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Horsing-around for Telemiracle

Mar 1, 2011 | 10:37 AM

Roy McDougall has a long three days ahead of him.

The Prince Albert man is leaving the city Thursday morning for a three-day trek to Saskatoon by horse-drawn wagon.

He is doing it as a fundraiser for Telemiracle — it’s something he has wanted to do for years.

“Nothing has come out of P.A. for quite some time and I said this is the year to do it. I have the horses and they’re ready to go, so we are ready too,” he said.

“We started driving these horses on Dec. 20, we’re driving (them) just about every day, cold or not. We drove all weekend at the Winter Festival.

“We put the horses through crowds so they are used to people they are used to vehicles, we’re ready.”
McDougall has four good reasons to be supporting the Saskatchewan charity.

“I had a daughter I lost when she was 18 months old and I have a grandson that’s a little slow and I got one that’s in a wheel chair and my wife’s cousin’s got one that took his voice away, he can’t talk,” he said.

He leaves from Canadian Tire for his trek at 9 a.m. Thursday morning.

“The weather, cold or not, I am going anyways, unless it is really storming that you can’t see the road then we’ve got to pull it to the side,” he said.

McDougall will head to Duck Lake on the first day. Friday he will travel to Hague or Osler depending on what time it is. On Saturday they will make it to Saskatoon.

They will be travelling on the side of the highway with a rubber-tire wagon with trucks with flashing lights in front and behind them.

“We’re prepared if people want to stop us. If they want to donate money the horses are calm, so if people want to stop us and donate money we will stop for them,” he said, adding he already surpassed his fundraising goal.

McDougall originally was hoping to bring $2,000 with him to Saskatoon. He has already hit the $3,000 mark and it not ready to quit.

Wednesday there will be a $4 pancake breakfast at Humpty’s from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All the money raised is going with him to Saskatoon for Telemiracle.

“It’s a good cause people so let’s give as much as we can.”

McDougall will hit the Telemiracle stage between 12:45 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

klavoie@panow.com