Ranch

As previously mentioned, it had always been a dream of my parents to own a ranch at some point. Well, eventually they made their dream come true in 1995, when they found a ranch in the tiny community of Horsefly, located in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The place had been vacant for two years and it took a lot of work to get things operational again. A fencing system was virtually non-existing, the corral was more than rotten, the roof in the house was leaking, and the surrounding area looked more like a used car dealer lot with more than 30 remains of what used to be trucks at one time scattered around.

Big Bear Ranch

The first priority, of course, was to renovate the entire house before getting too carried away with the ranch itself. We put on a new roof, ripped out the old fireplace, put in new windows, carpet and so on. A few years later, we even managed to build a pond in front of the house, which we also use for swimming in the summertime.

Next we had to dig up all the old waterpipes and put in new ones, since the old pipes constantly broke, leaving us with no water. After that happened a number of times, we finally had enough and decided that a water system like that was not reliable enough to supply cattle with water during the hot summer months. Well, since we had all the trenches dug up anyways, my parents decided to put the power in the ground as well, to keep me from ripping down the power lines with the tractor for the second time. Ooops! As you can see, one thing led to the another...

The Rusty Remains Of A Truck

The Ranchhouse In 1995

Markus On Top Of The New Gate

After we had the new pipes in the ground, we started working on the fencing system. The existing barb wire fences were in rather poor shape and mostly consisted of the wire holding up the posts instead of the posts holding up the wire. The old saying of "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" also proved to be true as soon as we had the first cows on the fields. Therefore, we thought we'd give the electric fencing system a try with the hope that it would stop the cattle of wandering around as they pleased. Well, one thing is for sure, the cows learned to respect electricity very quickly. And so did we! After getting zapped a few times, you quickly figured out that touching the wire was not a good idea. At first it was very slow going putting up the new fences, however, after learning from your mistakes for a little while, it was more routine than anything. During the last eight years, we have added over 50 km of new fences in addition to the already existing 10 km or so of barb wire. This has made the rotation of the livestock for grazing much easier as compared to the first years on the ranch. We are using what is called the "strip grazing" method, where the cattle is given a new strip of grass daily. By having a permanent fence on either side of the field, the strip size can be varied depending on the size of the group of cattle, simply by adjusting the single temporary wire, which runs in between the two side fences. Having the flexibility of the temporary wire also allows you to close off the grazed part of the field, giving the grass a chance to grow back more quickly without the constant lawnmower action of the cows attacking it.

The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side

During the summer of 1995, we had lots of help from both local as well as friends from overseas. Being a carpenter at the time, Markus was very good with chainsaws and as such he was a big help in building the ranch gate. After a few days of work, we finally put it up on a nice and sunny day.

The Ranchhouse Now

Some Curious Cows

With most of the fencing system in place now, it has enabled us to graze between 500 to 800 head of cattle, in addition to our own, during the summer and into the early fall. In the first years we put up hay on the fields rather than grazing them, but soon found it more profitable to buy the hay needed for the winter and offer more custom grazing instead. During the past years we have had people from British Columbia as well as Alberta bring their cattle for grazing.

Barry Having Supper

Next in line are our Icelandic Horses, which we use for checking the cows as well as for the pure enjoyment of riding through the forests or along the trails. During the summer, we usually have one or two girls, who help out with the training of the young ones, which don't get ridden before they reach a minimum age of five years. Once they are trained, we also sell some of them to interested individuals either by ourselves or through the Icelandic Horse Farm in Vernon, British Columbia. The Icelandics are a very hardy and strong breed of horse, which do well in grazing even through a foot of snow. This among other characteristics makes the Icelandic well suited for this kind of environment, and also explains why they are a popular horse among outfitters in places such as Alaska.

Icelandic Horses

Icelandics

Besides the cattle and horses, we also have chicken, cats, pigs and dogs as well as a variety of wildlife such as moose, deer, wolves, cougars, bears, coyotes, eagles, geese, and cranes to name a few, who constantly roam across the fields or sneak around in the forest.

When we're not busy working with the animals, we can also be found harvesting some trees for lumber. We cut most of our own wood needed to build new sheds, additions and even furniture. The type of trees we cut range from poplar and birch to spruce, pine and fir, depending on what it is needed for. Once the trees are fallen and pulled out, we get a local friend to cut them with his Woodmizer. Some of our wood is even going to Germany, where it is being used by Sascha and Christian to build furniture.

Spruce

Bill Cutting A Fir

Summers are always a busy time, as we usually have many friends, relatives and other people on the ranch. Some stay for only a few days, while others stay for a month or longer, helping out with the daily chores such as moving the cattle, training the horses, working in the greenhouse, or getting firewood for the long wintermonths. The summer of 2001 was especially busy with usually 10 or more people around. However, with that many hands, a great deal is usually accomplished as well. During that summer we put up the second cabin, this one on top of the hill with a great view over part of the ranch and the mountains in the background. A year before that, we put up the first cabin, which is closer to the house. Besides using these cabins to accommodate our friends, they are also rented out to people, who like to get away from the hectic city environment and simply relax. It is always fun, putting up something yourself or together with the help of some friends, which makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable. There would be too many names to list whose help and company has been great over the past years!

Sascha In A Good Mood

The Second Cabin In Its Early Stage

Well, I hope that this gives you a quick overview of what the ranch is all about. However, I could keep on writing for a long time, and still not cover everything, which suggests the best thing to do is come and see for yourself! For all of those who have been here before, maybe we'll see you again soon.

Friends In Front Of The First Cabin

Barry Working Hard

Interested Piggies

The Finished Product

Grazing Cattle

Bacon