Located and, for the most part, operated in the heart of BC, our interactive Walking Tree Ranch bed and breakfast is the perfect place for the urban dweller wishing to get away from it all; the nature enthusiast, the musician, those seeking enlightenment, but most of all, our place is for the horse enthusiast, regardless of age or experience.
We offer 1,2, and 3 day horseback tour packages, as well as 5 day+ custom tours, we are blessed with our proximity to the proposed 15,000 km Trans-Canada Trail, as well as local gems such as the Dewdney Trail. We offer a hands on approach for our clients to learn all about the art of “horse whispering”, horse do’s and don'ts, riding and handling skills, as well as self-confidence and self-esteem boosters for any level of riding ability. I guarantee you will feel uplifted after a BC horse adventure. Our horses love exercise. If you love exercise, clean air, nature, horses, guitars and campfires, I urge you to read more about BC, and our activities and facilities.
Phil has been a working cowboy all his life. Training horses was handed down to him as a birthright. He rode into the Kootenays in 1979, and never rode out. Phil is seldom quiet, his belief is simple; if the animal can hear your frequency, and it can know your intent, mutual understanding is quickly acquired. “You earn the horses head, the horse gives you its heart”.
The most important part of any tour is to prepare the rider with their horse. Some people are quite confident while others are more aggressive or even afraid. This, “break in time”, of horse to rider may take from several days to several seconds. Depending on the “horse talk”, between those involved!
Fun is the most strived for factor, and horses enjoy fun, and it is directly proportional to the communications skills acquired before the ride.
Born in the latter half of the last century, and raised on a large cattle ranch that required a large number of horses, Phil gained a vast amount of experience and understanding when it came to dealing with large animals. At the time the ranch was sold in the early seventies, the horses numbered just above a hundred, many of these horse were trained by this young man. While quite young, Phillip was teaching colts to halter, by his early teen years he was a competent horse trainer. After years of training horses for other people, he made a change in his training practices.
Spending more time increasing the understanding of the person involved was the difference between failure and success as a horse trainer.
Phillip has traveled the back country on many hunting and camping trips, and has traveled about the province competing in distance endurance events with his horses. Phillip has guided many extended excursions into the wilderness with large and small groups of horses, for over night trips or weeks on end.
Guest Book comments coming soon . . .
phillip@westkootenaytours.com | Walking Tree Ranch Bed & Breakfast | 250.304.0015
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