They have opened up their hearts — and their stables — to horses in need of a home.
Taisce Stables owners Victoria Woodcock and Crystal McKay have answered the call to help 44 horses, including miniatures, that have been evacuated from Lone Butte and Little Fort due to wildfires.
The pair, who took over the old Cambridge Stables on 96th Street in East Delta in May, have been settling in when word started getting out that horse owners needed a place for their animals as they fled the evacuated areas. Woodcock said they were more than happy to help out.
“We only have a few self-boarders and about 20 other horses on the property, so we knew we had the space,” said Woodcock. “Crystal is from the Interior and she recently moved from Kamloops, so we know a lot of the people up there that have horses that needed to be evacuated. This was something very important to us.”
Woodcock said they started taking in the evacuated animals about 10 days ago.
“I was up in Chase about two weeks ago and I saw the fire situation then. It was just horrible. Luckily we made our way out,” she recalled.
“I belong to a number of Facebook groups for horse owners, stable owners, etc. and saw lots of chatter on the B.C. Emergency Livestock Animal Evacuation Group page. That’s when we let everyone know that we had a place available for them.”
Woodcock has been able to source extra hay for the animals, but they are in need of other supplies as they expect they might get more animals in the coming days. Some of the essentials they need include: lead ropes, water buckets, wraps, beet pulp and flatted oats, Alfalfa Pellets and alpha (low sugar). Volunteers are urgently needed as well to help assist with the care and comfort of the animals.
“Any help is greatly appreciated,” Woodcock added. “And the evacuation group page on Facebook is also a great source where people can also offer assistance. It’s amazing to see so many people step up to help.”
If you would like to help out, contact Woodcock at 778-918-0901.
