For Mike and Kathy Bartley, days are spent at Bear Valley Rescue Society, which takes in unwanted, abused, aged or distressed horses, and, occasionally, other farm animals.
"We educate the public on the plight of unwanted, abused and aged horses and network with other animal rescue organizations to provide homes for animals in distress," Kathy explained. "Bear Valley Rescue is honoured to have been the first equine sanctuary in Canada to be verified by Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
Founded in 2003, and located in Sundre, the rescue society currently has more than 160 horses in the Bartley's direct care and 60 is foster care.
They have helped more than 1,500 horses and other animals through their work.
"Horses are considered livestock and there is no safety net to ensure they will not be slaughtered for their meat, even after years of care and companionship," Kathy noted. "We are there to provide an alternative to slaughter when people are faced with life-changing situations and for horses that have no one in their corner advocating on their behalf."
Their annual and upcoming open house aims to let the public in on what they do, see the society up close, and provide some opportunities for people to get involved if they are so inclined.
"We have tours of the facility and provide information on what we do, how much it costs and what sort of care we provide for the horses," Kathy explained. "We have a raffle with several baskets of prizes, a 50/50 raffle, buy-a-bale donation table, some knickknacks, swag for sale, and a BBQ meal for a small fee."
This is Bear Valley's seventh open house, though they missed the opportunity to hold several when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing.
The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23 at #10, 31123 Range Rd 60, Mountain View County. It's free to attend but pets are not allowed on the premises.
"Most of our horses are on pasture for the summer so there's just a small number of them here - about 20 - that people can meet and hear about their stories," Kathy explained.
Kathy added a lot of their intakes now are the result of an aging population-- people no longer able to stay on their farm due to age/illness, or someone who owned horses who have passed away and left it to the relatives to find a place for their horses.
Governed by a board of directors with an international intern program for volunteers, the society has grown significantly over the years. It is a federally registered charity and relies on donations and grants. They are always happy to accept donations of hay or feed and even have a few horses available for adoption or fostering opportunities.
For more information on Bear Valley Rescue Society and their open house, people can visit www.bearvalleyab.org .
