It’s 2017, and this year we celebrate 250 years of horse racing in Canada. We are a sport and industry that has survived many good times, and persevered through a fair share of days much worse
than many of us will hopefully ever live through again. From war to disease, to depression and poverty; the act of caring for, and racing horses, has remained strong – and the participants in this industry are continuing a legacy that we should all be very proud of.
There are many reasons to be optimistic for what is ahead, but we must still be brave and forge toward a new vision and a bright future, like those before us did.
When I look back through the history of horse racing and its survival, one thing strikes me quite dramatically, and does concern me for the road ahead. From the first race held on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, through much of the last 250 years, across this country and globally, horse racing has gone to the people.
The sport has been the feature at thousands of county fairs, at national exhibitions, on streets and in parks in our cities and towns. We have seen racing take to the ice, on lakes and frozen ponds, across beaches and in all seasons. Even with new pari-mutuel tracks on the landscape, the local and summer tracks did not disappear. If there was an event with 10,000 people attending, racing would be a part of it. Whether it was two horsepeople or 100, horse racing, specifically harness racing, was there to be experienced and enjoyed.
In the last 20 years alone, racing at many of Canada’s fall fairs has disappeared. How many times do we hold special racing events in our local towns and cities? How about on the Rideau Canal, where our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, attended his first race decades ago? On beaches? At special exhibitions or part of well-attended summer festivals?
My kids attended their first harness race at an Ontario Fair that no longer exists. Two little ones carried through a paddock, completely open to the public – falling in love with the horses. With every seat in the grandstand full, we sat down on a blanket and watched the speed of the races as bells and sirens blared on the midway behind. There were thousands who experienced the same thrill.
Today, those thousands will still attend the Fairs, but harness racing will not be there. I’ve heard it’s the cost of insurance, or the unwillingness for organizers to volunteer to keep racing going. I’ve heard about barns not being suitable and regulatory issues. I’ve heard the reasons why it’s easier to bolster racing at our tracks, and worry later about the special experiences that take time and effort to coordinate. What we need to hear, and what we need to say, is the desire to make it a top priority.
For 250 years, horse racing being taken to the public has been an important part of who we are. No iPad or Samsung Galaxy eliminates the need to forge a meaningful connection between fan and horse.
This year, spearheaded by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, we will celebrate 250 years of horse racing in this country by reconnecting with some of those communities we used to be intertwined with. Hopefully we use 250 not only as a historical reminder, but as an opportunity to build on what we have, and rediscover what we’ve lost.
Darryl Kaplan
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