Sixty-five-hundred dollars were raised for Equine Guelph through the generosity of Joe Muscara, Jr., who donated a breeding to Mister Big, the standardbred sensation standing at Tara Hills Stud in Port Perry, Ont., and directed the funds to the non-profit organization’s education program

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Ted Smith of Rockwood, Ont. was the successful bidder on the breeding, which was auctioned at the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association (SBOA) banquet and awards evening in January.

“Not only was I pleased to get the breeding to Mister Big,” said Smith, horse owner and CEO/President of Standardbred Canada, “it is always a bonus when you can help out a good cause along the way. What Equine Guelph’s education program is doing for our industry – from EquiMania! for kids to online courses for horsepeople – is evidence that an educated industry today is a strong industry tomorrow.”

“It is so wonderful that Joe is helping us build the education and training program for the equine industry,” said Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. “And we thank Ted for making the high bid and the SBOA for their assistance at their annual banquet.”

“We are 150 years into a grand experiment of developing a horse that can pull a cart real fast. Most of that time, we did what our grandfathers did,” said Muscara, owner of Mister Big. “Now, with the rapidly accelerating scientific discoveries in all facets of equine endeavours, that is not enough to excel – not even enough to survive.

“You need the tools to evaluate what is new; use what is good and avoid what is not,” Muscara continued. “Equine Guelph did not teach us how to train Mister Big, but it did give us the tools to evaluate what we were doing and the confidence to stick with the plan over three magical seasons.”

Equine Guelph is the horse owners’ and care givers’ centre at the University of Guelph. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for academia, industry and government – for the good of the equine industry as a whole.

To donate to Equine Guelph’s education program or for more information on online courses, click here.

(By Henrietta Coole for Equine Guelph)