About OSAS

The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS) is an approved charitable organization, founded in 1996 to assist in the adoption and relocation of retired and non-racing Standardbred horses within Ontario.  OSAS is operated by a Board of Directors and is funded through fundraising, contributions from racetracks, horse industry organizations and private donations.


Our program helps to educate and assist in the retraining and management of the horses. We match the desires and the abilities of each adoptive family to the temperament and capabilities of the horse. Our follow-up on each horse after adoption adds to the strength of this worthwhile program. 


Volunteers and temporary foster homes are invaluable to the success of our program, and we are always looking for more help. Please reach out at osashorses@gmail.com or call 905-339-6748 if you would like to be involved or for more information.


DONATIONS: Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s charity number is 88834 5667 RR0001. To donate please use the Pay Pal feature below or call the number above to make arrangements. Memorial donations are always greatly appreciated and tax receipts are issued promptly.

DONATE

Volunteer

The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is very appreciative of our wonderful volunteers who assist in a myriad of ways which ultimately help our horses.

We are able to accomplish a great deal more thanks to the many people willing to pitch in.


Interested In Volunteering?

We can always use additional volunteers whether it’s to help out at a racetrack selling tickets or OSAS merchandise, helping with the Drive With Us program, doing foster home check ups, working our annual golf tournament, fundraising, transporting horses, etc. Note that these volunteer hours may be used by high school students for their community service hours.


To learn more please contact Joanne Colville at 905-339-6748 or by email at osashorses@gmail.com.

FAQ

  • How are Standardbreds, also known as harness horses, different from other horses?

    As racehorses, Standardbreds have two distinctive gaits, trotting and pacing. When trotting the legs on opposite sides of the body work together – the right front leg and back left leg go forward at the same time while the left front leg and right rear leg would be going backwards. In pacing the legs on the same side of the body work together. In simple terms, Standardbreds are the racehorses that are guided by a driver sitting in a cart (sulky) behind them rather than Thoroughbreds or Quarter Horses which are ridden by a jockey.

     

    In terms of size Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds tend to be roughly the same size. On the whole Standardbreds are known to have a gentle disposition and are relatively easy to train for other disciplines. Part of OSAS's mandate is to expose the versatility of the breed to those looking for a riding or competition horse.

  • What’s the history of OSAS?

    In the mid 1990s, a group of concerned people who worked in the Standardbred industry in Ontario, led by then OHHA general manager Reed Lawson, put together a committee tasked with finding a solution for retired Standardbreds in need of homes once their racing and/or breeding careers were finished. That led to the formation of the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society in 1996. An approved charitable organization, OSAS has been the officially recognized adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province for close to three decades.

  • How do I adopt an OSAS horse?

    After reviewing the list of horses available on our website, give us a call at 905-339-6748 or email osashorses@gmail.com to obtain further information. We strive to keep our website and the list of horses available as up to date as possible but this can change on a daily basis.  This also gives us an opportunity to assess exactly what you will be using the horse for – pure pleasure, competing, showing, companion, etc., to find the perfect match.

     

    Following this you will be directed to complete the adoption application, following which you can visit the horses we feel are best suited for you.

  • What happens once I have decided upon a horse I would like to adopt?

    Once the paperwork is completed arrangements will be made for one of OSAS’s many guardians or staff will complete a site inspection of your property (or the property where the horse will live) to ensure it adheres to the conditions outlined on the site inspection document. Once that has completed to the satisfaction of all, the horse will be transported to that facility. Follow ups will be done on a regular basis to ensure the horse’s health and well being are maintained. This aspect is now much easier these days as adoptees can share photos of their horses with OSAS via social media, email, etc. 

     

    After three successful follow ups, the ownership of the horse transfers to the adoptive owner under a special provision noted by Standardbred Canada that does not allow the horse to be raced or bred. The adoptive owner is totally responsible for the horse should the need arise for him to be moved elsewhere. OSAS will only intervene in the event of extremely extenuating circumstances.

     

    Do you have a question? Please click HERE and we will post the answer here shortly.

OSAS Staff/Directors

Joanne Colville (Administrator)

Joanne Colville is widely acknowledged as one of the most hard working people in the Canadian Standardbred industry. She has served as Events Co-ordinator for OSAS for several years in addition to several other roles.

She has been the outrider at the Woodbine Entertainment racetracks for many years and also is a guest outrider at other Ontario tracks during their signature race days. Joanne’s High Stakes farm breeds, sells and races trotters and pacers in addition to boarding horses for many clients.

An accomplished equestrian, Joanne has ridden in every discipline and won numerous awards for speed events. 

Joanne served as Chair of Standardbred Canada for several years and is also on the board of the Central Ontario Standardbred Association.

OSAS Board Of Directors

Jim Evans (President)
Jim has been involved in harness racing for decades. First, as a child, visiting the Golden Horseshoe tracks with his race fan parents, then as a casual participant enjoying the sport while cheering for his parents’ stable interests. This hobby became a career for Jim in 1996 when he began training their stable of horses, and minding their 76 acre Standardbred farm near Campbellville.

After serving as a volunteer for OSAS from 1998-2000, Jim has been on the Board of Directors since 2000. He was appointed to the unpaid position of President in August of 2007 and remains as such, chairing meetings of the Board of Directors, and acting in an executive role when required.

A full time trainer until 2007, Jim is now a practicing lawyer in Burlington and lives in Milton with his wife Morag and son David. Although completely removed from the day-to-day grind of the harness industry, Jim views his involvement with OSAS as a way to stay connected to both the horses he loves and to his many friends in the business.
Bill O'Donnell (Vice President)
One of the true superstars in harness racing over the past few decades, Bill O’Donnell was known as the Magic Man during his tenure as one of the sport’s all time best catch drivers. O’Donnell has well over 5,700 lifetime victories as a driver with just under $100 million earned by the horses he has guided. A native of Springhill, Nova Scotia, O’Donnell was the leading driver at the Mecca of harness racing, the Meadowlands in New Jersey, for many years and established a number of records with respect to wins and earnings.

O’Donnell’s accomplishments have been recognized by his inductions into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

In 2001 O’Donnell moved back to Canada where he quickly became involved in the politics of racing, giving much of his time and considerable expertise to several horsemen’s groups. He currently serves as President of the Central Ontario Standardbred Association, which has the racing contract with Woodbine Entertainment Group and the other provincial racetracks which make up the Standardbred Alliance. In addition he serves on the board of Standardbred Canada and Ontario Racing.

“I am well aware that some of these racehorses end up in not so nice places to spend the rest of their days after their career as a racehorse is over,” explains O’Donnell. “These horses give us great pleasure watching them race as well as earn a number of people a very good living and I believe in turn they deserve to have a good home to live out their retirement which the board and staff at OSAS strive to ensure.”
Heather MacKay Roberts (Secretary)
With parents who raced Standardbreds and later operated a breeding farm for 30 years, Heather grew up around, working with and loving harness horses. A graduate of the inaugural Harness Horse Industry Operations program at Seneca College, she worked as a writer for The Standardbred Record for five years upon her graduation. She then spent 15 years as Managing Editor of Trot Magazine and Assistant Manager and then Manager of Marketing at the Canadian Trotting Association (now Standardbred Canada). During her tenure there she was instrumental in introducing the highly coveted O’Brien Awards and for 15 years co-ordinated the annual black tie awards ceremony. 

She was a member of the initial board of directors for OSAS when it was formed in 1995. She later served as a member and then Chair of the Ontario Sires Stakes Promotions Committee during which time the Super Finals and Grassroots Championships were introduced. 

For several years Heather served as Managing Editor and web content editor of The Harness Edge, a popular industry news website and online harness racing publication. She also oversaw horse racing at her home track of Kawartha Downs and currently serves as Ontario Racing’s Appeals Adjudicator and OSAS’s social media co-ordinator.

“One of my favourite places to be is in a field with horses that are loved. My involvement with OSAS is my small way of ensuring as many horses as possible are afforded the opportunity to find that field,” she said. 
Kelly Spencer

One of the most successful marketing managers of harness racing of all time, joined the OSAS board in early 2019. 


For 22 years Kelly led the marketing team at Elmira and Grand River Raceways and was part of the team responsible for the introduction of simulcasting the track’s signal and the creation of the Battle of Waterloo as part of the track’s annual Industry Day event.


Both tracks have won numerous awards for innovation during her tenure, including the Lloyd Chisholm Award and an esteemed Business Excellence win in 2016 from the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, recognizing Grand River Raceway’s contribution to the local tourism and hospitality industry.


Spencer was also an individual recipient of the Lloyd Chisholm Award and of the Golden Pen Award. In 2018 Spencer established her own company, True Nature Communications which works with several clients in the horse racing, veterinary, and agricultural industries.

Ian Fleming

One of the most respected administrators in racing, Ian Fleming is currently Racing and Gaming Manager at Western Fair Raceway as well as General Manager for Clinton Raceway.

Over the years Ian has worked as race secretary at many of Ontario’s tracks, has been instrumental in several initiatives undertaken by the Ontario Sires Stakes program and served on the board of directors of Standardbred Canada and Ontario Racing. Ian was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famein 2019.

In addition, Ian also was a trainer for a number of years with his most successful horse being Just Call Me Sam. His recent horses of note, trained by Gregg McNair, have included Claires Apache, Dougs Fame and Mr Battin.

“The racehorses are our industry’s hardest working employees and we need to look after them when their work is done,” noted Ian. 

Ian’s experience, background and horse knowledge are a valuable asset to the board of OSAS.