July 13th we were off in the direction of Creston BC, stopping first at a HH horse farm in Pincher Creek Alberta, called Windy Coulee run by Heidi Eijgel. A little off the beaten path but well worth the trip!! Heidi is a wonderful host and clearly LOVES the animals she has on the farm. She owns Canadian Horses which are a rare breed. The Canadian Horse is the official national horse breed of Canada. Known as the Cheval Canadien, it was declared the National Horse of Canada in April 2002. This breed is famous for its strength, endurance, and versatility, earning it the nickname “Little Iron Horse”. It has a rich history, tracing back to horses sent from France in the 1600s.
Heidi joined us in the RV for a bevi which turned into a Q&A period with Barb asking most of the questions. Good ones we might add. As with all farms, you have livestock & you have deadstock (Jim Lindsay will appreciate that comment) so Barb was quite interested in learning if it is OK to bury a dead horse (obviously, not a live one) on the farm that is deemed “Native Grasslands and Conservation Land”. Like all good farmers, the shrug of the shoulders from Heidi, and the “no big deal” attitude, let us know that the burial of a horse is just a way of life and it is OK to bury a horse on her farm.
As we travel it is important to us that we give back any way that we can. This time at Heidi’s, it was Winston who did the contribution of giving back. It just so happened that Heidi wanted a video of her Canadian horses running, which is quite stunning, for her website but she has never been able to capture this yet on film. SO, in comes Winston. The horses were quite interested in him and always seemed to run towards him when he came out of the RV for a walk. So we had Winston run along the gate (Lori ran ahead and Winston chased her) and the horses ran along side him. OK for those of you who know Winston, it was more of a jaunt and gallop than a run but it worked none the less. Barb caught this on video and low and behold, we now have Canadian horses running for Heidi. Well done Winston!
Heidi has placed a conservation easement on her land to protect the natural prairie and riparian habitats, ensuring a sustainable future for both the horses and the ecosystem. It’s clear Heidi likes both the land and the animals on her farm. Her heritage chickens were beautiful, sociable and well taken care of. Heidi built an untreated wall of wood outdoors for Mason Bees to nest and lay their eggs. This was well placed by her large garden of veggies and flowers. These bees are excellent pollinators. We had the opportunity to introduce Heidi to black garlic and traded it for some garlic scapes fresh from her garden, which Barb is excited to try. This is one stop we will not forget.
