The Ontario Quarter Horse Racing Industry Development Program (QHRIDP) is funding the production of a four-episode television pilot, The Full Quarter, to capture the imagination of a potential 3.5 million CTV viewers in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe regions of Ontario.

Four episodes of The Full Quarter will air on CTV on Saturday mornings at 11:30 a.m. beginning August 14. The program will showcase Quarter Horse racing in Ontario, with additional feature highlights focusing on Quarter Horse athletes in rodeo, barrel racing and other sports.

Goals and objectives of the Ontario Quarter Horse Racing Industry Development Program include attracting new investment from sponsors and horse owners and introducing potential new owners to the sport.

“This program is moving into new areas to raise awareness of the Quarter Horse racing industry in Ontario,” said Wendy Hoogeveen, director at the Ontario Racing Commission which oversees the Quarter Horse Program. “The theme fits with the Program’s objective of attracting investment and new audience, as well as promoting life after racing for ex-racehorses. This is a pilot project and the outcome will be carefully assessed to determine that it has met the goals and objectives of The Program.”

The producer at the helm of The Full Quarter is CTV sports broadcaster Joe Tilley. “I have had the idea of this program for years, because I believe that viewers who are attracted to the thrills and spills of rodeo are also attracted to the thrill of a fast race. I plan to use rodeo segments to spice up the broadcast, but the intention is to capture the heart of Quarter Horse racing, the big races and the people behind the industry,” said Tilley. “The potential 3.5 million viewers in Southern Ontario who see this program will have a new appreciation for Quarter Horse racing. The Full Quarter will grab your full attention!”

Tilley will also be producing a series of promotional videos highlighting elements of the QHRIDP to be used at grass roots events to attract new participants to Quarter Horse racing and breeding.

Developed and administered by the Ontario Racing Commission in cooperation with industry stakeholders, the Ontario Quarter Horse Racing Industry Development Program is designed to be an economic driver for rural Ontario. For more information on the Ontario Quarter Horse Racing Industry Development Program and Ontario’s Horse Improvement Programs visit ontarioracingcommission.ca.

(ORC)