The Open House was a great success! Thank you so much to everyone who attended and to all our wonderful volunteers who worked so hard beforehand and throughout the day. We had nice weather, but it was windy! There was only one casualty as a result - the tent that was supposed to be the eating area tried to take off and we had to dismantle it pretty quickly. Thanks also to the donors who donated such nice items for the raffles, and to Linda Jean for providing the great live music. We know for next year to modify the pre-booking for the tours as it was unclear to people that, even with the tours booked up, everyone was still welcome to attend and we'd fit them into a tour if they still wanted to have one.
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Update - June 16, 2024 - It's been a difficult time here at the Rescue or the last six weeks or so. We've had to say goodbye to quite a few our of residents. Some had been with us a really long time while some only a few years. Age catches up with us all and many of our horses have health issues that progress to the point where their quality of life suffers and we have to make the decision to let them go, while the unexpected but inevitable injuries and emergencies also occur. As a result, between euthanasia costs, monthly medications, injuries and wounds and abscesses and a myriad other things that come up, our vet bills have been quite high - over $8,000 just in May - so we are reaching out to you, our supporters and donors, for a little extra help right now if you can. Camille, a sweet Thoroughbred mare and recent intake, came in with an injury to her hind fetlock that we were concerned about so she required xrays. Thankfully she got a clean bill of health. One of our long time residents, Nina, has been dealing with a persistent abscess that needed constant care, though finally it looks like it's resolving. We had 6 dental floats in May for some of the seniors and new intakes. Many of our seniors are on daily anti-inflammatories and we have a number of horses and ponies with PPID (Cushings) that require daily medication. Then, just this Friday, we got an emergency call that one of our horses, Claire, had an incident involving a cattle guard! That was scary, as fatal fractures and serious injuries are often the result! Fortunately the land owners had been right there after it happened so we were able to get to her quickly. We rushed to her pasture where she was down, but she was able to get up. We applied immediate first aid and got her home and settled for the night. We spent quite a few hours yesterday with Claire at Moore Equine Veterinary Centre have her injuries assessed. Amazingly, she was not too seriously injured, with one hind leg splint fracture (a non-weight bearing bone) and a deep laceration to one front leg and some not-so-deep cuts to her other front foot. She is on antibiotics as the biggest concern would be infection if it sets in, and stall rest for 6 to 8 weeks, which we know she won't be too thrilled about. But she will recover! After all this, a desperate situation arose where we were asking to take in a lame, underweight, Thoroughbred gelding in great need of care. We just couldn't turn our backs on him. His name is Hunter Ridge and he's only 19 years old, though he looks a lot older. We have 2 other long time residents that have vet appointments upcoming, including Lazuli, who recently had xrays and will require joint injections, and Sasha, who had a neurectomy 5 years ago that was very successful but will now likely be a candidate for a second one as the nerve has regenerated. Thank you to everyone who supports us and help us help the horses! We really appreciate you! Donations can be made through our website via Canada Helps or Paypal, or by etransfer to bearvalleyab@aol.com, or even snail mail to Bear Valley Rescue, Comp 19, Site 6, RR 2 Sundre, AB T0M 1X0. All donations, big or small, make a difference! Be sure to include your mailing address if you'd like a charitable tax receipt.  Claire  Lazuli  Camille Newsletter January 2023 It is our 20th anniversary this year - 20 years of helping horses, and the people who love them! The past year was a whirlwind of activity here at the Rescue. In addition to the day-to-day (HUGE) amount of work involved in looking after the horses and other animals, we had some major projects that took up a lot of our time: - Thanks to some great fundraising by Karen and Linda, we were able to purchase and erect a 40 x 80 fabric building for a training arena in the fall of 2022. - The repair shop move was completed, for the most part, by fall 2022. - Our upcoming project for 2023 will be the expansion of the clinic, taking over the space in the barn that used to be the shop. Plans include: adding a proper set of vet stocks; better storage; constructing a foaling stall with a removable divider; and perhaps even adding a wash bay. Fundraising will be underway soon! - Another project for 2023 will be replacing more of our wire fencing with wood fencing, especially in the winter paddock of the main herd. Our statistics for 2022: Intakes - 80 equine (including 1 mini-mule, 3 donkeys, 1 orphan foal, and 4 foals born to pregnant intakes) Adoptions - 30 equine (including 3 donkeys) Assisted in directly placing into homes without intake - 2 cows, 18 ponies, 1 bunny, 1 pony, 1 mule, and 1 donkey We currently care for: Available for adoption - 50 equine In Foster Homes - 46 equine Permanent residents - 132 equine, 3 pigs, 1 goat, 1 llama, 12 cows, 2 ducks, 3 turkeys, 16 hens, 8 roosters, 20 cats, and 3 dogs Each year takes a toll on us with the passing of some of our animals. We had quite a few dearly loved residents cross the rainbow bridge this year, including 24 horses, 3 cows, Sunny the goose, our precious Bean and Tinker the goats, and sweet little Trumpet the donkey, also Kitkat and Hocus, 2 of our kitties, both of which were diabetic. After twenty years in rescue, many of our residents have been here a long time and are aging, so that their passing becomes inevitable. We are also taking in more older animals that already have a fair bit of age on them, or animals with medical issues that have taken their toll. Despite having had to deal with so many losses over the years, it seems we are more heartbroken each time. We are grateful though, that we are able to provide such good care to them while they are here with us and, where possible, give the final kindness of an easy passing. Remember, all of this is possible only because of the wonderful support of you, our donors! These animals are here and have a good life because we all care. We care that they are safe and loved, that they have enough to eat, friends to live with, and help for illness or injury when it happens. Every month we have costs such as vet ($5,000), hay ($15,000 average in winter), farrier ($1,800 per month), feed for the seniors ($5,000), plus maintenance costs such as fuel, equipment, repairs & maintenance, etc. so it really adds up!
During 2022 we had several foals born to mares that were pregnant when they came into our care: Brownie's foal Pudding, Tiramisu's foal Cupcake, Opal's foal Garnet, and Tourmaline's foal Jade. Pudding, who was born late in the summer, is now available for adoption. The others have already gone on to new homes!
Fundraising this past year was very successful. We had an AGLC casino at the beginning of January. Thank you to everyone who volunteered for that! We didn't have an open house this year but we did have a tack sale that raised over $2,000!. It seems like we're still getting up to speed after these last few covid years but, slowly and surely, we're getting there. We also have 2 very successful online auctions, one in spring and one in fall, raising almost $6,200!
Our fundraising committee did a fantastic job raising money for our training arena, and with the help of 2 wonderful people, Sam and Mark, it went up in record time! Now we have a space to work with the horses even in inclement weather, or during the long evenings of winter. Thank you to all the donors, and to the following generous grantors: Lush Cosmetics, Saint-Gobain N.A., Nickle Family Foundation, and Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, along with Walmart Stores, Moore Equine Veterinary Centre and Ken & Linda M. We really appreciate your support!
Sika, a little mini-hinny, came to us unhandled and with badly neglected feet. With the help of one of our great farriers, her hooves are now back in shape and she is healthy and able to be handled.
This year, for the first time, our *Sponsor a Horse for the Winter* fundraiser sold out! We also surpassed our goal by a LOT, raising almost $53,000! You, our donors, sponsors, supporters, came through in amazing fashion. Thank you!!
 Newsletter March 2021 Happy New Year! We wish all the best to everyone in the coming year. I’ve been (very) lax about keeping up with posting news so I’ll apologize for that right off the bat. I actually started this newsletter in January (hence the ‘Happy New Year’) and here it is, March! Amazingly, 2020 was a pretty good year for the Rescue, in spite of world events. The biggest issue we’ve had to deal with is that our intern program is at a standstill since international travel has been restricted. We hope we’ll be able to restart the program soon as we’ve really come to rely on their help, and we have a backlog of people wanting to come stay with us. We worked very hard at fundraising throughout the year, with a tack/yard sale and online auctions with wonderful donated items. Our Christmas fundraiser and winter sponsorship drive were both a resounding success, raising over $50,000 and finding sponsors for all 49 horses on the poster! The Open House in August was scaled back a bit due to covid but was still a success: we raised over $6000. Going into January with a financial cushion is a massive relief. We are planning more online auctions and sales for the coming year so stay tuned! The best way to follow current news and events relating to the Rescue is on our facebook page - www.facebook.com/bearvalleyab A huge thank you goes out to all the donors, sponsors, grantors, and volunteers who contributed to our successes this year. Thank you to Alberta Equestrian Federation and Partners for the Herd for the very generous donation toward feed costs this winter. We started out 2020 with a new accounting program (Quickbooks) which has made paperwork and bookkeeping a lot easier! Thanks to TechSoup Canada for this inexpensive software that we would definitely recommend to other charities, and thank you to Leslie K for helping with the download and install – slow rural internet can be such a pain. One of the biggest pluses for us this fall was lower prices and increased availability of hay in our area. Hay prices dropped almost 50% from the previous year, and 75% from the year before that, with the average round bale costing us $50 - $60. Hay quality was also exceptional, and we received some very generous donations of hay! Here are some of our numbers from 2020: Intakes: 79 horses and ponies, 68 chickens, 4 feral cats Adoptions: 87 horses and ponies, 40 chickens In foster homes: 41 horses and ponies Current residents: 166 horses, ponies, donkeys and 1 mule, 15 cows, 1 llama, 2 goats, 44 chickens, 3 ducks, 1 goose, 5 pigs, 10 rabbits (also 3 dogs and 22 cats!) Current medical cases: Marilyn, a recent intake mare, is undergoing treatment for a large sarcoid on her bottom. Ezzie, a 4-year-old mare, is receiving ongoing care for a sarcoid on her foot that was removed last year but has since grown back. We currently have 8 horses and 6 minis receiving daily medication for Cushing’s Disease, approximately 28 horses receiving daily anti-inflammatories and half that many again receiving occasional (every second day) anti-inflammatories. Ruby#3, an 11-year-old mare, had surgery on January 25th to resolve an ongoing weeping fistula from a large injury she sustained to her shoulder prior to arriving at the Rescue. She is now on the road to recovery!
We also have 2 pregnant mares, Bianca and Nan, that are due to foal this spring - check out the fundraiser for Bianca on the home page! We have 4 blind horses in our care. One of them, Kahlua, has glaucoma and receives drops in her eyes every day to treat it. We are blessed to have a foster home that provides safe pasture for the blind horses every summer.  The 'blindies' at pasture. Titan and Alistair received new Soft-Ride boots and are very comfortable in them. Though they were expensive, we are delighted with the difference they make!
We had some very sad stories over the year, including the loss of some long-time residents to illness or old age, and some of our intakes that were in just too much distress to be saved. Most recently we had to say goodbye to Eddie, our 18.2 HH Shire gelding, and Molly, one of our beloved dogs. Every animal is so very missed, but our lives are better for having known them all. We have had some great recoveries and success stories as well. Ray, the gelding that was hit by a car and then shot in the head, is doing fantastic. His flank wound is almost completely healed and he doesn’t have much in the way of lasting negative effects from his ordeal. He still has a bit of trouble chewing sometimes, possibly from bullet fragments that remain lodged in his skull, but his weight and demeanor are excellent. Khalil, the emaciated Arab with facial paralysis most likely from a stroke, has almost completely recovered and continues to improve every day.
We had a tragic fire at the end of April that destroyed our coop and boiler and, sadly, took the lives of four of our roosters. It was probably the most scared I’ve ever been! We’ll never be able to thank our neighbour enough who came so quickly and helped control the fire until the fire department arrived. It could have been so much more disastrous. The new coop is now rebuilt and the new boiler installed, finally. The poultry all love their new accommodations. Thank you to everyone who helped us recover from this awful experience.
Looking ahead, one of our biggest priorities for the coming year will be to further rework our winter hay storage. The new hay shed holds about 200 – 250 round bales, which is one quarter of our winter hay supply. Storing the round bales under cover has been fantastic as the covered hay remains dry and clean until spring, ensuring the horses are receiving the best feed. However, we don’t have the space to store the balance of the hay, about 750 rounds, through the winter unless we stack the bales. Stacking the hay without cover leads to losses due to mold and poor quality. We had 2 options - either increase our hay storage area, which means losing some pasture area, or consider bringing in only some of our winter hay in the fall and getting the rest of it mid-winter once existing hay is used up and we have space again. The big downside to the second option is that hauling hay in winter is a huge stressor as so much depends on road and weather conditions, so we decided to go with fencing off a larger area for storage. This additional space will need to be leveled and graveled as well, so it’s a fairly big project that we’ll be fundraising for throughout the year. We have some fencing to replace, some shelters to move around, and of course, lots of animals that require our attention and care every day. We are looking forward to a year of new adventure, and with our amazing supporters, being able to help as many horses as possible!
 Our 50/50 fundraiser for Bianca and her foal's care is on NOW!
Bianca the rescue horse is in foal and due this spring! Go the the fundraiser page here - Bianca Fundraiser - to find out how to enter and dates available. Our Decorate the Tree fundraiser was a HUGE success! We raised $40,558!! We are overwhelmed by all the support from everyone in our community! It means so much to us and we take very seriously the trust that you put in us when you donate. We make sure that every dollar goes directly to providing the best care possible for the horses and other animals that come to the Rescue!  The winners of the Open House raffles are:
Brandi E - hard liquor and beer basket Lean D - wine basket Varnita H - BVR tote Erin M - soaps basket Betty M - craft beer/mead basket Melanie S - llama tote w/books Andrea S - backpack w/school supplies Thank you to everyone who participated - we raised over $4000! 
3rd Annual Open House - August 24, 2019 10 am - 3 pm
Come out and meet the resident animals, Kathy, Mike and the volunteers for a beautiful day visiting the rescue. ? Guided tours ? Bake sale and BBQ ? Raffles, 50/50, door prizes ?TACK and garage sale! This event is free of charge though donations are very much appreciated and can be made at the Rescue during the event or through our website. 100% of the donated proceeds will go directly to support the animals. If you're planning on shopping at the Open House we recommend you bring cash, though we hope to have a Square reader available for credit card transactions. This is fun event for the entire family. ?Please leave your fury, four legged loved ones at home.? For any questions or concerns please contact bearvalleyab@aol.com All About Bear Valley Rescue ❤️? Founded in 2003, BVR provides a home to over 160 horses, in addition to other animals such as pigs, chickens, cows, donkeys, rabbits, llamas and goats. BVR’s mission is to promote animal welfare by: -saving from slaughter usable and healthy horses and finding them good homes -rescuing injured or ailing animals from auctions and feedlots or abusive situations and rehabilitating them or alleviating their suffering -educating the public on the plight of unwanted or aging horses and other animals -networking with other rescue organizations and providing support through these networks for finding and placing distressed animals In order for us to meet our objectives we rely heavily on you, our supporters, who contribute so generously - whether monetarily or through volunteering, donations of items that are usable or eligible for auction, pasture for the horses, fostering, sponsoring and adopting. Open House Location: 31123 Range Road 60, Mountain View County, AB
Some of the door prizes and raffle items:
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