Helena

Germany
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Ireland - from Jul 2025
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Description
Hi everyone,
I'm Helena, 30 years old from Germany but left the country to see the world in Feb. 2020 :-).
I worked as an Au Pair in Australia in 2014 as well as in Canada in 2020. After that I followed my biggest passion and worked as a trail guide/wrangler at a horse ranch in BC for almost 1,5 years. I also got the chance to get an insight to the cutting-horse world and worked as a loper after my guide experience. I spent the winter 2021/2022 in Saskatchewan and worked as a dog handler/doing dog sled tours and also helped with/attempted some sprint races. After that I went back to being a wrangler at a dude ranch in BC for the summer.
After leaving Canada I have kept my passion for dogs and horses alive. The winters I worked in swedish Lapland - far up north close to Kiruna. I took care of 80-90 dogs, trained the young ones and big teams, trained new employees, guided daily and several day tours and drove big sleds with people sitting on it as well as smaller teams. In the summers I worked with horses in Spain and Norway. While in Norway I was a stable hand for all general chores at a boarding facility I got the chance to work with Lusitanos on a big stud in Spain the year before. I was mostly responsible for training the younsters (1-4 year old) and working with them on the basics like haltering, lead training, being touched and handled, starting to lunge up to preparing them for the first few rides. I really enjoyed this work, building a relationship based on trust and patience and see the progress especially with more timid horses .
So I know what physical demanding work looks like even in rough conditions like -20°C and below or +40°C and I do not shy away from it. I like to be busy especially around animals. I also helped out some hosts with gardening before and really enjoy the work especially around vegetable and fruit gardens.
I'm a very open-minded and easy going person that likes to try and learn about new things. In my free time I enjoy cooking meals or bake some sweet stuff just as much as I enjoy to eat it afterwards haha.
Interests
Mountain
Outdoor activities
Fitness
Cooking & food
Winter sports
Nature
Self development
Pets
Gardening
Beach
Animals
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
More details about my language interests
I am fluent in English and German and I'd love to learn Spanish now!
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
Life at a Farmstay
Helping around the house
Able to teach about:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Animal Care
More details about your skills
I have been riding for over 20 years and worked at many different rasches, farms and stables. I have a master degree in pedagogy and worked in human resources while I was studying. I was an Au pair in Australia (2014) and in Canada as well (2020). I also have plenty of experiences with dogs since I worked as a dog handler/sled tour guide for four seasons (Canada and Sweden).
I love being outside and I have no problem with getting my hands dirty. I also enjoy to cook and bake and like to try out new things in the kitchen. In my free time I do sports regularly to keep myself fit.
Age
30
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  no
- Special dietary requirements
  vegeterian

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18 Jun 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help a family with the ...)

I stayed with Anita, Trevor and the boys for 6 weeks and I had such a good time at their place! Anita taught me a lot about gardening and is so knowledgeable about it. It was fun to seed and transplant different plants and help with other things around the house. I also really enjoyed cooking meals for the family since they're very open to any… read more

(Excellent )

17 Jun 2022

Left by host (Help a family with the ...) for Workawayer ()

Like other hosts already mentioned, Helena's help was outstanding. Usually, I explain everything in every detail and watch that I was understood correctly. But with Helena, for some reason, I didn't have time to show her our kitchen and I asked her to make dinner on her first day (I have never before done that). When I came back to the kitchen she… read more

(Excellent )

4 Apr 2022

Left by host (Sled dog handler and guide in ...) for Workawayer ()

Helena was a phenomenal worker and we were so happy to join have her join our family for winter 2022! Helena enjoys working with animals and puts their needs above her own. Once, she joined our team she immediately understood this was a "lifestyle" not just a job. The dogs are very important to our family and sometimes our schedule can get very… read more

(Excellent )

4 Apr 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Sled dog handler and guide in ...)

I stayed with the family from January to April 2022 and I don't even know where to start my feedback.
First of all Charlie and Tanya are very generous and welcoming people that will make you feel at home right away. There both easy going and will introduce you to a lot of friends and family. For me it was easy to work with Charlie and even though… read more sometimes things went wrong we always had something to laugh about afterwards. Oh and than there are their three boys that will make sure you stay entertained and don't get to confident about your cooking skills - haha.

As the profile already says if you love dogs, the outdoors and winter that's the right place for you. You get to experience everything that Canadian winter has to offer: snowy and cold weather, ski-dooing and of course dog sledding. Be it training dogs, doing fun races with friends, traveling to schools to give tours or helping Charlie at races - I spent a lot of time with the dogs and on the sled. And even though it took a while for me to get confident about it I loved every second! The dogs are amazing athletes and very social as well. So be ready for a lot of dog cuddles!
The winter work mainly consisted of giving tours at schools. So the school either came to Charlie's place or we would travel to the schools. So I got to see a lot of different places in Saskatchewan and met a lot of different people. It didn't take me long to get the routine but it definitely took me longer to learn the +-50 dog names haha. Charlie teaches the kids about the dogs and mushing history, they get to harness the dogs and than go for a sled ride. So a lot of kids of all ages will be included in your work and you'll get a lot of happy giggles while you take them on a ride.
Other everyday work included watering and feeding the dogs, scooping poop and every once in a while strawing the dog houses. If there was a race on the weekend I would most likely join Charlie to help him or sometimes stay at home to take care of the remaining dogs. Going to races and meet the other dog mushers was really fun and unique and I even got to race a couple of times as well which was an unforgettable experience. The craziness of the dogs when you hook them up to the sled just before the race and the immediate silence as soon as the race starts got me chills every time.

So I recommend this place 100%! But be aware it's not a Disney movie it is physically demanding work, you'll get dirty, you have to be okay with raw meat and it can be cold and exhausting. But even though I was exhausted sometimes I would definitely do it again.
Missing the dogs already! Oh and of course the family ;-) Thank you again for the most special winter I've ever had and I'll never forget!!

(Excellent )

18 Nov 2021

Left by Workawayer () for host (Learn about western horse ...)

I came to Robin and Jens plays mid August and stayed for three months. My daily tasks included helping with feeding and exercising/warming up the horses. At the time Robin had 10 horses of which we exercised 6 on a regular basis. This also included two 2-year-olds that were at the beginning of their cutting training. They were fully broke and very… read more

(Excellent )

16 Nov 2021

Left by host (Learn about western horse ...) for Workawayer ()

Helena came to us in mid-August and stayed until early November. She quickly fit into our daily routines and we were very comfortable with her joining our family. She had very good horse skills and added more during her time here. Her responsibilities with the horses consisted of feeding and daily exercising all the horses. Helena also played a… read more

(Excellent )

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18 Jun 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help a family with the ...)

(Excellent)

17 Jun 2022

Left by host (Help a family with the ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

4 Apr 2022

Left by host (Sled dog handler and guide in ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

4 Apr 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Sled dog handler and guide in ...)

(Excellent)

18 Nov 2021

Left by Workawayer () for host (Learn about western horse ...)

(Excellent)

16 Nov 2021

Left by host (Learn about western horse ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

15 Sep 2021

Left by Workawayer () for host (Work as a trail guide in ...)

What can I say. A few weeks/months turned into almost 1 1/2 years. And I think that says it all about the ranch and especially Crystal and Jeff. Even though you can already read it in all the other feedbacks I still want to mention it again: they are like family. They try everything to keep animals and staff happy even though the summer months are… read more

(Excellent)

7 Jun 2020

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with care and ...)

Jane was my first Workaway host and I learned a lot from her, especially about gardening. She also made sure that I had a good time and see something of the area - be it a nearby lake or a ride in the mountains - it was great experiences. I fell in love with her adorable horses and had many opportunities to ride and be around them.
And I also… read more

(Excellent)

5 Jun 2020

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Helena stayed with me and was a delight to have here with us. She is a diligent and conscientious worker that need little direction and is able to assess and do what needs doing. Helena is and exceptional riders and the horse liked her very much. Helena is interested in learning and seeks out opportunities to enhance her knowledge, be it for… read more

(Excellent)

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