Ontario Racing is ready to support the horse people relying on the financial support coming from the racing purses associated with the live races. Its latest announcement made it clear that those individuals can now file their application and obtain some of the purse money available under the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
The announcement comes weeks after live horse racing in Ontario came to a halt. Horse people rely on the purse funds for their survival, but they also have to take care of their racehorses training for the upcoming live season. Over the past couple of weeks, the aforementioned funding agreement has been a topic of wide discussion, as it could be of help for those individuals.
Horse People Bag Support
Now that individuals in need of financial support would have the chance to access such with the help of the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Ontario Racing has set in stone this agreement for various situations when the people associated with live horse racing need support. Live racing has been suspended ever since the middle of March.
Individuals still need to take care of the horses, perform daily grooming, as well as introduce light training ahead of the live racing season that was postponed to a later date of the year. Ontario Racing wanted to help the people involved in the horse racing field of the province, so it resorted to an amendment of the existing Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing that has been established between the Ontario Lottery and Gaming and Ontario Racing.
Standardbred, Thoroughbred, and Quarter horse owners would be eligible for support but there are some conditions that should be taken into account. The horses that are eligible for money from the funding arrangement have to be trained by a local trainer that is licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. A Stall Application for this year should also be available when it comes to the racehorse.
May 31 Might See a New Amendment
Moreover, the horses applying for a share of the funding should be at least 3 years old. The exact amount of the allocation was also set in stone. Thoroughbred horses meeting all conditions are going to receive CA$1,500 per month. Standardbred horses are going to bag CA$1,000, whereas Quarter horses are about to receive some CA$750 per month. This amount is expected to be enough for at least half of the monthly expenses associated with horse owning.
This covers boarding, feeding, grooming, as well as regular training that is also mandatory for the horseās health. Horse owners would have to cover the remaining part of the monthly payments covering veterinary, blacksmith, shipping, and more. It should also be taken into account that the end of May might see some changes to the already amended agreement.
If the lockdown continues past May 31, a new amendment might be considered. It would strive to cover the two-year-old horses as well. They are not included in the current arrangement. The dynamic situation is unprecedented and labor unions have called for these changes to be introduced, as taking care of a racehorse is an expensive task for many people in Ontario.
