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until her facility was built. John has a gift training young horses with several championship titles to his credit. He did not miss a day putting them through their paces as he continued the backing process. The benefit was reciprocal; the reassuring routine of doing what we do best helped us cope with the uncertainty of the eventual outcome.


THE WAIT IS OVER This state of limbo prevailed for two weeks. The welcome news of the fire’s containment and lift of evacuation status was greeted with laughter and an emotional high as we once again loaded Gary’s big transporter and set out for home. Forever optimistic, we added a 16-year-old dressage schoolmaster to the load. This gentleman had given his best to young competitors and was ready for an easier life; surely Drifter was the dream come true for a future client. As Dreamcatcher Meadows drew near, I was filled with so many conflicting


feelings—gratitude, relief, peacefulness. We decided I would get out at the house to check things and rejoin the crew at the barn. As the transporter carried on I looked at our jungle of a garden and literally skipped with the prospect of still being able to spend hours enjoying my second passion. I opened the front door—and—could not believe it when stinky, dirty water oozed out. The hardwood floors were covered in slime and a quick inspection saw that pipes had burst, clearly some time ago as it was travelling up drywall. I sprinted (an exaggeration as I have a leg disability) to the barn to learn the same was being discovered in the tack room. We can only speculate on the origins—old pipes not able to withstand the pressure from the irrigation system fighting the fire? Not the homecoming we had anticipated. After shutting off all water sources, the unaffected stalls were bedded down and we prepared for another night in the trailer. It was home. Just rather soggy. Of paramount importance was to get the mares with foals at foot and


young stock home. The travel weary herd was clearly pleased to be back to their cosy residence and first class care. (See this issue’s cover photo.) I wish I could say that this story concludes with all warm and fuzzy feelings


and happy outcomes. But as I mentioned in part one, my reason for sharing our story is to hopefully help a reader avoid some of the unpleasantness we experienced (see sidebar “Lessons Learned”). This is in no way to take away from the kindness and generosity shown us during the evacuation process, but rather to convey a full picture. It is our experience, that when there is a disaster, the adrenalin and excitement concomitant with the initial event propels man and beast to perform miraculous feats. On the flip side, when it is all over it is like yesterday’s news—no one is really interested and it is a struggle to find the energy to clean up and try get back into a regular schedule. Furthermore, people that you would expect to be there for you may not be those that rise to the occasion. As much as we would like to think equine communities will pull together, after discussion with others who have survived emergencies, we have found that Pemberton is not alone in being quite fractious. Don’t expect this to suddenly change in dire situations. Many of our possessions were damaged or destroyed during the hasty


removal, none of which was covered by insurance. The monumental task of mopping up the flood aftermath, moving back in and trying to find some semblance of normalcy was much more difficult than the actual evacuation. The mess was indescribable. Although our energy levels were at an all time low for the demanding job, we did it ourselves or with paid labor. The best analogy I can think of is divorce or a death; at the outset of the drama there is an abundance of comfort and support but the attitude of “get on with it” soon


Above: Gary Brewster winning Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Program on stallion Lokomotion. Photo by Totem Photography Below: Jill on Dreamcatcher at Canadian Regional Championships Intermediare 1. Photo by Agramark Art Photography


Warmbloods Today 15


“The threats of the wildfires taught us to never be complacent, but most importantly, to value and be grateful for what we already have.”


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