# ranch work America vs Europe



## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Good luck with your plans. I can't help, but am interested on other replies.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I can speak to what I've seen in Canada:

Your saddle will inevitably be western; bridles and bits may or may not be western; quality of tack is somewhat dependent on the caliber of the ranch with regard to financial resources and commitment to using traditional skill sets and methods.

The quality of horses will vary quite a bit. The best will be strong, stout, reliable ranch horses with a good education and skill in herding and roping cattle. Don't count on coming across that one too often. More than likely the horse will be a work in progress and you'll be training as you go along.

The geography in Canada is quite varied. You may end up on a ranch that has flat, open prairie or a ranch that seems to be nothing but hills and gullies. Either way, expect to do some hard, fast riding when required. As with the geography, the weather is quite varied as well. Expect to start out cold in the early morning; depending on which season you're in this cold will change to quite hot by afternoon or just stay cold all day so it's always best to plan your wardrobe (such as it will be - mostly jeans, gloves, boots and chaps) in layers.

Your work will likely be long hours; you'll likely have to perform any number of tasks such as mending fences, repairing buildings, fixing equipment, cleaning corrals, making hay, hauling hay and supplies and this usually outnumbers the fun stuff such as herding cattle and training horses. You'll probably want to know how to drive a quad/ATV as many ranches use them (sometimes, regrettably, over horses) plus basic farm equipment like tractors and balers. You'd probably also want to know the basics of horse and cattle husbandry to do simple vaccinations and first aid as well as the practical handling methods for the beasties. And it wouldn't hurt to know how to throw a rope from a moving horse.

Once you eventually get a chance to work with cattle, what you actually will do is dependent on the time of the year -- so something like spring is calving time, summer branding, autumn separating calves from moms and/or sending steers off the ranch, winter just feeding. You'd be expected to bring them out of pastures (or move them to different pastures) as quietly and efficiently as possible. When you've got them in corrals, you may rope calves for vaccinating, castrating, branding or you may run them through a chute system instead; you may be sorting out the calves from the herd, keeping them in and sending the moms back out into pasture. You may get a chance to ride out to do herd checks all the time (and check the condition of fences at the same time) which would certainly be my favoured task if I was doing ranch work except having to stop to do spot fence repairs.

In your post, you mentioned an interest in a dude or horse ranch - the same as I've written above applies to these as well except insert less cattle and add more horses. 

Good luck and if you do pursue this I'd like to see a journal of your adventures posted here.


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## ingwal (Mar 1, 2015)

Thank you so much for a really thorough answer! 
I am used to some of that work, like fixing fences, hauling hay, fixing cars and all of the other barn tasks, but I have little experience with cattle. I am also not used to such big fields and areas, as many farms here in Norway don't own that much land. I am also used to riding in all kinds of terrains, and also leading groups on horseback. 
But I wonder if it will be a big difference doing it western style? Or is it easy to learn western when you know english riding?


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

If you're "English" already, you'll find it quite easy to pick up on western (I ride both English and western). From the rider's physical perspective, I think the biggest difference is the way the western saddle will feel to you. The stirrups and stirrup leathers (technically called fenders on a western saddle) can take some getting used to as they're bulkier and stiffer. Other than that western saddles offer a more secure seat than do English ones. From the horse/rider communication perspective, the big difference will be neck reining over direct reining. If you get a horse that has a decent amount of training on it, it will likely be in a curb bit and neck rein such that you have both reins in one hand and use rein pressure against the side of the neck to turn it away from the pressure. You will also find that it is more difficult to give little subtle cues with your legs as the fenders will be between your leg and the horse's side.

Also, some western saddles (especially the ones designed for roping) can be heavy due to the tree plus extra leather so be prepared to get a good upper body work lifting them on.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Be aware that american wages are a lot lower than European ones.

Otherwise it sounds like fun!


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## Altalefty (Apr 14, 2014)

Canada has changed the rules recently on temporary foreign workers. Last person I met who came over to work on a farm was in some kind of exchange program. Don't know if that is still an ongoing program or not. If you haven't looked into the rules recently you should check again as it's possible things have changed.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Wanted - Wrangler - Montana
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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