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Description
*Welcoming female workawayers only at this time*
~ Join us to learn more about mountain horse trail riding, donkey packing and dog obedience training ~
**We’re looking for a “mom’s helper” to join us June 1–15 (flexible) to offer an extra pair of hands during two busy events: an overnight 4-H camping experience at our local fairgrounds (you’ll have your own tent and supplies provided) and a 3-day dog obedience trial weekend that we’ll attend daily. Your main role will be to keep my son (2) engaged and happy while we volunteer and support our daughter in her competitions. You’ll be part of the experience with us, with a great opportunity to learn about 4-H and Canadian Kennel Club dog shows. This is ideal for someone who genuinely enjoys young children, and absolutely loves dogs.
We are a small, active family living on a private forested property near Salmon Arm, BC, surrounded by nature, mountains, and animals. Our home is a cozy log house with horses, a donkey, a family cat, dog, and lots of outdoor space to explore.
We would like to host through Workaway because we genuinely value cultural exchange and shared experiences. Our daughter (14) is homeschooled and actively involved in 4-H (dog training, gardening, outdoor living), so there is always something happening here. And our son is a busy 2 year old toddler who loves being outside enjoying nature.
We would enjoy including our guests in these activities, and hope that Workawayers will find it a unique and memorable part of their stay.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House & pet sitting
Interests
Culture
Farming
Languages
Cooking & food
Camping
Sustainability
Pets
Self development
Plant care
Photography
Gardening
Drawing & painting
DIY & crafts
Animals
Outdoor activities
Nature
Hiking
Beach
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
During your stay, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about:
Horse care and handling. (Potential for some casual horse trail rides if the guest has prior horse riding experience and is a confident rider)
Canadian Dog Obedience Sports & Confirmation Dog Shows
Gardening and seasonal food growing
Rural and homestead-style living
Insight into Canadian 4-H programs & family life
In return, we love learning from you too—whether that’s:
Your culture, traditions, and way of life
Language sharing (we are especially interested in improving French, Darrin is a fluent speaker and Addison and Caitlin are beginner/intermediate speakers)
Cooking meals from your home country
Any skills or hobbies you’d like to share with our family (especially with our daughter)
We aim to create an environment where our guests become part of our daily life, sharing skills, perspectives, and experiences with our family.
We love spending time in nature. There are hiking opportunities right from our driveway, and in the summer we often visit nearby lakes such as Shuswap, Okanagan, and Kalamalka. When possible, guests may join us for these outings, as well as occasional horseback rides if they have prior experience.
Our home is best suited for someone who enjoys peaceful surroundings, nature, and a family-oriented environment. While there is little nightlife in our area, we offer a welcoming, structured, and supportive atmosphere where expectations are clear and your stay can feel like a home away from home.
Au Pair Help
This host is looking for Au pair help.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We ask for a max of 20 hours per week (max 4 hours/day), and that guests help with dinner prep and/or dish clean up along side us as part of the family. We try to keep things flexible and fair. We are really looking for someone who will be willing to blend into our family's daily life and work with us on which ever projects we might be hoping to achieve, however here is an idea of what we may ask of you during your stay:
Help with feeding Horses, grooming, cleaning pen/barn
Gardening (watering, weeding, checking sprinklers)
Helping with small DIY or property projects (especially in summer)
Occasional help around the house cleaning/tidying
In the fall, helping prepare firewood by stacking and or using a gas log splitter. (it is not complicated)
Watching our toddler (approx. 1.5–2 hours, 3–4x per week) while we ride horses. [This task is not an absolute requirement, but preference will be given to guests who are willing to provide casual childcare for this purpose.]
Occasional:
If we are away, helping care for animals (horses, donkey, cat, dog), and garden depending on the season.
(These are lighter task days but require you to be present on the property in the am/pm for animal feeding times.)
We are very open to any ideas that you may have, or special skills that you may wish to contribute. Some work may be done together, however it is important that you are able to work independently as well.
If this feels like a good fit, send us a quick message with your dates and a bit about your experience—we usually reply the same day!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
We are especially interested in practicing our French, Darrin is a fluent speaker and Addison and Caitlin are beginner/intermediate speakers.
Accommodation
Accommodation:
- A comfortable, newly renovated bedroom with queen bed, vaulted ceilings and a window that looks out at the horses and forest/mountain views
- Bathroom (shared)
- We have limited mobile phone service on the property, however we have unlimited Satellite (Starlink)
internet available in the house that does reach out into areas of the yard
- Space to park an RV if preferred, no sewer hook-ups.
Meals:
- Breakfast & lunch: sometimes we will eat as a family together, other times it will be help yourself (fully
stocked kitchen & pantry)
- Dinner: usually shared as a family, though occasionally you may be asked to help prepare a meal.
(We typically eat meat. If you have special dietary requirements please let us know ahead of time so that we can discuss if it is possible.)
What else ...
This Workaway is best suited for someone who is friendly, outgoing, self-motivated, flexible, and genuinely enjoys animals and rural life.
Location & Transportation -
We live in a rural area with no public transportation. However, we regularly travel into Salmon Arm and Vernon and are happy to offer rides when possible if you don’t have your own vehicle.
Our Schedule -
Our family tends to follow a later daily rhythm. We typically start our days around 9/10:00 AM and often stay up past midnight—so this is a great fit for someone who naturally prefers a later schedule.
House Guidelines -
No smoking or drug use on the property, occasional social drinking is fine, but this is a family environment—no excessive drinking or partying please.
Guest Accommodation -
We are generally set up to host one guest at a time. However, there may occasionally be some overlaps between guests to help with travel transitions.
- You will always have your own private room
- In rare cases, you may stay in a temporary room for a short period before moving into your main room
- If you are not comfortable with potential overlap, just let us know and we will do our best to avoid it.
Property & Environment -
We are located in a farming community, so at times there may be farm or compost smells depending on the wind.We are also actively developing parts of our property. During the spring through fall, there may be larger landscaping or construction projects underway—especially when my husband is home and working with machinery. When he is away, things are typically much quieter.
Getting Here -
The nearest airport is Kelowna Airport (YLW), with daily flights to and from Vancouver and Calgary. We can arrange pickup and drop-off there.There is also a coach bus service (EBus) that travels to Salmon Arm, where we can pick you up as well.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions about travel logistics—we’re happy to help.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
If you require to be on any conference calls, just keep in mind that we have a busy toddler and noise is sometimes at a higher level.
Space for parking camper vans
We have space for parking any sized RV. Please inquire about what hook-ups we might be able to provide to make sure that we can accommodate your needs. (Please note there is no mobile phone reception or internet outside of our home as service is limited.)
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
My animals / pets
Bam Bam (Donkey)
Bam Bam is a 17 year old small standard donkey. He loves to come hiking with us and has a little pack saddle that we use to bring along lunch for up on the trail.
Jewel
Jewel is a 10 year old quarter horse/Paint mare. She is our daughter's personal horse. Jewel came to us 3 years ago, and is a great trail horse. She often gives our son pony rides as well.
Cherokee
Cherokee is an 11 year old mare. She was born feral in the Southern Canadian Okanagan. However she was gentled as a young foal and is considered a "BC Wildie". She is Caitlin's personal horse and enjoys riding up into the mountains. Bam Bam the donkey is her best friend and they are super attached to each other.
Boots
Boots is a 7 Year old Tuxedo cat. Boots spends his days outside "protecting" our property and has a patrol line that he checks daily. We call him the "Panther". He spends his evenings in our unfinished basement on his favourite cat bed. His favourite person is our 2 year old son.
Daisy
Daisy is a 5 Year Shetland Sheepdog. Daisy competes with our daughter in 4-H and Canadian Kennel Club in obedience and agility events. They are very competitive and love having fun and winning ribbons along the way. Daisy and Addison train together everyday and I am sure they would love to have you learn with them as well.
