It has been months since my last update. We’ve been so busy! This winter has been very cold and already way too long. Thankfully we’ve had a few breaks in the cold but not often enough. Purchasing all the hay we need for winter, hauling it in, and getting all the horses home from pasture is a HUGE undertaking every year. It was unfortunately not a good year for hay in our area. With all the rain many farmers could not get their crops off the fields or had to wait to hay until it was more mature than ideal. We were able to find very nice hay from farther away, but of course then one has to pay more to get it home. Also disappointingly we were sold some hay that was not very good, but I guess it is ‘buyer beware’ as with most anything. We certainly won’t be buying hay from THAT supplier again.
Our Christmas fundraiser was a wonderful success, thank you to everyone who supported us! We raised about $25,000, which far exceeded our expectations and went a long way to helping cover our winter hay bill. Our Valentine’s Day fundraiser brought in another $800. Thanks as well to everyone who volunteered for our AGLC casino which also funds our hay.
Our Christmas fundraiser was a wonderful success, thank you to everyone who supported us! We raised about $25,000, which far exceeded our expectations and went a long way to helping cover our winter hay bill. Our Valentine’s Day fundraiser brought in another $800. Thanks as well to everyone who volunteered for our AGLC casino which also funds our hay.
With all the horses home we start feeding hay - 4 large rounds per day for the main herd. That's a LOT of hay!
| This fall we had a huge influx of skunks! It seemed that every day we’d relocate one skunk and the next day there’d be 2 more to take its place. We even had to block the cat door to the barn because they were going inside. One plus to the cold weather when it arrived, the skunks stopped showing up. Conveniently, one day when our vet was coming out to float teeth, we happened to catch a stray grey and white cat in the skunk trap, so our vet was able to sedate and neuter the stray for us. This cat is still here now, living under the chicken coop, and is a little less shy each day. Hopefully one day we’ll even be able to pet him. We've named him Pepe. |  This one came inside for a drink of water! |
We have had quite a few adoptions, with many lovely horses going to new homes, including some who had been here for a long time awaiting their perfect home, and a few others that weren’t here long enough to even name – Tonka, Parson, Pepper, several weanlings, Fury, Alice, Hershey, Trixie, Marco, Hans, Roche, and Highway, and foster-fails Smudge and Simba. Bailey and Bella, 2 mares that came in this winter, were fostered right away and ended up staying on permanently at their new home. Several more horses found foster homes, including Dallas (who went with Queenie who was here temporarily while her owner was undergoing cancer treatment), Arizona, Talon, Wanda, Mirage, and Silhouette (who went with Fury when he was adopted). We’d also like to thank and welcome the new sponsors who have joined us – sponsoring is a great way to help the horses!
In addition to horses leaving for new homes, we of course had several intakes. Topper, who was adopted about 4 years ago, came back, as did Karma who was adopted a couple of years ago, and Plume who was adopted a year ago. With Karma we also took in 6 sheep, which have since found new homes, with 1 going to one home and the other 5 going to another. Norma, who was a foster, came back after 4 or 5 years away. Coincidentally we took in a rabbit from Calgary Humane Society also named Norma. Apparently Norma the rabbit could be grumpy with humans, but we found her a good home right away that actually finds her moods quite endearing. A group of 5 weanlings, 1 yearling and a Thoroughbred gelding came in, with the Thoroughbred (Hans) and 2 of the weanlings being adopted right away. Two senior horses, Lola and Luke, came in from a feedlot. Sadly Luke was only with us for a short time before he had to be euthanized due to illness, but he was such a sweet ‘grandpa’ to the weanlings before he passed.
In addition to horses leaving for new homes, we of course had several intakes. Topper, who was adopted about 4 years ago, came back, as did Karma who was adopted a couple of years ago, and Plume who was adopted a year ago. With Karma we also took in 6 sheep, which have since found new homes, with 1 going to one home and the other 5 going to another. Norma, who was a foster, came back after 4 or 5 years away. Coincidentally we took in a rabbit from Calgary Humane Society also named Norma. Apparently Norma the rabbit could be grumpy with humans, but we found her a good home right away that actually finds her moods quite endearing. A group of 5 weanlings, 1 yearling and a Thoroughbred gelding came in, with the Thoroughbred (Hans) and 2 of the weanlings being adopted right away. Two senior horses, Lola and Luke, came in from a feedlot. Sadly Luke was only with us for a short time before he had to be euthanized due to illness, but he was such a sweet ‘grandpa’ to the weanlings before he passed.
 | One of our recent intakes was Timmy! Read Timmy’s story on the ‘Rescue Stories’ page. I've also started adding some of the stories to the Rescue Stories page. Please check them out! |
| In September we received an email about 2 horses that were abandoned out in the forestry and had jointed up with some wildies - one of the dumped horses was in quite bad shape (thin). With the help of WHOAS (Wild Horses of Alberta Society), the thin horse was found and brought to Bear Valley. Sadly the other horse was not located. We named the new horse Bacardi and it turned out from tracing his tattoo that he is a 25 year old Thoroughbred, ‘Rollin Right’. It is so irresponsible of people to dump into the wild a domesticated horse, especially one so unsuited to that sort of life, such as a Thoroughbred and elderly on top of that! Bacardi would not have survived the winter for sure, though under our care he is doing wonderfully. Because Bacardi was abandoned, we had to hold him for 14 days for LIS (Livestock Identification Service) and then he had to be offered for sale through a public auction. Thankfully we were able to buy him back from the auction so he’s with us permanently now. Thank you to both LIS and Innisfail Auction Mart for your help with Bacardi! |  Bacardi in September when he arrived.  Bacardi in November, 2 months later. |
In the fall we were contacted by someone who was referred to us by Alberta SPCA with regard to 2 donkeys that they had that were in bad shape. We picked up the donkeys and brought them back to the Rescue. Miss Kitty and Festus had feet that were in terrible shape. Miss Kitty also has issues with her back, possibly relating to her feet. Both have been adopted by a very kind neighbour who is doing everything she can to correct their problems, including regular farrier work, massages, and supplements!
Our most recent intakes are Hondo and Champ, with Hondo being an old rodeo horse, now lame, and Champ being a pony and Hondo’s faithful companion. Hondo has been receiving joint injections to help with his lameness. Plume was xrayed to identify the cause of her lameness (an injury to the bones in her foot) and is receiving joint injections for that. Glory#2, a weanling filly that came to us with a swollen hock, was xrayed and diagnosed with a fracture of her hock. Unfortunately surgery is not an option for her so instead she also will get regular injections into her hock to help with the injury.
We also just took in 18 chickens that were from a large cull at a chicken farm. They are settling in and learning to be chickens. After another week or two of quarantine they will be able to join the other chickens in the coop.
As is inevitable, we lost some dearly loved members of the Bear Valley family over the past few months. Mugsy, a lovely old pony well into her 30s or possibly even 40s, had to be euthanized due to illness, as did Snips, an old Arab gelding. Copper passed away suddenly from severe colic. Two of our fosters had to be euthanized at their foster homes. Both Pal and Penny had been fostered for many years at their respective homes. We are so thankful for caring foster homes that are there for the horses right through to the end. Wonderful Boyd, the tom turkey, passed at 3 ½ years of age. He is very much missed as he was the ‘greeter’, meeting everyone who came into the yard, and following us everywhere. Isabel, our lovely old goat, passed away at the incredibly old age of 18 years after a short illness.
Thank you to the following for their much appreciated donations and support over the last few months!
Alberta Equestrian Federation
Fedex
Donner Canadian Foundation
Transfeeder
Catalyst Changers
Dr. Colleen Kramer – Beaver Valley Animal Clinic, Fruitvale, BC
Cochrane Townhall Public
Fountain Tire Sundre – 4 excellent new tires for the truck!
Nickle Family Foundation
Calgary Gymnastics Centre
Tonglen Foundation
Sherling Animal Welfare Foundation
SPCA International
Our most recent intakes are Hondo and Champ, with Hondo being an old rodeo horse, now lame, and Champ being a pony and Hondo’s faithful companion. Hondo has been receiving joint injections to help with his lameness. Plume was xrayed to identify the cause of her lameness (an injury to the bones in her foot) and is receiving joint injections for that. Glory#2, a weanling filly that came to us with a swollen hock, was xrayed and diagnosed with a fracture of her hock. Unfortunately surgery is not an option for her so instead she also will get regular injections into her hock to help with the injury.
We also just took in 18 chickens that were from a large cull at a chicken farm. They are settling in and learning to be chickens. After another week or two of quarantine they will be able to join the other chickens in the coop.
As is inevitable, we lost some dearly loved members of the Bear Valley family over the past few months. Mugsy, a lovely old pony well into her 30s or possibly even 40s, had to be euthanized due to illness, as did Snips, an old Arab gelding. Copper passed away suddenly from severe colic. Two of our fosters had to be euthanized at their foster homes. Both Pal and Penny had been fostered for many years at their respective homes. We are so thankful for caring foster homes that are there for the horses right through to the end. Wonderful Boyd, the tom turkey, passed at 3 ½ years of age. He is very much missed as he was the ‘greeter’, meeting everyone who came into the yard, and following us everywhere. Isabel, our lovely old goat, passed away at the incredibly old age of 18 years after a short illness.
Thank you to the following for their much appreciated donations and support over the last few months!
Alberta Equestrian Federation
Fedex
Donner Canadian Foundation
Transfeeder
Catalyst Changers
Dr. Colleen Kramer – Beaver Valley Animal Clinic, Fruitvale, BC
Cochrane Townhall Public
Fountain Tire Sundre – 4 excellent new tires for the truck!
Nickle Family Foundation
Calgary Gymnastics Centre
Tonglen Foundation
Sherling Animal Welfare Foundation
SPCA International
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