Meet your new family with horses and a donkey with a big personality in Salmon Arm, BC , Canada

Details

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  Description

  Volunteers who hold valid working holiday visas as well as those already in Canada welcomed to apply for Spring 2027 :)
  
  ~ Horses, Mountains, a donkey with opinions, a slightly chaotic family, lots of fresh air, and always another project on the go! ~
  
  We’re a family of 4 living on 5 acres in beautiful British Columbia, in the Salmon Arm/Shuswap area. We’re surrounded by mountains, lakes, forests & all the things that make people want to come to Canada in the first place.
  
  We are looking for a mature female Workawayer who is established, independent and comfortable taking responsibility. This is best suited to someone with some life experience who is looking for a longer-term home and family experience rather than a short-term travel stop.
  
  If you like animals, being outside, getting your hands dirty, learning new things & being part of a family rather than just staying in someone’s spare room, you might fit in really well here.
  
  We’re an active family, so there’s usually something happening around here.
  
  We enjoy meeting people from different countries and hearing about their lives, travels, families, food & the random decisions that somehow brought them to Canada!
  
  We’re pretty easygoing, but we do value reliability, initiative & above all hardwork with a touch of common sense.
  
  
  We’re hoping to find someone who is:
  
  ~ Mature with previous workaway experience
  ~ Friendly and easygoing
  ~ Hardworking and able to work independently
  ~ Comfortable around horses and animals
  ~ Happy doing physical and outdoor work
  ~ Reliable
  ~ A good communicator
  ~ Someone who notices what needs doing
  ~ Someone who can laugh at themselves
  ~ Non-smoking
  
  You don’t need to know everything, & you don’t need to be a professional. What matters most is that you’re willing to learn, ask questions when you’re unsure & remember what you’ve been shown.
  
  We are looking for someone who can enjoy the balance of being part of our family while also being completely comfortable doing her own thing while we are away for a couple of trips. Please inquire for more details :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance

  House & pet sitting
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  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
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You’re not coming all the way to British Columbia just to weed our garden ;)
  
  You’re here to experience Canada!
  
  We’re in the beautiful Shuswap area, with lakes, mountains, hiking, little towns & plenty of places to explore.
  
  There are lots of opportunities to have your own adventures while you’re here.
  
  Depending on our schedules, we may share meals, hang out, take you along on family outings or show you some of the local area & enjoy Canadian family life on a small hobby farm! Our daughter is also involved in dog agility & obedience training with our local 4-H club & Canadian Kennel Club. We would be thrilled to bring you along when events are happening!
  
  Saying all that.... we’re also more than happy for you to have your own life, make your own plans, and have plenty of downtime to yourself. We completely understand the importance of having your own space and time too!

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  What might you actually do here?
  
  Every day is a little different, depending on the season and what we have going on.
  
  There are animals to feed & care for, pens to clean, gardens to water, weeds to pull & other jobs that seem to multiply overnight.
  
  Some of the things you might help with include:
  
  * Helping with the horses and donkey
  * Feeding and watering the animals
  * Cleaning and picking out pens
  * Gardening and watering
  * Weeding and general outdoor tidying
  * Helping keep the kitchen and common areas under control
  * Laundry and changing bedding
  * Meal preparation
  * Organizing
  * Painting
  * Tack and barn organization
  * Trailer projects
  * General property projects
  
  
  We’re generally looking for around 4–5 hours of help a day, depending on what we’re doing, with some flexibility depending on the season and the task.
  
  We don’t expect you to help like a hired farmhand, but we do expect you to be responsible, willing to help & be able to get on with things without needing constant supervision.
  
  At times, we might be away and need someone responsible who can look after the house, dogs, cat, horses & the cheeky donkey, including feeding, water checks & daily animal care. Snow removal and keeping an eye on the property may also be needed.
  
  There may occasionally be opportunities to help with our 2-year-old on shorter childminding assignments, mostly when we may want to ride our horses for a couple of hours.
  
  If this sounds like a good fit, we'd love to hear from you! Send us a message with your travel dates, a little about yourself, and any experience you have with animals or rural living. We usually reply the same day :)

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  You'll have your own comfortable private bedroom featuring:
  
  A queen-size bed
  Vaulted wood ceilings
  Access to a shared bathroom
  
  Although cell service is limited on our property, we have reliable, unlimited Starlink satellite internet throughout the house.
  
  If you're travelling in your own RV, you're also welcome to park on our property. (Please note that we do not have sewer hookups.)
  
  Meals - (Unlimited access to food/snacks in our kitchen) because putting a limit on food is just rude & weird ;)
  
  Breakfast - Self-serve from our fully stocked kitchen
  
  Lunch & Dinner: Most afternoons/evenings we eat together as a family. We may occasionally ask for a hand preparing dinner, & we always enjoy it when guests share a favourite meal from their home country... If you cook, we will even do the dishes ;)
  
  (We typically eat a varied diet that includes meat. If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, please let us know before your stay so we can discuss whether we're able to accommodate your needs.)

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  What else ...

  What it’s like living here...
  
  This is real rural Canadian life, not a perfectly polished Instagram farm.... It’s beautiful, peaceful, but it can also be dirty, busy & just a bit scattered....
  
  We are always in the middle of renovation projects, the animals often have their own opinions & things don’t always go according to plan. We’re looking for someone who can enjoy that kind of environment.
  
  If your idea of a good morning is coffee or a cup of tea, mountains, animals & seeing what the day brings, we should probably talk.
  
  On the other hand...... If your idea of a good morning is sleeping until noon and being horrified that there’s dirt outside, we may not be the right fit.
  
  Most of the time, we host one Workawayer at a time in a private bedroom in our home, however we may consider hosting additional guests in our renovated 4-season RV trailer. (We do not take guests in the trailer over winter)
  
  
  Why Workaway with us?
  
  Because we want this to feel like an exchange, not a job.
  
  You bring your time, energy, skills & personality.
  
  We offer you a place to stay, food, a genuine experience of family and rural Canadian life, and the chance to explore an amazing part of British Columbia.
  
  Hopefully, by the time you leave, you’ll have some good stories, a few new skills, far too many horse photos & maybe some people you’ll genuinely consider friends, or better yet... Your new Canadian Family!
  
  We’ve had some wonderful people stay with us, & the ones who fit best quickly become part of the rhythm of our household.
  
  That’s what we’re hoping to find again.
  
  
  Send us a message....
  
  Tell us a little about yourself, what brings you to Canada, what you’re hoping to experience, your animal & kid experience & the kind of work you enjoy.
  
  We’re much more interested in who you are than in a perfectly polished Workaway application!
  
  
  *** Getting Here:
  
  The closest airport is Kelowna International Airport (YLW), with regular flights from Vancouver, Calgary, and other major Canadian cities. We can often arrange airport pickup and drop-off in most situations.
  
  You can also travel by EBus to Salmon Arm, where we'll happily meet you.
  
  If you have any questions about getting here or planning your trip, just ask—we're happy to help!

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  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.

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  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.)

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  My animals / pets

  

  Bam Bam (The Cheeky Donkey)

  Bam Bam is a 18 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 11 year old quarter horse/Paint mare. She is our daughter's personal horse. Jewel came to us 4 years ago, and is a great trail horse. She often gives our son pony rides as well.

  

  Cherokee

  Cherokee is an 13 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.

  

  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 basement on his favourite cat bed, or his absolute preference, one of our jackets that have fallen on the floor..... His favourite person by far 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.

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