Helping others live their horse-filled dreams

By Tania Millen, BSc, MJ

“I do everything I can to make sure that anybody that has a dream or a wish to be around horses gets that opportunity,” — Brian Tropea. 

Tropea is the General Manager of the Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA) and is currently working with horse industry partners to provide free training through the Ontario Equine Education and Employment Program (OEEEP).

“As we’ve become more urbanized, there’s been a disconnect between people and horses,” says Tropea. “So, there are a lot of people that have aspirations of working with horses but have no way into the industry.”

Tropea was born into horses. “My father had a stable of Standardbred racehorses, and for as long as I can remember I helped him at the races and in the barn. I grew up in the barn and when I was old enough to get my trainer and racehorse driver’s license [at age 18], that’s the path I chose,” he says.

Tropea trained Standardbreds for much of his early career. 

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“I have so much respect for the horse and what the horse has done for us. They’re remarkable animals and have been a tremendous gift to humanity. I think we owe it to them to make sure that horses are around for generations to come.”

Brian Tropea and friends. “I have so much respect for the horse and what the horse has done for us. They’re remarkable animals and have been a tremendous gift to humanity,” he says. Photo: Brian Tropea Collection

Now age 63, Tropea has spent the last 25 years opening gateways into the horse industry and providing opportunities for others to experience horses. Two years ago, Tropea and others contacted the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development about developing a program that allows people who want to work with horses to get the education and hands-on experience necessary to enter the horse industry.

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“People were struggling to find qualified help in the Standardbred racing industry and when we started reaching out to other disciplines — breeding farms, therapeutic riding associations, Thoroughbred racing, dressage, and show jumping barns — we found there’s a need for good help everywhere.”

OEEEP was born, and it currently provides six weeks of free online learning about horses through the University of Guelph, followed by a job placement where students learn how to work around horses safely. 

“We’re opening a gateway into the equine industry to give them basic understanding and knowledge and make them aware of opportunities in the horse world,” says Tropea. “We’ve had a lot of people that are looking to change careers. We’ve had people that are retired and have always dreamed of working with horses and we’ve been able to fulfill their dream. This program has changed lives.”

Brian Tropea supporting a teen at a local barrel race. Photo: Brian Tropea Collection

Changing lives is a common thread throughout Tropea’s work. Prior to the OEEEP program, Tropea was a driving force behind other programs that introduced people to horses.

“We ran a program called ‘Want to Drive’ where we took retired horses to the racetracks and gave fans an opportunity to go for a ride around the track [in a Standardbred cart with a driver] in between races,” says Tropea.

Tropea helped run youth camps at Standardbred racetracks in Ontario where eight children at a time attended a free four-day camp at the track. On the final day, they would drive in an exhibition race with the driver sitting beside them. Funding for that program dried up in 2012 but it wasn’t long before Tropea helped create the Hands on Horses (HOHP) program.

In 2015, HOHP took retired Standardbred racehorses to a First Nations reserve to reintroduce horses to residents and give them rides in a cart behind the horses. In 2016, the program granted an 89-year-old woman her wish of patting a Standardbred racehorse. Meanwhile, Tropea and other drivers continued giving rides on their jogging carts as a way of introducing people to equine magic. A few years after Tropea gave a teen a ride on his jogging cart during a HOHP event, Tropea received an email from a friend who had recently met the teen. It shared how that five-minute ride around the racetrack with Tropea had altered the young man’s life.

“Horses provided for me, and I just want to make sure that other people who want to pursue that path have the opportunity,” says Tropea, who continues to welcome newcomers to the world of horses through the OEEEP and his other professional and volunteer commitments.

“You never know when you’ll change somebody’s life trajectory.”

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Main Photo: Brian Tropea, Credit: Brian Tropea Collection