Long-time horseman Bruce Brown passed away on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 surrounded by his family.
Bruce was an avid horseman and spent almost 40 years working and volunteering in the equine industry. In 1977, Bruce and his wife Sandra opened Rouge Hill Stables in Scarborough, ON. where they offered public trail riding, riding lessons and hosted horse shows. Together, they owned and operated the “Rouge” until 1985. Bruce always loved reminiscing about his time at the “Rouge” and how much fun he had watching guests ride for the first time and the tricks he would play on overly confident beginners.
Rouge Hill Stables was primarily a Western stable, so Bruce, Sandra, and their two daughters, Sara and Jenn, opened Audley Road Stables in Ajax, ON. in 1983 to offer services to English riders. Audley Road Stables was a full-service barn that offered boarding, training, schooling and Trillium shows, riding lessons, camps and was home of the Ajax Pony Club. The Brown family owned and operated Audley Road Stables until 2008 when Bruce and Sandra retired.
Bruce believed in giving back to his industry and volunteered countless hours to a variety of equine organizations, including the Ontario Quarter Horse Association, Trillium Hunter Jumper Association, Canadian Pony Club, Equine Canada, Association of Riding Establishments of Ontario and the Ontario Equestrian Federation, to name a few.
Bruce gave the OEF 20 years of volunteer service and held a variety of board positions over the years, including director at large, Industry Council chair, Horse Facilities Council chair, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Bruce chaired numerous OEF committees and was instrumental in creating Bill 12, the Horse Riding Safety Act, developing Aurora’s equestrian riding establishment bylaws and eliminating the horse property taxation crisis. Bruce was the recipient of several OEF awards including the President’s Special Recognition Award and the OEF Volunteer Of The Year Award. In 2008, Bruce was one of the first individuals inducted into the OEF Hall of Fame.
Bruce was always a familiar presence in the OEF office and on the road at trade shows and visiting horse facilities. Ontario’s equine industry has lost a true champion and we will all forever be grateful to Bruce and the work that he did on behalf of all horse enthusiasts. We are all going to miss him dearly.
A celebration of life ceremony will be held on Friday, March 20, 2015 at the Pickering Village United Church in Ajax, ON.
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