Come help care for my animals on my off-grid farm in Northern BC, Canada

Details

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  Description

  I'm a nature loving Swiss immigrant (f, 54, in Canada since 2013) living close to McLeese Lake BC off-grid on 72 ha of beautiful land with creeks, lakes, forest, hills and pastures, surrounded by crown land and no neighbors for 5 km. With me live 16 horses, 9 dogs, 9 cats, 23 chickens and 2 bovines. I have a big garden for veggies, produce my own hay, teach riding lessons, but also have a full time job at the nearby mine. My garden is not producing in a large scale and I don't sell veggies on the market, what I grow and harvest goes into my freezers or stomach. Neighbors and friends buy some eggs from me, when I have more than I can eat.
  
  I'm offering people with very good riding skills, who like horses, dogs and all other animals, are responsible and reliable, and are happy to live away from civilization and other people in a very modest setup the once in a lifetime experience of living surrounded by nature and animals.
  
  After a very unfortunate experience with a previous workawayer I ask all applicants to send me videos of their riding. You don't have to be a pro, but riding the horse in a healthy posture and on the aids is a must. If you already know/practice lateral work, please include it in the video. Same if you practice lunging, double lunge, long rein work, dressage in hand, equikinetic or or or, just show me what you do and can :-) And don't worry, I love to teach to widen your repertoire.
  
  I offer in exchange for maximum 5 h of help per day: a trailer to live in (sleeps max. 4 people), vegetarian food, as much riding as you want, riding lessons, the life experience of living off-grid and with basic comfort in harmony with nature, and being involved in all kinds of work on a farm and with all my different species and breeds of animals.
  
  English is a must, but I speak also German and French.
  
  I do regular bi-weekly trips to Williams Lake or Quesnel and will take you with me if there is need to go shopping for yourself. You can also participate in riding clinics I teach if there is enough openings.
  
  I can not pay a wage, but you will be well fed, have your bed, can ride as much as you want and if you wish you can take riding and other horse-working lessons with me.
  
  FAQ:
  
  What will I do all day long?
  You help taking care of the animals. Feeding, cleaning their housings (no horse stalls to muck!), changing water, and brushing their fur are your main tasks. You will help watering the plants around house and garden, installing and repairing fences, moving the large animals to different pastures, keeping tack and tools in good shape, repairing things that broke, getting firewood, harvesting veggies, preparing meals.
  There is quite a bit of free time on most days, that's when you go ride or do anything else with horses or go exploring the surroundings with the dogs or go swim in the lake.
  
  What riding style and work with horses is practiced at the farm?
  Riding: English style, classical dressage, jumping, eventing, trail riding, working equitation.
  Horse training: groundwork, lunging, dressage in hand, double lunge, long rein work, equikinetic, circus tricks.
  
  How long can I stay?
  The longer the better. As every change of constellation on the farm triggers some of the dogs to check on their ranking in the pack (which leads to fights), I prefer longer stays of at least 6 weeks. Many helpers in the last two years stood 3 to 5 months. It takes a few weeks to get to know everyone and everything, so longer stays help with more harmony and efficiency.
  
  How do I get to your place?
  Having your own car is an advantage, but not a must, as there is zero public transport around here. I can come pick you up in Williams Lake if you arrive by plane (Pacific Coastal airline or Central Mountain Airline for the inland flight from Vancouver) or by bus (Ebus, also from Vancouver via Kamloops to Williams Lake). Please arrive either in the afternoon after 5pm or on a weekend-day if earlier. There are also ride share apps like pop-a-ride, that might work for you. NEVER EVER think about hitch hiking!! It is highly illegal and often deadly, they even call a highway "the highway of tears" because lots of people disappear there.
  
  Can I eat meat?
  Yes, but you have to buy it yourself and prepare it on the BBQ outside. Or you order it when we go to town and eat out.
  
  Is it dangerous out in the bush?
  I never walk around without my dogs. We share our property with wildlife: bear, coyote, wolf, moose, elk, deer, lynx and cougar, to name a few. They might be dangerous if they don't hear you coming. I personally never met a cougar, nor did I see tracks of one on and around my place, but they are around and attack from the back if they are hungry. They hate dogs though, which is the reason I walk with the dogs as bodyguards. Everybody else usually takes off before you arrive. Coyotes might come close to the chicken coop at night, but the dogs keep them at bay. The youngest dogs are livestock guardian dogs and they take care of that task.
  
  Do I have internet access?
  Yes, I share my wi-fi with you. Unfortunately the trailer is out of reach, there is no internet. We also have no cell phone service out here.
  
  Is there a washroom and a shower?
  You will take your shower in my cabin. There is a tiny little bathroom. As I am on solar power only, having showers will be on sunny days, as there might not be enough power to heat up the boiler. For number 2 you have to use the outhouse, as my septic system is basically inexistent and therefore can handle fluids only. You have no running water in the trailer, but there is a container with water for brushing your teeth. The toilet and shower in the trailer are not operable (lack of water and power).
  
  What's the temperatures and weather at your place?
  There is only July without frost or danger of frost. All other months are below 0°C at night occasionally (May, June, August, September, October) or constantly (winter months). In summer, the days can get up to +40°C although not usually. A normal summer is around 30-32°C during the day and below +15°C in the night. Snow flies from November to March. It's important to mention that the cold we have here is dry and therefore not as bad as cold in Europe. I compare -5°C in Europe to -30°C at my place. It's crisp, but doesn't penetrate the bones. The weather is usually better than in Europe. There are no grey days for weeks with no end. It's very rare that it rains all day either. I have to mention that we have mosquitoes here.
  
  What should I bring to wear?
  Bring clothes you can layer. The mornings are chilly, but it soon gets warmer and you want to take off a layer or two.
  Riding helmet and -pants, body protector (especially if you plan to jump with the horses), boots or hiking shoes with a little heel and mini chaps or tall riding boots if you have space in your luggage. Riding gloves.
  A set of garment for trips into civilization. My partner and I love game nights with friends and you will join us for such.
  Swimsuit or bikini; the lakes are awesome to swim in summer (some horses love to swim with you, too) and there is an indoor pool in town.
  Raincoat for the occasional wet day. Ideal is a coat that is good for all weather.
  Slippers for the trailer and house. Sandals or such for your free time or if your feet need a break from riding boots.
  
  I'm a smoker. Is that an issue?
  No. But strictly no smoking/vaping around animals or indoors. Cigarette butts go in a designated jar and then to the garbage. Wildfires are a huge danger here, therefore no tossing butts ever.
  Bring your European smokes; cigarettes and tobacco are very expensive here!
  
  Do I need a visa?
  No. You are allowed to stay in Canada for 6 months with just your passport as you will not earn a wage. But you need an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization) to enter Canada. Make sure you order it online on Canada's official web page as there are unofficial ones that rip you off. The eTA costs CAD 7. The official website is canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  House sitting
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  Interests

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Plant care

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Animals

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will enjoy a simple, back to nature lifestyle, surrounded by animals (domestic and wild), lakes and plants, away from civilization, crowds, noise, traffic. I have internet, but no TV and no radio. Meals are homemade, vegetarian and seasonal. You can improve your riding and learn how to diversely train a horse. You will speak English or German. You will be involved in all work on the farm. There will be days that don't go as planned. There will be improvising and finding solutions. There will be repairs, assisting when I trim hooves or take care of wounds and occasionally a night alone at the farm. You will be the boss over 9 dogs, 9 cats, 23 chickens (2 roosters and 21 girls from 1 to 11 years old), 2 bovines (a steer and a cow and if everything goes well a calf in June) and 16 horses (2 stallions, 5 mares -3 of them with foal - and 9 geldings), you need to be reliable (several animals require medication), you will have to man up, keep everything under control and keep a clear brain in unforeseen situations. A stay at my place is an experience for life.

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  Help

  Cleaning housing and feeding chickens, dogs and cats, helping in the garden. Feeding horses and cows. Brushing dogs. Keeping horse tack in good shape. Fencing, small repairs, collecting firewood.
  
  Horses: my 31 year old gelding needs soaked feed twice daily. Cuddling and feeding foals.
  Cows: if there is a calf we will be milking the cow, as she produces more milk than the baby possibly can drink.
  Dogs: they love long walks on the surrounding trails, but also enjoy being brushed and laying in the sun.
  Cats: happy with food and some cuddling. One cat needs pills twice daily.
  Chickens: they need their coop cleaned and their water changed daily, collect the eggs.
  Garden: watering, planting/harvesting, every now and then weeding, preserving.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Meine Muttersprache ist Berndeutsch (Schweizerdeutscher Dialekt, von vielen als der schönste Dialekt betitelt), Hochdeutsch ist unsere geschriebene Sprache, welche wir von Klein auf lernen. Französisch lernte ich in der Schule und rede mit Freunden und bei der Arbeit Französisch. Meine Grossmutter war Italienerin und sprach mit uns Italienisch, so dass ich mich halbwegs verständlich machen und unterhalten kann. Seit April 2025 lerne ich Spanish mit Duolingo und kann mich schon ein wenig verständigen.
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  Accommodation

  Trailer: my travel trailer is stationary about 80m from my cabin. It doesn't offer running water (camping container for water available) and has a limited amount of power, no heating. Shower is in my cabin, outhouse next to the cabin.

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  What else ...

  I will pick you up in Williams Lake BC or Quesnel BC. There is a bus (Ebus) from Vancouver to Williams Lake or you arrive by plane. No other or local public transport out here.
  Things to do around here: swim and fish in lakes, go for hikes, run, bike, take pictures, cut trees, split firewood and ride horses.
  Places to visit: Barkerville, Williams Lake Stampede, Quesnel Rodeo, Billy Barker Days in Quesnel, Begby Summit, waterfalls in Wells Grey park, Goldrush Trails, parks and lakes...

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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

  Ich bin via Starlink (Elon Musk's Internetdienst) mit der Welt verbunden. In der Regel habe ich sehr gute Verbindung mit Upload/Download von ca. 3 Mbps.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Ich habe keinen designierten Platz. Camper kann nach Belieben auf dem Grundstück aufgestellt werden. Es gibt keinen Stromanschluss und Abwasser muss auch in einem dafür geeigneten Ort ausserhalb der Farm entleert werden.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  My 9 dogs are a sworn pack, but usually indifferent with others. As long as your dog is well behaved with all my animals, doesn't chase them and doesn't fight, steel or pee on everything, s/he can come with you.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  16 horses

  1 cow and 1 steer

  21 chickens and 2 roosters

  9 cats

  9 Dogs

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