A festive win, win, win.
Funds raised from the Winter Market & Silent Auction on Saturday, (Dec. 11) at Cheekye Ranch will support the work of Second Chance Cheekye Ranch, the horse rescue and rehabilitation program on the property.
In 2019, the ranch held a holiday market, but it hasn't been held since, due to the pandemic.
"It was just so much fun, so much fun," said the ranch's Kris Latham of the last iteration of the event.
Making a return this year are Santa Claus and pony rides, in addition to about a dozen vendors.
Latham said that there will also be live entertainment and "all kinds of good fun stuff," she said.
More market details
Find the ranch at 60001 Squamish Valley Road.
Get tickets — $5 — for the market from Eventbrite.
The market is from 11 to 5 p.m.
There's a silent auction from 2 to 5 p.m.
Workshops run from 11 to 4 p.m. (Reserve a spot for one the workshops directly through the business
@thefinnishsauna.ca, @slaurinphotography and @thecollectivealchemy.)
Pony rides and Santa visits from 11 to 4 p.m.
Masks are required for anything indoors (in yurts, etc) and bring cash as that is what most vendors can accept.
For the hay of it
The market is in support of Second Chance Cheekye Ranch, because the need is great.
In November, the rescue took in eight horses that had been surrendered.
A couple were surrendered from Pemberton due to flooding, a few others came from Alberta.
"They come from all over from the two provinces," Latham said, adding she gets about one call per week from folks asking her to take in surrendered horses.
"This year has been epic due to natural disasters," she said.
The current hay shortage — due to flooding in the Fraser Valley— has upped the price from an average of $10 per bale to close to $30 per bale.
"I have been hitting the pavement hard, hard, hard trying to find extra hay that will take us to the first cut in 2022," she said, adding she would make sure the ranch had some, but it would cost them.
Second Chance currently spends about $10,000 a month for hay to feed the horses on the property.
The ranch is currently caring for 47 rescued horses, which puts it at about capacity for what it can handle, though Latham is quick to say she wouldn't turn a horse away.
The ranch couldn't operate without its many devoted volunteers and donation support from the community, she noted.
Latham also adds her own funds to the rescue budget, she acknowledged.
"It is a labour of love," she said.
Most of the horses will be nursed until they are ready to be adopted out, but there are a few senior horses that will likely be at the rescue for the rest of their lives.
A few others are hard to house, but not impossible, she said.
"We have a couple that have come in injured that it will be hard for us to find good homes for them, but we are still hopeful for them. They are very young, but they will find homes and they know they always have a home here."
The cause
"The slaughter is still going on," said Latham.
According to data from Agricultural and Agri-food Canada, and shared by the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, from January to March of this year, there was an increase in live exports. There were 800 live horses exported for slaughter, which represents a 67% increase from the year before. More than 1,540 horses were imported from the U.S. to be slaughtered in Canada, down 30.6%.
"A lot of people are in dire straits. They don't have hay, a lot of them have been burned out," Latham said of those impacted by wildfire in the summer. "All those animals can't be cared for and they are sent to slaughter. Hundreds at every single auction are going."
The rescues like Second Chance are trying to keep up with the horses who need homes but most are up at max capacity, Latham said.
She calls for locals to educate themselves on the issue of horse slaughter and sign petitions against it.
"Be aware and support any way you can," she said.
Applications to volunteer with the horse rescue are always welcome, especially during the holiday season when there's a scramble to replace those volunteers who are away.
To donate to the ranch, go here.
Second Chance Cheekye Ranch is a charitable organization that can provide tax receipts.
Find Cheekye Ranch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cheekyeranch and Second Chance Cheekye Ranch at www.facebook.com/sccrrescue/.
