Dr. L. McKibbin, Frank Salive getting Hall of Fame inductions

By Mark Ribble

Two well-known local names will be inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in Mississauga in August of this year.

On Wednesday, August 9, the Class of 2022 and Class of 2023 will hold a double induction ceremony at the Mississauga Convention Centre, inducting Leamington-born Frank Salive into the hall, along with long-time Wheatley veterinarian, Dr. Lloyd McKibbin.

As for Dr. Lloyd McKibbin, his name is synonymous with horses all over Canada, but he was a beloved vet and friend of many in his chosen hometown of Wheatley.

‘Doc’ — as everyone called him — was a pioneer in the advancement of equine veterinary medicine and treated several big-name horses throughout his career. He was also among the very first people to advocate swimming horses for therapeutic purposes.

Born in 1921 in Ingersoll, Ontario, Doc McKibbin graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1952 and he set up practice in the village of Wheatley, where he endeared himself to horses and humans alike.

One of his more famous patients was Rambling Willie, an Indiana-born standardbred racing champion and three-time winner of the Canadian Pacing Derby.

Doc was an integral part of the Wheatley community, where he and his wife Connie raised their three children — Paul, Terry and Debbie.

He was named Wheatley’s ‘Man of the Year’ in 1979 and was inducted into Chatham-Kent Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1989.

His induction bio in 1989 included a note that “Dr. McKibbin’s pioneering work first won the praise of horse owners in Kent County, then North America, and eventually the world.”

That pretty much summed up how the horse racing world saw Dr. Lloyd McKibbin and the announcement last month that he was being posthumously inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was welcome news to many members of his family who attended a President’s Reception in Mississauga.

Doc’s son Terry – who now lives just outside of Fergus, Ontario — is still involved in the horse racing industry as a trainer, and he says the family is looking forward to attending the induction ceremony in August.

“It’s one of those once in a lifetime deals,” he says. “Something you don’t aim at, but if you work hard enough, this stuff kind of happens.”

Salive has worn many hats

Frank Salive was born and raised in Leamington and played minor hockey here, eventually going on to star in goal for the Peterborough Petes of the OHA. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1975 NHL amateur draft, before opting out of hockey and spending time as an on-air personality on Windsor’s CBC Channel 9.

During that time, he got his feet wet in calling horse races in the late ’70s and enjoyed a fulfilling and exciting career as the voice of Woodbine, Pompano Park, Western Fair Raceway and others. His most recent home track was Ocean Downs in Berlin, Maryland.

He figures he’s called over 200,000 races at 75 different racetracks over the course of his career.

Dr. Lloyd McKibbin’s family gathered at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame President’s Reception in May of this year. From left are Talmadge Gilbert (granddaughter), Brenda and Terry McKibbin (daughter in-law and son), Joselyn Reid (granddaughter), Wayne Scott (nephew), Tom Reid (son in-law).

Photo courtesy of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame

Dr. Lloyd McKibbon performing cryosurgery on an equine patient.

Photo from the Standardbred Canada website

Frank Salive as an outstanding goaltender with the Peterborough Petes, above and then below, during his duties as track announcer in one of many racetracks across North America. Photos from the Scott Holland Collection