Written by: Deb Dolton
Photographed by: Ozden
Compiled by: Alyssa Lait
On May 3rd, 2018, Ozden and Deb had the opportunity to visit an amazing facility- the Horse Protection Society of BC (HPS) which has a beautiful, country location at 24463-16th Avenue in Langley right across the street from RONA. Sharon Wells-Ackermans – who is the managing Director and who oversees the care of the horses at the facility with her husband – gave us a wonderful tour. We learned a lot from Sharon in regards to the plight and mistreatment of many horses and we could see how dedicated she was to establish higher standards of horse care and public awareness of horse issues.
The facility is limited in number of horses they can take care of. At the moment they have 10 horses. Some may be placed in a new home or used in their educational programs. They have excellent programs in place, such as a rehab and care program for rescued horses, riding and horsemanship lessons for seniors, special needs youth and adults, and skilled work programs which target challenged youth.
Exciting things are happening here! A large outdoor arena was almost completed and a full-size metal horse is being donated, which they already have a concrete pad in place to display it on. Both will be fantastic for the facility.
We were first shown the tack room where the resident horses have all their gear in place.
They have two small thrift stores “Thrift Barn” on site where they sell donated items to help them feed, vaccinate, and provide other care for their rescued horses. One store has general household items, clothing, shoes, books & curios and the other store has tack & riding clothing.
We met a few of their horses which was fun. One in particular that both of us liked very much is called Connie. She is an Appendix (Quarter Horse x Thoroughbred) who is in her twenties but showed that she has a lot of spunk and energy still inside her – she is used for riding lessons and the horsemanship program.
If you love horses and want to help out- the HPS is the spot to be, where you can check out their volunteer opportunities, and become an important member of their team. They need help cleaning the stalls and paddocks, feeding, yard maintenance, upkeep of tack and tools, helping at the “Thrift Barn” sorting out merchandise and being a sales clerk, office help, grooming and fundraising
We really like their “Golden Rule”- We treat all creatures, human & animal with kindness, compassion and respect and this stands out very much on what we noticed with the time we spent with Sharon.
More Langley Volunteers: