Hi everyone!

Have you started your 12 Days of Christmas countdown? I sure have! Only 11 days to go! I hope you have sent your letters to Santa!

In case you were looking for some great holiday things to do to get you in the spirit, check out the Trot 4 Kids website here! I especially like the snow portraits! What a cool idea, and a great treat for your animal friends!

Well, I'm going to go have a short winter's nap now! Taylor bought me a great new winter blanket and it is just so cozy!

Talk to you soon!

Willie Win

Getting ready for the Holidays on the East Coast!

Hi Kids!

It's finally December- one of my favourite months of the whole year! I just love all the smiling faces and holiday lights and, of course, the promise of snow! Boy do I love the snow!

The December Trot 4 Kids magazine is coming out soon! It's a great 16 page edition with lots of great winter activities, gift ideas and an amazing story about Taylor and I! Make sure to check it out and let me know what you think!

I've spent a few weeks now in Truro, Nova Scotia and just wrapped up my visit helping out with Truro Raceway's annual Kid's Christmas Party! It was so much fun! I even got a ride in a carriage from a miniature horse!


I do love it here-- so close to the ocean and the fresh air, but I'll be heading back home to see Taylor tomorrow! It's always nice to come home no matter where my travels take me!

Let's cross our fingers for some snow!

Your friend,

Willie Win

PS. The photos are courtesy of my photographer friend, Lynn Curwin!

Boy am I having a blast this off season!

I flew to the east coast of Canada to help out with a few special events out here! It's getting cold here, but I just love being so close to the ocean! The flight was okay, but somehow I got lost temporarily trying to find my way to the track! Luckily, they tracked me down! It was worth it to meet all the great T4K kids out here!

So now I'm in Truro, Nova Scotia, and just helped out with a fantastic event there called the Mildred Williams Ladies Vs Men's Challenge to raise money for cancer survivors! I met some of the amazing ladies on the Survivors on Shortt's Lake Dragon Boat team and hung out in the winner's circle with my horsey friend Dontlooknow!


What a fun weekend I had!

Talk soon!

Halloween was GREAT!

Hey kids!

I hope you had an AMAZING Halloween! I know I did!

My costume party was great! The whole house was decked out for Halloween with spooky spider webs, black cats & bats, and terrifying music! We had green fruit punch, spider cupcakes, and way too much Halloween candy!

Before I went, I even had a chance to give out some Halloween candy to the kids on Taylor Trot's front porch! It was so much fun!

How was your night of trick-or-treating? Did you get lots of delicious treats?

Talk to you soon!!!

Willie Win

Happy Halloween T4K kids!

I can't believe Halloween is finally here! I love seeing all of the creative costumes and going trick-or-treating with Taylor Trot! My favourite treat is apples, so I hope someone is giving them out!

I have finally chosen my Halloween costume, with your help of course!
Stay tuned to find out my final decision and who won the October contest!

Stay safe tonight! Remember to wear something that is easy to see in the dark and to let mom and dad check all your treats before you eat them! Most of all, have fun!

Your friend,

Willie Win

Hallowhinny 2011!

Sometimes being on vacation from racing is just amazing!

Last night, I went to Grand River Raceway for their annual Hallowhinny event! I got all dressed up in my doctor costume and was able to hang out with all the kids without getting stressed out about a big race! It was so much fun! There were witches & construction workers, dragons & cowboys, princesses and butterflies! There was even someone dressed up as my favourite video game character- Mario! Ha ha ha! I loved that one!

There was a voter's station to help me figure out which costume I should wear to my Halloween party! I still have to count all the ballots- I'll let you know which one everyone liked!

Click here to check out the Hallowhinny costume parade!

If you didn't make it this year, definitely mark it on your calendar for next Halloween! Or, should I say, Hallowhinny?!? Ha ha ha!

Talk to you soon everyone!

Willie Win

Sometimes the weather is not my friend!

Hi everyone!

I'm sure you all heard that my last race of the season, scheduled for opening night at Western Fair last Friday, was canceled due to the weather.

I was pumped and ready to go, but the officials indicated that it just wouldn't be safe to race. I'm a little disappointed, but I'm looking forward to a little down time! I think I'm going to sit back, watch some hockey, start my holiday shopping, and relax with Taylor Trot!

Oh! I almost forgot! I received an email the other day from my friend Mackenzie, who sent me a photograph of an amazing pumpkin!! Can you tell whose face is on this Willie-O-Lantern? Oops! Did I just give it away?

Don't forget to enter this month's contests on my website! Click here for more details!

I'll be sure to let you know who wins and what costume I'll be wearing to my Halloween party this year!!!! So excited!

Talk to you soon!

Willie Win

Last Race of the Season!

Hi kids!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! What great weather we had hear at the Standardbred Canada stable! Everyone came out and we had Thanksgiving dinner on picnic tables by the barn. One thing I know for sure... I'm definitely thankful for pumpkin pie! Mmmmmm...it's my favourite!


But now I'm gearing up for my last race of the season and I'm so excited! I have been eating healthy (aside from a little pie), exercising regularly and Taylor says I'm racing faster than ever! My confidence is through the roof!

The race is set to take place at Western Fair this Friday night and all of the mascots will be there! It's opening night at Western Fair so you know it's going to be a busy one! PLUS----they are giving out free t-shirts to the first 500 racing fans!

Live Standardbred racing starts at 7:05 PM!

Are you going to come and cheer me on? I could really use your support! Another win would be nice too! Maybe even a t-shirt with my face on it?!? Ha ha ha!

I've got to get back to my training!

See you all on Friday!

Wish me luck!

Willie Win

October!

Hi kids!

Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely love the month of October?

The leaves start to change to beautiful colours, the air is crisp and clean, and... Halloween is on the way!

I just love Halloween! Every year, I spend hours going through my closet trying to come up with the best costume I can find! I've been a ghost, a farmer, and even a pilot!

This year, I'm having a bit of a tough time. I have so many great costume ideas, but I can't seem to decide on one! Maybe you could help me?

I've tried on all of my costumes and taken pictures of them! Here are some of them:

The rest of the costume pictures are in the October edition of Trot4Kids magazine, which you can find by following this link:
http://www.trot4kids.ca/files/t4k_archive/2011/2011-10-t4k.pdf

Take a look and let me know which one you like best! If I end up wearing your pick to my Halloween party, you could win a gift card to the movies!

Email me at trotkids@standardbredcanada.ca!

I'd also love to hear all of your great costume ideas and see photos from your trick-or-treating night! Is anyone dressing up like me?

ha ha ha!

Talk to you soon!!!!

Willie Win

Hi T4K Kids!

Boy, have I been busy! Guess where I was on the weekend? I was on the east coast of Canada at the Fredericton Exhibition in New Brunswick!

It was incredible! There were magic shows, barrel racing, an alpaca show (they are so cute!), a provincial draft horse show, and so many rides and games at the midway! Not to mention, of course, great harness racing!

My favourite ride was the merry-go-round! I also went on the Ferris wheel, but I’m a little afraid of heights, so I was holding on pretty tight! I even won a stuffed monkey at the Ski-Ball game!

It was such a great time and so nice to meet my east coast friends!

I arrived back home to Mississauga on Wednesday and, after a short nap, Taylor reminded me that Halloween is just around the corner! I spent the entire afternoon rummaging through my closet trying to find the perfect costume! Check out all my ideas in the October T4K magazine and help me decide!

I’m going to head out to the training track for an afternoon trot! See you all soon!

Your Friend,

Willie Win

Xtreme Horsepower was a BLAST!!!!

Hi everyone!

Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely love Xtreme Horsepower night at Georgian Downs? It is one of my favourite racing events! I mean, where else can you see harness racing sprints, miniature horse sulky races, 18 horse fields, and horseless sulky pulls? One of my favourite races is the Standardbred Undersaddle race where drivers and riders hop right on top of the horses! So entertaining!

There were bouncy castles, enormous slides, face painters, jugglers, mural colouring, mimes, clowns, stilt walkers, and even a fire eating man! I barely had time to fit everything in!

Last but not least, there was the Xtreme Mascot Race. It was the toughest race I’ve had yet! Unfortunately I tripped about half way through the course causing a bit of a road pile and came in last, but I was so pleased that Sulky Sam won the race on his home turf! The crowd was going wild!

It was just an amazing night for everyone!

Don’t forget to come and cheer me on this Saturday at Hiawatha Horse Park for the second to last Mascot Race of the season! I’m pumped and have been putting in long training hours since Saturday’s tumble! I’ve got to redeem myself and cap the season off with a win!

See you there everyone!

Your friend,

Willie Win

I WON!!!

Hi everyone!

You must have heard that I won my first race of the season! That’s right, I won!

I was feeling really good when I arrived at Grand River on Monday for Industry Day. Before the race, I went out to the kid’s area to meet some of the awesome T4K kids and they really got me pumped up! They were jumping around in the bouncy castle, riding ponies, giving me high fives, and getting their faces painted- I think all of their energy rubbed off on me! By the time Kelly rounded us up for the interview, I was jumping around and dancing! I was so excited!

Check out the video of the race here!

The day was sunny and the racing was fantastic! The long shot Machapelo won the Battle Of Waterloo for two-year-old pacing colts with young driver Scott Zeron! What a thrill!

I’ve been getting a lot of rest the past couple of days, but am going to head out to the track with Taylor this afternoon for some training! My next race is this Saturday, August 6^th at Hanover Raceway and I’m so pumped!

See you all there!

Willie Win

Industry Day at Grand River is Just Around the Corner!

Hello to all my Trot 4 Kids friends!

My apologies to those of you who came out to cheer me on at the first Mascot Road Show Race of the season at Clinton. Taylor and I both caught colds and didn’t make it out! We were eating chicken soup beside our tissue boxes instead.

I’m feeling much better now though and have been training hard for Monday’s Race at Grand River!

Industry Day is always one of my favourite days of the whole season! In addition to the exciting Mascot race (Taylor thinks I’m a shoe in by the way), there are tons of other incredibly fun things to do and see! There will be face painting & balloon artists, a bouncy castle, crafts & colouring contests, pony rides, and the ever-popular Bouncy Pony Stakes! That’s always a funny one to watch!

Come early and you can also get your photo taken with the Ontario sires Stakes Celebrity Horse, Paula Seelster and young driving stars Scott Zeron and Doug McNair!

I almost forgot about the racing! Some of the best horses in Canada will be competing in the exciting Battle of Waterloo and the thrilling Battle of The Belles stakes as well as 9 other action packed races! Whoa!

I can hardly sleep I’m so excited!

See you all there!

Willie Win

Getting Ready for the Mascot Roadshow!

Hi everyone!

The first date of the Mascot Roadshow and my first race of the season is set!

All of my mascot friends and I will be facing off at Clinton Raceway's amazing Kidz Day on Sunday, July 17th! I've been training really hard every morning with Taylor and eating well (lots of oats and veggies) and we both think this is going to be my best racing season yet!

Not only will you be able to take in one of the most exciting races of the entire year, but there will also be tons of other fun things for you to do with your friends and family including games, rides, and even a magic show! Not to mention live harness racing and free hot dogs! Yum!


You definitely won't want to miss it!

See you there!

Your Friend,

Willie Win

Hi everyone!

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather for the last couple of days. I was supposed to go to Mohawk last night to meet all of the great T4K kids at the Horseplay event, but I think all the summer excitement caught up with me and Taylor Trot suggested that I stay at the barn to rest instead.

Luckily, I’m feeling much better now and my friend, Mullingar the miniature, filled me in on all the excitement of the event! Anjelka, a veterinarian student from the University of Guelph, was there talking about horse nutrition and care and Stephane, Mohawk’s own blacksmith, showed the kids all of his cool tools and talked about his very important job at the track! He always takes good care of me when I race at Mohawk! Greg from the media department at Mohawk let all the kids sit up on a real jog bike and even took them to check out the starting gate! My friends Mullingar and the Painted Pony were there for the kids to feed and play with and Randy Waples, who won the first race of the evening, invited all the kids into the Winner’s Circle for a photo!

Oh wait! How could I forget? Jody Jamieson also made a special guest appearance only days after winning the prestigious North America Cup! The kids had tons of questions for him and were even able to get their picture taken with him!

I’m so disappointed that I missed it, but I’m glad to be feeling better! Taylor always knows best!

Your friend,

Willie Win

Come On Out to Horse Day!

Hey Guys!

I will be heading down to the Horse Palace at Exhibition Place in Toronto this Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm for a FREE event called Horse Day! Want to join me?

There will be kids of all ages, and their families! Come learn the basics of horsemanship through fun and interactive activities.

Besides my own celebrity appearance, actor Daniel Fathers will also be joining us. You may recognize him from Disney’s “Camp Rock” and “Camp Rock 2”, Daniel is also part of CBC’s equestrian show, “Heartland”.

Live demonstrations will begin at noon. You will see jumping, reining, dressage and driving. Let’s not forget about the Standardbreds, there will be stations set up where you can learn how to look after a horse, meet a blacksmith and more! There will also be a dedicated section to Standardbred racing, put on by Woodbine Entertainment Group.

Come participate in some awesome contests and games, win amazing prizes and learn a little about horses while you’re at it!

Don’t miss this opportunity to come hangout with your friend Willie Win!

For more information visit, www.horse.on.ca.

Hey Kids!

I hope you all had a great weekend! I'm sure many of you were out at Grand River for their annual open house! So many T4K kids were there learning about all things horses...they even got a ride in a real jog bike behind a real Standardbred racehorse! How cool is that!?

If you were there and have any photos, send them my way! I'd love to see them!

Also....here are the answers to the crossword puzzle in the June edition of Trot4Kids! I'm sure you got them all right!

Across:

1. Yearling
2. Match Race
3. Liz
4. Equimania
5. Cheri
6. Hay
7. Shark Geature

Down:

1. Truro
2. Matinee
3. Country
4. REACH
5. Thirteen

Talk to you all soon!

Willie Win

Mohawk Fireworks Night! What a Blast!

Fireworks night at Mohawk was spectacular! Hey, it was great to see so many of our TROT 4 Kids members. The team from SC was on hand to give out activity books and get people to sign Jody Jamieson's good luck banner . We presented Jody with his Canadian colours and helmet that he’ll wear in this year’s World Driving Championship.

If you were at Mohawk on Fireworks night and took a photo of me, please email a copy to me! I would love to see it! (trot4kids@standardbredcanada.ca)

I was so exhausted from all of Sundaynight’s festivities that I made a trip to the spa today for a much needed massage and then off to the blacksmith for some new shoes. I’m now in training for all of the races in the Ontario Mascot Road Show!

Whoa!

What an incredible weekend in PEI for the National Driving Championship! The rain even held off until the 8^th race, but what’s a competition without a little mud?!

All of the guys were so great, but as you all know, the talented Jody Jamieson took the top honour with an incredible 81 points! Way to go Jody!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!

I can’t hardly wait for the World Driving Championship in August!

I just arrived in PEI! The fine folks at West Jet gave me a discounted rate on my ticket so there are advantages to being a mascot.

Taylor Trot and I flew in to Moncton and then rented a car to drive to Charlottetown. Wow, that Confederation Bridge was something else!

We had some shopping to do once we hit Charlottetown and we stopped by to pick up some packages at Red Shores. I can hardly wait until the National Driving Championship on Saturday! I’ll get to see all my favourite drivers …it’s really going to be tough for me to decide who to cheer for!

I was at the 2007 NDC here in Charlottetown and it was so exciting! The drivers put on a great show and Gilles Barrieau was the champion. Hey, Gilles is back this year and is the only driver to take part in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 National Driving Championships!

Well, I better get rested up. Taylor and I have a busy couple of days ahead of us!!

Hey Kids!

I hope you are all enjoying your long Easter weekend and the Easter Bunny has been really good to you! He left me my favourite- Kinder Surprise! Yum! Taylor Trot got her favourite too- Mini Eggs! Easter sure is a delicious holiday!

My cousin sent me a great picture from his Easter weekend out at Miwok Stables in Tennessee! Check it out!

Oh! Before I forget! If you and your family are looking for some great entertainment to finish off the great long spring weekend- it’s Grand River’s Opening Night! Live racing kicks off at 7:15 PM and promises to be tons of fun!

Enjoy your Easter Monday!

Willie Win

Hi Kids!

I hope your week has been as relaxing as mine! The weather has been so nice that I’ve been going out for sprints everyday! I’m trying to get into tip top shape for this year’s Mascot Roadshow! I’ve been eating my carrots and apples and I have a good feeling that this is going to be my year to shine!

My friends at Winbak Farms told me about this cool contest!

They are looking for great names for the newest edition to their farm!

The tiny colt was born on April 5^th right around dinner time. He has beautiful brown eyes, a playful personality, and doesn’t even seem to notice that he is the smallest foal on the whole farm! His mom, Ashlees Hope, is a registered miniature horse that has won ribbons against horses twice her size!

If you have a great name for this cute colt, email elizabeth.lewis-house@winbakfarm.com!

Sigh…I can’t even remember when I was that small!

Talk to you soon!

Willie Win

First Trot 4 Kids Event for 2011! Yay!

Hi T4K kids!

I just got the call! My first Trot 4 Kids event of the summer is going to be at Mohawk’s Fireworks Night and Community Day on May 22^nd! I’m so excited!

There is so much for kids to see and do there! Last year there was face painting, bouncy castles, carnival games, pony rides, cartoon characters, a petting zoo, yummy treats, and an incredible fireworks show! Oh, and of course- exciting live harness racing!

I’ll keep you posted with all the details!

I love to read! Most of all, I like to keep up to date with all the harness racing and horse news from around the world! The other day, I came across a very interesting article. It’s about a girl in Germany named Regina Mayer who wanted a horse really badly. When she realized that her parents were not going to give in, she decided to train her cow Luna…to be a horse!

After months of preparation and training, Regina and Luna now go on long rides through the German countryside together and even do jumps over a hurdle Regina made out of crates and logs! Luna even understands commands such as "go", "stand" and "gallop" and responds…when she feels like it!

Read more at http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/offbeat/the-cow-who-thinks-shes-a-horse-15137668.html#ixzz1Ir0Iv4qB

Very cool Regina!

Don’t forget to ask your parents before you try to train your pets to be horses!

Talk to you soon!

Willie Win

Hi everyone!

I just had to tell you! I actually made it to the Ontario Regional Driving Championship yesterday and got to meet all the cool Ontario drivers! They are pretty competitive, but super nice! I even got to hang out in the paddock with them between races and watch them do interviews and prepare for the races! They are all friends, so there was a lot of joking around and friendly teasing! I was pretending I was the track photographer and here are a few behind-the-scenes photos I took!

The competition was really close, but Jody Jamieson came out on top even though he had to sit out for 2 races because of scratches! Trevor Henry came in second, so he is also advancing! I was talking to both of them and they are really excited to go to Charlottetown and drive in the National! Maybe I will get to go too to cheer them on! A horse can only hope!

What a night!

Good luck to all the drivers that are competing in the National! Me and all the Trot 4 Kids fans can’t wait to cheer you on!

Willie Win

Hi everyone!

Did you guys make it out to the Cam Am Equine Emporium last weekend in London? I heard that Camilla Willings was there! She is the 2010 Wind Rider World Champion!

Amber Marshall was there too! She stars in that hit CBC show Heartland and she loves horses! She was signing autographs and everything!

And my favourite- The President’s Choice Super Dogs! They were actually taking on the horses! I heard the dogs won, but I just can’t believe it!

I can hardly wait for next year’s event!

I’m also getting really excited for the Ontario Regional Driving Championship too! It’s only 5 days away and what a great line up of drivers! I have no idea who is going to win. It should be really exciting! I’ll keep you updated on the results and will post some pictures!

Have a great weekend everyone and I’ll talk to you soon!

Willie Win

Hi everyone!

I just got back from Tanzania and what a great trip it was! I made a lot of Zebra friends, but decided not to change my look! I was afraid all my friends here in Canada wouldn’t be able to recognize me! I had a blast on Safari, nibbled on some great East African treats, and even took a trot around Mount Kilimanjaro! That’s the tallest mountain in Africa!

I heard that the Ontario Regional Driving Championship had to be rescheduled due to a bad snow storm in London, which makes me so glad that it’s spring! At least now I’ll be able to check out the competition on March 30^th at Western Fair!

Spring is my favourite time of year! Soon the flowers will be blooming, the birds will be chirping, and racing season will be kicking off! I can hardly wait to see you all again!

Talk to you soon!

Willie Win

I've been adventuring, but I've missed you all!

Hi friends!!!

This winter is shaping up to be quite the whirlwind! After Christmas, I managed to get some snow tubing and cross country skiing in out in Whistler, British Columbia! What a great adventure- the snow was great, the people were friendly, and I even met up with my old friend who works the glacial trails out there! Boy those glacial rivers are tough on the hooves!

Now I’m off to Tanzania, East Africa to go on Safari in the Ngora Ngora Crater! I’ve been learning Swahili and am excited to get some styling tips from the Zebras out there! I’m thinking of changing up my look for the 2011 season!?!

I’ve missed you the past few weeks and I can’t wait to see everyone this spring when I kick off my 2011 racing season!

Bye! Or ‘Kwa heri!’ as they say in Tanzania!