Sisters Laura and Rhonda Stock have always loved animals.
They bought a farm 20 kilometres southwest of Estevan 12 years ago because they wanted to have animals on their land.
Now they have launched Happy Little Hooves Pony and Donkey Sanctuary Inc., a non-profit organization that assists those animals. Rhonda Stock is the president, while Laura is the vice-president. Jeanita Beauregard is also on their board.
Happy Little Loves had its genesis in 2011 when the Stocks purchased their first two donkeys, and they promptly fell in love with the animals.
“We wanted to do a donkey sanctuary, and then last year, we were given a mini horse who had really bad feet, and it grew to include the minis – the mini horses and the mini mules after that,” Laura said in an interview with Lifestyles.
The sanctuary opened on Jan. 24.
“We have six that are specifically sanctuary animals,” said Laura.
The two mini donkeys, Henrietta and Horton, are still on their land, and they have four miniature horses.
The Stocks provide a lifelong home to the animals, where they are safe from harm and abuse. They provide veterinary care, hoof care and a loving home.
It’s not a rescue shelter or a place where the animals are up for adoption.
“We decided to do a sanctuary specifically, because if we just did a rescue, and re-homed them, we wouldn’t be assured that they wouldn’t go back into a bad situation,” said Laura.
Happy Little Hooves has two ways for people to bring in animals. One is for the owner to surrender the animal. The other is through their registration with Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan.
“We will take in these minis that have been taken from bad situations,” said Laura.
They hope to eventually expand and have more animals in their care, but they need donations to purchase materials for fencing.
“We’re hoping to put in another pasture this spring so we can accept more,” said Laura.
It’s not a full-time job yet for the sisters. They hope it can eventually become self-sufficient, and a full-time career for both of them. Right now Rhonda trims horse hooves for a living, and Laura works with her.
The Stocks grew up in a small town near Assiniboia, but always yearned to be on a farm with horses. Laura was living in Carnduff when Rhonda asked her in 2007 if she wanted to buy a farm.
“We had dogs and cats, but we never had the large animals,” said Laura. “That was always the dream, to own horses and such, but that wasn’t a reality until we bought the place in 2007.”
At first they couldn’t imagine starting a sanctuary.
“It basically grew out of us getting donkeys in 2011,” said Laura. “We originally were hoping to breed and sell quarter horses, but we found out we sucked at selling, so we changed our focus.”
When the Stocks purchased the farm 12 years ago, it was strictly a grain farm. They installed all of the fencing themselves. There has been a lot of work and planning for contingencies associated with the sanctuary, such as if they get a pregnant mare, or if they get a horse that’s sick and needs to be quarantined.
Starting a sanctuary was a lot of work. They took courses on nutrition, and Rhonda has done a lot of research on hooves and how to care for ponies. She now specializes in minis.
It’s been worth it, though, because they have been able to help the little animals.
“We’ve had a couple come in with really bad hooves,” said Laura. “It’s not any fault of their owners, they foundered and the hooves got away on the owners, so they gave the horses to us so we can look after their feet.”
Now the animals are running around and enjoying their surroundings.
While Happy Little Hooves is new, the Stocks’ animals have been visible in the community. The Stocks have taken Horton the donkey and Poker the pony to events in the Estevan area, allowing the public and the animals to interact.
“They love people, and people just adore them,” said Laura. “They are always a big hit wherever they go, and now that we have more minis, when we take animals to a vet, we’ll be able to bring the other guys, too.”
The shelter accepts donations through cash contributions, and supporters can also sponsor a donkey or one of the miniature animals.
While Happy Little Hooves is a registered non-profit, it isn’t a charitable organization. Laura expects that will happen within the next year-and-a-half. In the meantime, the Stocks will continue to provide care for the animals that have found their way to Happy Little Hooves.
