Two people. 180 horses.
An endeavour as ambitious as Bear Valley Rescue is reliant on not only the dedication of owners Mike and Kathy Bartley, but on the generosity of its community partners, businesses and equine-loving individuals.
Recognizing the need to put some dollars under the rescue tree, Cochrane Town Hall Public House selected the equine safe haven as the recipient of a fundraiser held last Saturday. The proceeds from afternoon sales go to the Sundre-based rescue.
“I’m just glad we are able to help out … I have horses too and I know how much it costs to get them through the winter,” said Sarah Richards, floor manager of Town Hall Public House.
The eatery raised $1,015 for Bear Valley from the fundraiser, with donations still trickling in throughout the week.
Richards also adopted a rescue horse several years ago from Bear Valley and is a big fan of the work done by the Bartleys.
Even though the Bartleys said donations continue to come in to help feed and care for their herd of horses saved from slaughter, the reality is that the registered charity continues to face more reliance on their resources in the face of uncertain feed costs.
“We were so lucky last year to have been able to pay our bills,” said Kathy, who said that while their annual operations and maintenance budget is $250,000, last year’s spike in hay prices put them over $320,000.
While it was sad state for Alberta farmers this summer, the unseasonably warm fall resulted in a better crop for this year compared to last – which was plagued by a grasshopper crisis.
Kathy said on average they are spending $50 to $90 per round bale of hay this season versus more than $100 per bale last year.
She also said that demand for their services continues to rise due to the slumping economy and the rescue, located on 40 acres, will need new pastureland next year. There will also be additional maintenance costs for facility reparations and fixing a recently broken-down bobcat.
“More people are wanting to surrender their animals,” she said. “We don’t want to be the easy way out for people, but more of a last resort.”
While mostly dedicated to the rescue, rehab and re-homing of equines, Bear Valley is also a haven for other beasts, including a variety of poultry such as ducks, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, a goose, and several pigs, goats, and llamas.
A registered Alberta society and federal charity, Bear Valley Rescue stands by its motto that the end does not justify the means, fuelling its primary goal of saving horses from slaughter.
The society is the first of its kind to be verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
