In the foothills just outside of Okotoks, on her 74-acre property, Ruth McDonald has dedicated her life to rescuing and rehabilitating horses in need through her non-profit organization, Heel and Hoof.
Heel and Hoof strives to help as many horses in need as possible by providing medical care, training, and rehoming to horses that have been surrendered, sold to meat buyers or given up at auction.
A passion for horses
At just 16-years-old, McDonald knew she wanted a horse of her own. But the only way she was going to be able to get one, was by saving up money from babysitting, which, according to McDonald, meant cheap.
“I was looking at horses and I found out there was a slaughteryard in Winnipeg. So I went there and found an old Sweeney horse, that means that their shoulders caved in and took him on and that’s how it all started,” said McDonald.
Eventually, after many years in the horse racing industry, McDonald decided to settle in Western Canada and start a farm. At this point in her journey, McDonald wanted to utilize her space by seeing what she could do with rescues.
At the time, McDonald didn’t know about horse auctions or the slaughteryard in Fort Macleod so she started by contacting a local “kill buyer” and asking if she could buy horses from him for the same price he’d get from meat buyers.
In Canada, it is completely legal for federally licensed operators to conduct the slaughter of horses according to the Government of Canada. There are currently two existing companies that are known for the production and export of horses which are Bouvry Exports based in Fort Macleod and their “sister company” Viande Richelieu which is based in Quebec. Bouvry Exports has been in the industry for more than three decades and is certified to export meat to more than 40 countries.
“I started going and getting horses out of his slaughteryard,” said McDonald. “I worked with them and rehomed them and he didn’t make me pay until I rehomed them. It was a trust thing.”
For many years, this was McDonald’s main way of rescuing horses, but once the ‘kill buyer’ was getting out of the business, she had to find a different way of rescuing animals. That’s when one of her friends mentioned going to an auction.
“Now I go to auctions and bid against the meat buyers,” said McDonald.
For the past five years, on average, McDonald has rescued six to 10 horses from auctions every year. However, after sustaining an injury in September, McDonald now has limited mobility while she recovers and has had to depend on her volunteers to uphold the mission of the organization.
Non-profit organizations depend on volunteers
Tory, who requested we not use her last name, has been responsible for the daily care, feed, water and medicine administration of all of the animals in the rescue’s care.
After leaving the hustle and bustle of city life in central Canada, Tory found inspiration for her next steps in life from a show called Horse Plus Humane Society, the world’s largest animal welfare organization dedicated to helping horses.
“I got involved because I got inspired. And I got inspired because an organization decided to put the message out about what was happening with horses,” said Tory.
At this point, Tory found herself seeking a deeper sense of purpose.
“It was a fancy job in the city and it just wasn’t good. It wasn’t fulfilling in any sort of way,” said Tory. “It didn’t give me a sense of purpose and, to be honest with you, back then, I didn’t know what my purpose was.”
Once she moved to Calgary, Tory researched similar organizations like Horse Plus Humane Society within the area and came across Heel and Hoof and she’s been there ever since.
“I commute for half an hour here and then half an hour back and do it seven days a week in the rain, in the mud, in the heat, because for me, this is the grass that’s greener and I have a sense of purpose in helping these horses and supporting someone like Ruth,” said Tory.
Tory, as well as other volunteers like Rosa Gazizova and her daughter, all have one thing in common – the desire to support a cause they feel deeply for.
Gazizova’s daughter had been taking riding lessons for a few years but wanted to spend more time learning how to take care of and grow trusting relationships with horses. The Gazizova’s looked up local rescues and found Heel and Hoof. Once they started volunteering, McDonald gave Gazizova’s daughter lessons on how to take care of horses.
“For me, it was kind of like therapy,” said Gazizova’s daughter. “You help animals and then they kind of do in return.”
Gazizova said that this volunteering position is the perfect fit for those looking to simply spend time with horses and learn the steps and skills it takes to socialize and grow a relationship with a horse.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for people who maybe do not want to ride the horses – it’s not their objective, but they just want to come and spend time with the horses,” said Gazizova.
Big animals, big job
The challenges of running a horse rescue are immense, from veterinary bills, farrier expenses, and feed costs to facility maintenance. McDonald, however, refuses to let financial constraints hinder her mission.
Heel and Hoof, faces a unique funding model, with a mere 10 per cent of its budget coming from donations. The remaining 90 per cent is generously shouldered by McDonald herself.
McDonald did note that she has owners who board their horses on her property which covers the cost of hay, however, because Heel and Hoof provide medical care and will typically keep a rescue for up to a year, it is often the vet bills that typically cost the rescue the most.
Despite facing financial challenges, McDonald has relied on her passion and determination to make a difference.
Most horses come into Heel and Hoof’s care from auctions, however, some are surrendered and on the odd occasion, McDonald has bought horses directly from their owners.
McDonald recalled seeing an ad on Kijiji a couple of years ago for a mare that was selling for $300. When McDonald called the seller and said that a meat buyer would most likely buy the seller’s horse because of the low price, the other person on the phone said that they didn’t care. Within the same day, McDonald had that mare in her care.
“[The seller] had that horse for 20 years, pumping out babies,” said McDonald. “When she was no longer fertile, she kicked her to the curb. That happens a lot.”
She further explained that cases like this are more common than people expect.
“A lot of the ones that the kill buyers buy are lame, or old or are no longer brood mares. They don’t win ribbons anymore, they don’t win races anymore and the owners just throw them aside at the auction,” said McDonald.
Although some people may just not care, others may not understand what could happen to their horse if they let it go to auction.
“A lot of the people don’t understand that when they take their horse to auction, there’s a good chance that will end up for meat,” said McDonald. “If they don’t ride it in the ring and show its potential, that’s the avenue it’s going.”
According to a CBC News article, Canada remains one of the top exporters of horse meat globally.
McDonald’s efforts to rescue horses from this fate not only save individual lives but also contribute to challenging the broader issues surrounding the horse meat industry.
In September 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backed an MP’s proposed bill to end the export of live horses. This support followed promises made by Trudeau in 2021 to stop the exportation.
Advocates like Jann Arden and others have been calling for a change in legislation. Arden has been at the forefront of a campaign to end the export of live horses and had a meeting with Trudeau in July of 2023 to urge the prime minister to stay true to his promise. However, no changes have been made yet according to a Globe and Mail article.
An article by CTV News revealed that more than 25,000 horses are slaughtered annually. But the most concerning issue about the industry that horse advocates are against is the live transport of these animals.
In the same CTV article, Avery Haines explained how thousands of live horses are crammed into wooden crates and flown out of airports in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg weekly. Horses are continuously transported live because horse meat is considered a delicacy in Japan and sells for up to $100 per serving.
This Japanese delicacy is called basashi and is served like sashimi and nigiri, or in other words, raw.
“Japan will only buy them live because they eat the meat raw so they want it fresh,” said McDonald.
It is for this reason, among others, that McDonald is passionate about her cause and hopes to be a place where horses can get a second chance.
“These horses have trusted people all their life. And now we turn around and do that to them. And it’s not pretty how they’re treated in the slaughteryard at all. Not at all,” said McDonald.
Despite this worrisome thought, it is happy endings that truly keep Heel and Hoof operational.
McDonald shared the story of Buffy and Buddy. Both horses came into McDonald’s care in rather rough shape. Buffy, she explained, was skin and bones and was peeing orange. When the vet came to check on Buffy, they said that McDonald was lucky to get to her when she did, otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it.
Now, Buffy is winning ribbons in skijoring and goes mountain climbing with her new owner.
“She’s really transformed into an amazing, amazing horse,” said McDonald.
Buddy, came into Mcdonald’s care as unhealthily skinny and much older than she anticipated. At the auction, the auctioneer stated that he was around 19 years old but once he was checked by a vet, they discovered that he was actually 23. Now, Buddy is 29 and is living his life out in McDonald’s pasture right beside her home.
“He is the kindest, gentlest horse you’d ever find,” said McDonald.
Rescuing a horse
McDonald works tirelessly year-round with her rescue horses, gaining their trust and nursing them back to health with the intention of finding them their next home.
Gary Steffensen bought a mare from McDonald in April of 2023 named Quannah. He said that he wasn’t planning on getting a horse but once he heard Quannah’s story, he knew he could give her a home.
According to Steffensen, Quannah had spent most of her life on the same farm just outside of Okotoks. However, once the municipality expanded its limits, Quannah’s home was no longer allowed to have farm animals because the property was now within city limits.
For this reason, Quannah’s owner had to put her up for sale but because of her breed, a cross-draft horse, she was receiving a lot of calls that seemed suspicious. Draft horses are the top exported breed for horse meat in the industry.
“[Quannah] is a draft horse cross, so she’s a big girl. A lot of times in the industry, we have these people that want to get horses and then turn them into meat,” said Steffenson.
That’s when Quannah’s previous owner found McDonald and was taken into Heel and Hoof’s care.
When Steffenson was preparing to adopt Quannah, McDonald spent a lot of time growing a relationship and getting to know who was potentially going to adopt one of her rescues.
“What’s great about Ruth is she gets to know people before she lets any kind of adoption happen,” said Steffenson.
When April came around, and Quannah went up for adoption, Steffenson said that he and McDonald went through an interview process discussing their philosophies of taking care of animals. McDonald also wanted to understand the intentions Steffenson had for Quannah.
“Fortunately, she let me adopt her from her,” said Steffenson.
Now, Quannah lives happily on Steffenson’s brother-in-law’s farm, living out her days growing a relationship with her new owner.
Steffenson said that if there was one message he could share about adopting animals, it would be that it is important to show these animals that there is love in this world and understand that when you do adopt, you are often giving an animal a second chance and saving them from a worse fate.
“It’s okay to get an older animal because they still have a lot of life left,” said Steffenson. “I have a partner now for hopefully 10 or 15 more years.”
As Ruth focuses on her recovery, the support from the community becomes even more critical. Contributions, both financial and in the form of volunteer assistance, are encouraged to ensure Heel and Hoof can continue its vital mission. McDonald’s dedication, combined with the resilience of her volunteer team, serves as a testament to the power of community and compassion in the face of challenges.
Corrections: This story has been updated with a correct photo of the horse named Buffy in the gallery and with the correction location of Quannah’s home. (Last updated March 8, 2024).
