In September 2012, I was invited by the Canadian Tourism Commission to join a 6-days-trip to Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada to #exploreCanada. For the first time, I discovered the 2nd biggest country in the world — and fell in love with its variety. It was the beginning of my travel writing and why we are here today. 😉
On my schedule for this short trip: a day on a ranch in Saskatchewan near Kyle/Lake Diefenbaker with horseback riding over the prairie.
Prairie, you might think? Nothing you or I expected, especially a hilly one. And: I’m not a massive fan of horseback riding. Horses are beautiful animals, but I prefer different forms of locomotion.
La Reata Ranch
After arriving in the prairie province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon, it was just a 2-3 hours drive to enter an entirely different world. This “Wild Wild West” feeling caught me soon. The saloon, the cowboy style of the Ranch, and of course George, the owner of the La Reata Ranch — everything was like in a Western movie.
Strolling around
It was a beautiful and sunny day as we arrived, but I didn’t make the horseback riding. I couldn’t fight my fears. Instead, I spent a pleasant day strolling around the La Reata Ranch, talked to other travelers, went out for a walk with the two dogs, and discovered the beauty around Lake Diefenbaker.
It was my relaxing and a recovering from the time difference. There I was able to deal with all the new and fantastic impressions. But I have to confess: we didn’t have any service. Our provider didn’t cover the Prairie of Canada — so it was easy to lay back, relax and to enjoy the silence. But the best part was to see the integration of the horses at the ranch. As the others came back from their ride, the horses spent some time between the houses eating and relaxing before they run off to their preferred place as the sun went down.
Thank you for the adventure to be on the Ranch, Tourism Saskatchewan, and CTC — and huge Thank You to George and his team. Loved the homemade food, the stories you shared with me, and the whole atmosphere on the ranch and at the saloon drinking some excellent Canadian beer.
More Information
Want to spend some time at La Reata Ranch? These are the rates for the season (2018).
Read more about the horseback riding at Paul’s blog: Baldhiker — Canada — Riding Away From It All Over The Saskatchewan Prairie
Do you like horseback riding?
Do you have tips/hints for beginners like me?
Deutscher Blogpost mit Bezug zu dieser Story: “Eat, Pray, Love (1)“
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