with pylons and the safety factor inherent with this change.

Continuing on the theme of changes in the harness racing industry, Ronnie elab— orated, “There is a certain amount of change that should go on all the time in any industry in order to be successful. You can’t stand still and this includes horse racing. A race card today at most tracks is conducted in identical fashion as it was 30 or more years ago. We defi— nitely must try something different to sur— vive, to bring people back and to attract new people. Simulcasting and slots are a sign of the times in most places and the industry must keep moving forward; however, our industry can‘t rely solely on simulcasting or slots. Our industry must help itself because these two apparent cash cows will eventually run their course like everything else.”

I didn’t have to speak to this articulate member of the equine industry very long to realize that he had some very legiti— mate concerns but he continued to remain positive about the game for which he had a passion. He enjoyed the thrill of a race and the competition involved. He met some very nice people through his work. Ronnie loved horses and he loved just being around horses. He espe- cially liked training and racing the colts and fillies and watching them progress and mature. The two— and three-year— olds comprised more than half of his large public stable. Each year he seemed to have new success with the young ones

46

Behind the Gate

and names like Rz'z'ervue Sandy, Wmflmerejet, Rivemue Comet and others come to mind. He preferred the young— sters but realized he must also race older horses to survive grassroots racing in the Maritimes. That was just a fact of life for him.

Why did he love horses? The response was immediate and insightful. It may surprise some people who have not had close contact with these animals. Many who have worked with horses will agree with Ronnie‘s assessment. He respond— ed, “Horses are intelligent and smart ani- mals. They are a lot more intelligent than we give them credit for. They are really satisfying to work around. I just love a horse for a horse whether he can go in 2:18 or 2:00."

He continued, “Bold R<oster can recog— nize Bert Haneveld’s vcice from outside the barn and he knows he will be getting a treat of carrots from his owner when he enters the barn. I know that my horses know me. Some horses know when a certain veterinarian enters the stable. If a stranger walked into my barn early in the morning, the horses would not be pounding the stalls down looking for this stranger to feed them; however, if the horses see a stablehand :oming, they are pounding the doors looling to be fed. I am sure they know what is going on for them on a race night. Some horses are more competitive than (thers. They are like hockey players and some get up for the game and some don’t Some give 100