Wendee Cristante has devoted her life to rescuing horses but after floods ravaged southeastern Alberta June 18, she needed rescuing.Cristante is the leader of the Canadian Clyde Ride Team, a draft horse show team. This spring, she moved to a ranch owned by George Ehret in the Cypress Hills area to prepare three of her horses for a summer display at the Echo Dale Farm and Park in Medicine Hat.A storm and flood hit the area June 18. Nearly two metres of water flooded into the basement of the farmhouse and her three horses were trapped for more than 12 hours in belly high waters in a barn located not far from the main creek that runs through the property.She contacted the Western Producer via e-mail because she has no land lines or cellular phone service. The internet connection comes from a satellite mounted on the roof of the farmhouse where she is staying.”We were unable to get them sooner, due to the dangerous rapid waters that surrounded us…,” she wrote.Ehret made his way to the barn and rescued the horses. Cristante found them five days later when she climbed up a coulee ridge to find cellphone service. “I had not seen them since their desperate release to higher ground five days ago. I didn’t even know if they were still alive,” she said. “Spiritually, it would have broken me had things ended differently for my horses.”By June 25, electricity had been restored and the farm wells were functioning properly but the main road to the ranch was washed out.George Ehret’s son, Seth, and others paddled through muddy waters by canoe to bring supplies. A crew of 15 men from a church at Tilley came with their trucks and machinery to help restore some conveniences.Cristante has decided to stay on the ranch to help rebuild rather than attend horse shows this summer.Doug Henderson of Cypress County said the cleanup continues. The standing water is draining away and 90 percent of roads and approaches have been repaired. Seventeen bridges in the county have been restored.Aid is available to eligible property owners through the province’s Disaster Recovery Programs.”Help is on the way,” said Alison Keppler of Alberta municipal affairs.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers commit to enhancing competitiveness
Canadian ag ministers said they want to ensure farmers, ranchers and processors are competitive through ongoing regulatory reform and business risk management programs that work.
