An Olds-area horse rescuer is a nominee in a popular horse magazine’s contest recognizing those who improve the lives of equines in Canada.
Christine Doan of C&M Horse Haven is one of eight people chosen by Horse Canada as a nominee in the running for this year’s Heroes of the Horse award.
Supporters can vote for their favourite hero on Horse Canada’s website until Sept. 15.
The winner’s story will be featured in the November/December issue of Horse Canada and they will receive a plaque, 12 horse blankets and $2,000 to continue their work.
Horse Canada readers were asked to nominate an everyday hero, highlighting the work of people who advocate, promote, care for, rescue or otherwise improve the lives of horses in Canada.
Magazine staff narrowed the nominee submissions down to eight finalists.
Doan has always had a soft spot for “difficult” horses other people have given up on, states her nominee biography.
She rescued her first horse at the age of 12. He was an out of control, five-year-old Arabian stallion that had been written off as dangerous.
“I have always been stubborn, so that made me try even harder with him, to prove he could be a good horse,” said Doan. She still owns Shahddy, and calls the 22-year-old gelding Mr. Reliable because, she said, anyone can ride him.
Doan admits that back then she didn’t fully understand the fate she’d saved Shahddy from.
It wasn’t until she moved from British Columbia to Alberta in 2010 that she got to know more about the slaughter industry.
“I was shocked to see how many horses at the monthly auction sales were sold for meat,” she said. “I started privately rescuing horses that same year, training them and finding them homes, or adding them to my personal herd. In 2015, I decided to start doing it publicly and formed our rescue.”
The horse trainer runs C&M Horse Haven out of her home stable near Olds along with her RCMP officer husband, Matt.
They take in up to 10 rescues at a time, funding the operation on their own.
“We do not rely on donations to care for the horses, and that’s why we are smaller scale,” she said.
“While we do receive some donations, which is a huge help and we are extremely thankful for, we make our budget based on our incomes.”
They are currently starting the process to become a registered non-profit, in the hopes of being able to help even more horses.
To date, they have saved approximately 150 horses.
