Bear Valley Rescue

Updated:

May 12, 2025

Kindness in Action

By Jacqueline Louie

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. — Mahatma Gandhi

Calgarian Karen Allen began volunteering at Bear Valley Rescue in Sundre, Alberta, a decade ago, to heal after her horse Mac, a 34-year-old Connemara, passed away.

“It was healing to be with like-minded people who understood that the beauty, majesty, and true value of a horse was so much greater than the sum of what they could help us accomplish,” Allen says. “The thing that kept me going back was meeting these horses, seeing their beauty, and hearing their stories."

Not long after Allen started volunteering at Bear Valley, the horse rescue took in a Thoroughbred mare and former racehorse named Walk Away Rene. Once quite successful, when she was no longer able to race she had been used as a broodmare and changed hands multiple times, says Allen.

Somehow, Walk Away Rene ended up in Alberta. By now she was in her early 20s, had recently lost a foal, tried out unsuccessfully as a nurse mare, and was then abandoned at a vet clinic. That’s when Bear Valley Rescue president Kathy Bartley got the call.

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Ivy in January, 2024. Photo: ActionMediaProjects

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Ivy and her approximately two-month-old filly, shortly after they were rescued in 2023. Photo courtesy of Leanne van der Merwe

Walk Away Rene “was the saddest, most depressed creature you can ever imagine,” Allen recounts. “This magnificent racehorse, after all those years of being used up, was skin and bone.”

They couldn’t get the mare to eat despite several visits from the vet. The following week, Allen made a special mash of sweet carrots and bran and took it out to her. “She sniffed it, then turned her back and her head drooped down,” Allen says. “For me, the floodgates just opened. I sat down in the pasture crying and apologizing to her for the human race and what had been done to her. I told her how beautiful and magnificent she was, how she didn’t deserve what had happened to her.

“She turned around and walked over to me, dropped her head and her lips were quivering. Then she raised her head and put it over my shoulder. We just shared that beautiful moment… to me, that was living proof that we can connect with horses on a deeper level.”

Eventually, Bartley figured out what was going on with Walk Away Rene. Among other issues, the mare had a huge worm load. “She was also very depressed. She had lost her foal, was farmed out to another place for her milk, then dumped at a vet’s office. She was not wanted. They feel those things,” Allen says.

After Bear Valley restored Walk Away Rene to health, she was transferred to a foster home where she received the care and love she deserved. “Such a beautiful soul that I will always carry in my heart.” The story of Walk Away Rene and other rescued horses is on the Bear Valley Rescue website.

Since becoming a registered charity in 2005, Bear Valley Rescue — a horse rescue and animal welfare organization — has found homes for nearly 1,500 horses. Mike and Kathy Bartley started Bear Valley Rescue in 2003 on 16 hectares in the foothills northwest of Calgary. The couple went to a horse auction and decided to take action.

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Leanne van der Merwe and Ivy (show name “Ivy Outta Your League”) at Ivy’s first show in August 2024. Photo: ActionMediaProjects

“We started finding them homes, got some more in, and it took off,” Kathy says.

At any given time, the rescue cares for more than 150 horses, with another 50 to 60 at foster homes across central Alberta. Many horses come from auctions or are owner-surrendered. Bear Valley takes in a range of horses, from elders to orphans just days old. They recently lost their most senior horse at age 42. Bear Valley rescues mares, geldings, and stallions. They’ve had just about every breed including Akhal-Teke, a rare breed from Turkmenistan; American Cream Draft, a rare American draft breed characterized by its cream or “gold champagne” coat colour; and racehorses that have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. A few years ago, 30 ponies came in at once. Bear Valley also takes unhandled horses, although now they can only take unhandled horses that are younger and easier to train.

“We try to help them the best we can, even if it means laying them to rest. That’s why we have a lot of permanent residents. We take in horses that have nowhere else to go, or are in no condition to go anywhere else,” Kathy says.

Sending horses to slaughter can be an “easy out” for some breeders and horse owners, according to Kathy. Horse meat is exported from Canada to countries in Europe, Asia, and South America for human consumption, while live horses are exported from Canada to Japan where raw horse meat is considered a delicacy.

Kathy emphasizes that it’s important for horse owners to consider what would happen to their animal if they could no longer care for it. “You see it all the time with dogs and cats,” she says. “Somebody dies, and their relatives don’t want to look after it. Because a horse can live to be 30 or more, you have to consider what happens after you pass away. It’s harder to rehome a horse than a dog or a cat — there’s a narrower base of people who can take an animal like that in.”

Because horses can live such a long time, it’s possible they could be sold many times over the course of a lifetime. “It’s not the right horse, someone gets in over their head, they can’t afford the horse, the horse is not sound, their daughter is not interested in having a horse any more… There are a million reasons the average horse changes hands seven to eight times in a lifetime.”

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Leane Ingram with Maggie. Photos: Jacqueline Louie

Calgarian Linda Somers, 76, has been volunteering for Bear Valley for nearly two decades. She's done everything, including groundwork, educational programs, tours, media and public outreach, as well as fundraising for a wide variety of projects.

She says when Kathy sees an animal needing help, it doesn’t matter if it’s old, young, or in need of vet care. “She sees the soul of an animal needing help, and she’s going to help it,” Somers says.

“This is from the bottom of my heart. I have always considered volunteering at Bear Valley [to be] a privilege. When I get to Bear Valley, I see a place of absolute love for the animals. The care those animals get, the attention — I see it as a privilege to enter that kind of world. My passion is to help animals, and at Bear Valley I have the opportunity to help horses without having to own one. I help wherever I can, and I’m thrilled to support them. It’s just the best.

“They are so kind,” Somers says of the Bartleys. She describes shopping for petunias with Kathy once. Somers bought big, beautiful petunias, while Kathy’s were the saddest-looking Somers had ever seen. Somers asked Kathy why she bought half-dead petunias; Kathy replied that those were the ones that needed her the most.

“The need is huge, and I’d like people to think about what happens to a horse when it is no longer useful to people as a tool. These are all horses that have served us. What happens to them?”

To adopt a horse from Bear Valley, a potential owner must have some horse knowledge, because many rescued horses come with health or temperament issues or need training. “A lot of times people who love horses call and want to get their first horse, but a lot of the ones we have are not really suitable for a first-time horse owner,” Kathy says.

Calgarian Leane Ingram, a longtime Bear Valley volunteer, adopted the Belgian-Quarter Horse named Maggie from Bear Valley more than five years ago. Now about 23 years old, Maggie was surrendered into Bear Valley’s care after her previous owner could no longer care for her. Ingram, who grew up riding horses, instantly fell in love with Maggie’s picture when it was posted on the Bear Valley Facebook page.

“She’s one of the best things in my life,” says Ingram, who goes trail riding with Maggie in the foothills west of Calgary. “She’s taught me so much about myself, about patience. She has made me a better person. If I’m having a bad day, she will nuzzle her head into me as if to say: It’s going to be okay. She’s brought me so much joy. She just makes things better and every worry goes away when I’m with her.”

Ingram believes it’s incredibly important to keep these rescue horses in mind. The reward for both you and the horse is beyond words, she says — witnessing their journey from where they started to where they are now imparts an unparalleled sense of accomplishment. Seeing them thrive in their new homes, happy and healthy, is truly the greatest reward.

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Astrid Cibron-Bartley, Kathy and Mike Bartley, with a few of their horsey and furry friends. Photo: Jacqueline Louie

“I’m thankful to Kathy and Mike for allowing me to bring Maggie into my family. Without them, it would never have happened.”

Volunteer Leanne van der Merwe, 21, from Cochrane, Alberta, adopted seven-year-old mare Tampa (renamed Ivy) from Bear Valley in 2023. Van der Merwe and her mother have volunteered at Bear Valley for several years including helping to fundraise. They believe Ivy is an Alberta wild horse. Bear Valley saved her from being sold for meat, and when the family saw a picture of the 14-hand mare they immediately fell in love.

Leanne started Ivy under saddle with the help of southern Alberta-based cowboy Kent Williamson, who worked with Ivy and Leanne for a couple of months. This past summer, Leanne took Ivy to her first show. “She is so incredibly smart. When we first got her, she was very fearful. It’s really incredible to see her come out of her shell.”

Leanne emphasizes that she will never sell a horse again because of what she knows could happen. In 2020, she sold a horse that ended up in a bad situation and she wasn’t able to save him.

“I blamed myself for a long time, but I know it’s not my fault. I did a lot to make sure it was a suitable home and it’s just unfortunate,” she says. “They’re not just a horse — they’re your partner. They become your best friend.”

With Ivy, “it’s absolutely been healing for me to give a different horse a good chance at a good life in a forever home. That’s what I love about Bear Valley. That’s why we’ve supported them for so many years. They just want to give these horses the chance at life that they deserve.”

Bear Valley is committed to rescuing slaughter-bound horses and raising awareness of their plight. Entirely volunteer-run, the rescue relies on passionate individuals for fundraising, public outreach, horse fostering, and countless other efforts.

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On-site volunteer program participants, Julia Roth from Germany; Kyanna Gilks from Nova Scotia; and Janika Neumann from Germany, with foal Miles, who was rescued at two days old alone in the forest. Photo: Jacqueline Louie

Allen is currently Bear Valley’s international volunteer coordinator. She began volunteering after she lost Mac, a horse she had ridden and shown since he was 12. Allen retired Mac from dressage when he was 21; she spent the next 13 years hanging out with him in his pasture and learning about him in a completely different way.

“What I learned more than anything is that I could have this really great relationship with my horse without riding him.” She recounts witnessing firsthand the profound bonds horses share — they form friendships, experience deep emotions, and feel joy, sadness, anger, and even depression. They grieve deeply when they lose a pasture mate, whether it’s due to relocation or passing away.

“I started to think about the fact that we use horses like tools; they become expendable when they aren’t useful to us anymore. We don’t think about the fact that they are sentient beings with deep feelings. We need to start thinking about what a horse can bring to us. They’re such mirrors of our emotions, deeply sensitive animals. They’re creatures of flight, so they’re very, very aware of the slightest movement, the slightest change in mood or direction.

“I learned so much, not just about horses but also about myself in those years sharing space in the pasture with Mac. It was a gift, and I felt a great need to give something back. That’s when I found Bear Valley.”

To say it’s a lot of work to operate Bear Valley is an understatement. Because of Bear Valley’s remote location, it isn’t easy to attract volunteers. Allen used to drive to Bear Valley from Calgary on Saturdays to feed horses, clean buckets and paddocks, and do all the regular chores. “That’s what led me to develop this program. I would be there on Saturday, but when I left there was so much work still to be done and only Mike and Kathy to do it from Sunday through Friday,” she explains. “I felt they really needed more feet on the ground and more support. For two people and the number of horses they have out there, the workload is just astronomical. There were times they were going 24/7 when an emergency came in.”

About six years ago Allen and another volunteer began exploring the possibility of setting up an international volunteer program. “Once we threw it out there, we started to get some bites and we haven’t looked back.”

Bear Valley’s international volunteer program allows visitors from abroad to stay at a ranch in Canada while also providing critical support for the rescue. Most volunteers are between the ages of 18 and 40 and come from Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Belgium, and Japan. Three volunteers stay on site, usually for two to three months at a time, to help with the day-to-day running of Bear Valley, feeding and caring for the horses, fixing fences, doing maintenance, and other tasks.

Bear Valley brings in international volunteers through a variety of streams including Natucate in Germany, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), and direct contact. While the international volunteer program is still young, it’s going well, and some volunteers have returned because they had such a positive experience the first time. The on-site volunteer program is open to volunteers from abroad and from Canada.

Part of their mission, in addition to having assistance with the daily chores and workload, is education and raising awareness of the magnitude of the problem of discarded horses. They end up slaughter-bound unless someone intervenes.

On-site volunteers learn a lot in many ways.

“I had always wanted to come to Canada. This was the perfect opportunity,” says volunteer Julia Roth, 19, from Germany. “I also like that you get to see parts of another country and not in a touristy way. I think this whole program will leave me with wider experience and a more open mind towards meeting new people.”

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Longtime volunteers Karen Allen, international volunteer coordinator, and Linda Somers, who does public outreach and fundraising among many other tasks. Photo: Jacqueline Louie

“I love working with horses,” says Janika Neumann, 25, from Germany. She first came to volunteer a couple of years ago and returned this past fall. “It’s really fun. It’s different every day. And you get to know the horses more as individuals — you actually get to know them in their normal lives.”

Volunteer Kyanna Gilks, 24, from Nova Scotia enjoys “always learning more about horses.”

Bear Valley general manager Astrid Cibron-Bartley first came to Bear Valley in 2019 from France as a summer volunteer and is now the Bartleys’ daughter-in-law.

Cibron-Bartley finds it incredibly rewarding to see horses that arrived at the rescue in poor condition or fearful of humans gradually open up, regain trust, and improve in health, sometimes even reaching the point where they can be adopted out into loving homes.

If a volunteer is not super interested in horses but has other interests, such as carpentry or construction, they can be very helpful as there is always maintenance work to be done. Cibron-Bartley says Bear Valley has had lots of people without horse experience and most ended up staying longer than expected.

As an animal welfare organization, Bear Valley Rescue requires considerable resources to operate. For many years, the Bartleys put a lot of their own money into the rescue. Now, the rescue runs solely on grants and donations. Bear Valley fundraises year-round and engages in public outreach, such as attending markets, to help raise the more than $500,000 needed annually to care for the horses.

You can help the rescue in a variety of ways. A lifetime membership in Bear Valley Rescue Society is $25, resident horses can be sponsored, and donations of used tack, money, or gifts-in-kind are welcomed. Hay for the horses is their largest single expense. It also helps just to “spread the word about the good work they’re doing,” says Somers.

Horses available for adoption are listed on the Bear Valley Rescue website. There are also older and special needs horses, suitable as companion animals only, that need fostering.

For more information about Bear Valley Rescue, contact Kathy Bartley at bearvalleyab@aol.com or 403-637-2708.

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