Farm Update

The horses are hairy and healthy, but cold and eagerly waiting for their long break to be over. Certainly come summer when they are shuffling from one visit to another they will miss their long lazy days.

We are so very happy to report that our third stall was put in with the wonderful expert help of Aaron Nield who dedicated his day to welding and customizing the stall to fit our needs. Thank you Aaron! My Dad, Layton, and JD, finished up the small details and we are proud to say we now have 3 stalls for all our little horses.

Come Spring and Summer we will look to put in some cabinets, additional shelving, and to do some painting and cleaning to have the barn in tip top shape.

As most of you know here at the farm Abby is gone from us and I assure you all, you will notice her absence when you visit us at the farm. I would like to thank everyone for their kind words, cards, pictures, and consideration during this very hard time.

Another one of our 4-leggers fell ill – Mable.

Mable the pig has been sick and was suffering from many aliments but thanks to our wonderful Vets Dr. Carrol and Dr. Santarossa who did extra research to find solutions we see Mable is improving daily and we hope to have her happy and hairy by May when she moves back to Kipnes Seniors Centre for the summer.

Truck Update

As all of you know we have been dealing with problems regarding the truck we purchased at Welcome Ford. The truck was returned to the dealership in early December and we have had to cancel many  of our events and have had to borrow and rent trucks since.

I am most pleased to report that finally, Welcome Ford has refunded us the $22,000 paid for the truck.

We would like to extend a most genuine thank you to Erin Harrison at Global TV Trouble Shooters for pursuing the story and on several occasions dealing with the Dealership to find a resolution.

We would like to thank Brownlee LLP’s, Bruce and Angela, for finding the time and taking our legal case into account in assisting us to find resolution and for their support to do so free of charge.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Hearts & Hooves Board Members for their enduring attention to the long standing problems surrounding resolution of this matter.

Furthermore I’d like extend thanks to each and everyone of you who stood by with hope and support as we struggled to deal with the problems.

With that said I wish to report that Hearts & Hooves has committed to purchase a brand new F150 from Zarwony’s Motors in St. Paul. Our new truck is the same color as our horse trailer, and it is a crew cab with lots of room for our ever growing volunteers.

Dave and Amanda at Zarwony’s Motors have really done a stand up job to make the purchasing of a truck a positive experience especially after all we have been through. It was decided after all our problems with a used truck which proved to be both unsuitable and mechanically unsound we felt we should look at the longevity of Hearts & Hooves needs and buy a new truck. Zarwony Motors helped us by offering us this new truck at $34,000. We have been busy resourcing on our end to make up the difference of money needed. To date, as of March 9, 2009 we have the following support;

  Allied Furniture                                                                              $400.00

  Strathcona County                                                                         $500.00

  Dow Chemical Canada                                                                    $500.00

  Apro Group                                                                                    $300.00

  Horizon’s Seniors Grant                                                                    $4000.00

  The Stollery Charitable Foundation                                                  $10,000.00

  Fund-raised                                                                                      $3995.00

We have raised $27,700 to date

To have our new truck at the farm we need to raise an additional $8300

To have our new truck ready for the road with decals, mud flaps, mats, seat covers, hitch and ball, and insurance we need to raise a total of $12,000

I am working hard to find partners and supporters to help us get our truck here, and to have it ready for our scheduled 45 visits planned and promised to people in our community. I invite all of you to join in and help us reach this goal. $12,000 is a lot of money but so was $27,700 and we were able to do that together, so let’s put our minds together on this one and find a way to get this truck paid for by April 30^th.

Should you have an idea, a suggestion, a plan, please email me and we will look to have a meeting of the minds and resources this coming month.

Coming Events and Plans

Other good news to report is that we have 45 visits booked already for the spring and summer months. We have applied for funding to hire two University students to keep up with all the work. As well our beloved Ellen Alanko has agreed to another summer job with Hearts & Hooves.

We have long since had many ideas on the back burner to talk about and again I propose you take the the time to come to the Farm on Thursday, March 19^th to talk about events we are planning, and new ideas, as well as areas of growth and development. Please RSVP me directly via email to let me know if you are coming on the 19^th. Thank you.

Things to consider;

·         Our friend Susan is looking for some key helpers to help put together a Volunteer Appreciation BBQ/ Barn Party this summer.

·         Sally, our virtual wonder, who does our website and much, much more is really needing help here on this end to get current information and pictures to finish our website.

·         Lindsay who is organizing and planning an Open House for our fantastic Vets at West Wind Veterinary Hospital really would appreciate some individuals who could give some of their time in April to represent Hearts & Hooves.

·         We have long since entertained having our 1^st Annual Barn Party and as such we would like to see if we could get together some of you who would look to organize and set this up so we can invite our volunteers, partners, and sponsors who have made our Hearts & Hooves barn possible.

·         Brenda, our buddy, has looked a bit into throwing a Concert or hosting an event with possibly Johnny Reid and/or Wayne Lee. We all think this would be wonderful but we would ask for some party planners and organizers to jump on in to take this idea to the next level.

·         Jill has the makings for planning our 1^st Annual Fund Raising Trail Ride and Walk but needs some horsey people’s help.

·         March 28^th we are at the Bruderheim Tack Sale and will be taking horses, information, and small items to sell as part of raising awareness and fund raising at a local community event. Helpers are wanted for the day.

·         In May we will be doing the Walk/Run for Life (aka The Mayor’s Run) in Sherwood Park as a fund raiser and are looking for some keen people to oversee the pre-planning. We will be taking the horses for the day of the walk.

·         May 24^th we are attending the Horse Showcase at The Futonvale Arena. This year we would like to have a tent area for seniors visiting the event. We want to offer this area free of cost to seniors whom we invite from care centers to join us and enjoy a restful, shaded place to watch the events, relax, and visit. We are looking for keen team players to come up with ways we can partner with local stores to borrow things specific to the comfort of the seniors on this day. We will also be having a table where we will be selling stuffed horses and such as a fund raiser. So lots of helpers are wanted and needed to make this all possible.

·         As spring comes I really need a hand with cleaning, painting, and of course body clipping horses. As well we need to give the Rec Building a face lift by redoing the inside to accommodate office space.

·         A special job for a special person – A computer whiz to set up computer, fax, and printer in the barn – and install programs and transfer information.

·         Someone to help take and share pictures to update the website and send it to Sally

·         Assistance with Volunteer Activities, planning, and events.

There is always so much going on here I know I have a hard time keeping you all informed but this should help give everyone ideas as to what is coming up and some areas that might interest you all.

March Events

Please note we will not be attending the rodeo in Camrose this month. In consideration of the weather we will aim to have Farm Nights here on;

•  
  • Thursday – March 19^th – Planning Meeting
  • Friday – March 27^th – Work with horses and pack for event
  • Saturday – March 28^th – Tack Sale Bruderheim – ALL Day

Please RSVP if you are planning to come – should you have any questions please email me.

I will be meeting with many of you throughout the month regarding the many events planned and should you have intrest in any of the upcoming events and or creative ideas please email me and I would be most happy to include you in the meetings we are having through out the month.

Thank you

WISH LIST

I have made a Wish List starting with small items all the way to huge projects for this coming spring. Should any of these appeal to you or should you have one such item and wish to donate it we appreciate it.

Wish List

·         Kettle (electric)

·         Microwave

·         Hay

·         Straw

·         Wood Chips

·         Shampoo

·         Conditioner

·         Hose Nozzle

·         Bleach

·         Lysol

·         Old Dish clothes or rags

·         Old towels

·         Bug Spray

·         Water Cooler or Bottled Water for volunteers use

·         Marshmallows

·         Plastic cups, plates, utensils

·         Automatic Waterer for horses

·         Lap top Computer

Wishing you all well, with lots of love and warmth all of us here at the farm.

Best Wishes – Michelle

HEARTS & HOOVES CANADA is a charity that rescues, heals, teaches, and loves miniature horses. We bring the little horses indoors to people who need therapeutic healing. Hearts and Hooves Edmonton is located just minutes outside of the city at Blackwater Ridge Farm