has determined that horses must meet the criteria outlined below to be eligible to receive an equine benefit payment for the period of December 2020 and/or January 2021: December Payment - $300 per horse:


Horses must have a charted


line, verifiable by third party in- formation, between the dates of October 23rd and December 23rd. No application will be re- quired for the December pay- ment.


January - $1,000 per horse: Horses, 3 years old and


older, currently stabled in On- tario, who have started at an On- tario racetrack between June 5, 2020 and December 23, 2020 (verifiable by third party charted


line) and are under the care of an AGCO licensed trainer, or un- raced 3 & 4 year olds who were preparing to race and are cur- rently stabled in Ontario and under the care of an AGCO li- censed trainer. All horses must remain sta-


bled in Ontario and currently be under the care of an AGCO li- censed trainer. The January pay- ment will be for horses identified through a declaration/application of horses who were eligible/in- tending to race in 2021. Once racing resumes in


Ontario, horses who have re- ceived benefits under this pro- gram MUST make their first start at an Ontario Standardbred race- track.


Application form: The Standardbred Equine


Benefit application for the Janu- ary payment can be found here (Application Form). The deadline to submit your application to On- tario Racing is Monday, February


Fine Tuning Winter Feeding Plenty is written every year


about the basics of winter feed- ing, including: • Lots of hay/fiber • Increase calories to compensate for energy lost staying warm • Feed salt • Constant water at a comfortable temperature for drinking These things are critically


important for all horses, to help prevent weight loss and im- paction. However, it doesn’t stop there for special needs horses. Low moisture winter feed-


stuffs are also a risk factor for choke in older horses in general, especially if their chewing effi- ciency is poor. Soaking meals helps, but isn’t always enough when the horse does not chew well. The saliva produced dur- ing normal chewing is rich in mucin which lubricates the food bolus on its way through the esophagus. Adding psyllium to wet


meals can help replace the lubri- cating effect of mucin. It has a very high soluble fiber content which adds a slippery/slimy tex- ture to the food. That’s not partic- ularly appealing to us, but horses eat it right up. Regular use of psyllium also has a prebiotic ef- fect in the large intestine. Speaking of the large intes-


tine, for these high forage diets to do any good they have to be effi- ciently fermented. That takes a vibrant thriving population of or- ganisms. There are many horses, older horses in particular, but younger ones as well, that do not handle high fiber hays well. A common sign of this is fluid leak- ing around formed manure. You may also see some bloating/dis- tention and difficulty holding weight even with generous feed- ing.


This can be turned around


with prebiotics that easily di- gestible fiber, like the psyllium above, combined with high po- tency gut support. Digestive en- zymes (lipase, protease, amylase) help insure that protein, fat and starch are digested and absorbed in the small intestine so they do not reach the large intestine where they can be disruptive to fermentation. High concentra- tions of active yeast and probiotic organisms as well as fermenta- tion products produce a favorable environment for effective fiber fermentation in the large intes- tine.


One of the most difficult sit- uations to handle is the horse that


still cannot maintain a healthy weight despite high rates of feed- ing and digestive tract support. The horse does not have to be grossly fat to benefit from the heat conserving effects of a nor- mal fat layer. Enough fat to cover the ribs and keep the bones from obviously protruding will do it. If your horse cannot main-


tain that much weight, the cold will be much harder on him. Grains are the next step up in terms of calorie density, but some horses do not tolerate them well for metabolic reasons, while oth- ers pass too much undigested into the large intestine where it causes more harm than good. Supplemental fat can be the


solution. Caloric density is very high and converting dietary fat to body fat is done efficiently. Co- conut oil is particularly easy to metabolize and is by far the most appetizing. Even cats can’t resist it! Incorporating flax oil or full fat flax or chia seeds also re- places key essential omega fatty acids lost when grass is cured to make


hay. New choices, like high oleic sunflower oil, are both metaboli- cally healthful and compatible with maintaining a good omega fatty acid profile in the diet. Uckele Health & Nutrition,


maker of CocoSoya®, offers for- mulas to support winter nutri- tional needs. Psyllium is a great fiber source as a bulking and binding agent. It forms a gelatinous mass that helps keep waste moving through the intestines and prevents block- ages such as those caused by sand.


CocoEQ Family: Co-


coSoya®, CocoOmega, and Co- coSun Oils and Granulars. Healthy fats benefit weight gain or maintenance simply because they are very calorie dense. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids can help manage hard or easy keepers and improve the appeal of any meal while boosting the shine of skin, coat, and hoof quality. Absorb All supports the in-


testinal tract to promote healthy gut flora, proper gut pH, and di-


gestive and bowel health. Com- bines high levels of digestive en- zymes, beneficial Probiotics, and microbial fermentation ingredi- ents.


Permission to reprint this ar-


ticle is granted, provided credit is given to Uckele Health & Nutri- tion, who appreciates being noti- fied of publication. About Dr. Kellon Dr. Eleanor Kellon, staff veteri- nary specialist for Uckele Health


& Nutrition, is an established au- thority in the field of equine nu- trition for over 30 years, and a founding member and leader of the Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance (ECIR) group, whose mission is to improve the welfare of horses with metabolic disor- ders via integration of research and real-life clinical experience. Prevention of laminitis is the ul- timate goal. www.ecirhorse.org Uckele Health & Nutrition,


maker of CocoSoya, is an inno- vation-driven health company committed to making people and their animals healthier. On the leading edge of nutritional sci- ence and technology for over 50 years, Uckele formulates and manufactures a full spectrum of quality nutritional supplements incorporating the latest nutri- tional


advances. www.uckele.com


8, 2021. All mailed applications must be postmarked by Monday, February 8, 2021 in order to be eligible. Please email or mail completed applications to: Attn: Sarrah Young – syoung@ontarioracing.com Ontario Racing Management 555 Rexdale Boulevard Toronto, ON


M9W 5L2


Important Notes: All payments received


must be used for the care and maintenance of Standardbred horses noted on the submitted ap- plication (further details to be communicated). Ontario Racing reserves


the right to request additional in- formation to ensure all criteria has been met. Those receiving benefits under the program could be subject to an audit by Ontario Racing. Failure to meet the crite- ria will result in all amounts being repaid to Ontario Racing.


The best protection for you and your horse.


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