I live on the farm with my husband and six horses (my own plus 3 boarders), seven cats, and one dogs. We are "retired." I am looking for a person to help me with the horses. I practice regenerative farming, so the work depends on the season. The horse work is year round. You need to be competent with horses. I have things I would like you to do with them.
I spread compost in August, September. Composting is important for improving our soil. It was logged and cleared so any existing top soil was removed. So far, the soil is looking much better (lots of worms, hardly any weeds/invasive plants. In July, we haul hay for the year's supply. It isn't hard work as the bales are 5x5 round bales. The hardest part is getting the tie down straps over the load. Fences need to be repaired or checked, grass monitored, and unwanted plants removed. September is spent getting ready for winter and working the horses as it is cooler. This year I hope to have the barn painted with linseed oil paint. .
I like to start work at 10 am by calling the horses in, watering the arena. Feeding, grooming, tacking up, working the horse, feeding, grooming, turning out. Finish about 1 pm.
I practice positive reinforcement when working with the horses. I follow the International Society of Equine Science research for the care of my horses: The 5 Freedoms: forage, freedom to move, friends, and freedom from harm. ISES have an annual conference somewhere in the world. This year it is in Denmark. Their website has information on research for horse care, handling, and riding. I hope to attend So no woofers then.
What would I teach? It depends on what the woofer can do. For a very experienced rider, I have 2 born wild horses that I would like ridden and progressed to jumping, trail riding. My horses ride in an English saddle. No western riding here. (just to be clear).
Having a horse farm is more than just feeding horses. They need to be trained and handled. Safety around horses is the same as when working with cattle or sheep. The skills you gain working with horses here are transferable to other animals. I have many decades of experience and training with horses. The living conditions for horses and other animals are the same: healthy animals live in a healthy environment.
I knit, quilt/sew, and would love to have a woofer interested in creating. I have a backstrap loom, inkle, and will have a loom that is older than backstrap loom soon. I have 2 spinning wheels and raw and cleaned fleeces from sheep up the road. It would be fun to have someone work with me. I plan to start weaving raw fleece with a peg loom
We eat dinner in the evening at about 7 pm. We grocery shop once a week. Bill will take you shopping for food you particularly like. Breakfast is up to you. I like to get up early. My husband doesn't. What we do depends on the season (haying) and weather and what has come up. I like to have regular hours. You would work 3-4 hours a day 5 days a week. The hours depend on how many horses we are able to work.
The accommodation is a bedroom in the basement (it is a nice room which the photo doesn't show well). There is a bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink beside the room and a tv room on the other side of the bedroom .
The woofer can always join us or not. We have decent internet service. Not high speed.
What to do nearby: Hiking, birding (The Prince George Naturalist Club meets on Sunday mornings) or swimming at Ness Lake just up the road from here. Or go to town to the pool. Horseback riding on the trails at the end of the road (it's a dead-end, safe ride) Eskers Park is down the road for kayaking or hiking. We have some historical sites fairly nearby (2 hours drive) that are interesting.
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Learning opportunities
Horse or donkey farming
Traditional crafts
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Biodynamic agriculture
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
28.3
Hectares
|
69.9
Acres
