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.

Christmas Shop & Support OSAS

December 1, 2025
Once again the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to present the Christmas Second Chance Raffle named to reflect our mission to give retired Standardbreds a second chance and forever home. To participate please view the baskets being offered this year at the Facebook page Santa's Second Chance Raffles. Select the ones you wish to bid on and purchase however many tickets you want for it. Ticket prices are $2 or $5 depending upon the basket. Here’s how it works. Raffle tickets can be purchased from November 29th 2025 through to midnight on December 13th 2025. Tickets may be paid through e-transfer to santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com . In the message please indicate how many tickets you are purchasing and for what baskets. You may also pay in cash in person to Emma Christoforou, Joanne Colville or Jean Posthuma. If you wish to pay by credit card please message Emma to set up a convenient time to do so. If you are unable to pick your basket up and would like it shipped, shipping will be at the basket winners’ expense. The winners will be announced on a live stream on Sunday, December 14, 2025, time to be determined. We encourage you to invite as many people as possible to the Facebook page and the raffle. If you have any questions please contact Joanne at 905-339-6748 or email: osashorses@gmail.com . Thanks to everyone who supports this fundraiser, everyone who contributed to a basket and volunteers behind the scenes, it is all very much appreciated. This year there are 24 gift baskets to choose from as follows. To see full descriptions of each basket please go to the Santa’s Second Chance Raffles group on Facebook by clicking here. 2025 Santa’s Second Chance Baskets #1 – Dog Lovers -Grooming Session, various toys & treats. #2 – Date Night – Restaurant Gift Cards #3 – Mast Harness #4 – Beauty Basket #5 – Custom Equine Designs #6 – On The Go #7 – Hopples & Hangers #8 – Coffee Lovers #9 – Chocolate Lover #10 – Lottery Lover - $125 worth of tickets. #11 – Horse Lovers #12 – Girls Night Out #13 – Preserves #14 – Game Night #15 – Family Night #16 – Wine & Cheese collection #17 - Newborn #18 – Self Care #19 – Car Care #20 – Hockey Night – Leaf tickets #21 - Home #22 – Equine Omega Alpha #23 – LZR Wheels (2025) #24 – OSAS Swag Thanks to everyone for their support, good luck and happy shopping.

Naso Hanover Featured

November 28, 2025
It’s not often that OSAS has a two-year-old in our program but Naso Hanover is not your average two-year-old. “He’s just an old soul. He’s like a 20-year-old horse that’s been doing it forever,” Susan Mollica told WEG’s Matthew Loman in this week’s installment of OSAS Pathways which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-naso-hanover/

Easy Lover Hanover Loving Life

November 13, 2025
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society will celebrate its 30 th anniversary next year and over those three decades several people have adopted more than one horse from our program. That’s certainly the case with Julie Wilson and her husband Rod MacLean, both retired police sergeants. The couple operate Northumbria Equine in Port Hope, Ontario, and have adopted four retired Standardbreds thus far from OSAS, the most famous of which is millionaire pacer Easy Lover Hanover. Affectionately referred to by Julie as ‘the boss of the barn,’ Easy Lover is the latest horse featured in WEG’s OSAS Pathway’s feature which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-news/osas-pathways-easy-lover-hanover/

Derf Hanover Joins OSAS

November 6, 2025
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to welcome the tough campaigner, Derf Hanover to our program. The talented trotter earned well over half a million dollars the hard way with 234 career starts in 10 seasons at the track. A son of Cantab Hall, Derf earned his life mark of 1:52.3 last year as a 10-year-old while racing at Mohawk. A regular on the WEG circuit for the past few years, Derf started his racing career south of the border under the guidance of trainer Ake Svanstedt. Bred by the renowned Hanover Shoe Farms, Derf sold as a yearling for $45,000. It wasn’t until his four-year-old season that he found his groove and he performed steadily for the next few years earning an average of $87,000 in each of his next six years at the track. From his five-year-old season on he raced in Ontario (with the exception of four starts at Harrahs in 2021). His last full season of racing was spent in the stable of Amanda and Tom Riley who remember him fondly. “Derf is quite the character; he likes to put on that he’s a grumpy old man but with some treats and scratches he melts right into you. He’s great with other horses; usually when he finds his pal he doesn’t let anyone else in his little posse. He’s as tough as they come,” said Tom recently. Derf Hanover is the most talented of his dam’s offspring, but his family is loaded with top performers. His dam is a half-sister to $200,000 winner Cocktail Hour who in turn is the dam of $1.3 million winner Bar Hopping. His second dam is a full sister to the great JEFS Spice. OSAS welcomes Derf Hanover into our program where he will enter training once he’s decompressed from racetrack life.

Conrad Seelster Passes

November 3, 2025
Iron tough racehorse and well loved retiree Conrad Seelster has passed. He was 33. The son of Threefold made an incredible 445 starts during his racing career with a lifetime summary of 54-61-61 for $310,285 in earnings. He was adopted from the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society at the conclusion of his racing career by noted equine artist Michelle Hogan Casson of Miller Lake, Ontario. Conrad happily spent the last 15 years as part of Michelle’s family. His story was shared by OSAS a few years back and may be read https://www.osas.ca/osas-stories#AnEquineLoveStory

Playsomthincountry On Stage

October 30, 2025
WEG’s Matthew Lemon is spotlighting horses connected to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society in a bi-weekly feature called OSAS Pathways. Playsomthincountry is featured in the latest installment. The 16-year-old pacer hails from two of Canada’s longest running and well known Standardbred nurseries. He was bred by Seelster Farms, a stalwart in the industry for many years now and now operated by the second generation of Van Bussel family. His dam, Daylon Luxury, was bred and raised by Dave and Mary Lemon’s Daylon Farms of Komoka, Ontario. Playsomthincountry is a half-brother to $200,000 winner Luxury Seelster p, 4, 1:53s and another sister, Luxury Vacation, is the dam of a horse currently racing in Ontario, Honolulu Vacation. That four-year-old by Betterthancheddar earned his life mark of 1:53s with a win at Mohawk earlier this year. Honolulu Vacation last raced this past Sunday (October 26) at Flamboro for trainer Cody Hawkins who was also the trainer and owner of Playsomthincountry during his career. To read the story, please use the link below.  https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-news/osas-pathways-playsomthincountry/

WEG Profiles OSAS Horses

October 17, 2025
Matthew Lomon of Woodbine Entertainment has started a series which will be updated twice a month and feature a horse connected to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society. The feature began this week with Beach Bet the first horse in the spotlight. A five-year-old son of All Bets Off, Beach Bet is currently training at the foster farm of Susan and Bert Mollica before embarking on his second career as a riding horse. Beach Bet, who Susan refers to as an equine Dennis The Menace, has royalty in his bloodlines as his second dam is a half-sister to one of the best pacers of all time, Somebeachsomewhere. The story may be read through this link. OSAS is a charitable organization founded in 1996 to assist in the adoption and relocation of retired and non-racing Standardbred horses and showcases the versatility of the breed.

Reverend Is A Rockstar

September 19, 2025
Reverend Hanover was a star on the track during his racing career but he’s even busier these days representing the Standardbred breed as one of the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s ambassadors. Now 13, the son of Sportswriter’s most recent promotion was an appearance on Breakfast Television on September 18. OSAS’s Joanne Colville brought Reverend to Mohawk Racetrack where she met with CITY TV’s Rick Campanelli along with leading driver Bob McClure. Outfitted in Louis-Philippe Roy’s colours, Rick went for a tour around Mohawk with Bob as they discussed the upcoming incredible night of racing on Saturday night which features two $1 million races – the Mohawk Million and Metro Final for rookie trotters and pacers respectively along with the rich Elengantimage, Shes A Great Lady and Canadian Trotting Classic finals. “As always Rev was a rockstar,” Joanne noted. “He’s always such a professional and today was no different. Part of OSAS’s mandate is to showcase the Standardbred breed and he’s perfect for that role.” A couple of week ago Reverend Hanover participated, along with another OSAS ambassador, The Painted Pony, at Mohawk’s Community Day which encouraged patrons to bring their family to the track and get a close up look at a harness horse. Many of the visitors were able to sit beside a driver and ride behind Reverend as he took guests around the racetrack. Giving folks a new perspective of racing, from the actual driver’s view, is nothing new for Reverend Hanover. For several years now he has served as OSAS’s Drive With Us horse. Throughout the summer he is on hand at the Campbellville track pulling double duty. At the start of the evening he serves as the Meet & Greet horse and then gives folks rides around the oval in between races. During his career Reverend Hanover was a top performer in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. In total he made 27 lifetime starts and earned $551,213. He last raced in 2017 but he still makes lots of trips around the racetrack in his ambassador role. To watch the CITY TV segment please click here.

Wheels On Fire Joins OSAS

September 18, 2025
Iron horse Wheels On Fire has joined the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society where he’ll be trained for a second career after excelling at his first. As a racehorse the now 10 year-old faced the gate 197 times. He retires with an impressive summary of 51-41-29 and $1.2 million in earnings. The son of Somebeachsomewhere began his career as a two-year-old in 2017 and retired in September of 2025. His most productive year was 2022, as a seven-year-old, when he won more than $316,000 racing primarily in the preferred class on the WEG circuit. The previous season he won the O’Brien Award as Canada’s top older male pacer of the year. “He has been a great horse to have as well as a fan favourite for many years. He retires with over $1.2 million on his card as well as an O’Brien Award to his credit,” noted owner Brad Grant when he announced Wheels On Fire’s retirement last month. Wheels On Fire’s dam, Ab Fab, is a sister to three millionaire performers – Ashlees Big Guy, Betterthancheddar and Courtly Choice. She is also a sister to the dam of the fastest harness horse of all time, Bulldog Hanover. OSAS is honoured to assist this talented performer as he transitions into life away from the racetrack.

Big Thanks

September 11, 2025
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is very fortunate to be strongly supported by the entire harness racing industry in the province and that was certainly evident from yesterday’s annual golf tournament. The popular event sold out quickly and Wildwinds Golf Course was an ideal course once again this year. OSAS is sincerely grateful to everyone who contributed to this year’s success – the golfers, the sponsors, our incredible volunteers and support staff and all those who contributed prizes. We, and all of the OSAS horses, acknowledge and appreciate your support.
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