Circle F is flourishing
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Updated: October 22, 2009 4:11 PM
At a time when so many horse rescue organizations are struggling to save the growing number of unwanted animals, Circle F Horse Rescue Society in Abbotsford is doing just fine.
The charitable organization, established in 1997, has an excellent record of placing rideable horses in long-term homes.
They have so many volunteers, many of whom drive from Vancouver to help, that they now have a waiting list of volunteers.
And, even though a chunk of their funding was cut off this year by the provincial government, they still have a nest egg in the bank to tide them over in lean times.
The secret to the miracle of Circle F may be retired executive Walter Paetkau, who applied big-business administrative skills to running a small organization operated by a group of animal lovers who decided to try to make a difference.
“Our donor base has been steadily growing over the years. Although it has been a bit slower adopting horses out, we haven’t noticed a big difference from the recession,” said Walter.
Circle F makes a big difference to as many as 40 horses a year whose owners donate them in the hope of giving them a better life.
Or, more likely, to save their lives.
Circle F has steadfastly avoided the problems that befall so many other organizations that start out to help horses in distress. They only take on five to 10 horses at a time, and usually only accept horses that have some useful years left as riding horses.
“We generally don’t take companion horses because people are so reluctant to adopt them. If we have to look after them for a period of years we don’t have room for horses who are more readily adoptable,” said Walter.
Circle F volunteers screen incoming horses carefully to determine their state of health, temperament and soundness. Then they screen potential adopters with a proverbial fine tooth comb. Multiple visits are encouraged by adopters, home farm evaluations are done and references are carefully checked.
Adopted horses that are not suitable can be returned for a refund after two months. Circle F will help adopters solve problems that arise after two months, or will take an animal back without a refund at any point thereafter.
“It happens so rarely, though, that I honestly can’t remember that it has ever happened. Maybe one or two have been returned. We’re pretty careful to match horses with the right families,” said Walter.
The Circle F web site attracts a lot of traffic from people looking for horses. It gets 40,000 hits a year, up from around 6,000 when it was first launched. The group has added a section of “other” horses available directly from private owners.
“A lot of those horses find homes, too, although we are not involved directly,” said Walter.
Although the group accepts only horses that could be rideable, some of their greatest successes have been with horses in what Walter calls the “grey area”.
Annie, a 26-year-old horse with multiple health issues was one of them. She couldn’t chew hay, so Walter found a farmer who chopped up hay for sheep who supplied feed for Annie, who began to put on weight.
“I thought we had made a mistake with her. But we found a family with another 26-year old horse who needed a companion for him. She is now running around her new home. They love her and Annie loves the gelding. They are inseparable.”
Anne Patterson is a Langley writer and horse owner. Contact her at accidentalrider@yahoo.com. accidentalrider@yahoo.com.
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