Glen Oro Farm in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, run by Leslie Saila, has been in the Saila family since 1967 and has been hosting horse trials for over three decades. The attractive, rolling 200-acre property also offers glamping and trail riding. In the spring, eleven of their trail horses died in a single day of unknown causes, prompting the cancellation of their May 29th horse trials. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as well as the Ontario Veterinary College continue to investigate but have been unable to determine the cause of the deaths to date. As there have been no illnesses or deaths since, (see letter below), and Saila decided to go ahead with their scheduled July 31st event.
In an effort to attract more competitors and alleviate some of the financial hardships, the Ontario Eventing Association, the sports’ provincial not-for-profit body which sanctions events, decided to sponsor the Intermediate division at Glen Oro. The move by OEA was not embraced by everyone, with one event organizer pointing to ‘favouritism’ and a controversial way to use the memberships’ funds.
OEA president Ann Neal explained the logic behind why this step was taken. “It was a board decision; we felt that by sponsoring the intermediate division it would encourage coaches to come with a trailer and bring more students. Then the money goes back to riders rather than Glen Oro specifically.
“It was an exceptional circumstance. They had to cancel their entire spring horse show … it was a serious financial loss after putting in over $30,000 in new courses and jumps over the last few years.
“The board discussed what could be done to help. We felt that this was a way of attracting more entries and help her that way rather than the organizer directly.
“We have helped organizers in the past. We would do the same for any organizer in any exceptional circumstances. In this case, we wanted the money to go back to riders directly and to help her recover losses from the exceptional circumstances.”
Saila further explained, “I never approached OEA for money or help. They called me and asked if they could donate. I normally fund the prelim and intermediate out of my own pocket, because I remember what it was like when I was competing at that level. It’s nice to have a little extra money to put towards gas or feed bills. I wasn’t going to this year because of the loss this spring. I didn’t last year either because of Covid and it was so difficult to even run an event. The extra help was really appreciated and a nice surprise this year.”
Regarding the ongoing investigation into the puzzling horse deaths, a letter circulated by Saila, Dr. Bruce Watt of Uxbridge Equine Veterinary Services and Dr. Luis Arroyo of the OVC recently reads in part:
“Early May 2022 Glen Oro Farm suffered the loss of a large number o our treasured horses. Since that time there have been no further illnesses or deaths of horses or any other animals on the farm. New horses have been brought onto the property in recent weeks and have remained completely healthy.
Based on several diagnostic tests performed at the University of Guelph and in veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the USA, there is no evidence of any possible infectious, contagious or transmissible agent or toxin associated with the death of these animals. Therefore, there is no evidence for risk of horses becoming ill due to the recent unexplained deaths.
A large-scale veterinary effort involving specialists with OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), OVC (Ontario Veterinary College) and international consultants is ongoing. Sample testing continues but a definitive cause remains elusive.”
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