OSAS – Celebrating 25 Years

July 6, 2021

Founded in 1996, the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021. The official adoption agency in the province for Standardbreds, OSAS has found forever homes for more than 1,000 horses. 

 

Anita TenBruggencate is responsible for creating OSAS along with former Ontario Harness Horse Association General Manager Reed Lawson. Anita, an Early Childhood Educator who also worked as a harness racing caretaker, approached OHHA in the mid 1990s with the idea of establishing an organization to find horses a permanent, loving home once their racing careers were over.

 

Reed gathered several people within the industry to work with Anita and determine the viability of such a venture. It took some time to establish the association, obtain charitable status and appoint a board of directors who would craft the initial adoption placement agreements, guardian and foster farm responsibilities, etc. Over the years those have been changed and updated to reflect the current state of the industry. 

 

Anita served as OSAS’s first administrator until she elected to stay home with her daughters but she continued to assist OSAS part time for a few years. For the past several years the administrative job has been capably managed by Joanne Colville who is uniquely suited to the all encompassing role. 

 

As a Standardbred breeder for many years and past chair of Standardbred Canada, Joanne has a farm near Moffat, where most of the OSAS horses arrive before transferring to a foster facility. In addition, Joanne serves as the outrider at Mohawk where she interacts with horse people across the province on a nightly basis and she is also a board member of the Central Ontario Standardbred Association. 

 

Every horse that comes into OSAS is given a thorough assessment prior to going to a foster home. Currently OSAS has several foster farms as well as two training facilities operated by Shelley Higgins and Susan and Bert Mollica. A horse’s secondary career (trail riding, competitions, companions, etc.) is based largely on their soundness and temperament. Once it is determined that the horse has completed its training and is ready for a new home, Joanne makes arrangements for potential adopters to visit and ascertain if they would be a good fit. 


People wanting to adopt an OSAS horse are required to fill out an application on the OSAS website and a site inspection of their facility is done to ensure its suitability. After a horse is successfully adopted, guardians will continue to follow up with inspections and submit their reports to OSAS. 


OSAS is guided by Joanne and a board of dedicated directors with a myriad of skills in the business - Jim Evans, Bill O’Donnell, Heather MacKay, Ian Fleming and Kelly Spencer. 


25th Anniversary Projects


Ambassador Cards

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, OSAS commissioned noted equine artist Michelle Hogan to draw portraits of the four OSAS ambassadors: Hiltons Hot Stuff, Ruff Me Up, Reverend Hanover and The Painted Pony. Between them those four distinctive horses have introduced countless race fans to the beauty and versatility of Standardbreds through their appearances at Ontario tracks, participation in Meet and Greets with fans and the Drive With Us program. 

 

Michelle’s portraits are stunningly accurate depictions of the four unique horses and she added another brilliant touch. “I deliberately incorporated a theme of versatility. One is in harness, one under saddle, one in hand and one at liberty,” she explained.

 

These portraits have been incorporated into note cards which were printed at First Line Printing and the entire project was sponsored by Ontario Racing. The boxes of note cards are now available for sale. Each box contains eight note cards (two of each horse) and envelopes. Please see OSAS’s website for details on how to order. 


2021 Commemorative Logo

Kathryn Patchett, the talented graphic designer who created OSAS’s new logo and updated website recently, has tweaked the logo to reflect the 25th anniversary. That logo will be used on all of OSAS’s social media for the remainder of the year. Kathryn was also responsible for the design of the ambassador cards and the creation of ads for the OSAS Night at the Races.

 

OSAS at the Races

OSAS has reached out to every Ontario racetrack to request they host an OSAS night (or day) at the races to celebrate the 25th anniversary. It would be anchored by a race called the OSAS 25th anniversary race. With COVID protocols in place the celebrations will be restricted but still able to commemorate the significant milestone.


OSAS, with the assistance of the Central Ontario Standardbred Association, will be presenting the winning owner, trainer and groom of the OSAS Anniversary race with a cooler, ambassador cards and anniversary gear.


Celebrating Our Own

OSAS would not have survived through 25 years without many dedicated volunteers who assist in a wide variety of ways. Throughout the remainder of our 25th season, we will be releasing feature stories about these wonderful folks.


OSAS would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the first 25 years. One of the reasons OSAS has thrived is due to the tremendous support of the Standardbred industry and horse people in Ontario who recognize the importance of finding forever loving homes for our wonderful horses.

Nutzz N Boltzz And Reven Up Featured

March 12, 2026
“Having ridden and owned a variety of horses over the last 35 years, the Standardbreds are the most honest ones out there. They are so loyal, smart, safe and sound, they don’t have many bad or off days it seems. So, for that I will forever be grateful,” notes Fran Brethour when speaking of her OSAS graduates Nutzz N Boltzz and Reven Up. Fran praises her Standardbreds in the latest OSAS Pathways feature by Matthew Loman which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-nutzz-n-boltzz-reven-up/ 

KJ Owen Joins OSAS

March 6, 2026
OSAS is pleased to welcome the iron tough KJ Owen to their roster. A 12 year-old gelding by Roll With Joe, KJ Owen faced the gate an incredible 297 time over his 10 year career. He recorded his 50 th lifetime win in April of last year at Flamboro with Austin Sorrie at the controls. Upon his retirement in January of this year he sported a summary of 52-41-38 for $311,000 banked. The first foal of Winsmith Jess, KJ Owen raced primarily in the US at various racetracks. His first Canadian start was in January of 2025 at Mohawk. He has two brothers with earnings over $200,000 – KJ Hunter and KJ Leo both of whom are still racing at Monticello Raceway. Owen is now at Susan and Bert Mollica’s foster farm where he will be trained for his second career.

Second Career For Steel Reserve

February 28, 2026
“I’ve never seen a horse with the emotions he’s shown. When he first arrived, my husband and I were both like, ‘We don’t know what to do.’ We had never seen a horse cry before but there were literal tears in his eyes,” said Susan Mollica of OSAS graduate Steel Reserve. Bert Mollica used a different training technique with the warhorse whose second career will be somewhat unique. His story is profiled in the latest installment of OSAS Pathways by Matthew Loman and may be read here.

OSAS Auction Closed

February 22, 2026
The Ontario Stallion Adoption Society’s 2026 Stallion Auction has now closed. Breedings to 16 sires from Ontario and PEI were offered over the past four days. OSAS extends sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s auction including the stallion owners, the stud farms and everyone who placed a bid. Congratulations to the successful bidders and the best of luck. To view the full list of stallions and buyers please click here.

OSAS Stallion Auction Closes Friday At Noon

February 19, 2026
Please be advised that the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s 2026 Stallion auction will close Friday, February 20 th at noon. It is important to note that the end time can be extended to a maximum of 30 minutes on each of the 16 stallion breedings available if there is continued bidding. You are notified by email and/or text (if you select that option) if you are the winning bidder and if someone has outbid you. This year OSAS is using 32 Auctions as their auction platform site. Here is the explanation of how the extended bidding works: How does Extended Bidding work? If an item receives a bid during the final three (3) minutes of the auction, the item end time will be extended to allow for 3 additional minutes of bidding. This process repeats until no new bids are received during the final 3 minutes of the item bidding window or the auction has been extended for a maximum of 30 minutes beyond the original end time. When an auction is extended, you'll see Extended Bidding messages displayed throughout the auction with a link for easily viewing all of the extended items. For further information on this feature, and an example, please click here. Here is the link to the actual auction site.

OSAS Stallion Auction Starts Today

February 17, 2026
The 2026 Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s Stallion Auction begins today at noon. This year we offer 16 top stallions from Ontario and PEI including one stallion, King Of The North, whose book is already closed this year. Use the link below to enter the site and see what stallions are available. Follow the easy steps to register which allows you to bid on any of the stallions. We encourage you to register early. Good luck to all and thanks to everyone for their support of this popular fundraiser again this year. The auction closes on Friday, February 20 starting at noon. Enter the auction site here

2026 OSAS Stallion Auction

February 10, 2026
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to announce the dates for their 2026 stallion auction. The annual fundraiser will kick off at noon on Tuesday, February 17 and close Friday, February 20 with a staggered close starting at noon. This may be your last opportunity to obtain breedings to popular sires whose books have already closed or are close to closing for the season. Bids will be in Canadian funds. The sires available to date are as follows (in alphabetical order): All Bets Off Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Century Farroh Control The Moment Dancin Lou Its Academic King Of The North Lawless Shadow Lookslikeachipndale Malicious (PEI) McWicked Shanghai Phil Sportswriter (PEI) OSAS thanks every stallion owner for their generosity and support again this year. Additional sires will be accepted up until February 13. To donate, or if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. Established in 1996, OSAS is the official adoption agency for Standardbred horses in the province, responsible for spreading the message of the versatility of the breed and finding forever loving homes for retired pacers and trotters.

Spotlight On Sweet Deisel

January 30, 2026
After earning more than $350,000 during his racing career, Sweet Deisel is set to embark on the second chapter of his career, as a riding horse. He’ll be leaving Susan and Bert Mollica’s foster farm along side another OSAS trainee, Stetson Seelster, at the end of this month. His story is featured in WEG’ OSAS Pathways this week and may be read https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-news/osas-pathways-sweet-deisel/

Amrock Major Passes

January 29, 2026
Amrock Major has passed. He was 38. A warrior on the racetrack, the son of River Rouge faced the gate more than 203 times during his career which started as a four-year-old in 1992 and ended during his 10 th year in 1998. Bred by Dennis and Gerald Rock of London, Ontario, the tough performer raced at B tracks and fairs throughout Ontario during the 1990s. His last start was in October of 1998 at the now defunct Elmira Raceway with trainer Gerry Gaynor driving. Gaynor trained Amrock Major for the last four years of his career. Prior to that he was conditioned by Ron Brintnell. A son of Graylin Jean, Major is a half-brother to Amrock Wise Guy who earned a quarter of a million dollars during his racing career four decades ago. Amrock Major came into OSAS after his retirement from racing and he was adopted within a few months. Several years later his owner was facing health issues and Major returned to OSAS. He spent his last years at the farm of Pam Brooker who provided him a wonderful life.

Spotlight On Stetson

January 8, 2026
Stetson Seelster, who celebrated his third birthday a few days ago, is the latest OSAS horse featured in WEG’s ongoing series by writer Matthew Loman. Stetson is currently training for a career as a riding horse under the watchful eye of Bert and Susan Mollica. The story of Stetson, who is closely related to Canada’s 2024 Horse of the Year Chantilly, may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-stetson-seelster/ 
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