Transfer Option:

We do a lot of horseback riding at the ranch, because there is nothing better to experience the cowboy way-of-life!

After the famous and extensive breakfast, it is time for everybody to saddle the horses! You will get a suitable horse to enjoy your time in the saddle. Then we take off for an exciting day ride to check the herd and to explorer the large ranch property.

Novice riders are welcome to have their first western riding lessons in our large riding arena at the main ranch. Everyone will have the chance to learn how to rope and work with cattle or try the first barrel race.

All guests are welcome to participate in the cattle and ranch work. We have to check and move cows on a daily base and if necessary we have to catch some calves and treat them.

While there is a lot to do every day, we do not forget to relax and have a good lunch break with coffee, beans and sausages cooked over an open fire and a snooze in the sun. And from time to time, throughout the summer month, we pack up the horses for an overnight trip and campout under the stars – a real cowboy dream far away from urban life.

Special Events
Branding The Offspring - late May to early June 
One of the most popular times at the ranch is early June, when the cattle is rounded up on horseback for an old-time authentic branding. Altogether we move the herd the whole way from the pastures to the ranch. A long day in the saddle with lots of fun and action. The next day is branding day and every hand is needed. Everyone has the chance to learn how to rope and to participate in the hard work of the cowboys, like wrestling the calves. Guests should plan to visit for at least ten days in order to become acquainted with the operation and their horse before branding day.

Round Up Week  -   mid October
In the first half of October cattle have to be rounded up on horseback and brought home from the summer pastures to the main ranch. The cattle will be counted, vaccinated and moved into a different pasture or onto the farmland. This is a great advance for people who love to ride and learn some skills about handling and being around cattle

Other Ranch Activities
When we are not in the saddle, there are plenty of other activities to do. During the summer month guests can walk down to Lake Diefenbaker for swimming, boating, canoeing and waterskiing. The lake offers also a great opportunity for fishing. The large ranch property invites to explorer the untouched wildlife with deer, coyotes, foxes and owls, and overhead a Golden Eagle or a pair of Pelicans, while hiking in the rolling hills. Or find a private spot along 200-kilometers of sandy beaches

In the evening, do what the cowboys do. A game of horseshoes, dummy steer roping, archery or a visit to the saloon, where there is a pool table, foosball and darts. Listen to country music or sit in the hot tub under the stars. End the day with the crackle of a romantic campfire and a cowboy sing-a-long.

On some nights we go to the nearby town and have a beer in the famous White Bear Saloon

Season Opening
First week of the season: Guests will get the taste of cowboys daily spring jobs while calves still come to life. Join us on our daily horseback trips to the pastures to check the herd and treat the new born calves. Fences and corrals need to be checked and fixed. Main ranch and cattle set up has to be prepared and shaped for upcoming branding.

Clear Up Week
The last week of the season offers shorter days, but lots of riding and fun in the beautiful color fading prairie and river hill scenery. Usually cooler days allows us to do harder work with and around cattle. Corrals and winter facilities have to be repaired and prepared for the cattle to come home. Pasture fences have to be checked and fixed if necessary. There is nothing more beautiful then the smell of clear and fresh air on a fall day and a hot coffee cooked over the campfire after having a snooze around lunchtime.

Area Attractions
The area around the ranch is stepped into ranching traditions and prairie history. Experience the rodeo trail and the life of competing cowboys firsthand at a nearby small town rodeo. We are happy to organize Rodeo Trips whenever possible. They can be booked directly at the ranch.

Not far away are the high lands of the Cypress Hills, Fort Walsh , the first settlements of the North-West Mounted Police and the Great Sand Hills, a semi-desert of sand dunes rising mysteriously from the plain.

Guided tours can be booked at the ranch as well. Within a 45-minute drive you will find a golf course, mini golf, houseboat tours, historic museums, a sporting Marina and shopping malls.

The ranch is in a dry-prairie/savanna biome and experiences warm summers and very cold winters. There are four distinct seasons. Extreme temperatures range from -50°C in winter to 41°C (-58°F to 104°F) in summer. Itis fairly dry; the average annual precipitation is 347.2 mm (13.7in). A positive aspect of the low precipitation is that it is sunnier than average in Canada as a result, averaging 2,381 hours of bright sunshine annually. The extreme temperatures are also more tolerable on account of the typically low humidity. Although winters are long and severe, many people find the crisp atmosphere, lack of dampness and abundant sunshine preferable to the more mild, however gloomy and dull regions of winter Canada. The same can be said for the summer months as there are usually only a few hot days over 30C each summer and most summer days are quite mild in comparison to the rest of populated North America. Hot, humid days are infrequent and uncomfortably sticky summer nights extremely rare. Thunderstorms are common in the summer months.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was 40.6°C on 5 June 1988.

Guests stay in western-style wood cabins decorated to make any cowboy feel at home. There are six comfortable log-cabins and two 1.5-story cabins with loft bedrooms with enough space for up to 4 people. All other cabins have two twin beds or one queen-size bed and a private washroom with toilet and shower.
Weekly cleaning is included. Bedding and toiletries are supplied. Everything you need for your private home away from.
Meals are prepared in the ranches Cookshack – wholesome, plentiful cowboy cuisine that includes melt in-your-mouth Canadian beef. Everybody gathers together at mealtimes, rubbing shoulders with the ranch family and other guests from around the world. Many friendships have been born while eating and sitting together.
The Ranch has its own Saloon with a pool table, foosball, darts and country music. Everybody is welcome to use the hot tub at the back deck of the saloon whenever you feel like relaxing after a long day in the saddle.

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Passports
Passport valid for at least one day beyond the intended departure date from Canada required by all nationals referred to in the chart except the following:
(a) 1. Canadian citizens holding a Canadian Certificate of Identity, Canadian birth certificate or a certificate of Canadian citizenship;
(b) permanent residents of Canada with proof of status, ie Permanent Resident Card, Record of Landing, Returning Resident Permit or a Refugee Travel Document issued by the government of Canada to refugees who have been resettled in Canada;
(c) 2. citizens of the USA holding proof of citizenship (eg US birth certificate or US naturalisation papers).
Note: As of 23 January 2007 all persons, including US citizens, travelling by air between the USA and Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport or other approved document when entering or re-entering the USA. Similar requirements for those travelling by land or sea will be introduced as early as 1 January 2008. For further details about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, visit the website of the US Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html.
(d) persons entering from St Pierre & Miquelon or the USA who are legal permanent residents of the USA and hold a US alien registration card (Green Card);
(e) 3. citizens of France who are residents of and entering from St Pierre & Miquelon.
Note: (a) Children under 18 years must have information with them on the people responsible for their welfare, if travelling alone; this includes a letter of permission to travel from guardian(s), and also a letter from the custodian in Canada. (b) Depending on circumstance and nationality, certain applicants may need to undergo a medical examination in order to receive their visas; this must be carried out by a physician on Canada's list of Designated Medical Practitioners.
Passport Note
Visitors to Canada must satisfy an examining officer at the Port of Entry that they are genuine visitors, in good health, with no criminal convictions, and have sufficient funds to maintain themselves during their stay in Canada and to return to their country of origin, as well as evidence of confirmed onward reservations out of Canada. Persons under 18 years of age who are unaccompanied by an adult should bring with them a letter from a parent or guardian giving them permission to travel to Canada.

Identity/travel documents issued to non-national residents of the country of issue, refugees or stateless persons are recognised for travel to Canada.

Visas
Not required by all nationals referred to in chart above (visitor or transit) for stays of up to six months except the following:
(a) 4. holders of passports endorsed ‘British Subjects’ and ‘British Protected Persons’;
(b) 5. nationals of Bulgaria and Romania;
(c) those visiting Canada who, during that visit, also visit the USA or St Pierre & Miquelon (a French Overseas Territory) and return directly to Canada as visitors within the period authorised on their initial entry (or any extension thereto).

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the high commission to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Visa Note
The Government of Canada refuses admission to: (a) holders of passports issued by the UK Government entitled 'British Temporary Resident's Passport'.

(a) A single-entry visa is still valid if used to visit the USA. (b) Persons wishing to attend a course of six months duration or less, at any level, do not require a study permit. However, if there is the possibility that you will extend your period of study in Canada, or if you are a full time student and wish to work on campus, you may apply for a study permit.
Types of Visa and Cost
Visitor: C$75 (single-entry); C$150 (multiple-entry). Family: C$400 (for families of six or more persons). Transit: free. Transit visas are necessary for all nationals who require a visitor visa. Although transit visas are not required by British citizens, they may be required by foreign nationals with British passports; check with the embassy or high commission for details. For further information on payment methods, contact the high commission. Prices are subject to frequent change.
Validity
Up to six months depending on circumstances of individual applicant. The determination regarding length of stay in Canada can only be decided by the examining officer at the port of entry, but visas cannot exceed the validity of the passport and cannot be longer than five years. If no actual departure date is indicated within the visitor’s passport, then the visitor will be required to depart within three months from the date of entry. Visitors must effect their departure from Canada on or before the date authorised by the examining officer on arrival. If an extension of stay is desired, an application must be made in writing to the nearest Canada Immigration Centre at least three weeks before the expiry of the visitor visa. Multiple-entry visas cannot be valid longer than passport. Transit visas are only allocated if a national's flight/onward journey is continuing within 24 hours. Single-entry visas can be used multiple times by nationals of St Pierre & Miquelon and the USA.
Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section at embassy or high commission)
Working Days Required
10 days are required from receiving applications, but applications should be made at least one month prior to the intended date of departure. Certain nationals are subject to longer processing times. For urgent applications it is advised to apply in person. Same-day processing is available for applications made in person and 24-hour processing for those using the drop-in service.