Willow Creek Stables

Willow Creek Stables Willow Creek is home to 23 critically endangered Newfoundland ponies! We are a not for profit rescue

Critically endangered Newfoundland Ponies

It may have ears that are furry and short, and a low-set tail that’s as rough as a bottle brush, but it’s strong, brave, and endlessly forgiving. There was a time in Newfoundland when ponies were as plentiful as dories and cod—a time when human survival depended on the shaggy, sure-footed descendents of Mountain and Moorland breeds that arrived there as l

ivestock with the first British settlers. But progress put the ponies to pasture, and by the 1980s their numbers had plummeted from more than 12,000 to fewer than 100, as meat trucks carried loads of them to processing plants in Quebec. Despite the harsh conditions of life on the land, Newfoundland ponies bred and prospered over the years, adapting to everything that nature and man could throw their way. But as tough as the ponies were, they were no match for machines. Tractors, snowmobiles and ATVs took their jobs, and in the 1970s, communities enacted anti-roaming laws that required ponies to be fenced in, taking away their primary food source. Unable to afford to feed the animals year-round, owners sold them to the highest bidder, which in many cases was a meat truck.

It was a brutally cold day with high winds and blowing snow. Our camp activities were mostly inside the old barn, the re...
03/17/2026

It was a brutally cold day with high winds and blowing snow. Our camp activities were mostly inside the old barn, the red barn and the shed. Our barn cat George actively got involved in our games while we warmed up. It was a big day for Bobby being saddled and carrying weight. We had just started working on training Bobby before the cancer diagnosis and so his training has been on hold. We are starting from square one. Bobby did so well and it’s a good learning experience for our camp kids to get an idea of how much time, patience and work it is to get a pony started as a riding pony.

We are all a little Irish on March 17th! ☘️
03/17/2026

We are all a little Irish on March 17th! ☘️

03/17/2026
🍀🍀 "The best of luck will always wait upon you if you pick up on the road a horse's shoe."🍀☘️
03/17/2026

🍀🍀 "The best of luck will always wait upon you if you pick up on the road a horse's shoe."🍀☘️

We could not have asked for a better first day of camp. Kindle accepted touch, love and attention from our camp crew! We...
03/16/2026

We could not have asked for a better first day of camp. Kindle accepted touch, love and attention from our camp crew! We are so proud of her.
This wonderful group started their day with pony care making sure the ponies were fed, stalls cleaned and barn swept as well as all the hay bags have been filled. We moved on to ground work. Ground work activities is one of the ways some of our senior ponies get to actively participate in camp. Our riding component was working on a butterfly pattern that focused on bending, weaving and turning. We ended our day with a horse trivia race game. We are so proud of the camp ponies. This is an amazing group of young people who care very much about the Willow Creek ponies.

03/16/2026
They say you should remember and honour the family that have come and gone before you, because they had a hand in shapin...
03/15/2026

They say you should remember and honour the family that have come and gone before you, because they had a hand in shaping who you are. George was Wayne’s grandfather and this barn we have all come to love as a second home once held his horses Bonnie & Belle. We now have a sign on the feed room door for Grandpa George. We also cleaned up his driving harness, some brushes and rasps he would have used and hung them on the walls. Notice his hand writing on the door noting the date his horse Belle foaled. We love this old barn and thought we would share some photos of the loft. We think Grandpa George would be pleased to know his barn is full and to know how many amazing horses and ponies have come through the doors as rescues on their path to a better future.

You can’t change a pony’s past but you can rewrite her future! 🌸 Sweetie 🌸
03/15/2026

You can’t change a pony’s past but you can rewrite her future! 🌸 Sweetie 🌸

Indy is proud to call Willow Creek Stables home. We love this sweet boy and think he makes a fantastic model for barn sw...
03/14/2026

Indy is proud to call Willow Creek Stables home. We love this sweet boy and think he makes a fantastic model for barn swag.

“At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we ...
03/14/2026

“At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, it's usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need.”

Captain says “are we doing Winter or Spring today?” It would appear that we are doing both Captain Sweetapple. Hold you ...
03/13/2026

Captain says “are we doing Winter or Spring today?” It would appear that we are doing both Captain Sweetapple. Hold you horses on Spring as 10 to 15cm of snow is heading our way.

Devlin’s first favourite thing is his feed bucket but his second favourite thing is fluffy stall shavings.
03/13/2026

Devlin’s first favourite thing is his feed bucket but his second favourite thing is fluffy stall shavings.

Address

2351 Christie Lake Road
Perth, ON
K7H3C6

Telephone

+16132675123

Website

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