The transition officially began in January of 2021, when the board of the old Silver Saddle voted to transfer the restaurant to the daycare. Although first opened in 2003 with high hopes, and significant success for a time, the restaurant was not able to hold on to managers and travelling customers, and was last open in 2019. Robertson said the discussions on the possibility of moving the daycare in had started about a year before the actual decision.
She said there was a lot of work that had to be done on the inside, as requirements for daycares are very specific, and between the planning and execution, it took a lot of time. There was also a fair bit of work outside, such as landscaping that had to be completed. Overall, the cost was about $300,000. Robertson said they did a lot of fundraising, they received donations and grants and they had some cash on hand to help.
Mini Mustang had operated out of an older house on Wright Street for about 20 years. There were many reasons the move to the Silver Saddle building was positive. For one, at close to 1,700 square feet, it is about double the space.
“There is room for more kids, which we get government grants for. It allows us to have better areas allocated for staff space, for offices, and washrooms.”
She added they would have had to do major renovations to the previous location as well. A much newer building was a better bet by far. As well, they are closer to the school and the area they run some programs out of, so it is more convenient and safer for the kids travelling back and forth. Robertson added they still have the old building and will be likely selling it.
Right now, Mini Mustang still has four infants, but they are able to increase their pre-school numbers by four to a total of 20. Robertson said they also run an after school program. Right now, they are not looking at adding new programs, but will be enjoying the added space.
All of the kids were in for their first day on Monday,  October 24. Robertson said they did not get much of a sneak peek at their new home away from home, but were excited when introduced to it.
“They were very excited,” she said. “Their reaction was priceless. ‘We have a new daycare.’ In fact, the open house was the first time most people in the community, those who weren’t working on it, were able to see it. It was really neat to see people who established the restaurant all those years ago come in and see what we had done. They were glad to see it being used and thriving.”
There is a certain satisfaction not only in getting an important job done, but also in being able to re-use a community resource. Mini Mustang Corral is a huge part of Minto, and attracting people to the town. The Silver Saddle was also a large part of the community, and the ability to keep the efforts of those who established it living for future generations is a major part of the story.
“Absolutely, it is good to have a full building in a small town, and financially it made sense too. It has really worked out great.”

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff