A man on a Chilcotin Holidays has one saddle horse, one rifle one shaker of salt, and nothing more.. he s gloriously free... Paul St Pier quote-at Chilcotin Holidays
After stoking up on breakfast, Kevan instructed us on the proper methods of handling a horse in rugged terrain. We were joined on our journey by Sandra and Kris, avid riders from Vancouver who found the ranch a respite from the rigors of their medical careers, and an opportunity to indulge their penchant for hiking, camping and horsebacking.
The cayus is a Heinz-57 variety of horse that runs wild in the mountains until recruited and trained for duty on the ranch. They are of average size and hardy. These horses have been living in these moutains for centuries, so the breed is now a sturdy even-tempered that has adapted to its enviroment terains. They are surefooted they are the best on these steep mountains.
The horses were struggling through their first ride of the season. After spending summer months carrying riders hundreds of miles over the mountainous terrain they regain lost weight by bulking up on hay and oats during chilly Nothern winters, protected from the elements by three-inch thick coats of hair. I empathised with them. Since I'd spent the winter bulking up on junk food and keeping a keen eye on the electric blanket control, I had a winter coat of my own.
"Moose scat," Len said two hours later, using a socially acceptable method of describing fresh sign he spotted in the snow. "We saw a bull and calf up near Beaver lake last fall, so let's head up that way, and see what we can locate," he said, then gave Mr.T a nudge in the direction of Wilt Chamberlain-sized footprints in the snow. During summer months the area is over run by mountain goats, big horn sheep and deer.
Len then led us on the skilful retreat to the bottom of the mountain, blazing new trails over downed trees and portaging swollen creeks.