As the one-year anniversary of the wildfires that forced the evacuation of Yellowknife, the city in the Northwest Territories remains a no-horse town. Last August we reported on the emergency evacuation of North Country Stables with its 20-plus horses being rescued by formers students and volunteers from Alberta.
Fast-forward to now and the horses and ponies have all made Alberta their permanent home, leaving the 30-odd students who relied on North Country for lessons, and trail riders, without an option. Sadly, Dr. Tom Pisz, who owned North Country along with his wife Patricia Darnell, passed away in June.
Two former instructors, Caterina Walsh and Abbey Wilson, have taken up the reins in finding a way to bring horses and riding back to their northern city. The pair spoke to local news site Cabin Radio, telling the reporter that losing North Country Stables “was a big loss for the community. A lot of the kids are just like, ‘What do I do with my afternoons now?’”
Yet, the duo isn’t discouraged, even with the unique issues that managing horse care in the NWT comes with, including the extreme cold and even getting feed delivered. But Wilson tells Cabin Radio, “That’s nothing that I know the Yellowknife community can’t handle.”
She adds that she and Walsh are scouting locations for a future riding school, as well as finding new horses for such a facility.
“We’re still working on this,” Wilson told the outlet. “It’s not a lost cause.”
More from News:
