Meet the Owner of Handy Hay Nets
Ali Barker
Alexandra (Ali) Barker was born in the prairies of Saskatchewan and spent the early years of her childhood there. Her family then moved to the Kootenays, in British Columbia, where Ali spent her formative years living on farming homesteads. From an early age, it was clear that Ali loved animals of all shapes and sizes, though none as much as the horse. Her experience and love of animal husbandry only grew over the years and led to her getting her first horse when she was 15. She has spent time working on ranches as well as working towards a certification in equine sport therapy, which unfortunately was cut short due to a riding injury that broke her collarbone.
Ali and her gelding Pavi.
Ali was introduced to slow feeding and hay nets in 2020, when she had a gelding under her care that cribbed, and had other behavioural issues. She reached out for advice online, and Marie Racine (the founder of HHN) responded. Ali was able to implement a slow feeding system with Marie’s help, and it greatly improved the quality of not only that gelding, but all of her horses lives.
Ali’s background in equine physiology, and her first hand experience with slow feeding and natural forage has led her to be a fierce advocate for providing species appropriate care for her animals. With this in mind, it was an easy and enthusiastic “yes!” when Marie reached out to ask if she would like to carry on the Handy Hay Nets business.
With a passion for supporting equine and livestock owners in providing exceptional care for their animals, while saving themselves time, Ali is excited to provide the same high quality products that Marie developed over the years — which Handy Hay Nets customers have come to know and love.
Ali and her gelding Trigger.
Today, Ali is the proud guardian of two beloved geldings, Trigger and Pavi, and two loving dogs, Buckley and Birdie. When she isn’t stitching hay nets in her home office, she can often be seen on the local trails with her animals.
A special thank you to my photographer Brynne Carra for these gorgeous shots.
Marie Racine founded Handy Hay Nets in late winter of 2013. After 11 years of serving animals and the humans that care for them, she decided it was time to hand the reins over to someone else.
Thank you Marie and Happy Trails!