PEI/NS Ferry Causes Headaches for Horse Owners

For Standardbred racehorse owners and harness-racing fans on the East Coast, the recent loss of one of two ferries is having a major impact on the industry.

According to a report on CBC.ca, horse owners are having to cancel races because they can’t reliably transport their racehorses from PEI to Nova Scotia, and vice-versa, in time to compete.

“With cancellations, especially early mornings on the weekends, a lot of those Nova Scotia horses trying to get to Prince Edward Island, it’s been a challenge,” James Perrot, president of the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owners Association tells the CBC. “I know in a couple of instances this year there’s been horses scratched in Nova Scotia [races] because they didn’t have enough time after the cancellation of the ferry to get around [using the Confederation Bridge].”

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Horses racing at Charlottetown. (redshores.ca photo)

The issue stemmed from an accident which involved the ferry MV Confederation hitting the dock, leaving a large hole in its bow. This left the MV Saaremaa as the single ferry making the route. The ferry owner, Northumberland Ferries, didn’t have an estimate as to when repairs to the Confederation might be completed. It’s all part of ongoing ferry issues, as the Saaremaa was already a temporary replacement for the MV Holiday Island which was destroyed in a fire in 2022.

The timing couldn’t be worse, because the fall is perhaps the busiest and most profitable for harness racing on PEI, with stakes races, the Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale and the Atlantic Breeders Crown weekend Oct. 11-13.

“There’s a lot of money on the table, for not just competitors, but a lot of breeders with the Atlantic Classic sale,” adds Perrot.

Adding to the complications is the fact that the drive across the Confederation Bridge sometimes has delays due to weather. And for breeders and owners in other parts of PEI, the drive adds hours to the trip, not ideal for horses or prospective buyers who may not want to make the extra effort to see horses.

The hope is that the MV Saaremaa will be consistently able to make its daily schedule, which currently is four trips per day, and that the Confederation repairs will be completed in a timely fashion.

(Ed. note: a check of the company’s website shows that all MV Saaremaa crossings are cancelled up to and including September 26 due to issues with two of the four main engines, meaning that temporarily there is no service at all between Wood Islands, PEI and Caribou, NS.)