A cheque for $10,000 was presented to Equine Guelph by The Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS) on Dec. 18, 2019, as a donation toward the redevelopment of Equine Guelph’s JobTrack service.

JobTrack is a service used to link employers with people dedicated to working in the equine industry.

“The donation falls under our organization’s mandate to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote improvements in the quality of life of persons living in an agricultural community,” says Grand River Raceway director of operations Jamie Martin.

Equine Guelph’s JobTrack has been providing a free, invaluable service to the horse racing industry linking employers and job seekers for over 15 years, thanks to the original funding from The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario (HBPA).

It was HBPA president, Sue Leslie, who was first to pledge her support to the proposal for an update.

“I’m excited that the Jobtrack program is being modernized,” says Leslie. “The Board of the HBPA recognizes the importance of this site to our members who rely on it. We are pleased to assist Equine Guelph financially, to keep the program going, make much needed updates and improve the interface for a user-friendly and interactive experience. We look forward to the final result.”

Both The HBPA of Ontario and Ontario Racing have agreed to provide seed funding for the redevelopment of JobTrack.

“The employment aspects of horse racing cannot be underestimated; many involved in the industry do so for the love of the horse and the dedication to their craft,” says Katherine Curry, executive director of Ontario Racing. “Ontario Racing is proud to support Equine Guelph and its JobTrack program endeavours.”

“JobTrack has been promoting careers in the racing industry since the inception of Equine Guelph,” says Equine Guelph director Gayle Ecker. “The service has helped pair up employers with grooms, trainers, barn managers, breeding farm employees and has reached upwards of 40,000 visitors in a calendar year. We are certainly appreciative of the generous funding which will help us give JobTrack an upgrade!”

(Equine Guelph)