SADDLE UP C
Ranch holidays
Canada offers opportunities for horsing around like no other destination. From full-on active adventures to gentle scenic trail rides, your clients' mounts await. Julie Baxter explores where they can win their spurs
anada has equestrian opportunities to suit all abilities and styles, whether
your client wants to muck in at a working ranch, prefers a long leisurely trail ride or simply wants a western setting for a relaxed family-friendly holiday or romantic honeymoon. A ranch experience can last from a
day to a fortnight and while the best- known ranches are in British Columbia and Alberta there are plenty of options beyond these two provinces. Tyler Buckley, owner of Three Bars Ranch (
threebarsranch.com) in BC, gives this advice: “It is key to match clients’ expectations with what the ranch offers, so ask lots of questions, get photos and be clear what you are selling. "Every ranch offers horse-riding so look at their other activities too – fly fishing, rafting, shooting sports, hiking, etc – which might make the difference to some clients.
"And understanding the ranch’s culinary offering is also important. This can range from five-star meals to home- cooked ranch-style food, and your client should know
exactly what they are going to get.” Three Bars Ranch is located between Glacier National Park, BC, and Banff, Alberta, and offers modern log cabins around a central lawn and guesthouse. The trail rides are through stunning landscapes, and also on offer are rope skills, BBQs, evening campfires, an indoor pool, hot tub and gym. Tyler adds: “Encourage clients to book a full six-night package – it's better commission for agents and makes sense for them as 80% of short-stay guests end up extending to fit everything in!”
British Columbia WESTERN STYLE Specialist ranch operator Top 50 Ranches (
top50ranches.com) includes six Canadian options – all in British Columbia: Free Rein Ranch, Three Bars Ranch, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, Siwash Lake Ranch and the Tod Mountain Ranch. Ranches can generally be sold like an upmarket summer camp for families and adults, with all-inclusive packages often covering accommodation, meals and activities. The best are something of a one-stop shop for western adventure,
offering commission on the whole package, and offer the reassurance that once the client is on site everything is taken care of. Remember, ranching need not be about roughing it. Siwash Lake Ranch for example, also featured by Frontier Canada (
frontier-canada.co.uk) positions itself at the luxury end of the market with just six guest rooms and features stylish drinks and appetizers on the deck, overlooking Siwash Lake. This working ranch is set within 80,000 acres of uninhabited crown land and while riding is the main activity there is also fishing and wildlife watching. Likewise, the Clayoquot Wilderness
Resort (
wildretreat.com) near Tofino on Vancouver Island has the added exclusivity of a remote location. Accessed by a 45-minute private
seaplane transfer from Vancouver, or a 30-minute boat ride from Tofino, it's more an eco-safari destination than a ranch but works horses alongside dog- sledding and ice fishing activities, superb food and great comfort. The 168-acre, 21-room Echo Valley Ranch and Spa (
evranch.com) is a family- owned and operated ranch that also
12 SUMMER 2014 • Selling Canada
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