In a remarkable act of kindness, an Alberta woman completed a 15-hour trip from southern Alberta to Yellowknife, NWT to ensure horses attended the celebration of life of local horseman and veterinarian Dr. Tom Pisz, who passed away on June 11 at the age of 68.
Dr Pisz at his veterinary clinic. (Sienna Hart Kellar photo)
The woman is Sienna Hart Kellar, who was responsible for another similar selfless act last August when she rallied a team of volunteers to evacuate every horse and pony out of North Country Stables when wildfires tore through the Northwest Territories.
Dr. Pisz and his partner Patricia Dartnell, who owned and operated North Country Stables and Great Slave Animal Hospital, were residents of Yellowknife for over 30 years. North Country was the only riding centre in the NWT, and Hart Kellar, who now lives in Bowden, Alberta, is a former student and had remained in touch with the couple. So it seemed fitting that Hart Kellar made the solemn journey back to Yellowknife with horses in tow. She told media outlet Cabin Radio, “The first time I saw a horse in Yellowknife, Tom was giving pony rides at [the] Canada Day parade. He deserves horses at his funeral.”
Hart Kellar brought two horses, Keevah and Penny, who provided ‘pony rides’ for kids in attendance who had not had access to horses for a year.
None of the horses that were evacuated last summer have returned to Yellowknife, they have all settled into new homes in Alberta; some, like the 29-year-old Norman, are too old to make the trip back. Given Dr. Pisz’s health issues, there were no plans for him or his wife to reopen North Country Stables, but former students of the riding stable are attempting to bring back the riding school in a new iteration.
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