A Ranch in the heart of the wilderness

The Teepee Heart Ranch, Km 84 – Imagine a small, secret and wild place, hidden in the heart of the Chilcotin Mountains in the West of Canada. Now, imagine that you are going along the 84 kilometres of gravelled road which lead, across barren hills, canyons and pine forests to this place. Along the way, you may well see some bald eagles, black bears and wild mustangs. You have arrived! The wooden gates to the ranch are opening in front of you. Wood, light and magic are the raw materials here.

The ranch holds the secret to the marriage of tradition and innovation. The old barn reminds us of the historic heritage of this ranch straight out of the Far West, dried pin-wood logs crackling in the stoves, the spirit of the Last Frontier is still here. As for the new barn, it bears testimony to the vitality of this lifestyle with its solar panels and the satellite aerial which give us an appreciated autonomy. Nevertheless, it is in our renewed approach to ranching life that we believe true modernity is which implies respect of the indigenous culture, cohabiting with the local wildlife and, of course, alliance with the horses.

Indeed, the horses are at the heart of the Teepee ranch: our horses can run free over 550 hectares of changing landscapes including flowering prairies, forest trails, mature forests as well as lakes, streams and swamps where the beavers are the main architects.

Our horses feed mainly on wild grasses and plants which grow without fertilizer but also on hay which is exclusively produced on the ranch. They drink from natural springs and the many streams and they breath the pure, clean air at an altitude of 1,400 meters (4,500 feet). Here they can develop their performance and their intelligence by being in touch with a rich and vibrant environment.

In addition, the ranch has been granted a permit which allows us to make use of 165 000 hectares which gives us a huge territory crisscrossed with trails and where we have a cabin. This area spreads out as far as the national park. The landscape is composed of high altitude passes, turquoise lakes and snowcapped summits : the kingdom of the grizzlies.

Quality, simplicity and beauty...

The Midsummer Night’s Dream horses (MND) : this dream of ours which invites to inhabit the world as poets and horsemen

Our vision ?

It is possible to breed horses of international caliber which are choised for their beauty and special energy while at the same time respecting their ethological needs on the one hand and their individual genius on the other hand so as to promote their physical, mental and emotional well-being (body-mind-spirit).

What this means on an every day basis is that our horses, which are the offsprings of champions, live freely in the wide-open spaces while at the same time being able to come back at any time to the comfort and security of the stables. They live in family which affords them a thriving, stable and structured social life notwithstanding the strong and privileged relationship that is built up with people.

 Thus, both by their origins and by their way of life, our foals have the conformation and the mind to become fantastic partners, able to respond to the Dream that animates you: competition or breeding, sporting challenges or spiritual journey, long-distance travelling or peaceful friendship, and so on… But above all, each of our horses vibrates with its own magic and could be able to initiate the re-enchantment of your life…

It also means that we have chosen to respect their natural biological and individual rhythms. Our stallion breeds naturally with the mares and lives with them and the foals throughout the year. The mares give birth naturally without any unnecessary intervention from us. Priority is given to the foal’s education by the mother and the group. The foals are weaned naturally (or progressively around 10 months old) and they are given the time they need. Any health care, manipulation or education is undertaken with total respect for the foals’ integrity. We also make sure to offer them high quality food. Last but not least, this all means that we are constantly seeking to develop our autonomy and our skill set including equine osteopathy, podology for beautiful and functional bare feet, or the training of our horses.

Nurturing simplicity, questioning equestrian practices, remaining professionals who marvel and keep the sense of wonder, such we seem to be the ideal conditions to keep alive a profession thousands of years old… and open the gate to the enchantment.

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