TORONTO, February 25, 2026 – Twice a month, Woodbine Mohawk Park will profile a Standardbred connected to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS). This week’s installment belongs to Steel Reserve, who after hanging up the horseshoes on an iron-tough 11-year racing career last August, moved in with Bert and Susan Mollica, who train the majority of OSAS horses at their farm in Tottenham, Ontario. Susan reflects on the 14-year-old trotter’s emotional journey toward a second career in equine-assisted therapy with Rebecca Pschibul and Reconnect Therapy, and the indelible mark he left along the way. “When he came here, he knew nothing but racing. That was his whole focus. He was an iron horse; he still was an iron horse. He’s the ultimate warrior.” Fun fact #1: Steel Reserve’s barn name is Steel. Fun fact #2: Steel Reserve’s sire, Credit Winner, was inducted into the Harness Racing Living Horse Hall of Fame in 2022 after a career that included nearly $1.5 million in purse earnings. As a stallion, Credit Winner has sired winners of over $104 million, including six millionaires, and more than 300 $100,000 earners. Fun fact #3: Steel Reserve’s second dam is Me Maggie, who earned $743,350 during her career. She is the granddam of millionaire and world champion Lifetime Pursuit, the dam of $2.4 million earner and 2025 Dan Patch Award winner (three-year-old trotting colt), Super Chapter. Steel Reserve Foaled: April 20, 2012 Sire: Credit Winner Dam: Iron Lass Trainer: Paul MacKenzie (most recent) Owner: Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society Breeder: Frederick Hertrich OSAS Program Status: Recently graduated Steel Reserve and driver Chris Christoforou winning Race 3 on June 25, 2015 at Woodbine Mohawk Park (New Image Media) Tell us about Steel Reserve’s personality. “I’ve never seen a horse with the emotions he’s shown. When he first arrived, my husband [Bert] and I were both like, ‘We don’t know what to do.’ We had never seen a horse cry before but there were literal tears in his eyes. “To bring him back, Bert would take him out for green grass for 20 minutes. And, Bert literally stayed with him when he was on stall rest – talking to him, comforting him, letting him know that this is your new life, and you are loved. Steel bonded with my husband and grew into this big loving teddy bear. “We bring him in, and he goes into the arena with my husband and all of a sudden, he’s like a puppy. When I bring him in for his feeds, he has to give me a kiss before he gets his meal, and he looks forward to that. “He’s going to be perfect for the [Reconnect Therapy] program because he communicates what he wants and that’s what Rebecca found. She loved that he’s a very strong communicator. “He’s one of the most communicative horses we’ve ever met.” How has he adapted to training with Bert? What is the training regimen like knowing that he’s going into therapy work? “He was never going to be ridden, so his training was totally different. We knew he was going to be a companion, so it wasn’t like we were bringing him out and tacking him up. What we would do is introduce him to all our obstacles as a free range – his training was free range. No halter, no nothing. “For example, my horses spend the night in the arena, so every day we have to pick up the arena manure from the night before. We would put Steel in the arena as Bert’s cleaning up the manure so that he would learn, ‘Oh, the barrels do this, I get to have a role, etc.,’ and his training was all stress free and companionship. “It was, ‘You can come give me a kiss, give me some loving, and then you can decide when you want to tour off and explore more.’ “With the program that he’s going into, when Rebecca came and explained a lot of it to us, he won’t be working, he will be communicating with the people, insofar as dealing with the issues that are unique to their situation. “They will be talking, and if Steel wants to come over and be part of the conversation, it’s fine. But if he just wants to walk over and explore an empty chair, for example, he can, too. “The therapy that she does involves helping individuals who have been through a traumatic situation and letting them see that this big horse that’s just walking around or may come over for a kiss or a pet, is giving them the sense that nothing’s going to hurt them, and they are safe. “We just want him to show people freedom.” What does it mean to you and Bert knowing that therapeutic work will be the next chapter of his life? “It means the world to us. It brings so much joy to us. After Rebecca left yesterday and we were looking at Steel in the field, we both started crying because it’s so emotional for us. Every horse is a reward to us. “We have two going tomorrow, Stetson [Seelster] and [Sweet] Deisel. It brings us tremendous joy that they’re going to be loved and find their purpose. “With Steel, OSAS didn’t throw him away. He was such a warrior in racing and Joanne [Colville] had seen him and said, ‘We can fix him and there will be a forever home for him.’ It took us a lot of work – it wasn’t as if we just put him in a stall and waited for him to get better. There was a lot we had to do to get him back, but in between was the loving that came with healing him. “Now, Steel is the king. He’s literally a king.” * Founded in 1996, OSAS is an approved charitable organization committed to assisting in the adoption and relocation of retired and non-racing Standardbred horses within Ontario. A primary mandate of the program is to showcase the versatility of the breed to horse lovers unfamiliar with harness horses. OSAS, which strives to educate and assist in the retraining and management of Standardbreds, relies heavily on volunteers and temporary foster homes to carry out its mission. Those interested in getting involved with OSAS and its cause can reach out at osashorses@gmail.com or call 905-339-6748, for more information. Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine Mohawk Park Share This:Share
