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The Mitchell Centre is a non profit, non political, charitable organization. Our main purpose is to rescue reusable and young horses from needless slaughter and return them to the equestrian public.

Alberta is the home of some of the best equestrian venues in the world; Spruce Meadows is ranked #1 in the world of show jumping. Horses from all over North America come to the, "Greatest Show on earth - The Calgary Stampede" to compete in all forms of Equine Classes. The shows at these events get TV coverage around the world. And all appears well for the horse world, but - and there is always a but, these venues only show the tip of the iceberg, or the best of the best.

What about the rest of the story? The parts of the horse world that nobody wants to talk about. Things like ignorance, neglect, and slaughter of our equine friends. Does anybody really care? Or does the public just not know?

To those of you who don't know us, that's where we come in. The Mitchell Centre for Equine Rescue and Education was established to save young, healthy, reusable horses from going to slaughter. We also educate the public on the inner works of the horse industry as a whole.

You will note that I left the word "abused" out of the statement; "ignorance, neglect and slaughter". The percentage of obvious abuse that I have seen in Alberta horses is very small, not to say that it doesn't exist, but that is what the S.P.C.A. is for, not us. Did you know that the S.P.C.A. was formed over 30 years ago in Alberta? Not because people were doing such a great job looking after their stock, but because some people were not!

There are many people out there who believe that most of the horses that go to slaughter are either old, crippled or abused. That's what the Horse Industry would like you to believe, nothing could be further from the truth. Here is an interesting fact; 85% of Alberta horses are privately owned, of that 85%, Close to 70% of the horses are owned by women in the age range of 16 to 45 (age of the women, not the horses). Does that mean that 70% of the horses we see going to slaughter are abused by women??? The other 15% by the way are what is called commercial herds; horses raised for slaughter, or pmu barns.

Horses still go to slaughter in Canada by the thousands now, today, as well as last year and the year before that. Here are the numbers for the last 4 years. 1998 - 65,402, 1999 - 62,351, 2000 - 60,955, 2001, 66,255, 2002 - 65,029.

Not all these horses need to be there. If only 10% of these horses had been saved, 31,999 could possibly still be with us today.

How can you help us help them? Educate yourself about horses. If you own a horse, dedicate more time to learning more about training and caring for it. Attend clinics and frequently practice what you have learned. Let others know about the Mitchell Centre and what it represents.

Support our cause through donation of:

• Time - Volunteers are always appreciated.
• Financial support - Whether through a direct donation or by supporting our fundraising events, every dollar helps. Tax receipts provide upon request.
• Spare tack - From lead ropes to saddles, we can find a use for any donated item in working condition.
• Items - Got extra fencing materials, horse feed or auctionable items? We want them!