20/ JULY 2025 THE RIDER ORHA News Continued From Page 19


showing. Before last year I had-


n’t loped a horse in over 10 years. I have been watching friends ride and show rein- ers for the past few years and admired them but felt too insecure in my abilities to try it. But a few things came


together that made me think reining was something I needed to do for myself. I bought a calm, laid back reining horse last year and began loping again because I trusted her. Then a friend offered to lease her sea- soned show mare to me for this year to show in Green Reiner. This has been the gift of a lifetime! I rode her early in the year to get used to her and then attended the Triple Threat Reining Clinic in April. That changed my whole perspective on the


Barbara MacDonald at her first Reining show!


challenge I had set for my- self. I learned so much at that clinic including the fact that


people in this sport are completely supportive, riders and coaches alike. I have also been fortunate enough to have a great coaching team who have pushed me beyond what I thought I could do. In fact, I was told if you aren’t a little scared, you are not pushing yourself! So, for me, while reining has been a physical challenge, it has mostly


been a mental challenge. I am proud of myself for getting in the show ring and just doing it. I think it shows that if you are willing to push yourself you can do new and exciting things even in your senior years! I would say to anyone who wanted advice on a horse sport to take


up reining. It is demanding on so many levels but when you do it, there is a wonderful sense of accomplishment.


Ontario Reining Association 2025 Show Dates


out and see us at any of the following shows and learn more about this amazing sport.


There are plenty of reining events left this summer! Come on


Spirit of Excellence July 5th - Y-Not Farms Steel City Slide Friday August 15th - Sunday August 17th (J&J Reining) ORHA Grand Finale Friday September 19th - Sunday September 21st


Please see the ORHA website for details: orha.on.ca


ORHA SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Brooks Feed and Equine Nutrition


This month we are excited to feature the ORHA sponsor


Laurie Bishop of Brooks Equine Nutrition. Brooks has been a long-time sponsor of the ORHA. We hope you enjoy learning more about their business and history of support. Brooks has a great reputation for quality feed and approach-


able staff who take the time to educate owners about the best op- tions for their equine partners. Can you tell us more about your company’s mission and services? Brooks has always been very focused on providing the best


quality feeds to horses of all disciplines, based on research from KER (Kentucky Equine research) and different research focused universities. Our focus is to provide a service that prioritizes the nutritional needs of horses. I love helping owners with the needs for their horses to perform at their best, myself and our Nutrition Advisors balance hundreds of horses’ diets each year.


How did your company first become involved with the On- tario Reining Horse Association? When I think back, many years ago it was a customer Har-


vey Stevens who initially came to us and asked us to get involved in the Reining Association. While attending Reining shows as a sponsor, I watched people I had come to know through my work. I saw how dedicated they are in this discipline and how exciting reining is! It made me want to come back for more. I thought to myself, I would love to feel what they are feeling in that moment of a slide! I then had the opportunity to hand out prizes to those winners. We’ve continued our support for many years. The next connection would have been our association with


Loris Epis. I came to know Loris and Amy and helped them with a nutrition program for their busy stable of Reining horses. We also support Ray Nitti, his staff and their amazing group of horses and riders. Michelle Mailhott is another person I have come to know in the reining world. Her dedication to her horses and the sport is inspirational. Getting to know these amazing horse people and seeing the bigger picture of the reining world inspires us to continue supporting this incredible sport.


Can you tell us about your brand values and priorities? I hope we all have the same values, and that is to support


the care and future of horses in general. We want to help grow all disciplines in the horse industry. Nutrition is just one piece of the puzzle to ensure a horse can perform at its best for many


Laurie Bishop of Brooks Equine Nutrition


years. For example: The muscles of a horse need to have the cor- rect balance of nutrients, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to work efficiently. There is so much more to nutrition that maybe people do not consider, and we are here to support anyone who is interested in giving their horse the best opportu- nity to perform at its highest level.


What would you like members to know about your services? We take pride in our sponsorship and support of the ORHA.


As more people get involved in this discipline, we would like to be there to support you too! We want the reining community to know that we are here to provide guidance if they need any help with the nutrition needs of their horses. I love this community of people, they truly love their horses,


and they work tirelessly to be the best they can be whether they are amateurs or professionals. I have been lucky to meet so many people in this industry,


and to help many of them with the nutritional needs of their horses. I would like everyone to know we are available to assist you


with any questions you may have about the nutrition for your horses and what is best for your Discipline. We look forward to supporting future events and participating in the development of the ORHA for years to come!


A decline in Home Market


#betontario to support Ontario horse racing jobs and breed development programs Development


Area wagering has led to de- creased funding for critical programs such as the Thor-


oughbred Improvement Pro- gram and the Ontario Sires


Stakes. The best way to support the sector is to bet on live rac- ing in Ontario from Ontario.


by Dave Briggs / Ontario Racing The popularity of “Buy


Canadian” programs as a re- sponse to U.S.


threats on


Canada’s sovereignty has been extended to Ontario’s horse rac- ing industry in a campaign called Bet Ontario (#betontario). Ontario Racing is encour-


aging those that choose to bet on horse racing to consider the crit- ical importance of wagering on the races conducted in Ontario. Betting on Ontario races in On- tario is essential for supporting some 30,000 jobs in the province connected to the horse racing sector, which translates into about 23,000 full-time equivalent jobs.


Simply put, the Ontario


horse racing industry keeps the most money from bets made in Ontario on live races being con- ducted in the province (and please always bet responsibly). It’s known as Home Mar-


ket Area (HMA) wagering and it is the primary source of funding for critical horse breeding pro- grams.


ing. The amount of money in On- tario


That part is worth repeat- breed-development


programs such as Standardbred racing’s Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) and breeder rewards and bonus programs for Thorough- breds is directly tied to HMA bet- ting. In fact, HMA wagering is, by far, the largest source of fund- ing for those programs. HMA wagering is defined


as: Any wager on horse racing made while the person betting is physically located in Ontario. That includes wagers made at one of 15 Ontario racetracks, a long list of off-track betting loca- tions, and via online platforms such as HPIbet and bet365. That means bets made in


Ontario on live racing happening outside of Ontario count as HMA wagering, too, but the Ontario horse racing industry receives a lower percentage of the proceeds because it shares the money with the out-of-province host track. Even the platform used to


make the bets matters. Since the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) owns and operates HPI- bet, more of the proceeds from


wagers made via that platform stay in the Ontario horse racing industry. Woodbine operates like a


not-for-profit company. Any profit it generates is invested back into the horse racing indus- try.


Why This Matters: Ontario Hma Wagering Is Declining Over the last two fiscal


years, HMA wagering has de- clined 12.6 per cent, with a 6.5 per cent decline from $733 mil- lion to $686 million in the last fiscal year. That has already led to a decrease in funding for programs under the Horse Improvement Program (HIP) managed by Ontario Rac- ing. HIP supports the breeding and racing of Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and Quarter Horses. HMA wagering provides


about 60 per cent of total HIP funding. In fiscal year (FY) 2025, the amount of HIP funding from HMA wagering was just over $20.6 million (unaudited). Due to the decrease in HMA betting, the amount of HIP funding from that source is budgeted to be $19.35 million at the end of the current FY2026. Andrew Gaughan, the in-


dependent chair of Ontario Rac- ing, said the launch of online casino and sports betting plat- forms in the province in April of 2022 has had a negative impact on betting on horse racing. On- tario is now home to more than 50 legal online gambling opera- tors offering more than 80 differ- ent sites. Through the first three years of operation, those online gambling sites have, collectively, generated more than $7 billion in revenue. “HMA wagering is under


competitive siege from the ad- vent and proliferation of advertis- ing and aggressive player marketing from well-funded and deeply capitalized licensed digi- tal gaming operators in Ontario and this decline in HMA wager- ing in the last two years amounts to an annualized loss of about $11-12 million of horse racing in- dustry income,” Gaughan said. “It means we have had to trim about $3 million annually from the respective HIP programs and budgets in addition to the indus- try income loss.” Critical programs under


HIP include: the Standardbred Improvement Program (SIP) that funds the OSS, the Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP), the Quarter Horse Racing Industry


Program


(QHRIDP) and lucrative breeder awards programs for all three breeds. It’s a vicious circle. A de-


crease in purses or breeder awards makes it even more diffi- cult to attract horse owners and for Ontario breeders to survive fi- nancially. That could lead to fewer horses being produced in the province, which, in turn, low- ers the field size for races. Lower field size typically leads to lower betting handle, which perpetuates the problem. The good news is, if HMA


wagering goes up in 2025, those programs will receive increased funding. That’s where Bet Ontario


comes in.


How You Can Support The On- tario Racing Industry Beyond betting on the On-


tario product while located in the province, Ontario Racing is also asking anyone interested in sup- porting horse racing to spread the word about the importance of Bet Ontario. We’re using the hashtag


#betontario on our social media platforms and encouraging any- one interested in promoting On- tario horse racing to do the same


when posting about the industry. The hashtag goes beyond refer- ring to betting on horse racing. It signifies an all-encompassing support for the industry. Ontario Racing is also


planning an extended educational campaign to better inform the in- dustry about the importance of HMA wagering. In the meantime, consider


bringing new people to the track. Getting close to the horses is the best way to create new fans. Short of that, wagering


while watching at home is still an easy and exciting option. For ex- ample, Ignite World Racing on Sportsnet has approximately 30 broadcasts a year of major live Thoroughbred races from around the world, including six from Woodbine. Meanwhile, HPIbet cus-


tomers can watch all the races while they wager. In the end, it’s a little more


difficult to slap one of those “Canadian product” stickers on some 10,000 Ontario horses con- nected to racing, but Bet Ontario is a “Made in Ontario,” “Buy Local” suggestion for Ontarians wishing to support their own world class horse racing industry.


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