getting ready for winter

some must have :

long johns

scarf/hat (or toque for Canadians)

light gloves

work gloves

sunglasses

tea bottle (with grid)

good warm socks (still to come from bass pro on my way back)

warm jacket multilayer compatible (hideous but 15$ at the coop it isn't bad)

what else?

the saskatchewan flag is actually a must have for homesickness because I know it's comming that way too.

comments to the pictures

I wrote that entry once before and internet being itself, it got lost. So this is going to be short and synthetic.

really busy time before leaving, getting ready to get the cows in and sorted. Fall being the season when the most cows and calves are sold.

fencing. nearby pasture for the next 2 months and pens for the winter.

preg checking at George's. so he can decides wich heifers he's selling. Wonderfull experience working cows with April. Best time of the summer I think.

The grass is low so it's time for everybody to go home. So, time to castrate the yearlings, Casper and Haggis, before Dale pick them up.

The colt, Georgie, 4months, had a hernia. So he got fixed be Ed the vet.

the cold is starting so we follow with cutting and choping wood for the stoves.

There were 2 horse meetings. The big horseshow from the horseclub with one day english and the other one western. For convinience reasons I ended up doing a trail class with April. First time there and even I was really impressed by her. Calm, focussed but a little bit confused on the L sideways and the gate. Great for a very first time as a green horse without specific training. too bad I can't take her home with me, she'll do a perfect TREC horse.

One competitive trail ride at Kelly's. April jumped so good for a second time. Amazing feeling too.

Oh and I rode her bareback. There is no word for that. It was almost as good as the cow work at George's.

=> really pleased with my last week with April. I miss her really a lot already. and believe me, I'm not a cheesy person.

Now I'm in Salmon Arm after a few days in Jasper. The rockies are still gorgeous, even more than in summer I find. The acrage I'm staying is a really different enviroment. There are lots of opportunities to learn and the temperature is milder. So let's see how I settle down in a week.

Salmon Arm

First sorry for not having written in a while.

So as you know I had a magnificent trip from Jasper to Salmon Arm. but what happened since then?

As usual, settling down to a new house ended up being quite challenging for me. I left chaotic but beloved Meadow Lake for the unknown which is a british family with very british runned stables. 10 horses : 5 full time in the paddocks and 5 are in stables at night and in the paddocks during daytime. We can only ride 3 of them, the rest is either to small (a pony) or boarding horses.

The helpers' job is to feed, move and muck out the horses morning and evening. Exercice them following Becky's (the boss) training program : a rotation of flat work, longeing, jumping and (very) short hack.

So in term of riding, it's only english style, depending on the skills of other helpers every second or third day and no more than 2h a day. After training April on my own and riding up to 5-6 hours a day it is frustrating. Although I get  that in term of helpX you meet all kinds of people and as an host, you have to have time to ger to know and trust your helpers. One sign more that it's time to come back home and build my life.

With time it's getting better here and there a lot for me to learn in term of training eventing horses and of course english riding. Becky looks like a great teacher so I hope I'll get a lesson from her soon. :-)

I'll keep you updated of my riding progression.

Otherwise Salmon Arm is really big and civilized compared to ML. I even got an haircut (successfull).

the art of travelling during fall

After 1 day in the car and 2 days in Jasper I decided to take the 8 hours drive to Salmon Arm easy and stop in Golden a town just below Yoho National Park.

So today, my eyes are almost sore from so many beautifull mountains under the fall's snow.

and my back well rested in huge comfy couches of the very cosy dreamcatcher hostel.

So I can't complain about not being rested before going to my next helpX in Salmon Arm.

Pictures

Just the pictures for now, the comments are comming sometime

back in Meadow

Here comes a point to say that whatever happens I kind of always end up back in Meadow Lake, SK. Who would have thought? Saskatchewan, really ?!? 

I was supposed to spent 10 extra days exploring the mountain but Leonard's truck got stollen and plans changed. So I'm back in Meadow again learning how to shop for a truck. And in addition being told that I drive my car like a race car, that's bad on gas, engine and clutch and that I should change the oil and clean the air filter every time it's due. Yes that's maybe not a big news for car caring people but I obviously ain't that kind ( ^^ ). If you treat your car well it isn't rare that you go over 400 000km. I found 217000 not bad but I guess it's only a start. I'm young, my car is young (or so it appears) so maybe we'll go another 10 000km together. (yes I put 10 000km on her in 4months).

about horses, I'll say it again because She so great : April is AMAZING. thank you marilyn to let me ride her and having put shoes on her.

Kananaskis Ride

Finally I arrived in Black Diamond almost two weeks ago. Met Jane and Leonard who were starting to set the camp at Anchor D, Lenard's friend ranch. traded my car for one of L's horses. So tuesday afternoon, up we go to sentinel along the highwood river were the camp is set in the bush along a nice creek running down from zephir mountain.

A normal day at camp is up at 6am, let the horses out graze with hubbles and bells on so that they don't go on their own for a ride. then after a snooze, breakfast cooked on the fire (pancakes toasts and eggs depending of the days), water the horses on the creek, grain them, saddle them and off we go for a 4/5h ride with usually a break at the top of the mountain looking for wildlife with binoculars while eating our sandwiches. I didn't had any lucky of seeing anything but deers and sheep along the road. the scenery is amazing though.

then coming back at camp, grazing, cooking, dishes and bed.

the rest of the crew, Marilyn, Kelly, Jane + boyfriend Sol and helper Leila from George's came in after an eventfull journey with a grumpy truck last monday night. The camp got a lot more lively and noisy but it felt like a christmas morning openning your gifts with family and friends : wonderful!

so now, pictures !