For the upcoming year WHOAS is still working hard to protect and save our Alberta wild horses. So far winter has not been too bad for the horses and the snowpack in the foothills is still relatively low making it a little bit easier for the horses to find enough feed.

This is Portero, our resident herd stallion that has been with us over eight years roaming about our property with his herd of mares and foals. Last year four of the mares in his herd had foals, three fillies and one colt all of whom all have been weaned. We have temporarily sheltered him in our pens to give the mares some respite from his intentions, hopefully to reduce the chance of them being bred again this year. As you can see Portero is advancing in age. He is about 19-20 years of age, so he needed a break too! We are happy to tell you is settled and quite happy in his pen as he can still see his herd.

Of the four foals born last year to Portero, the colt and two of the fillies have already been adopted. The pictures above are of Hailey, a little filly, who is still looking for a forever home. It will still be awhile before she could home to a new home, but as we always suggest, we encourage anyone who would like to adopt to come out and meet her and begin working with her.

Another reason Portero was segregated from roaming freely about the property is that WHOAS just last week had to rescue a small herd of four horses off of highway 584. We had received several complaints about this herd roaming outside the forestry and straying onto different roadways and property. WHOAS quickly responded to this situation and found the herd fairly close to our site and right alongside the highway. Vehicles including logging trucks were having to drastically slow down because of the horses.

At first the volunteers attempted to haze them back south toward the forestry, but that did not work as the horses then went west on our township road that leads to the WHOAS site. This roadway right now has a substantial amount of logging trucks using this road. The yearling with the herd actually fell on the roadway as a vehicle tried to pass. A decision was made then to get them off the roadway and onto the WHOAS property. They quickly went ahead and swung open our gates and stayed in place so that the horses had no choice but to get off the roadway. Luckily none of the horses were injured and no collisions occurred that could have injured someone.

We really believe it would have been preferred that they could have been left wild and free, but once they were safe on our property the government regulations state that we cannot return them to public lands. Why?

These are the four horses of this herd. The first picture is of the young stallion, the second is of a mature mare, the third is a two-year old mare, and the last one is the yearling filly.

Right now we are just allowing them to roam on part of our property, feeding them hay and getting them used to our site and people. We will just leave them for awhile and then make the decision on how we our going to handle them.

Suddenly our feed bill is going to go up drastically as we make sure all our horses are taken care of properly.

One of the things that upsets us the most about this whole situation is that the horses got out onto the roadway off of public land due to the lack of maintenance by either the government or the appropriate lease-holder of the fences bordering the forestry. We have spent numerous hours and money fixing fence in these areas, closing gates and securing them, trying to prevent events like this from happening. On several occasions we have complained to the government and other authorities about this problem. There is the Fence Line Act in the province of Alberta that is supposed to address the responsibility of the landowners, including the government, in properly maintaining their fence lines. No matter how many times we’ve tried to get some help, nothing has ever happened. So WHOAS continues to do our best to keep the horses where they belong.

This is the area where these four horses got off of public land and onto the roadway. As you can see the fence is right down and the horses can easily step over it. It is not the horses fault, they are just looking for feed and paw through the snow to find it. They will go wherever they can to ensure their own survival. As always, on the other side of the fence there is always lots of grass.

As we were fixing fence yesterday, we came across these two wild horses and their friend still on lease land but right up against the road where the top strand of wire was down. We moved them off and then commenced to fix yet another piece of fence line. This should not be happening.

On many of the back roads leading into the forestry, there are Texas gates that are supposed to keep cattle and wildlife, including the horses, on the public lands. However during the winter months as the roads are plowed these gates are filled with snow which allows any animal on the roadway to simply walk across with no difficulty. Again we have tried to address this issue with the powers that be but the complaints continue to be ignored with nothing being done. The only thing you hear are complaints that the horses are becoming a safety hazard on the roadways. Not why or how they got there.

The other problem we find is in certain locations gates are left open that are supposed to be shut. Again to ensure that animals stay where they are supposed to be. In a couple of cases WHOAS has made changes to some of the gates in order to make it a little bit easier to keep them properly shut. In problem areas we’ve also purchased signs to attach to the gates to hopefully remind whoever to please keep the gates closed.

If nobody is willing to accept responsibility to fix these fence lines, to ensure the horses stay off the road and where they belong, then WHOAS will. An estimation of the cost in the one particular area that is of most concern to us is $10,000 to $12,000. This work has to be carried out by a proper fence contractor that has the proper equipment to put up a safe and secure fence. We will be doing this as soon as the weather changes and until then we will be out there with our rebar and other fence repair materials. There will be more on this project going forward. Keep tuned. |

On behalf of WHOAS Board of Directors, but especially from the wild horses, we want to wish Merry Christmas to all our supporters. We wish you a happy and safe holiday season and look forward to your support in furthering our efforts as we work with the government to get these beautiful horses better protection.

WHOAS continues to rescue wild horses when necessary, and take them into our rescue/handling facility. Here we take care of them and gentle them until they can start their new lives in a forever and loving home. Thank you so much and we look forward to another successful year protecting and saving these magnificent horses.

Got your Christmas shopping done? Our 2023 calendars are still available, and we ship them out as soon as we receive the orders. You should still be able to receive them before Christmas or if you wish them to go to a different party, just indicate this on your order. It is easy to order them via PayPal or via e-transfer to WHOASalberta@gmail.com. All funds from the calendars goes directly into our work to protect, save and rescue these beautiful Alberta wild horses. This is a way you can make a difference and feel part of the efforts to make sure these horses remain on the landscape for future generations.

Winter is definitely here now and the snow is starting to accumulate and this week the temperatures have plummeted. One of the most wonderful attributes of our wild horses is that they are very adept at surviving these harsh winter conditions as long as they can find enough feed. So far, all the horses we have come across are in excellent condition and this year’s foals are looking strong and healthy.

With his thick coat and still nursing on his mom, this little guy has a good chance to get through the winter months ahead.

In the Alberta foothills, hunting season closes on November 30th which will bring some stress release to the horses. For the past month every road, trail and cutline has had a steady flow of vehicles as hunters try to fill their big game tags. This causes the horses to move out of their regular routine. In another day or two the west country will quiet down considerably.

We found this young mare with her herd taking advantage of a day with lots of sun and a warm chinook wind blowing. With snow already on the ground the horses had found a good meadow to feed in and paid very little attention to us as they grazed.

The day does not have to be warm for the horses to take advantage of the sun’s rays. This beautiful roan stallion is sleeping in the sun. Often we find that the roan horses’ coats will darken considerably in the winter months. In the summer the red and white hairs of his coat will likely show up making him even more striking.

We have included a link to a story produced by the Weather Network on Canada’s wild horses and how they survive the winter. The link does include ads before playing the story.

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/video/BtE5naA7?playlist=UbzxUT8v

Again we encourage you to support the wild horses with the purchase of one of our calendars and we thank you very much for your help.

Since our inception in 2002 as a non-profit society, WHOAS has advocated for the protection, saving and rescue of our Alberta Mountain horses. Every year since 2004 our major fundraiser is our yearly calendar. We are also pleased that with the support of our printer, we have been able to keep the price the same. So what do we use these funds for?

In 2014 we had some property donated to us for the purpose of enabling us to build a proper rescue/handling facility. This was in response to an upcoming government capture season for that winter.

With the funds that we had from the sale of our calendars and generous donations, we were able to start to build this site. The whole idea was to have a facility where we could safely and humanely handle the horses that we were about to rescue from likely slaughter at that time. Over the years we have expanded the pens and other resources needed. Everything we have done is for the benefit of the horses that we have taken under our care.

No matter what particular pen a horse may be in, we can safely move them about so as not to cause any undue stress. A customized horse chute was made for us so that they can be administered medication or vaccinations as necessary and shortly after their arrival, get a halter on them. Then begins their gentling process.

Veterinarian care is a very important part in assuring the health and welfare of the horses we take in. All young stallions are gelded before we put them up for adoption. This not only makes the horse a little easier to handle but also because we do not believe in indiscriminate breeding. We are fortunate that the University of Calgary, School of Verterinary Medicine, readily assists us in this process.

Another cost for caring for the horses, is assuring that their hooves are properly taken care of. In order to do this we have a specialized farrier to come in and do this work.

Every once in a while, WHOAS is called upon to rescue newborn foals. You may remember the story of Heaven’s Heart. He is doing well in his new adoptive home.

The horses that we rescue stay with us until we are assured that they can be handled safely by their new owners. Our gentling process takes considerable work and time as each horse is unique. We are so fortunate that our volunteers have the passion and love of these wild horses to commit to their success.

These pictures show some of the horses that have gone through our facility and program since 2015.

The costs of maintaining this facility and taking care of all the horses over the years is considerable and the funds from our calendars play an important part in our ability to do this work.

Just this fall we have built a hay shed that better allows us to store enough hay for the year. Feed for the horses is a major cost for us. Not only do we feed the horses in our pens that are waiting to go to their new homes, we also take care of the resident herd of horses that roam freely throughout the property.

This is Portero, the resident stallion whose herd consists of five mares and right now, four foals. This resident herd plays an important part in public education and awareness of our beautiful Alberta Mountain horses.

In these winter months they love their hay too!

These are three of his foals relaxing while the grass is still green. They have all grown and have good thick winter coats.

My new winter coat.

You can help all these horses and WHOAS and our future endeavours to protect these wonderful horses, by purchasing a calendar. All the money raised goes directly back to not only the horses we rescue at our site, but also to protect the horses still roaming free and wild in our Alberta foothills.

You can order one via PayPal by clicking at the link at the top of our website. You can also send an e-transfer (WHOASalberta@gmail.com) if you include your address. You can also send a cheque or money order to WHOAS, Box 4154, Olds, AB T4H 1P7. Calendars are also available at the UFA in Olds, at the Sundre Museum and the Sundre Feed Store and other businesses throughout the town.

On November 11 you may take time out of our busy day to remember our brave men and women that have died or fought for our freedom and those that still serve our country. Thank you.

I would hope that we can also take a moment to remember the millions of horses that also died on the battle fields.  Horses throughout the history of mankind have always served us with little thanks for the important part they have played in our heritage and history.  Some of the wild horses that roam our Alberta foothills are descendants of these horses that served our country and the world. In the Glenbow Museum archives they have pictures of horse wranglers rounding up wild horses in the Red Deer River/Ya Ha Tinda areas during the First World War. These are the areas where our Alberta wild horses still roam free and wild. That is also one of the reasons I fight so hard to protect and save them.

For over 100 years the red poppy has signified our remembrance of the men and women who have served to protect our freedom. In recent years there is a purple poppy that is being used to signify remembrance of all the animals that have also served their country to protect our freedom. Besides the horses who served our country, there were donkeys, mules, dogs and so many other animals who died during these wars and conflicts. The purple poppy is for them.

The colours of fall this year have been spectacular. In most areas the colours were so vivid which only added to the beauty of the countryside and the Alberta Mountain Horses we saw. The lack of moisture this fall though is having an effect on the forests and the grasses that the horses and other wildlife rely on. Despite this all the horses we have been seeing are in excellent condition for this time of year.

Bright late afternoon sunshine highlights the excellent condition the horses are in. This herd is taking advantage of forage they have found in this clearcut.

We found this herd around an abandoned well site, where there was still lots of green grass available. All the horses were bays except this little grey filly. Now where the heck did that colour come from?

This stunning red roan colt is the same colour as his stallion, a herd we have followed and seen several times. In these forest clear-cuts, the wild horses can still find soft green grass hidden close to the downed logs. The sun just helped highlight his colouring – what a beauty!

This stallion although a little way from his herd, kept a careful eye on us. In areas such as this the herd members will spread out in order to find their preferred feed. His mares and foals were grazing close to us but were paying no attention to us. Just a real peaceful scene.

This young stallion just had two other friends and were far away from the more travelled trails. He was very curious, but you can tell the way the sun is shining on him that he is in wonderful condition.

Look at this young boy with a brush cut mane and also notice the dark dorsal strip running down his back. Another characteristic of many of our Alberta Mountain Horses. He did not have the same colouring of either his mare or his stallion, which makes these horses so wonderful to see.

One thing about this warm fall weather though is that the annoying black flies are still out in full force. The horses, like this herd are seeking shelter from the bugs in the protection of the trees. Some herds will also seek the more open areas where the wind helps keep the bugs off.

One beautiful afternoon we had hiked back into a remote valley to see what we could find. As we made our way through a mature stand of forest, we heard the breaking of branches and turned to find these three young studs following us. They had found a beautiful area with water, shelter and lots to eat to stay in. The youngest one in the lead was very curious of who had invaded their territory.

More beautiful fall colours and gorgeous horses to make our day.

This black stallion was way off by himself but was on the move trying to find some company to be with. He paid very little attention to us and kept on travelling.

It is that time of year again where we have our fundraising calendar available for sale. This is our major fundraiser for the year and the money is used to help us maintain our rescue/handling facility, to purchase feed for the horses we rescue, and support our work in trying to get our Alberta Mountain Horses better protected. We are still dedicated to having the horses remain forever free on the landscape of our Alberta foothills.

We assure that all horses that come under our care are healthy, the studs are gelded and all of them properly vaccinated. Therefore, the funds cover the costs of veterinary care that they receive. Another requirement by the government is that all the horses be freeze-branded, and the money takes care of this cost too.

We are delighted that we have managed to keep the price of the calendars the same as in all the previous years despite the rise in the costs of postage, paper and printing. In order to do so we have made some format changes to the calendar with the main one being making it a 12-month calendar. You can order your calendars by clicking the link at the top of the web page. We thank everyone for your continued support over the years.

Remember little Granite from a just a year ago. He was born into our resident herd from Babe and sired by Porterro. He has lived with us this past year, growing strong and healthy and was now ready to be gelded before going to his new home.

Here he is, now a year old and looking so handsome. The horses we are going to have gelded, we stand in our handling chute in order to administer a sedative. They are then led out into a pen and we wait for the sedative to fully take hold. At that point our veterinarian administer the anesthesia drug in order to make the horses go totally a sleep in order to do the castration surgery.

Here he is being prepped for the surgery.

We are so fortunate to have a highly trained team of veterinarian and vet techs from the University of Calgary come out to geld all the young studs we rescue. Here the team monitors his heart rate, breathing and oxygen levels during the whole process. Veterinarian students also take part in this as a hands on learning experience and to enhance their skills before they go into their own practices. WHOAS volunteers also take part in order to hold the horse steady and in the proper position to allow the surgery to go quickly and safely.

All horses that we geld are also branded with our own brand, given their first and later a second dose of vaccines, which includes West Nile and they also have their wolf teeth removed. An anti-inflammatory injection is also administered at this time as well as a bug creame being applied to their incisions to keep the bugs off and the horses healthy and safe.

Surgery done and he is slowly starting to move about. Young Granite has been adopted and will move onto his new forever and loving home as soon as he recovers.

Here is Harley being sedated. He is a 3 year old and has been with only a short time.

Getting sleepy. He is a beautiful boy and is still awaiting someone to adopt him and give him a good home. One thing about these Alberta Mountain Horses, is that they make extremely loyal and reliable horses for their human partners. They make great trail horses and can excel in any other discipline their new humans wish to take them. They are extremely smart and coming from the wild they have no human vices to impede their development.

The sun was very warm and with Harley still under the effects of the anesthesia he is not able to regulate all his body functions. We strung a tarp over him to protect him until he came around and stood up.

This is Hunter who is a strikingly beautiful two year old.

Here the anesthesia drug is administered. Hunter is available for adoption and as you can see he is a wonderful size and would make a great ladies or younger persons horse.

Surgery done and he is on his way to recovery.

We still have available for adoption Hoss is still undergoing his gentling process, but is ready to go to a new home with an experienced horse person.

If you are interested in adopting one of the three young boys that we have available, please contact us at WHOASalberta@gmail.com to arrange a visit to see if one of them is the perfect hose you have been looking for.

Nothing to do with horses, but on my way out to our facility I was on a backroad and I heard a funny call. When I stopped to listen this little fawn stood up and called out several more times.

I snapped a couple of quick pictures because it was so cute and then drove off to let it settle down and await mom’s return. Conservation officers and wildlife rescue organizations advise us to not pick up the young animals thinking they are abandoned. In almost all cases they are not and the mom’s are just off feeding and by being away they are also protecting their babies.

Got to love the wild horses and all the wildlife that inhabit our great and beautiful Alberta country.

Some of our wild horses live close to the boundary between crown land and private land. There are fences that are supposed to be maintained by land owners and lease holders, but there are instances where they are not. In some cases it might be temporary when a tree comes down in a storm, and in others it is due to lack of maintenance. The Fence Line Act dictates who is responsible however we are finding that no one is taking responsibility and basically this act is a waste of paper.

In a lot of instances horses that WHOAS has had to rescue, have strayed off of public land and onto roadways or private property through these openings in the fence lines.

So on Sunday, June 19, a young stud wandered onto property close to the WHOAS rescue/handling facility. Where did he come from? Being “poop” detectives we back tracked his trail and found out that he had come out onto the range road two miles to the south. Getting to this point we also found that another large herd had also been on the road. Something had to be done.

This is the beautiful herd including these two young foals, that had wandered off public land and onto the roadway. Luckily by the time we got there they had made their way back to where they belonged in a large grassy meadow.

What we found was a large stretch of fence had come off the posts and was just laying on the ground. Further down we found where the fence had been cut to allow wheeled vehicles to enter this area. We always carry fencing repair material in our vehicle and were able to repair the fence line along the one roadway but we needed more material to finish the repairs. Monday was a torrential downpour and we weren’t able to return until Tuesday. Luckily the horses not come through the repaired section and we found them feeding in the meadow again.

After purchasing more rebar for posts and wire for the fence we were able to make the necessary repairs to hopefully keep the horses where they belong. There are a couple of other spots further back that need some work but without an ATV and hip waders! it is hard to get the fencing material back to this area. We will be trying to find a way to finish all the repairs that are necessary. This is because when checking the whole length of the fence in wet feet we found another herd of horses that frequent this area and were close to the fence line.

This is the second herd in this area. No babies yet but a couple of the mares show they are close. We just have to keep them where they are safe.

Thinking that everything was okay now, we drove the main range road toward the forestry gate and found this. Someone had cut the fence so that they could fell a large spruce tree for firewood. This had been done on the weekend. Luckily there were no horses around and the leaseholder did not have his cattle out yet. So another fence was fixed.

I reported these neglected and damaged fences to the government and other authorities and no one has bothered to respond to me.

This is the gorgeous 2-year old stud that we had to rescue on Sunday and he was the reason we found all the unmaintained fences and were able to assure the two other herds stayed where they belong. We have named him Hunter and we will now begin his gentling process to get him ready for adoption.

This is a 3-year old stud and we have named him Harley. He had strayed onto a rancher’s private property and had lived with his cattle for about two months. Efforts to move him back to public land had failed and so when they brought in their cattle to take out to their grazing lease, he followed the cattle into the corral. At this point the rancher then brought him to WHOAS.

We have been working with him and he has started to settle down to the point where we could halter him. With our handling system we are able to do this in such a manner that causes the horse the least stress.

Harley is in the chute while being softly talked to and gently touched. He won’t hurt himself in here.

Here Danny gently works the halter up toward his head the whole time moving slowly and carefully and talking to the horse. At the same time he gets his halter on, we also give him his first vaccination. Harley was just fine during this process.

Back in his pen and haltered.

This is Hoss who has been with is for awhile and was ready to go to a new home. Unfortunately the person who was going to adopt him was unable to take him due to unforeseen circumstances. So he has been gelded, freeze branded, and vaccinated and is ready to go to a new home. He is coming to be four years of age.

WHOAS is always ready to come to the aide of any Alberta Mountain Horse (wild) that find themselves in difficulty. We will always assure that they have the best forever and loving new home to thrive in. These remarkable horses do make tremendous riding horses in whatever discipline their owner wishes to take them.

Since our inception in 2001 WHOAS has advocated that the wild horses roaming in the Alberta foothills be given their own distinct identity and legislation to protect and save them. Since 2013 WHOAS has been part of the FHAC (Feral Horse Advisory Committee) of the Alberta government. In the beginning we were the only ones working for the horses, in a group that was extremely biased and prejudiced against the horses. During this time we had always demanded that arguments and opinions presented by other stakeholders against the horses be backed up by sound scientific evidence. This was never done by the government and every point against them we were able to challenge successfully. In 2013 WHOAS entered into a MOU to implement some Alberta Mountain Horse population strategies. We showed that there were better methods to manage the wild horse numbers than culling them and sending them to slaughter.

In 2014 when the government announced there would be another cull, the public was outraged and social media took over. Even though approximately 50 head of horses were removed, WHOAS and others were able to step in and eventually gentled and rehomed almost all of them.

Also at this time another group Help Alberta Wildies (HAWS) was formed and became another very strong voice advocating against trapping and slaughter and keeping them wild. HAWS has become extremely successful through social media in educating both the public and the government.

Then two years ago reacting to public pressure and the actions of WHOAS and HAWS, the FHAC was reconvened. The new committee was comprised of a variety of stakeholders including this time professional scientists and researchers. Even though some of the stakeholders were still extremely biased against the horses, science became a part of making decisions concerning the horses. The whole purpose of this new committee was to come up with a long term management strategy. This plan is now in the final stages and awaiting final review and approval.

Even with this new plan the reference to the wild horses remains as defining them as feral animals which is totally unacceptable to both WHOAS and HAWS and the general public. They are not feral nor strays. One of points that I was disappointed in during the meetings was that the chief scientist from the Alberta government stated that he considered the horses as “feral”. What happened to a professional person like this not having an open mind and being acceptable to other professionals in his field who stated these horses are indeed “reintroduced wildlife“? Remember that all equines originated in early North America, so when early explorers brought them back they were basically coming home.

Generation after generation the horses have lived and reproduced, alongside all the other wildlife. Therefore they are not domestic, they are truly “wild” and definitely deserve to be given their own distinct identity.

In this light extensive DNA studies were done on a very large number of the horses over several years by the U of C and the U of Texas. During the FHAC meetings it was presented that the results of the DNA studies by both geneticists showed that the horses are indeed distinct and unique to the Alberta foothills. They have evolved into their own breed. Considering the facts that they are reintroduced wildlife and have their own unique DNA, they deserve to have their own identity and recognition. They are indeed the “Alberta Mountain Horse“.

As the plan to manage the horses moves to its final stages, WHOAS still strongly believes that no adequate and humane method of managing the horses can take place when they are still given the derogatory identity as “feral”. One of the reasons that this term is still being used by the government is the opposition presented against them by others on the committee who have their own monetary interests at stake. In fact in one meeting one of these stakeholders stated “there is no _____ way that they would approve or that they would allow the ____ horses being glorified at all”. Very professional! ??

This management plan for the horses is necessary. One of the points is that the government recognizes that the horses are part of the landscape and will be allowed to remain as part of the ecosystem of the Alberta foothills. This is a big step forward from just a few years back when the idea was to totally eradicate the horses. Unfortunately there are those still out there who still have this opinion and blame the horses and the wolves for all that is wrong.

The drought of last summer and the overgrazing by cattle on some of the leases led to an extremally hard winter for all the animals. Spring has been late arriving, even by the second week of June there was little new grass and some of the trees had yet to leaf out. This has led to another problem in that the predators (bears, cougars and wolves) have stayed down in the valleys looking for food and the horses have become a major prey for them this spring. HAWS has several trail cameras which have documented both black and grizzly bears going after the horses. So this spring has been very hard for the beautiful horses.

It was only a few years ago when AEP officials were on national TV stating that the horses had no natural predators and that is why they had to cull the numbers. WRONG!

Considering all these factors the Alberta Mountain Horse population is in serious decline. In 2019 the total count in the six equine zones was 1,679 and this year 2022 the government’s count for all zones was 1,178. This is an alarming decrease, it could be even lower taking into account the hard spring and predation. If something is not done, there is the chance that the numbers might get to such a level that a viable, sustainable population is doubtful. Therefore all the wild horse advocates are continuing to work hard to help the horses and get them properly protected.

If you believe that the wild horses should be redesignated as the Alberta Mountain Horse and offered proper protection, let the Minister of Environment, Jason Nixon, know your thoughts.

Saturday, May 21, in the evening, a call came into WHOAS at 4:30 pm from conservation officers that campers in the Burnt Timer/Fallen Timber area had come across a very young wild horse that had apparently been abandoned. They requested help from WHOAS to see what could be done. It’s the long weekend and the area was occupied by large number of campers all up and down the Stud Creek road.

It was determined that we would respond as soon as we could but we desperately needed foal milk replacer powder if we rescued the baby. A frantic search ensued Saturday evening on a long weekend when everything was closed.

The campers that we were talking to did an exceptional job of taking care the best they could feeding it some cow’s milk to keep it hydrated. In fact one of the fellows stayed awake most of the night making sure it stayed around and got nourishment. A hero!

On Sunday morning our team headed out and after some difficulty located the little one. He was easily caught up and loaded into our trailer for the trip home to the WHOAS facility.

Safely home we let the little colt find his feet and get used to his new surroundings. Luckily we had managed to purchase a large pail of foal milk replacer and a bucket was prepared.

After some coaching by Danny who has a lot of experience with this, the colt began to get the idea that there was some good food to be had.

Being the weekend we had lots of volunteers to help with all the other horses under our care. The little colt in this whole process gained the name “Heaven”. The reason was “thank heavens we found him”! His time spent with the caring campers had already imprinted on him that us humans were not that bad. He was very friendly and began to check us all out even our visitor from the Yukon.

A pen was prepared for Heaven in one of our horse shelters using panels to confine him for his own safety. Lots of fresh bedding was put down and hay was put in his bucket so that he could investigate whatever it was. Still too young to really consume hay, young foals do mimic the adults and try out different grasses and plants.

WHOAS is so grateful to all the caring individuals that helped take care of and keep a watch on the little boy until he could be rescued. We also want to thank the conservation officers for their help and understanding in this situation.

There may be many reasons why the little colt was separated from his herd and had to seek out human company. But he was lucky there were people around that wanted to help him out.

We have volunteers that stay out at our facility 24 hrs a day right now. They will make sure that Heaven receives feedings at regular intervals throughout the day and night. We will keep you up-to-date on his progress and look forward to watching him grow and thrive.